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If only the Pontiac Grand Am was a little bigger, a little quieter, a little more powerful.

“If only” becomes reality in April, when the redesigned 1999 Pontiac Grand Am arrives in showrooms. Grand Am is Pontiac’s best-selling car, 200,000 units or more annually since it bowed in 1992 and a total of more than 2 million sold.

Grand Am, unveiled at a media preview/ride and drive here, is a lot roomier for ’99. The wheelbase has swelled by 3.6 inches, width by 1.5 inches, front-seat hip room by 1.4 inches and rear-seat hip room by 2.4 inches. Overall length is the only casualty of the ’99 remake, shrinking 0.6 inch.

Those dimensions mean much more interior space to wiggle your feet and jiggle your arms without banging your noggin on the roof. And a couple now fit comfortably in the back seat.

Along with the longer wheelbase, Pontiac widened Grand Am’s track by 3.3 inches. Moving the wheels out to the corners improves road stance and means much better ride and handling, especially in corners. Grand Am always looked sporty, and now it behaves that way too. Wide tracking was borrowed from Grand Am’s larger cousin, the Grand Prix.

With the ’99 redesign, it becomes more difficult to tell the Grand Am and Grand Prix apart, other than the Prix is 10 inches longer, comes with a supercharged V-6 and the base price starts where Grand Am finishes when loaded.

Grand Am retains the sporty louvered plastic body sides that also protect against parking-lot dents and dings. It also keeps the familiar “cat’s eye” headlamps and twin port grilles.

Retaining those Grand Am cues was important because under the plastic covers stands basically the same body as the much more conservative Oldsmobile Alero, which shares the same platform.

Sound deadeners and insulation have been stuffed into every nook and cranny–and fire wall, dash, hood and roof liner–to reduce noise coming into the cabin, resulting in a compact with the quiet of a midsize car.

And for more muscular performance, the sedate 3.1-liter, 155-horsepower V-6 has been deep-sixed in favor of the 3.4-liter, 170-h.p. V-6, which is also offered in the General Motors’ mini-vans. The 3.4 also turns out 10 percent more low-end torque for quicker off-the-line response.

The ’99 Grand Am is offered in base, SE1 and SE2 sedans and coupe. A convertible is under study but not for the near term. A more potent GT sedan and coupe arrive in the fall.

We tested all three SEs here. The SE2 has the edge because it’s the only version that gets the 3.4-liter as standard along with larger, road-hugging 16-inch radial tires designed for handling, a sports-tuned suspension for more sure-footed performance and variable-effort power steering for more precise response that makes the SE2 the most nimble of the trio.

All other Grand Ams have, as standard, 15-inch radials designed for soft ride, which still is better than most of its rivals that start with 14-inch tires and no optional upgrade.

The SE2 sedan and coupe we drove were more energetic and nimble than the base and SE1 models we tested, thanks to the V-6, the sports-tuned suspension, handling tires and variable-effort power steering that provides more on-center feel without hesitation or dead spot.

Four-wheel independent suspension is also new for ’99, and you appreciate it when traveling over railroad tracks or bumps without experiencing rear-end hop and subsequent body shiver.

The base engine is a 2.4-liter, 150-h.p., 16-valve 4 cylinder. Normally a 4 and a V-6 upgrade will give you the choice of economy or performance. But the fuel-economy rating of the two is nearly the same–20 miles per gallon city/29 m.p.g. highway with the 4; 19/28 with the V-6.

The V-6 is the obvious choice, quieter and quicker and you don’t have to put up with the typical groan at initial acceleration that you do with the 4. The 2.4’s main purpose is to save buyers $595 on the optional price of the 3.4 in the SE1.

For now you can get one of only two 4-speed automatics in any Grand Am. The 4-speed with the V-6 is designed to handle the added torque. A 5-speed manual is coming for 2000 but only with the 2.4-liter to help increase its mileage spread with the V-6.

Traction control is standard with either engine to limit speed when wheel slippage is detected and keep you in control of the car.

When the GT comes out, it will have the 3.4-liter with Ram Air, which condenses the air at injection for a healthier dose of power. Expect that engine to be rated close to 200 h.p. The GT also will feature different front and rear styling than the SE and come with four-wheel disc brakes and the 16-inch tires.

Standard equipment in the SE, in addition to that mentioned, includes dual depowered air bags, fog lamps, daytime running lamps, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, tilt wheel, rear defogger, AM/FM stereo, power locks and floor mats

The SE1 adds cruise control, power windows and mirrors, split folding rear seat backs, AM/FM stereo with clock and cassette and five-spoke aluminum wheels.

The SE2 adds all that plus a radio upgrade to six-speakers and graphic equalizer, steering-wheel radio controls, remote keyless entry, sport seats with improved side supports, sun visor extensions, 16-inch tires with multi spoke aluminum wheels and the 3.4-liter V-6 with variable-effort steering.

In addition to greater size, quiet and power, Grand Am features a rather lengthy list of noteworthy items, such as a recessed pocket to keep the front license plate from being banged up; wet-arm wipers rather than squirter nozzles on the hood; and, for the first time, power up/down control for the front seats.

Also, rear cornering lamps light up those dark spots in the parking lot when backing up at night; power door locks can be programmed to lock when you engage drive, unlock in park, delay locking for 7 seconds to get briefcase or gym bag out of the back seat, and not lock if you leave the key in the ignition (which has been moved to the instrument panel and off the steering column to eliminate keys banging against it).

Also, there are two front and rear cupholders that hold 12-ounce cans or 20-ounce bottles, but if you want an ash tray, you lose one of the front cupholders–and have to pay $15; low-fluid lights in the dash warn if you are down one-quart of oil or 10 percent of engine coolant.

The body is 32 percent more stiff and rigid to eliminate squeaks and rattles; brakes have beefed up to shorten stopping distances and worked well in the constant rain here. A soft-foam plastic container holds the tire jack and wrench in the trunk without any rattl ing, and rear seat backs fold flat to hold more cargo.

Rear-seat headroom is excellent because rear-seat bottoms are a very deep-dish design that forces you low in the saddle, though so low you feel as if you must look up to look out the window. All doors open wide for easier entry and exit and in coupes, the driver/passenger shoulder belts are hidden in the sidewall so they don’t aren’t a barrier to those getting in or out of the back seat.

Also, the handbrake has been moved from left of the gearshift lever to the right, out of the driver’s way; red reflectors built into the interior front door panels warn trailing motorists at night that you’ve stopped and opened the doors; and the trunk release button is in the driver’s door, where it is easy to reach and use.

But there are annoyances, too, such as red lighting in the instrument panel that is pleasant at night but makes it almost impossible to see the trip odometer in the day; the opti nal deck-lid spoiler sits so low and the openings are so narrow that it will be difficult to get your hand in to clean; the mirrors attached to the car are not the breakaway variety, which would prevent parking-lot damage; trunk lift over height is rather high; and an exhaust pipe hangs so low midway under the car that those trailing will think the clamp is broken.

Several members of the media here complained that the hanging pipe looks unsightly. Pontiac vowed to take a second look. Seems before the redesign, the rear bumper overhang hid the pipe, but not so with the new ’99.

Pontiac says the new Grand Am is for those who love to drive, not those who have to drive. We agree. It’s a high-style, high-power, high-mileage, but relatively low-price compact that looks sporty–and acts like it.

The base SE coupe starts at $15,870, the sedan at $16,070; the SE1 coupe at $17,270, the sedan $17,470, the SE2 coupe at $18,770, the sedan at $18,970. Add$525 for freight.

>> 1999 Pontiac Grand AM SE1 Wheelbase: 107 inches Length: 186.3inches Engine: 3.4-liter, 170-h.p. V-6 Transmission: 4-speed automatic EPA mileage: 19 m.p.g. city/28 m.p.g. highway Base price: $17,470 Price as tested: $19,130. Add $595 for V-6 with variable-effort steering; $595 for power sunroof; $195 for deck-lid spoiler; and $275 for AM/FM stereo upgrade to include compact-disc player. Add $525 for freight. Pluses: Power windows, power mirrors, ABS, traction control and depowered air bags standard. Longer wheelbase, wider tracking. Greater interior room, quieter engine and cabin. More responsive steering, more comfortable ride, more sure-footed handling, more powerful V-6, but with good mileage. Styling makeover retaining traditional Grand Am design cues. Minuses: Low-hanging pipe from exhaust looks like a hanger broke. Red lighting on trip meter makes numbers difficult to see. 16-inch tires available only on SE2. $15 for an ashtray. >>