Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, GM, Pontiac, Rumormill
2010 Pontiac G8 ST may get direct-inject V6

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST
The Pontiac G8 Sport Truck was originally supposed to be powered only by General Motors' 361-horsepower 6.0L V8, but tough fuel economy standards and customer demand for fuel efficient products have conspired to change the General's plans. Edmunds Inside Line quotes an anonymous senior engineer at the General saying that the unique sport ute will receive automaker's 3.6L V6, as well. That's good news for fuel economy, but the better news is that the 3.6L V6 of choice will be the direct injection versoin. That will likely give the G8 ST the same 300+hp as the 2010 Camaro and Cadillac CTS. That should also make the base ST more appealing to enthusiasts and the average Joe, with more power at the pedal and a healthier torque curve. The DI version of GM's 3.6L V6 will also likely be available in the base G8 sedan for the 2010 model year, as well.
It makes sense that GM would go with direct injection for the G8 ST, as the General has already promised the powerful V6 for the Chevy Traverse and Camaro. Putting DI in more vehicles will help drive down the cost of producing these more high-tech engines economy of scale while also giving customers V8ish performance with V6ish fuel economy. Keep in mind, however, that though a GM engineer was quoted, none of this is official word from GM, so plans could change.
Gallery: 2010 Pontiac G8 ST
[Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MikeW 1:14PM (8/20/2008)
How about a 6 speed automatic first?
'09.5 G8 3.6 V6 + 6L50 + 3.27 axle ratio
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VinceP 1:33PM (8/20/2008)
I still don't understand why more automatic gears are better, other than some kind of marketing tactic.
As far as I can tell, slush boxes are usually in the wrong gear at the wrong time (i.e. when you need the power to accelerate), and adding more gears just increases the chance you'll be in the wrong gear.
In my 07 Mazda3 they upped the auto gears to 5 , 1 over the 06's 4 gears. It's cruses at 40mph in 5th gear with absolutely no power. If you smash the gas (and you have to push it far), how does it know how much power, and what gear you want? It doesn't do it well.
And both cars are rated 25/31 mpg, so there's no gain in fuel economy from more gears.
I'd just like someone to explain how this "more gears are better" has perpetrated.
DKB_SATX 1:52PM (8/20/2008)
VinceP: slushboxes cruise in the wrong gear because of the EPA testing regime, not because of an intrinsic problem with the concept of an automatic. (full disclosure: I prefer a good manual transmission to an automatic any day of the week.) Modern automatics are programmed to start off in 2nd gear where possible, and to upshift as soon as possible to get the best scores on the EPA fuel mileage tests.
In many vehicles with a "sport" mode, the automatic sucks much less because it'll hold a gear a bit longer and kick down with more alacrity. It's a pretty good bet on the part of the manufacturer that people who buy an automatic won't really notice what the transmission is doing anyway, so most of their customers will just keep plodding along without ever thinking about the fact that the transmission isn't in the "right gear" for fun driving.
MikeW 2:47PM (8/20/2008)
GM has the 3.6 V6 with the old 5L40 5 speed auto & 2.92 axle ratio, top gear is 2.19:1 reduction
With 6L50/3.27 top gear would be 2.20. That would not change mileage, because the jump from 6th to 5th (2.79), is smaller than 5th to 4th (2.92) (of the 5 speed auto)
So no mileage loss on EPA highway test, and a small improvement in city driving, moving to a 6 speed automatic confers other benefits.
Like acceleration!
The 3.6 V6 Pontiac G8 is slow. Doesn't 1st gear go to 45mph, 2nd to 75, 3rd to 110
With a 6 speed auto, 1st can to to 30mph (short shifting somewhat), 2nd to 60, 3rd to 100.
The problem with the '5 speed auto' in the Mazda3, is that it is still a 4 speed auto + underdrive. 1,2,3,4 (in UD) then 4th + direct drive.
Also the gearing on the 2.3 / 5 speed auto is too short. Isn't a real 80mph 3K on the tach?
Kaptain75329 4:01PM (8/20/2008)
"I still don't understand why more automatic gears are better, other than some kind of marketing tactic." - VinceP
It's more than just marketing. The idea is to reduce jumps in the engine rev band between gear shifts - this improves acceleration because it keeps the revs closer to the engine's peak torque curve. Since the engine wouldn't have to work as hard to build speed on the next gear, you'd also wind up using less fuel (all other conditions being equal). This is why more gears tend to equal better performance without sacrificing fuel economy. (In some cases, fuel consumption is reduced.) 6 gear ratios seem to be the magic number though - diminishing returns are huge for multispeed automatics that add lots of complication and cost for little additional benefit.
"In my 07 Mazda3 they upped the auto gears to 5 , 1 over the 06's 4 gears. It's cruses at 40mph in 5th gear with absolutely no power. If you smash the gas (and you have to push it far), how does it know how much power, and what gear you want? It doesn't do it well." - VinceP
Respectfully, I don't think you know what you're talking about. The drivetrain upgrades were launched for the '06 model year in response to the upcoming Civic which was all-new for '06. The 2.0 engine got VVT and the 2.3 started shipping w/the 5-sp auto. The feature content upgrades and appearance refresh were delayed until the '07 model year because of parts sourcing issues. I drive an '08 3s GT w/auto and I can relate to the cruising @ 40mph thing, but there's very little drama to get the transmission to shift for more power. Sometimes I think it downshifts needlessly to accelerate faster than I wanted, but you and I are just talking opinion at this point. The 3 has awesome transmissions - both the manual and the auto are very good for their class and then some. Remember, you're driving around a 2.3L engine putting out 156bhp and 150ft-lb of torque.. which you cant get to until about 6K RPM anyway (the joys of DOHC). This a mass-market commuter, not a street racer. If the auto tranny isn't doing what you want, Mazda did provide a manual mode for you to tell it exactly what gear to be in - I don't know of any other c-segment vehicle with this feature on their automatics.
"And both cars are rated 25/31 mpg, so there's no gain in fuel economy from more gears." - VinceP
Wrong again. Where did you get these numbers? Unless you're talking about the lower trim 2.0 engine, these ratings have never appeared on any window sticker for the Mazda3 in the USA. The ratings for the 2.3 were previously 26 cty, 34 hwy. The updated ratings are now 22cty/28hwy per the recently revised EPA testing regimen. (I've kept the window stickers for my 2004, 2006,and 2008 MZ3s.) Again, the point of upgrading the transmission was to improve performance without compromising fuel economy. In this way, Mazda was able to keep the 3 fresh and competitive.
Ken Stamper 4:02PM (8/20/2008)
How 'bout a six speed manual first? "Sport truck" my ass!
TBlueMax 1:17PM (8/20/2008)
The DI V6 option sounds perfect for those of us who would use the ST for trips to Home Depot and towing a jet ski to the lake.
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MemphisNET 1:19PM (8/20/2008)
Maybe this is a stupid question, but when they're designing these transmissions, can they not just - by default - make the final gear extremely tall so the car loafs down the highway at 1200-1400rpm to further increase fuel mileage?
Besides that, this is great news. I was reading the Camaro info at torquereport and the base V6 is VERY appealing in that car, and would make tons of sense in this retro trucklette.
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MikeW 2:05PM (8/20/2008)
Yes, if you have the gears & the ratio spread.
GM had a wide ratio 4 speed auto: 3.059, 1.625, 1, 0.696. 4.4:1 is plenty wide for only 4 gears.
Honda just touted wider ratio spread in the new TL
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080819.002/page7/2009-acura-tl-in-depth
5.5:1 is second to the '5 speed auto' in the RAV4 5.6:1
The CVT in the Maxima in only 5.4:1
mike 1:25PM (8/20/2008)
Look we all know that this is not a WORK truck, so why not have fun with it. I think this car will sell, it will not be a HUGE seller but there will be large enough a market for GM to sell them. This could be an instant classic.
Sure GM miscalculated the SSR, but this is FAR more unique than anything on the market.
P.S. why can't Autoblog just make a normal comments section. Do we really have to type our e-mail and password each and every time?
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Shadyman 2:25PM (8/20/2008)
Re: P.S.
Um, hit "Returning", stick in your email and password, and check the "remember me" box.
You still have to click "Returning" each time, though.
BigMcLargeHuge 1:32PM (8/20/2008)
Anything 'sport' should come with a manual option.
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MemphisNET 1:48PM (8/20/2008)
With only 5% of the population buying manual cars, it makes little financial sense to offer it. I too would prefer it, but a good automatic is fine by me.
Go back to when the new Dodge Charger was introduced. I forget who said it, but ''The one's crying the loudest are the same people who wouldn't buy it even if it was a carbon copy of the original''
DKB_SATX 1:54PM (8/20/2008)
I love a good manual transmission myself, but I tell you I'd be much more likely to buy a G8 Sportwagon with a slushbox than to buy this ridiculous imitation truck with a 6spd manual.
mike 1:57PM (8/20/2008)
But that is the issue. In MOST cars you are charged $1,000 extra for something that 90% of the public wants (automac) and can use.
I mean i know that automakers are trying to squeez as much as possible but come one, offer automatic for free and see people lining up for your car.
Also GM can offer Auto for free instead of cash on the hood or employee discount or whatever else.
BigMcLargeHuge 1:58PM (8/20/2008)
I'm not saying manuals are the end-all-be-all of transmissions. I just think they'd have an easier time marketing it as 'sport truck' by at least offereing one.
MachWon 1:54PM (8/20/2008)
Sounds to me like Pontiac is planning on bringing the G8's powertrain in line with new Camaro's. Can you smell 6.2 liter? Let's hope! Besides, isn't G8 production supposed to move up here when the Camaro plant gets to cranking?
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Alex 1:54PM (8/20/2008)
Very curious how this thing will sell. Not for me but I could see others loving it.
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John Ward 1:56PM (8/20/2008)
That interior is one of the cheapest looking Honda interiors to come out in a long time. It's a low priced car but the interior materials don't look much better than a Chrysler.
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mike 2:01PM (8/20/2008)
I never sat in G8, i suppose that G8 and this will be similar, but my god G5-or G6 whatever Pontiac calls it has the worst interior i ever saw in a car.
That G was leather clad and all, the best trim level, just so happened only a few minute before that i was in Honda dealership.
Believe me when i say this Fit has a nicer interior than leather clad G.