If I remember correctly, they don't stand up well to crash testing
NHSTA crash test data Does she want a 2 or 4 door?
Consumer reports: The redesigned Grand Am has little to recommend it. An independent rear suspension improved the ride a bit, but handling isn't crisp.Wind noise is pronounced. The 2.4-liter, 150-hp Four performs responsively, but it's noisy and rough; the uplevel 3.4-liter V6 is smoother, and quieter (the Four offers a manual transmission). The seats are soft but unsupportive. And a high lip makes the generous trunk hard to load. Reliability has improved to average. For 2001, the Grand Am gets an uplevel sound system and lower anchors for a LATCH/ISOFIX-compatible child seat.
The driving experience
The Grand Am mutes most bumps in the road fairly well, but its ride isn't as well controlled as the Contour's. A full load worsens the ride a little. The noise level is a lot like the Alero's, but with much more wind rush.
The Grand Am lacks the Contour's agility. Its body leans sharply in corners, and the steering gives little feel of the road. In fast corners, the car initially runs wide and then corrects its line sloppily. It was a bit difficult to control through our avoidance maneuver, but it was predictable enough.
The 2.4-liter Four performs responsively, but it's noisy. Expect about 23 mpg in mixed driving. An extra $595 buys a smoother, quieter, and more responsive 3.4-liter V6. Fuel economy should drop by only 1 or 2 mpg. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts very smoothly. All-speed traction control is standard in all versions of the Grand Am.
Braking is adequate.
Inside the car
Thanks to height adjustments for the seat and steering wheel, there's plenty of room for six-foot drivers, and five-footers can see out easily. We liked the Grand Am's large outside mirrors.
The front seats are soft but poorly padded and unsupportive. Unless the seatbacks are reclined considerably, they make people slouch forward. The rear seat can hold three adults, but it's too low.
Storage space in the cabin includes a deep, narrow glove compartment and several bins and pockets. There are two sturdy cup holders in front and two more in the rear. The front pair, ahead of the shift lever, are awkward to use. Each sun visor has an unlit, covered vanity mirror. You get no map lights or reading lights.
The large, easy-to-read gauges are bathed in soft red light at night. Most controls are easy to use. But the cruise-control switches are oddly placed, under the hub of the steering wheel, and the wheel partly conceals some minor controls.
The climate system is powerful and versatile. Ducts under the front seats route warmed air to rear-seat passengers.
The trunk can hold five Pullman cases or a folded wheelchair, and the split rear seatback can be folded down.The trunk sill is high, narrow, and far forward of the bumper, and the trunk hinges can crush cargo placed under them.
Safety and reliability
The Grand Am has dual air bags and four sets of lap-and-shoulder belts. The center-rear position has only a lap belt. The front belts have an adjustable upper mount. When the front head restraints are raised, they don't lock in position. But even when fully lowered, they're high enough. The two built-in head restraints in the rear seat are also high enough, though the shape of the seatback leaves them too far from the passenger's head. The Grand Am has daytime running lights.
This car hasn't yet been crash-tested by the government. Our bumper-basher distorted the bumper covers to the tune of $704 in front, $496 in the rear.
Driving with kids: You can easily secure most child seats snugly in the rear, where a child is safest. A comfort guide keeps the rear shoulder belts over the shoulder of an older child.
It's too early for us to predict the new Grand Am's reliability. (The previous model had an average record.) Our car arrived with misaligned door panels and other exterior fit-and-finish flaws, all counted as one defect.
How about a Pontiac Aztec?
...seems more relaible than my wife's Z-28
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