Pontiac’s Grand Prix has been redesigned for 2004, and the first immediately noticeable change is that gaudy plastic body cladding is finally history.

The new Grand Prix has numerous other positive changes as well. Although they may not be as readily apparent as the disappearance of the cladding, Pontiac says 80 percent of the 2004 Grand Prix’s parts are new.

Although the sleek body styling remains familiar, and unmistakably Pontiac, the loss of that stupid cladding adds a huge visual impact to a body that wasn’t actually re-styled all that much. There’s also a very sturdy feel to the chassis, plus more horsepower courtesy of the supercharged V6.

If you’re a fan of Pontiac, its basic character and styling — and of supercharged horsepower, make no mistake, you’re going to like the redesigned 2004 Grand Prix. Perhaps the best part is that the starting sticker price remained under $22,000 as of the early introduction of the 2004 model — less than some downscale entry-level imports that aren’t nearly the car the Grand Prix is.

Inside, the cockpit has a real driver’s feel, with simple, easily read instrumentation complete with Pontiac’s signature red lighting. However, the leather-trimmed power bucket seats in front are much more comfortable than the rear bench which seems to sag.

Rear legroom is an acceptable 36.2 inches — a mere 0.2 of an inch less than the competing Nissan Altima — but nearly 2 inches less than the Chrysler Sebring sedan. The rear doors open wide — a full 82 degrees.

Horsepower, never in short supply in Pontiacs, is improved this year, and the smaller, 3.1 liter V6 has been dropped, leaving only two powerplant choices now, both 3.8-liter V6s.

The base engine is a naturally aspirated Series III version V6 that puts the same 200 horses to the highway as last year’s Series II version of this motor. However, the supercharged version of the 3.8-liter Series III has added 20 horses, putting a total of 260 ponies to the pavement. In comparison, the Altima with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 puts out 245 horses.

Torque remains at 280 lb-ft at 3600 rpm and provides enough brute strength to get this 3,500-pound four door out of the hole quickly. I found myself unintentionally squealing the tires several times during my test period.

A cool option available on the supercharged V6 is something called TAPshift, which stands for Touch Activated Power. It puts shift paddles on the steering wheel a la Formula One cars, so a quick finger push moves the transmission from gear to gear with no clutch pedal to depress.

Although TAPshift adds a bit of fun to the run-of-the-mill manumatic, shift-for-yourself automatic, the Grand Prix still only has a 4-speed transmission, so it isn’t as fun as it could be with more gears. Plus, the mechanism seems more like window dressing because it didn’t seem to really shift any quicker or smoother. Meanwhile, the V6 Altima is offered with a 5-speed manual for authentic shift-it-yourself driving or a more responsive J-gate setup on the automatic.

In spite of the redesign and all the new parts, Pontiac engineers understood the old axiom, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” as they left the Grand Prix platform basically in tact, only fine-tuning some aspects of the suspension. The basic suspension remains the same — front MacPherson struts and rear independent tri-link. Adjustments to anti-roll bars and larger diameter 16 and 17-inch tires make the car feel impressively sturdy and stiff.

The ride in my test model Grand Prix GTP — which was equipped with the optional competition package that adds performance-tuned suspension, the 17-inch wheels and tires and General Motor’s (GM) StabiliTrak Sport stability control system — seemed a bit harsh on some less than ideal road surfaces. The competition package also includes GM’s Magnasteer II, rack-and-pinion steering, which varies steering effort needed with lateral acceleration changes as well as with vehicle speed. So in spite of the harshness, and the fact this is actually a fairly large car — 16 and half feet long — under aggressive driving conditions the Grand Prix handles with a sure predictability that inspires a lot of confidence.

The Grand Prix does require premium fuel for the supercharged V6 in the Grand Prix, and fuel economy isn’t that great. I managed a little over 18 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

Whines: I’d like to see an improved automatic that offered more gears as well as GMs 6-speed stick as an option. The back seat leaves something to be desired in terms of comfort and there’s an annoying chime to alert the driver when he or she tries to shift and the engine could be compromised. Pontiac added extra sound insulation and thicker window glass in the new Grand Prix for a quieter ride, but the sporty tires add a lot of road noise on certain surfaces that basically nullify this.

Bottom Line: The new Grand Prix is impressive. It has considerable power on demand and the chassis and body add a buttoned-down, almost European feel to the handling. And, even optioned out, at the price point this car is stationed at, it’s a superior value to many imported sports sedans while holding its own with them on the highway.