Pontiac G8 GT Test Drive

Okay, I really like the Pontiac G8. No, it's not "better" than a BMW 550i, as all of the literature at the Pontiac dealership told me. No, it's not put together better than my anemic FWD Acura. But yes, it is a hell of a car for $30,000.

My day started by calling around the local Pontiac dealers. The first dealer I called only had ONE G8, and it was a V6. The second one I called had a few G8s, and at least two had the V8.

I sat in the one in the show room. It is large. 114.8 inch wheelbase large. That's a lot of car. With the front seat at the position I normally use, I hopped in the back seat and still had plenty of legroom. This reminds me of the cavern of a backseat I sat in when I was little and riding in my friend's dad's 560SEL.

There's been a lot of comparisons between the G8 and the BMW 5 series. The brochures talk about the G8 GT having (barely) more torque than the M5 (385 lb.-ft. versus 383). It gets better mileage (barely) than the 550i (24 mpg highway versus 23). But dynamically and fit-and-finish wise, the Pontiac falls behind.

On the freeway, the G8's torque was pretty amazing. I barely tapped the accelerator at 65 and it seamlessly scooted to 80. But as soon as I took the offramp, I knew I was in a large car. My steering inputs and the corresponding feedback were a shade under confidence-inspiring. Don't get me wrong. The G8 felt better than any other American car I've ever driven (I've never driven a new Corvette, the Cadillac CTS-V, Viper, or Ford GT), but it did not approach a German car's feel.

The interior of the G8 was better than any domestic rental car I've driven, but the design, layout, fit-and-finish, and quality of the materials still lagged behind luxury and near-luxury German and Japanese cars. To be fair, the Pontiac G8 GT does not advertise itself as a luxury car.

So why do I like the G8 so much? First of all, it's a screaming deal. I can get a 6 liter V8 full-sized rear wheel sedan that kinda handles well for around $30,000. That's barely more than the 4 cylinder FWD Jap trap I bought FIVE years ago. And though it's built at the Elizabeth plant in Oz and the engine is assembled in Mexico, I feel like I'm doing my part in propping up the American economy. It is a very competent car and numbers-wise, can compete with German cars costing twice as much.

CKY