. . s a7 c. aN aa x on a ~ tte : ~ ow < sg . ; 7 Loss 2 "4 * ~ © ‘ . “yt won Ow « Faw a ~ it ed - Friday, March 6, 1992 — North Shore News - 23 Photo submitted COMPLETELY RESTYLED for 1992, the compact, front-wheel-drive Pontiac Grand Am coupe and sedan comes in two trim levels, SE and sporty GT versions. The Grand Am is available with a choice of four cylinder or V6 engines, five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions, and standard anti-lock brakes. Pontiac Grand Am WHILE MOST new car designs are. moving from sharp angles to soft curves, the Pontiac Grand Am, and its recently redesigned cous- in the Buick Skylark, em- brace geometrical lines that would make Picasso en- vious. TEST DRIVE From its beak-like nose to its high-mounted tail-lights, the 1992 Grand Am is a bold, aggressive and youthful design that, I suspect, will invoke love or hate reactions from potential buyers. Both inside and out, the Grand Am is radically different from the previous model, and I was forced to conclude that Pontiac designers were trying to use shock value to get buyers’ attention. This is quite a gamble for Pontiac considering that previous Grand Ams were that company’s best-selling model. Don’t get the idea this is not a practical design, though. Its new shape has a lower co-efficient of drag and its flush-mounted side window glass helps to reduce inte- rior wind noise. The redesigned doors now wrap into the roof and open to 80 degrees from the closed position for easier entry and exit. In addi- tion, the rear windows retract all the way down into the doors (this is not true for many compact cars). The high, deep trunk will carry at least four full-sized suitcases and has a new low liftover trunklid design. The Grand Am is also a rela- tively good value for a base price of $13,698 (MSRP), particularly as standard equipment includes many features not available or op- tional on other compact cars. Standard equipment includes an- ti-lock brakes, power-steering, AM/FM stereo radio, power door locks, and twin foglamps. Available as a two-door coupe (this week's test car) or four-door sedan, the Grand Arn comes in standard SE and sporty GT models. Four different engines are available (which means, to me, to be about two too many). The base engine is a 120-horsepower 2.3- litre inline four-cylinder engine with a single overhead cam and two valves per cylinder. it offers such modern techno- logical features as an_ elec- tronically-controlied