2000 Pontiac Grand Am Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Grand Am's look-at-me styling features Pontiac's trademark ribbed body cladding. Ribs are everywhere. They start at the front bumper, wrap around the front fenders, along the doors, down the rear fenders and around the rear bumper. The design is carried through the side mirrors and the optional rear spoiler. It all works together to give the Grand Am a sporty look. Body-colored door handles and side moldings support this theme. Add cats-eye headlamps, a twin port grille, round driving lamps and that wide track stance and there's no question this is a Pontiac.

Small round cornering lamps positioned on the edges of the rear bumper are designed to complement the standard backup lights by directing light at 45-degree angles to the sides and rear of the vehicle. They should help illuminate obstructions and ditches when backing up at night.

Interior Features

Grand Am's bold exterior is carried through inside with a sporty retro-dash. Circular hoods shroud the instruments and ventilation ducts and remind us of sports cars past. It's an attractive look that adds to the sports appeal of the Grand Am. Warm, red light illuminates the instruments, which are large and easy to read. Audio and climate controls are angled toward the driver for easy access and heating, ventilation and air conditioning are adjusted with big round knobs.

Strapping on the new Grand Am reveals that the seating position is slightly higher than previous-generation models. Coupled with a lower cowl and thin A-pillars, that makes it easier to see out front. The Grand Am we drove was equipped with a four-way manually adjustable driver's seat, which we found to be comfortable during a stint around greater Miami. A six-way power driver's seat is optional with SE2 trim and Grand Am engineers put a lot of effort into its adjustable lumbar support.

Several features add convenience to the Grand Am. Automatic lighting control can be set to switch on the headlights at nightfall, then turn them off 20 seconds after the ignition is switched off, giving the driver some time to unlock a house or garage door. Battery rundown protection automatically turns off all accessory lights after 20 minutes in case they were left on by mistake.

A delayed locking feature can be programmed to automatically lock the doors within seven seconds of closing the last door. That eliminates the need for trusting passengers to lock their doors and permits quick retrieval of forgotten items. When the driver removes the key from the ignition, three chimes indicate the system is activated. It locks the car seven seconds after the last door is closed. If a door is opened before that time, the timer stops and starts over when the door is closed again. Exterior lights flash twice and the horn beeps to confirm the doors are locked. A related system automatically locks the doors when the shifter is moved out of the park position. Doors automatically unlock when the shifter is placed in park and the ignition is turned off.