Pontiac G8 vs. Dodge Charger (3 of 12)
Credit goes to Chrysler for making rear-wheel-drive cars popular again with the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, but the Pontiac G8 is brand-new on the scene and a direct export from Australia where it's sold as the Holden Commodore. These two large, RWD sedans look completely different, but we like the G8 more for its athletic styling compared to the Charger's over-the-top interpretation of a modern day muscle sedan. We also prefer the G8 GT to the Charger R/T thanks to the former's Corvette-derived 6.0L V8. This is a close one and with much respect for the Charger, we narrowly give the win to the newer G8.
WINNER: Pontiac G8
27/10/08
Photo Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave (10/27/08 @ 09:31PM)
I suspect that the Zeta platform is far less expensive to produce than the hand-me-down Mercedes platform that the Charger is built on.
And the extra expense of the Merc platform gives no performance benefit.
kkool (10/28/08 @ 12:30AM)
I like the G8 alot more than i do the new Charger, which i also appreciate, but i think they'd keep the Charger since Pontiac plans to get rid of the G8 soon anyway, or at least I remember seeing an article on here that said they were. I mean, what'd be the point in keeping a car that's going to be thrown out soon while getting rid of one that is fairly profitable and has no plans of leaving?
dkacinski (10/28/08 @ 01:09AM)
I would agree, EXCEPT: The Charger platform has become very profitable for fleet sales, especially the Police Package....that keeps the Charger in the stable, like the LTD platform underneath the Crown Vic.
Miacol Garcia (10/28/08 @ 09:12AM)
I hope they do not get rid of the Charger the G8 is just plain ugly. They definitely loss me as a customer after 18 years of being with Chrysler. The G8 looks like a modified Cadillac that went horribly wrong, when they were doing facial reconstruction. The Charger is a far more sexy car, trust you pull up in a G8 the girls or boys won't be looking, but you pull up in a Charger it's a "tumba panties"
Judy Zik (10/28/08 @ 11:46AM)
The Charger will survive. At least for awhile. It's build out of the same Brampton Flex plant as the 300 and Challenger so costs are low (especially when compared to shipping and modifications to make a G8) and GM will want to keep that plant. It sells both to consumers and fleets (especially police package). If the monkeys at GM were really smart they might actually take the engineering work already done on LY (the next LX platform) and continue it. The result could underpin the next G8, a RWD Impala and a revamped 300.
Jei (10/28/08 @ 12:16PM)
I like them both. I would like to see the 300, Charger, and Challenger on newer platforms though. The Charger is a bit more "hard core" in comparison to the G8. I like the interior room that the Charger & 300 have, but they definitely need an updated interior.