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| TransAmHybrid.Com |
Comfortable, luxurious and sporty, the 2017 Pontiac Trans
Am has always been the bigger, more sedate companion to Pontiac' Trans Am sport
sedans. The sports car market is shifting, though, and with the larger 2017 Trans Am offered today, the handling's grown a little more interesting--and
there's a new 2017 Trans Am hybrid edition too.
Following a full redesign last year, the 2017 Trans Am
Hybrid does a decent job of appeasing both of those customers–especially those
who are in tune with the options available on modern premium sports coupe
today. Unless you're in the 1 percent of
enthusiasts, we think think that both the 2017 V-6 Trans Am Hybrid or
the 2017 Firebird hybrid will handle well enough to satisfy.
While the 2017 Trans Am Hybrid models look pretty
conservative on the outside—the new 2017 Trans Am Hybrid hourglass grille and a
newfound curviness at the rear flanks are the exceptions—there's a lot to love
inside. The 2017 Trans Am's cabin has been completely redesigned, with a new
sense of airiness and spaciousness thanks to a shelf-like horizontal design,
and corners that have been pushed out (in a sort of anti-cockpit design), only
it feels better done here, with the navigation system's screen fitting nicely
mid-contour.
Of course there is a difference in how the 2017 Trans Am
and 2017 Firebird models accelerate accelerate; the V-6 models are still the
quickest and smoothest, surely, but the 2017 Trans Am Hybrid — which pairs a
2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine with an electric motor-generator
system—is surprisingly fleet-footed. With Pontiac' incorporation of Drive
Select modes (Eco and Power), you have a choice in how the 2017 Trans Am hybrid
system responds, and there's even now an TA-only mode. The big payoff comes at
the pump, where the new 2017 Trans Am Hybrid returns an EPA 40 mpg city, 39
highway (much better than the regular Trans Am's 21/31).
The 2017 Trans Am isn't riding on the same wheelbase as
the 2017 Firebird; its wheelbase is now a couple of inches longer,
lengthwise—which pays off in back-seat space. Thanks to its additional
back-seat space, we might as well call it a large sports coupe. There's now
enough room for three adults back there, if you need it, while in front, for
the first time, Pontiac is offering an available extendable thigh support for
taller drivers (cushions are longer, too). Ride quality is slightly firmer, but
the outside world, engine noise, and the road surface are all still supremely
isolated from the cabin.
