2009 Pontiac G8 Review

The racy, full-size G8 sedan takes up where Pontiac's recent-but-discontinued GTO high-performance rear-drive sedan left off and upholds the automaker's reputation of being General Motors' high-performance division. After all, Pontiac's 1964 GTO was the industry's first mass-produced muscle car.

The G8 is unusual for a large domestic car from a General Motors division in that it has a rear-drive setup, with the engine up front and drive wheels at the rear. This is Pontiac's first big rear-drive auto in a long time. GM's Australian Holden unit is largely responsible for the G8 -- a good thing because Holden is well known for sexy rear-drive cars. That's why the G8 has a definite foreign flavor.

Rear-drive doesn't put all drivetrain and steering functions up front, so the G8 has sharper, more balanced handling. Weight distribution is nearly 50/50. A long 114.8-inch wheelbase and supple all-independent suspension provide a comfortable ride.

The G8 would be a good Chicago-to-L.A. interstate cruiser, but it also is adept at tackling winding back roads if one wanted to temporarily escape from the boredom of interstate driving. The long-awaited 2009 Chevrolet Camaro will use a modified version of the G8's platform. Holden is especially proud of the G8's suspension -- if the car just went fast in a straight line, that wouldn't be good enough for this GM unit.

Steering is a little heavy, but not objectionably so. It's quick and provides excellent road feedback. Handling is sharp with the nicely designed suspension, although not in the class of the costlier, rival BMW 5-Series. Stopping power is strong with anti-lock all-disc brakes with an assist feature for surer panic stops -- and a pedal with a linear action. This is a "driver's car" that allows safe, swift travel for even those new to it. The G8 is always on your side.

The G8 arrived as a 2008 model and is little-changed for 2009, except for the addition of XM satellite radio and elimination of a few secondary gauges. The $30,675 GT model has a 6-liter 361-horsepower V-8 (March 31 AutoTimes) that makes it a neck-snapper (0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds). But the more fuel-thrifty 2009 V-6 version I tested is pretty quick with its 3.6-liter 256-horsepower V-6 -- hitting 60 mph in 7 seconds.

I recently attended a large Chicago area classic car show, and a young man rushed up to the G8 in the show's parking lot and said, "I really like your car!" His face fell a bit when I told him it had a V-6, not a V-8. But he brightened when I said the car was still plenty fast.

The V-6 and V-8 models look virtually identical, right down to their nonfunctional but attractive hood scoops -- although the low front spoiler can be damaged if a driver isn't careful near high curbs and such. The V-8 has four chromed exhaust outlets, while the V-6 has only two. But, what the heck, the 1960s Pontiac GTOs had only dual exhaust outlets.

The V-6 actually has a more sophisticated design than the pushrod V-8, with dual overhead camshafts. But it's noisier during hard acceleration. It works with a responsive five-speed automatic transmission with an easily used manual-shift feature and provides an estimated 25 mpg on highways and 17 in the city.

Numbers for the V-8, which has a six-speed automatic with manual-shift feature, are 24 highway and 15 city. The fuel economy for either engine won't satisfy economy car buyers but aren't bad for a 3,885-3,995-pound high-performance sedan stuffed with comfort, convenience and safety equipment.

Pontiac national spokes-man Jim Hopkins says about 70 percent of G8 buyers opt for the V-8 because really fast acceleration is largely what the G8 is all about. But he added that higher fuel prices have led more buyers to opt for the standard V-6 model. Happily, both engines need only regular-grade gas.

The V-6 version has items including power front bucket seats, tilt/telescopic wheel with radio controls, remote start, cruise control, AM/FM/CD/MP3 player and power mirrors, windows and door locks with remote keyless entry. It wears low-profile tires on large 18-inch wheels.

The GT adds dual-zone automatic climate control, limited-slip differential and a more upscale sound system.

Options include heated and leather-covered front seats for both models and wider tires on 19-inch wheels for the GT. Both have safety features galore, including a bunch of air bags, traction control, anti-skid system and the OnStar assistance system.

Need room? The G8 has a quiet, spacious interior, with large seats that provide good lateral and thigh support. It's especially roomy in back, where the center of the seat is comfortable for a third tall occupant.

Door handles are easily grasped and large outside mirrors help driver visibility. Gauges can be quickly read, but power window and mirror switches take getting used to because they're in the front console instead of on front doors. They're console-mounted because this lets GM more easily sell the car with left- or right-hand drive in various countries. (It's right-hand in Australia.)

All doors have storage pockets and the glove compartment and covered center console bin can hold a fair amount of smaller objects. The pull-up hand brake handle is artfully concealed on the driver-side of the console, but the front console cupholders are set a bit too far back.

The trunk is impressively large, with a low, wide opening, although rear seatbacks don't flip forward to provide more cargo room. However, there's a pass-through area to the backseat for long objects. Not so impressive is the inner trunk lid, which has no cover and thus an unfinished look. The lid opens on space-saving gas strut-like hinges, but there's no lid pull-down feature to prevent hands from getting dirty on the lid's outside.

The hood has an inner cover and raises smoothly on twin struts to reveal easily reached fluid filler areas. No large, unsightly plastic cover hides the engine.

The G8 combines traditional American muscle car attributes with those of European sports sedans for reasonable prices. That's a win-win situation, although sales are slow because the car doesn't get much promotion.

2009 PONTIAC G8 

Price: $27,310-$30,675 

Likes: Fairly fuel-thrifty V-6. Strong V-8. Racy styling. Rear-drive design. Very competent. Roomy. Well-equipped.

Dislikes: Low front spoiler. Console window switches. No inner trunk liner. No folding rear seatbacks.