Topic: Another good G8 Review

[Vmango]

A nice review from road and track on the new G8. I don't consider myself a pontiac fan, but if you ignore the badge for a second, you'll realize this is a pretty awesome car. 1/4 mile in 13.5 for a full-size 4-door is awesome.

Overall nice package, too.

With rumors of the new Camaro being a few hundred pounds lighter and the 400+ horsepower LS3 as the base engine - based on the numbers for the G8....the Maro is going to be a rocket --maybe getting into those high 12s.



http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6692

"And fast it is: At the test track, we posted a rapid 0–60-mph time of 5 seconds flat and blew past the quarter-mile mark in only 13.5 sec., numbers on a par with the V-10-powered, and more than twice as expensive, Audi S6."

"...the new Pontiac G8 GT shines in many areas — outright speed, good fuel economy for its big V-8, easy-on-the-eyes inside and out, nice cabin materials and comfort, and that huge back seat. Factor in price and it is, essentially, in a class by itself.

Nice".

[Mitlov]

I've got an extremely negative brand association with Pontiac, but the G8 is bucketloads of awesome according to every review I've read.

[DriverJeff]

I've got an extremely negative brand association with Pontiac, but the G8 is bucketloads of awesome according to every review I've read.

I feel the same way.  But will "good fuel economy for a V8" be good enough as the gas pains keep getting worse?  Makes smaller, turbo charged engines a little more appealing these days, no?

[sirAQUAMAN64]

It's one hell of an awesome car. Said it before and I'll say it again, if the wagon comes I'd seriously consider it even though it's not a vehicle I would normally contemplate. Maybe it's good the wagon's not en route, so I can stay sensible 

[Mitlov]

I've got an extremely negative brand association with Pontiac, but the G8 is bucketloads of awesome according to every review I've read.

I feel the same way.  But will "good fuel economy for a V8" be good enough as the gas pains keep getting worse?  Makes smaller, turbo charged engines a little more appealing these days, no?

I've read articles saying that GM is seriously considering making a turbo four version of the G8 for precisely those concerns.  All-out performance numbers might not be better than the V6 G8, but it certainly would feel like a faster and more performance-oriented car.

[DriverJeff]

I've got an extremely negative brand association with Pontiac, but the G8 is bucketloads of awesome according to every review I've read.

I feel the same way.  But will "good fuel economy for a V8" be good enough as the gas pains keep getting worse?  Makes smaller, turbo charged engines a little more appealing these days, no?

I've read articles saying that GM is seriously considering making a turbo four version of the G8 for precisely those concerns.  All-out performance numbers might not be better than the V6 G8, but it certainly would feel like a faster and more performance-oriented car.

Well for their sake, I hope the rumors are true.  It's nice to imagine that GM is paying attention to the wants and needs of the marketplace instead of blindly putting faith in trucks to save their bacon.

[Mitlov]

go figure.  gm's next big thing is a gas guzzling v8 and audi is making a diesel version of their TT.     anybody??? gm  anybody???

Seems you're being selective with your memory there.  Audi's working on the diesel TT, but "the next big thing" for Audi has been the R8 supercar with...wait for it...a gas guzzling V8 borrowed from the RS4.  And the new RS6 features a twin-turbo V10 making 580 horsepower...bet that one's a pleasure at the pump.

Meanwhile, GM is admittedly giving us the G8 and the Camaro, but they've also recently given us the fun-to-drive yet fuel-efficient Saturn Astra, and if you want to talk about pushing the limits of environmentalism, the Chevy Volt is still scheduled to arrive in 2010.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/02/wagoner-says-volt-still-on-for-2010/
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/spy-shots-chevy-volt-caught-testing-for-the-first-time/

[Ex-airbalancer]

I also believe GM is think about putting a 4 cyl turbo in the G8

[Mitlov]

I think it's funny how every review I've read criticizes the large pixels on the fuel display.  If all you've got to criticize about a car is the aesthetic beauty of the fuel display, it must be good, no?

And yes, GM has been talking about putting a turbo four in the G8.  I think their 2.0L 260hp engine would do very nicely, especially if paired with a manual.

[Wetson]

I think it's funny how every review I've read criticizes the large pixels on the fuel display.  If all you've got to criticize about a car is the aesthetic beauty of the fuel display, it must be good, no?

And yes, GM has been talking about putting a turbo four in the G8.  I think their 2.0L 260hp engine would do very nicely, especially if paired with a manual.

[Snowman]

A reliable 2.0 turbo engineered engine would push the limits of economics in the GM business model.

[ArticSteve]

A reliable 2.0 turbo engineered engine

Definitely a first. 

[gta_driver]

If your really keen on seeing a G8 in the 'flesh', there are a couple making the rounds at Oshawa-Whitby-Ajax pontiac dealers, mostly to familiarize dealers with the vehicle and gauge public reaction. There was one parked proudly in downtown Whitby. A lot of neck craning going on from fellow motorists. The car is even better looking in person than in pictures.

[Mitlov]

The GM 2.0T engine is now in four North American models and growing.  As for the engineering, I've read very positive stuff about that engine.  As for reliability,  let's wait and see.  I haven't heard any horror stories yet, and with the number of Cobalt SS turbos that will be out there, we'll see if there are any issues, and either GM or the aftermarket will have to come up with fixes for any issues that do come up. 

Even if something comes up...it's not like a couple years of bad coil packs kept the VW/Audi turbo four off of Ward's Ten Best Engines list, did it?

[Ex-airbalancer]

If your really keen on seeing a G8 in the 'flesh', there are a couple making the rounds at Oshawa-Whitby-Ajax pontiac dealers, mostly to familiarize dealers with the vehicle and gauge public reaction. There was one parked proudly in downtown Whitby. A lot of neck craning going on from fellow motorists. The car is even better looking in person than in pictures.

  Does Whitby have a downtown

[inco]

A reliable 2.0 turbo engineered engine would push the limits of economics in the GM business model.

Does anybody associate the words 2.0 turbo and a GM in the same sentence? No, not really despite the Cobalt and the Solstace Hot Rod s and their motors.

Say 2 liter turbo and my mind flows right to VW and Audi because we get those engines and they work well. BMW and MB have them too but we don't see those engines here.

So GM has some work to do. They build great V8 and V6 engines and mundane daily driver fours. But exotic small engines from GM is something that doesn't roll off the tongue yet.

Now if they drop the VW/Audi engine in that bay I'll bet there would be a much bigger line up of people wanting it.

[rrocket]

The G8s are starting to show up in Windsor...mostly from the US.  There was a beauty black one cruising around last night.  I think it's the most flattering colour, since the awful hood scoop seemed less visible.  Overall a real nice car!!

I think the reason people carp about the LED display is because GM does such a fantastic job on the interiors of the new Malibu, then the CTS...then they see that LED stupidity in the G8 and are like "WTF??"   How do they do such nice, cohesive interiors in those 2 other models, then drop that 1980's pixel LED into the G8, like an afterthought? Beats me.  I can't recall a car in recent memory that had such a cheap, old looking display, can you?  That aside, the G8 is a pretty damn cool car!

Also if you want more power, check out this beautiful twin turbo set-up for the G8.  It's expensive ($7,000) but build quality is top notch.  The only concern I have is that the turbo sit very close to the tranny, and I've have some concerns that it might overheat the tranny fluid.  Otherwise beautiful system

http://www.airpowersystems.com/g8/g8_itt.htm

[Mitlov]

I think the reason people carp about the LED display is because GM does such a fantastic job on the interiors of the new Malibu, then the CTS...then they see that LED stupidity in the G8 and are like "WTF??"   How do they do such nice, cohesive interiors in those 2 other models, then drop that 1980's pixel LED into the G8, like an afterthought? Beats me.  I can't recall a car in recent memory that had such a cheap, old looking display, can you?  That aside, the G8 is a pretty damn cool car!

I wish you could see the display for my Monsoon sound system in my Jetta.  The pixels are at least 2mm x 2mm.  They're huge.  And yet, I've never heard anyone tear into Volkswagen for having big pixels on a center console display.  To the contrary, people fawn over VW interiors.

I just don't understand people bitching about a purely aesthetic detail like that in a car that was never billed as a luxury car.  It's not even a "cheap feel" thing, because you don't FEEL a gas gauge.  To me, it's like complaining that that the color scheme of the new Camry's center console reminds me of a clock radio.  I don't like the orange display with the pale blue button panel.  But I wouldn't expect every single review of the Camry to discuss it.  That would be petty, nit-picky, and totally subjective, wouldn't it?  So how is the pixelation of the G8's gas gauge something that needs mentioning in every review?



EDIT: 

I can't recall a car in recent memory that had such a cheap, old looking display, can you?

Here we go.  Not from my car, but from a 2002 Jetta, so the same sound system, offered in Jettas as recently as 2005:



And if you wanna talk "dated touches in the interior," let's talk about my car's TAPE DECK...

[rrocket]

  So how is the pixelation of the G8's gas gauge something that needs mentioning in every review?

Because it's so bad you can't help mention it.  It's an eyesore...it just jumps out at you it's so bad.   It looks even worse than the 2002 Jetta...and the G8 is 6 years newer!!  And that's might be another part of the problem.  With the technology available to us surely they could have done a better job with that display.  Heck...a $5 digital clock has a better looking display.  Sure it's a small detail..but it's these small details (and attention to them) that make some things truly great..or not so much.  I don't think that on it's own makes the G8 a bad car..but I'd hate to have to look at that thing every day while driving the car.

And I can live with a car with a tape deck.  Every single audio aficionado I know has a tape deck in their house....so I can live with a tape deck in a car..as long as the tape deck in the headunit is in addition to a CD player.

[Mitlov]

Because it's so bad you can't help mention it.  It's an eyesore...it just jumps out at you it's so bad.

I disagree.  I think it's like the orange backlighting on the gauges on my wife's Tacoma.  Would I rather have red, blue, or green?  Yes.  Do I like orange?  Not at all.  Is it something to get fixated on?  Certainly not.  You could find one detail you hate on ANY car.  If that one detail is the aesthetic design of the fuel gauge, you're doing well.