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A week ago we focused on the aged (the ’99 Pontiac Bonneville–great engine and suspension, but long in the tooth in styling) and the infirm (the ’99 Firebird Trans Am with Ram Air–great engine, modest suspension and such weak sales that the Grim Reaper is riding shotgun).

Today, we turn to the strength of the Pontiac division, which General Motors Corp. has entrusted with bringing excitement to motoring: the Grand Am and Grand Prix, both in their sportier GT and GTP versions, respectively.

The ’99 Grand Am GT this fall joins the Grand Am SE (Cartalk, Feb. 8) that bowed earlier this year. SE is more of a family cruiser, the GT the performance stablemate–an SE with an attitude and a spoiler. Pontiac says the GT doesn’t confuse driving with commuting.

Grand Am has undergone a styling upgrade and an almost four-inch wheelbase stretch to improve cabin room and comfort, especially in back, where space was a tad tight.

The GT differs from the SE in front fascia–a more open air dam and twin port grilles designed for the GT’s Ram Air induction system. There’s also a double-ribbed design in the bumper fascias as well as in the plastic lower-body cladding, body-colored outside mirrors, dual sets of twin, round exhaust outlets, blacked-out side glass moldings and GT badging on the doors. And the GT sports 16-inch radial tires as standard, versus 15-inch treads on the SE.

In addition to design and dimension changes, the Grand Am GT coupe we tested sports a 3.4-liter V-6 to replace the 3.1-liter, 160-horsepower V-6 of years past. The 3.4 with Ram Air in GT is more spirited than the 3.1 and the 3.4 in the SE. With Ram Air, cooler, pressurized air is directed into the engine to deliver a denser charge to boost horsepower. With Ram Air, the 3.4-liter is rated at 175 h.p., up from 170 h.p. on the regular 3.4, while torque increases to 205 foot-pounds at 4000 r.p.m. from 195 foot-pounds.

You feel the torque in stepping away from the light. A quick power burst complemented by a little exhaust rumble. The low-profile, speed-rated Goodyear Eagles provide sure-footed handling as well as more precise steering response. A unidirectional tread pattern is designed to optimize wet and dry traction.

But you don’t measure the Grand Am GT’s appeal as much by zero-to-60-m.p.h. times as you do zero-to-30-m.p.h. bursts that make the coupe feel more muscular than it is. The GT performance numbers that are most impressive are the 20-mile-per-gallon city/28-m.p.g. highway rating when teamed with a 4-speed automatic, a new unit brought in for the 3.4-liter V-6.

The long wheelbase, new fully independent four-wheel suspension and 3.3-inch wider tracking contribute to a smoother ride and more sure-footed handling. Standard four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock (disc/drums on the SE) and an enhanced traction control system that automatically adjusts spark timing, gear selection and fuel delivery to th e engine to minimize wheel spin on slippery surfaces adds to the feeling of security and stability.

The GT isn’t quite as smooth as the SE, but it isn’t meant to be. The GT suspension is more firmly tuned, and you will feel some of those expander joints in the road, the price you pay for tighter handling and quicker response to wheel input.

Grand Am is aimed at those who understand the practicality of a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, but prefer a sportier machine with more lively movement that still delivers optimum mileage without being labeled an economy car.

But there are some gripes. One is the programmable door locks. Put the gearshift lever in “drive,” and the doors lock, put it in “park” and they unlock, unless, as in the test car, the doors stay locked in “park” and you have to press the button to escape. That may be the mode of choice when traveling the bowels of New York City, but not when you work in Vernon Hills.

Also, the steering wheel blocks clear view of the fuel gauge in the instrument panel. The red backlighting for the gauges looks good, but tends to blur at night (OK, not if you’re 25 years old). Whoever designed the dash-mounted air vents obviously felt he or she was cooling a gym and not a car cabin and erected giant multi-flanged vents when flush vents would look better.

And whoever approved the self-crank driver’s seat lumbar support system should be exiled.

Very nice car, but keep in mind the GT comes in two and four-door versions, and the four-door makes it a lot easier to store the groceries, dry cleaning, duffel bag or kids than the two-door does. GT sedan styling is every bit as pleasant as the coupe, so you add function for only $400 more than the coupe.

The GT coupe starts at $19,070. In addition to all the goodies noted, you get air conditioning, tilt steering, AM/FM stereo with cassette, power windows/mirrors, cruise control, depowered air bags, solar-heat rejecting glass, rear-window defogger, electric remote trunk release and carpeted mats as standard. The only option on the test car was remote keyless entry at $150, though why in the age of electronics an automaker would charge $150 for remote keyless entry is beyond our comprehension.

The Grand Am GT offers attractive styling, good room with ample hauling and storage space, responsive ride and nimble handling, plus outstanding fuel economy and affordability.

That’s called value, and it’s one reason Grand Am is Pontiac’s best seller and has topped the 200,000 unit sales mark each year since 1992.

The Pontiac Grand Prix GTP is longer, wider and more powerful than the Grand Am for those whose family size and/or income has grown but who still desire driving not just commuting.

Prix brought back wide tracking to Pontiac a few years ago so it sticks even better to the pavement and allows even more aggressive motoring into and out of those twists and bends.

The GTP comes with an even livelier 3.8-liter, 240-h.p., supercharged V-6 (the 3.8 in the base Prix is 200 h.p.) that gives you quite a kick off the line or when pulling out to pass.

With the supercharger, you cruise with a smooth, quiet V-6 under the hood until you need a power boost. Then you press the pedal, and the V-6 acts like it inherited a couple added cylinders of muscle.

Even with the power in reserve, the Prix, like the Am, still delivers a generous 18-m.p.g. city/28-m.p.g. highway fuel-economy rating.

For more aggressive driving, a button on the gearshift lever allows you to switch to a performance shift pattern, providing gear ranges similar to those on a manual transmission. When the button is pressed, a blue light in the instrument panel flashes an advisory to let you know you’ve changed shift patterns.

Two problems with the system, however. The button is near the top of the shift lever and is activated nearly every time you touch the lever. Also, in most daylight situations, the blue light is invisible. Advice: move the button lower on the lever and change the light to white or yellow.

Outside, the Prix looks very much like the Grand Am, only larger.

However, while the Grand Am has the ribbed plastic lower body cladding, the Prix has a thin, body-colored protective side molding midway up the door panel and plastic lower-body cladding cinched over the rocker panels. Not quite as sporty as the Am.

The Prix would look better with wheel-lip moldings or wheel-well extensions/mud guards to give it a more aggressive appearance. And the big, rather flat hood could use a bulge or intake port or two to spruce it up, even if the only function it served was decorative.

A couple new features on the ’99 Grand Prix GTP are worth noting: the addition of a Bose eight-speaker sound system as standard, and an even more important color-coded system to let you know if you’ve secured the child safety seat properly in back (green, yes; red, no).

The GTP we tested starts at $23,910. Depowered air bags , traction control, four-wheel ABS, power windows, mirrors, dual zone air conditioning, power driver’s seat, AM/FM stereo with CD player and rear-window defogger are among the standard items.

A $1,650 option package on the test car added power sunroof, power and heated driver’s seat, leather seating, rear reading lamps, visor mirrors and a heads-up display that flashes speedometer reading and turn signals in the bottom of the windshield in front of the driver. Aluminum wheels added $325. Freight is $560.

>> 1999 Pontiac Grand Am GT
© 1998 Chicago Tribune Wheelbase: 107 inches Length: 186.3 inches Engine: 3.4-liter, 175-h.p. V-6 Transmission: 4-speed automatic Fuel economy: 20 m.p.g. city/28 m.p.g. highway Base price: $19,070 Price as tested: $19,220. Includes $150 for remote keyless entry. Add $525 for freight. Pluses: Four-wheel ABS and traction control standard. Lively performance plus excellent fuel economy. More room front and rear from 3.6 inches of added length. Sports decor. More potent 3.4-liter V-6 replaces 3.1 liter. Minuses: Programmable door locks stay locked until you cry uncle. Remember, this comes in an easier-to-enter/exit four-door, too. >>