2008 Pontiac G8

While long called GM’s performance division, Pontiac’s recent array of front-wheel drive cars and boxy people movers has made it hard for that moniker to be taken seriously. Well that started to change with the Australian-built GTO Coupe and the Solstice Sports Car. But those two-doors nibbled around the edges of mainstream performance. The all-new Pontiac G8 goes straight for the heart! The G8 marks the return of an affordable, rear-wheel drive performance sedan to the GM lineup. And, it’s about time!

Pontiac put its toe back in the rear-wheel drive waters with the 2004 GTO.  While it’s generic styling under-whelmed the Pontiac faithful, the Holden-engineered sport coupe got good marks for its performance and interior design.

Undaunted, Pontiac is back with a new offspring from Australia, the 2008 G8 Sport Sedan. This time not only is the G8 a real looker, but this brawny 4-door signals that the General’s rear drive efforts are, quite literally, picking up speed.

Built Down Under on an all-new chassis and derived from the Holden Monaro, the G8 is a muscular mid-sizer that packs all its hot-stepping hardware into a space barely bigger than a Honda Accord.

The wheelbase is 114.8-inches, and overall length is 196.1-inches: dimensions that are more BMW 5-Series than Dodge Charger.

The sleek lines, deep skirts and fascias, and four-port exhaust also drive a more overt Euro influence. But, with a healthy dose of American aggression; the black twin-port honeycomb grille, and power dome hood with twin cosmetic air scoops.

Shrink-wrapped fender flares, and sharply rising character lines give an impression of tight, lean muscle.

Only the rather generic roof shape and cheap plastic trim around the light clusters detract from the potent view.

Standard wheels are 18-inch alloys, with 245/45 all-season tires. The GT adds summer performance tires, with all-seasons an option. Machined 19-inch rims are part of a Sport Package. 

Under the serious sport bodywork, the base engine is GM’s 3.6-liter dual-overhead-cam V6 with variable valve timing. It delivers a respectable 256 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque.

But the big gun that will make or break the G8’s reputation, is the GT’s Corvette-based 6.0-liter L76 pushrod V8 that pumps out 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque.

GM’s cylinder deactivation system allows the V8 to run as a V4 in highway cruise mode. Still, government fuel economy ratings are a rather thirsty 15 city/24 highway on regular gas.

The G8’s get-up-and-go is linked to a 5-speed automatic for the V6 and a 6-speed auto for the V8. Both transmissions offer normal, Sport, and manual shift modes.

Our initial time in the G8 was in a GT, around the environs of San Diego, California, and as soon as we put our right foot down, we knew that the G8 could deliver a real dose of performance car excitement.

The 6.0-liter V8 is proven to be potent, with big torque from the get go. That power builds in a rush, allowing the G8 GT to easily manage a 5.3 second 0-to-60 time.

In normal mode, upshifts happen too quickly. Sport mode holds the gears much longer, while manual gear changes felt the most positive.

The G8 fun extends into the curves, where our GT put its firm, multi-link suspension, and standard electronic stability control, to good use. It’s much tighter than the GTO, with a more precise feel in fast corners.

There is some front end push when you push hard in a tight bend. But overall, with nearly 50/50 weight distribution, this is one sweet handling factory hot rod.

It’s a pretty sweet ride inside, as well. Like the GTO before it, the G8 cabin displays a sense of cohesive style and precision fit and finish that until recently were not found in GM products sold here.  The analog gauges are performance oriented with a digital information display.

The GT’s optional leather sport seats deliver substantial back and side support, plus heat.

The control layout is clean with a high, purposeful center console. We were pleased with the GT’s standard dual-zone climate controls.

Tunes come courtesy of the GT’s standard 230-watt 11-speaker Blaupunkt audio system with aux input.  While visual map navigation is not available, the standard OnStar system does offer voice-prompted route guidance.

The rear seat is business-class big, but to maintain chassis stiffness, G8 designers opted for a cargo pass through instead of folding seatbacks. The trunk is also big, with 17.5 cubic feet of luggage space.

But the price is not quite as sizable as one might expect. The G8 V6 packs a lot into a base sticker of $27,595. The V8 G8 GT starts at $29,995 and tops out only a few thousand more. That makes the G8 enormously competitive to all comers.

And that’s just for starters. Rumor has it that other Aussie rear-drive variants are on the way. Perhaps a new GTO based on this delicious Holden Coupe 60 Concept.

Still, the 2008 Pontiac G8 we have now is one slick, well-executed rear-drive sport sedan. And no matter how far away its roots, the G8 brings serious excitement back to both the American performance car segment, and the Pontiac brand.