Pontiac has long been referred to as the “excitement” brand of General Motors due to in large part to historical names such as GTO and Firebird. Unfortunately, the last 20 years saw Pontiac’s image diluted by a vehicle lineup that included a large number of V-6, front-wheel drive cars that were anything but exciting. The unofficial bottom for the legendary Pontiac brand came in 2002 with the death of the Pontiac Firebird.
After the failed experiment that was the 2004-2006 GTO, Pontiac decided to take another swing at an Australian-built vehicle to compliment the popular G6 and Solstice and resurrect its performance-minded image. This time it looks to be a homerun.
This spring, Pontiac will launch the 2008 G8, a replacement for the aging Grand Prix sedan, which should help return at least a portion of the company’s glory and driving excitement. Built on the same Zeta platform as the upcoming 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, the all-new G8 sedan is highlighted by its powerful engine options, rear-wheel drive layout and stunning, aggressive looks.
Many attribute the failure of the recent GTO to its soft lines and bland looks. Pontiac was not about to make the same mistake twice on its performance sedan. Despite being a rebadged Holden VE Commodore, the 2008 Pontiac G8’s menacing stance, chiseled lines and widely flared wheel arches fit in well with Pontiac’s brand image and vehicle lineup. The only differences between the G8’s trim levels are found on the rear of the car. Clear-lensed taillights and quad-outlet dual exhaust grace the G8 GT’s hindquarters, while the base G8 is more toned down with red-lensed taillights and a dual outlet single exhaust.
Standard G8 models use 18-inch aluminum wheels, with an option to upgrade to 19-inch wheels with the Sports Package.
Inside, the G8 features an attractive and modern layout. The most aesthetically pleasing aspects of the interior is the almost seamless blending of the door panel and instrument panel. With the A/C vents integrated into the door panel, there is no gap to break up the flowing dash. Further adding to uncluttered and clean look, Pontiac located the window and power mirror switches on the center console.
From the driver’s seat, the instrument cluster features easy-to-read, white-on-black gauges that include a large tachometer and speedometer and smaller temperature and fuel gauge. All pertinent vehicle information is displayed either in the instrument cluster or at the top of the center stack. Front passengers benefit from heavily bolstered seats to minimize side-to-side movement while testing out the G8’s sport-tuned suspension.
The base G8 powertrain includes a 256-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission In GT trim, the G8 packs quite a punch with a Corvette’s 6.0-liter V-8 under the hood pumping out 361 horses and 248 lb-ft of torque. Mated to the six-speed automatic transmission, GM says the GT will launch from 0-60 in an estimated 5.3 seconds. A glaring omission from the G8’s option list is the lack of a manual transmission. Like many other manufacturers, Pontiac chose to launch the G8 with limited powertrain options, but insiders say a manual gearbox is in the car’s near future, which should give it a stark advantage over its primary domestic competitor, the Dodge Charger.
From the early stages in the development of the G8, Pontiac’s goal was to keep the price around or under $30,000. Mission accomplished. The base G8 has a starting MSRP of $27,595 and the GT comes in at $29,995, although a well-equipped model or the rumored sport-tuned G8 GXP could easily push the $40,000 range.
While the idea of a G8-based wagon was recently shot down, a pickup version (think El Camino) is said to be on the way. To add to the excitement, Holden recently showed its Coupe 60, which would look right at home in G8 garb sitting on Pontiac showrooms.