2008 Pontiac G8

2008 Pontiac G8 – Click above for high-res image gallery Here's a question: what builds excitement? For Pontiac, the General's erstwhile "excitement" division, the answer hails from Oz. No, it's not another attempt to rebadge a Holden Monaro with the lofty GTO moniker, it's to rebadge a Commodore with some G-flava. The Pontiac G8 has potential, both from an enthusiast perspective and as a means to remake a brand that's lost its sheen in the last few product cycles. Overall, the G8's a looker. With a purposeful stance, flared wheel arches and a nose that makes puttering Prii piss their proverbial pants, the Pontiac G8 arrives with equal parts menace and promise. But beyond outward appearances, what does this new sports sedan have to offer in a segment that's been left largely untapped (save the Dodge Charger)? That's what we're in sunny San Diego to find out. %Gallery-17164% Real drivers rejoice! We've got what we want... almost. Two engine choices, either a 3.6-liter V6 or a 6.0-liter V8 mounted up front, send power to the rear-wheels. Good and good. Manual? Nope. In a move that will surely be rectified by this time next year, Pontiac has decided that swapping your own cogs is not in a potential G8 buyer's interest. While that's disappointing enough, the two auto 'box offerings are just as dispiriting. If you opt for the 256-hp V6, you're saddled with a five-speed auto with manu-matic. Similarly with the V8, a six-speed slush box shovels 361 hp and 385 lb.-ft. of torque to the back while allowing you to choose your own ratios by throwing the gear selector to the right and pushing up or down for that not-quite-manual experience. Both are fine gearboxes, but for a vehicle that aims to put driver enjoyment first and foremost, it's an option that's sorely lacking from the spec sheet. However, we've been assured that a manual is coming, but launching the G8 without one seems to be the biggest mistake so far. Getting back to the engines, the base G8 comes equipped with the same 3.6-liter V6 that's found on the entry-level Cadillac CTS. That means sequential fuel injection is used in favor of the direct-injection available on the upper-echelon Caddy. It's a bit of a disappointment that Pontiac opted out of what's arguably one of the better sixes on the market, but again, it's likely to make its way under hood in the future. That said, the V6 is a good enough engine providing sufficient motivation to match the base G8's 3,885-pound curb weight. The key word in that last sentence, if you didn't pick up on it, was "sufficient." While the six-equipped model can get out of its own way when shoved and the 6,900-rpm redline is fun to cane through the corners, it remains merely adequate. However, a GT model packing 5,967cc of V8 goodness was just a few short words away. Time for a car swap. Pontiac is stressing that those buyers who've decided a …
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