Pontiac G8

Like anything, globalization has had its pluses and minuses. Without a doubt,

The G8 GT is a true sports sedan. Built on the new Zeta architecture, it offers up available V8 power and rear wheel drive. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

one of the biggest bonuses is how the exchange of information has evolved. Fibre optic cables buried beneath ocean floors, and high-bandwidth connections shrunk the world, and that’s been a good thing for car enthusiasts. Now consumers and enthusiasts can bemoan cars that aren’t on our home soil, including a few highly desirable vehicles from Australia.

Since the discontinuation of the Bonneville a little over two years ago, Pontiac has been without a large four-door sedan. In much the same way that GM of North America has turned to its European Opel division to source fresh new Saturn cars and crossovers, Pontiac has filled its flagship void by borrowing from its distant cousin Holden in the land down under. Holden was previously responsible for the 2005 Pontiac GTO, a short-lived, rear wheel drive coupe that was lacking in design, but styling certainly isn't a problem with the new G8 sedan. In addition to succeeding the Bonneville, the G8 also acts as a replacement to the Grand Prix, which will end production shortly. One key difference between Pontiac’s most recent sedans and the G8 is that it’s rear wheel drive. It rides on GM’s new global RWD platform, the same as what’s being used on the upcoming Camaro.

Up front, the G8 is all Pontiac with a twin port grille and hood scoops. There’s very little differentiating the G8 from its Australian market twin, the Commodore - Pontiac’s stylists merely re-drew the front fascia and the hood. All the same, the American team was right to leave the design alone, as the G8 arrives with a flared and sculpted body right out of Australia’s V8 touring car race series and as such has a stance not seen on a Pontiac since the 1970s. Neither the hood scoops nor front fender vents are functional

It many not be as menacing as the Dodge Charger, but the G8 GT's snout is aggressive looking. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

but they look good and the scoops look as if they could be functional. I had a closer look under the hood, and they were indeed complete with weather seals affixed to their undersides. After this year’s SEMA aftermarket show, I wouldn’t be surprised to find some sort of conversion kit available. Finally, halogen projector beam headlamps complete the transformation from Holden to Pontiac.

Being that the G8 is somewhat of a niche market vehicle, Pontiac has (wisely) chosen to keep its option choices simple as initially only two trim levels are available, a base model and a GT.

Both the base car and the GT are indistinguishable from the front and about the only way to tell the two cars apart is the GT badge on the deck lid. Unless, of course, the GT model is outfitted with GM’s 1SD package which adds leather sport seats, a power glass sunroof and sexy 19- by 8-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050A ultra high performance summer rubber. The 19s are not available on the base car (18-inch wheels are otherwise standard). From the rear, the only noteworthy differences between GT and base models are clear tail lamp lenses and quad polished stainless steel exhaust tips.

At the other end of those quad exhaust tips is a 6.0L small-block V8 that kicks out 361 horsepower

Six-litre V8 means plenty of go and an excellent soundtrack. AFM means fuel consumption is surprisingly low. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

and 385 lb-ft of torque. It sounds as good as you would expect it to and tears to 100 km/h in a touch over 5 seconds. The only transmission is a seamless six-speed Hydra-Matic 6L80E automatic that rotes power back to a limited-slip differential. In addition, the six-litre engine has Active Fuel Management technology that switches from eight to four cylinders under lighter loads, improving fuel economy. An extra-tall overdrive gear also ensures good fuel economy when cruising. The 32-bit transmission control shifts through the gears smoothly too, a hallmark of GM’s excellence in automatic transmissions.

One disappointment I had with this package is a lack of a six-speed manual transmission. The car simply begs for a stick shift. At this point, I should probably mention the third model in the G8 lineup, the G8 GXP. It wasn’t available to drive and isn’t coming to market until next spring, but it’s the G8 to have if you want the modern day equivalent an early ‘60s full size Pontiac with the Super Duty 421 and a 4-speed. With a 402 horsepower 6.2L LS3 V8 backed by a six-speed manual gearbox, the powertrain is complemented by a track-tuned chassis and slowed by Brembo brakes. The GXP is the car Pontiac should have been building 10 years ago.

But back to the G8 you can put in your garage today. Installed in the base car is a dual overhead cam 3.6-liter V6 that provides 256 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque, the same one used in other GM products. It doesn’t offer the direct injection found in the Cadillac CTS, though. Like the GT, the

19-inch wheels look the part; they're optional. All other models receive 18-inch wheels. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

base model is automatic-only, though it’s down by a gear. With less power and one fewer cog in its transmission, the V6-powered G8 is a tad slower, taking a bit over seven seconds to hit 100 km/h. Both direct injection and a 6-speed transmission would improve the economy of the V6, which, surprisingly isn’t that much better than the V8. The six-litre is rated at 14.4 l/100 km city and 8.4 on the highway. The V6 is rated at 12.2 city and 8 L/100 km highway. I also preferred the V8 to the V6, finding the six a bit coarse under load with an unsatisfying exhaust note, but GM figures that with the high price of fuel and the affordable pricing scheme, 70-percent of buyers will opt for the six-cylinder.

The Zeta global RWD architecture that the G8 is built upon is surprisingly well balanced for a large vehicle. The engine is mounted low and towards the centre of the car, while the steering rack is ahead of the front axle and the battery in the trunk of the car, all contributing to near 50-50 weight distribution. The front suspension is a MacPherson strut design that features hydraulically damped bushings to enhance ride isolation, which is conventional by large car standards. The rear is more impressive, featuring a fully independent multi-link layout. Together, these features easily make the G8 the best-handling Pontiac sedan ever made. Turn in is crisp with plenty of steering feedback, and despite being nearly five metres long it handles twisty back roads with ease. This capability doesn’t come at the expense of the car’s ride, even on New Brunswick’s frost heaved and potholed roads. It never lost its composure, and did so while isolating passengers from bumps.

The G8 is capable when hustled, but it's always comfortable. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

A four-wheel disc brake set-up with aluminum alloy calipers featuring twin pistons in the front and ABS are standard on both models. To cope with the extra power, the GT receives larger diameter rotors. The brakes offer plenty of pull when called upon, but the brake pedal is a bit on the soft side for my tastes. Both G8s also come with all-speed traction control and GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system as standard equipment. In addition, seat-mounted thorax airbags and dual-stage frontal 'bags for front passengers and side-curtain airbags for both rows of seats are also standard on every G8.

The G8 has plenty of sports sedan credentials, but it wasn’t the driver’s seat I hopped into first. I actually spent a lot of time sitting in the back seat where there’s plenty of room (I’m over six feet tall). A pair of adults could easily spend hours riding in the back without problem. But eventually the call of the driver’s seat was too great to ignore. As nice as the other seats are (they are comfortable, but could use a bit more lateral support), it’s behind the wheel where you’ll see another new side of Pontiac. While the G8 is

Pontiac's finest interior yet. (Photo: Pontiac)

being compared to the 5-Series in its US advertisements, it’s pretty clear that GM aimed for Audi with regards to the interior. From the thumbwheel dials on the steering wheel to the high-quality plastics used on the dash and the tight fitment of panels and switches, it’s a much more sophisticated and higher-class interior than we’ve come to expect from Pontiac. And while it’s no match for a true Audi or Beemer, it's the best interior that Pontiac has ever created, and it’s been done at half the price of these premium rides, no less.

Standard on the GT, but optional on the V6 model is a crisp sounding 230-watt Blaupunkt 6-disc 11-speaker sound system that features standard XM radio, but where’s my iPod adaptor? The 6.5 inch LCD screen in the centre of the dash that comes with the Blaupunkt stereo looks like it should also house a Nav screen, but it doesn’t since a traditional navigation system isn’t available. This is fine by me since the automakers are charging too much for these systems anyway. I'd rather spend under $500 on an aftermarket unit that would work just as well. Plus I can take it with me when I leave the car.

The G8: well worth it. (Photo: Steven James Day, Canadian Auto Press)

Alternatively, for less that $30 a month OnStar’s turn by turn navigation is optional. Still, the lack of conventional navigation may prove to be a bit of a disadvantage as practically all of its rivals, performance or otherwise, have built-in nav as an option. What’s more is that navigation is optional with the outgoing Grand Prix.

The G8 isn’t going to appeal to everyone with its sporty credentials and rear wheel drive layout, but if anything it shows that GM listens to its enthusiasts. Since it is being marketed as a sedan for enthusiasts, don’t expect to see G8s on rental car company lots, as it isn’t being sold as a fleet vehicle. Nor should you expect to see G8s being given away on Oprah. The menacing look alone would probably scare most of her fans. It is also not a budget 5-Series. Sure, it comes close to outperforming the BMW 550i, but it feels and drives differently than a BMW, yet that's not a bad thing.

What the G8 is, is the new large sedan from Pontiac. It was well worth the wait, and is well worth the drive.

Specifications (Pontiac G8):
Price Range (MSRP): $31,995 - $40,530
Body Type: 4-door sedan
Layout: front engine, RWD
Engine: (V6) 256-hp, 248 lb-ft of torque, 3.6 L, 24-valve, DOHC V6
Engine: (GT) 361-hp, 385 lb-ft of torque, 6.0 L, 16-valve, OHV V8
Transmission: (V6) 5-spd auto w/manual mode
Transmission: (GT) 6-spd auto w/manual mode
Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
Curb Weight: (V6) 1762 kg (3,885 lbs)
Curb Weight: (GT) 1,812 kg (3,995 lbs)
Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 4,982 / 1,899 / 1,465 / 2,915 mm (196.1 / 74.8 / 57.7 / 114.8 in)
Tires: 245/45R18 (opt. 245/40R19)
Cargo Volume: 496 L (17.5 cu ft)
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): (V6) 12.2 / 8 L/100 km (GT) 14.4 / 8.4 L/100 km
Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 km comprehensive - 60/160,000 km powertrain
Competitors: Dodge Charger, Hyundai Genesis, Nissan Maxima, Volkswagen Passat
Website: www.gm.ca