1996 Pontiac Grand Am A sporty entry into the mid-size market. By Mike Sante, New Car Test Drive .com

Sporty looks. Competent performance. Competitive price. That's what made Pontiac

Grand Am the seventh best-selling car in the country last year.

Pontiac has spent millions to establish itself as General Motor's high-performance

"excitement" division, and the Grand Am certainly has that aggressive attitude from

its fog lamps to its spoiler. Even though the basic look is more than a decade old,

the Grand Am still stands out in a crowd of far more mundane looking family sedans.

You might be a little disappointed once you get a Grand Am out on the road. The car's

fetching exterior promises more of an exhilarating performance than the Grand Am

actually delivers. But its suspension and powertrain are perfectly acceptable and the

ride is quiet and pleasant enough.

While the Grand Am may not out-perform most of the cars in its class, you can't ignore

its price. This Pontiac will get around with some flair for a couple of thousand

dollars less than a comparably equipped Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

So while we suspect a lot of folks are initially smitten with the Grand Am's sporty

appearance, common sense tells them to buy because its a good deal.