2008 Pontiac G8 GT: Performance Testing.

That's odd, Car and Driver has tested two G8 GTs, one in a road test and one in a comparo. The former had a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds, the latter 5.2 seconds. 5.8 seems a little on the slow side based on what this car should be capable of.

Chryslerkid,
 
C&D publishes their numbers with a 1-foot rollout meaning they start the clock after a foot of movement, usually about a third of a second and 3-5mph.
Our long-term car recorded a 5.5 if you chose to record from that foot mark.
-mike

I expected these numbers to fully thrash my Mustang, given the G8's substantial horsepower margin... They're better, but only slightly.

Yeah, my Subaru Legacy GT gets about the same acceleration numbers...albeit with an AWD launch. Bout the same slalom too. But that video shows just how hard the G8 launches...you can tell it's a little slow to pull that mass from a stop, but that thing is hauling arse.
 
I would've expected a 13.5 quarter mile given the reported weight and massive displacement....maybe it's just the automatic slowing it down for recorded time.
 
Interesting note on the brake pedal feel...a few GM-product comment-threads back we were having a discussion about dead-travel in the brake pedal.
 
Joe

Nice. But you do have to remember that the G8 has a ridiculously tall gear ratio (2.93). Hopefully there will be aftermarket vendors to rectify this soon.
 
The G8 GXP manual tranny will come with 3.70 fortunately. But it puzzles me why the auto tranny version will come with 3.27 instead..

Those are some really good numbers for a car of that price. It can pretty much run with all those $65K sedans in last week's comparison test.

Wow, that thing really took off. Seemed a little soft off the line but it built up speed quickly. You can tell that the acceleration is relentless once its off the line.
 
Pontiac, PLEASE give the G8 the rumblin' exhaust note it deserves. The engine sounds good but all that noise is coming from under the hood, not from the pipes!

So - I am confused.
Previous testing:
"The next morning at our test track, the G8 GT ran as expected, perfectly splitting Houlihan's numbers and the Bee's previous performance. The Pontiac launches to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 104 mph."
 
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=124876?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*
 
Were the conditions very different??

The G8s performance is very close to that of the 550i in the recent test in spite of costing less than half as much. That says it all.

Well, I guess it is a very large car after all.

Interesting comment on the brakes. I had an Impala rental (2007 maybe?) a few weeks ago that behaved in a similar fashion. Nothing for almost the first inch of travel and then it was like stepping on a block of wood. That car also exhibited the steering thump that was reported in the Aura.

So Edmunds is really convinced that this car is better than the new Infiniti G35 sedan?
 
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=116681
 
0-60 5.8s, 1/4 mi. 13.9@102 mph, 60-0 112 ft, .86g, EPA 19/26
 
All for $38K, only $6K more than the G8 GT. Infiniti reliability and true entry level luxury marque status make it a no brainer.
 
Though Holden Commodores (what the G8 is based on) are perceived as the equivalent of top end mass market sedans in Australia, that applies to Australia and no other market in the world. These cars used to be exported as Chevrolet Luminas and Chevrolet (nee Opel) Omegas. They compete with Asian market Nissan Maximas and Toyota Aurion (Asian market Camry), not Infintis nor Lexus nor Acura and certainly not BMW.
 
Bringing in large OHV engined rear-drive Maxima, stamping a mass market Pontiac badge on it and pricing it at $30K seems like an effort to move Cadillac (a brand with only one exclusive offering which has a market the CTS) up-market or to aid in export of the CTS to Asian markets.
 
When the 300C first hit the market it was a novelty in its class that at least had some Mercedes Benz underpinnings. 5 years later its sales are flagging. The Magnum wagon is history.
 
I can see some old Trans Am owners needing 4 door utility buying these G8s but really no one else. Particularly with gas inching its way to $5/ gallon.

"All for $38K, only $6K more than the G8 GT. Infiniti reliability and true entry level luxury marque status make it a no brainer. "
 
Thats if your only concern is having a luxury brand. Not only is the G8 cheaper, its considerably larger in every way. On top of that you get a 5 year powertrain warranty that is better than Infinitis. You will also likely spend less on maintenance as well. BTW, in the real world the G8 would be faster than the G35 without the special launch techiniques used by Magazines. C&D listed the 5-60 time for the G8 as being only .2secs behind the 0-60 time which means that in the real world at a stop light you could duplicate the results you are reading about in magazines. I am sure the G35's stop light acceletion would lag its lofty magazine generated 0-60 times by .5 secs or more. I'm sure C&D has this info but I have to find it.
 
The 300s sales are flagging because its dated, not because people dont want RWD cars anymore. I dont see anyone turning away from the CTS or anything in BMWs lineup just because of gas prices. Old products suffer sales drops, thats common knowledge. The 300 had a handful of components from the old E class but that hardly made it a world class platform. The Zeta platform is brand new and designed to compete with RWD vehicles from all brands.

athens
 
6k is not just chump change, the infinity costs.
 
The g8 is a good performance car

 
"Pontiac, PLEASE give the G8 the rumblin' exhaust note it deserves. The engine sounds good but all that noise is coming from under the hood, not from the pipes!"
 
The G8 has a truck engine (Vortec Maxx), from the Silverado. It won't make the same sweet music as an LS2 or LS3. The GXP will have a true LS3 engine and should sound better.

AUTHOR: chavis10
DATE: 05/16/2008 01:08:56 PM
EMAIL: jlove16@aol.com

"Nice. But you do have to remember that the G8 has a ridiculously tall gear ratio (2.93). Hopefully there will be aftermarket vendors to rectify this soon.
  
The G8 GXP manual tranny will come with 3.70 fortunately. But it puzzles me why the auto tranny version will come with 3.27 instead.."
 
It's all about fuel economy. The GXP automatic will likely be hit with a gas guzzler's tax and they don't want to push the envelope. Besides, automatics can launch as hard as manuals even with taller axle ratios since the torque converter's fluid coupling multiplies engine torque.

The 38K G35 is decked out with the sport package and navigation. Remove those, and you have comparable equipment (and performance) to the G8 for about 32K. A pretty negligible difference, I'd say.
 
From everything I've read, their performance numbers are virtually identical, but if I ever have a G8 pull up next to me at a stop light, I'll perform a real-world test and post the results. :)

There's a lot more to powertrain tuning than axle ratio... You're focusing on something that is irrelevant without the transmission's gear ratios and the tire size.

OpFreak:
 
So is a Caterham Super 7.
 
My position is that at its price point it will have a hard time penetrating the well established entry-level luxury sports sedan market dominated by the BMW 3-series, the Infiniti G35, the Audi A4, and the Acura TL. And these products deliver comparable performance with 30% better fuel economy, significantly better fit and finish, superior service accommodations and established high resale value.
 
Think back to the Taurus SHO and the Caprice based Impala SS from the mid-1990s. They both outran the Bimmers and Mercs of the day (save for the M and AMG series). Yet what value did those cars have after 8 years relative to the Bimmers and Benzes?
 
The price premium you pay for a BMW is for the following reasons
 
1) The marque heritage recognized world-wide.
2) A niche company offering product line to buyer's have come to expect the best engineering and latest technology.
3) Timeless product in design
 
Pontiac has the Sunbird, Grand Am and AZTEK as its heritage. Holden the Astra, Nova, Lumina, Monaro (GTO) and yes the Commodore. BMW hasn't had to alter it's models names in the past 30 years.
 
Pontiac, which by the mid 1980s sold nearly 700,000 products a year barely moved under 400,000 last year. Holden last year sold only 145,000 in its home market of OZ land. BMW in the mid 1980s was selling under 30,000 cars per year in the US. Now BMW sells over 200,000 vehicles annually in the US, despite the "Bangle Bustle".
 
For someone who really needs to have a V8 in their luxury import sedan they can always get a low mileage 3 year old certified pre-owned BMW 545i, off lease, with warranty to 6 years, 100K miles, for probably around $35K.
 
I submit that is the better value and the wiser investment.

Greenpony- are you talking to me? Your statement, "You're focusing on something that is irrelevant without the transmission's gear ratios and the tire size," is not understood. You need to try and explain yourself better.
 
athens- I fail to see how "The marque heritage recognized world-wide" provides any tangible benefit to the buyer. If a badge means that much to you and helps you sleep at night, more power to you. However to some, that's really not important. Regardless of what you and others may believe, Pontiac will not have trouble selling it's allotment of G8s. Get over it.
 
BTW, The G8 is as roomy as a short wheelbase 7 series. Why in the world would anyone buying a 3 series want such a large car? The G8 does NOT compete with compact european sedans.

"My position is that at its price point it will have a hard time penetrating the well established entry-level luxury sports sedan market dominated by the BMW 3-series, the Infiniti G35, the Audi A4, and the Acura TL. And these products deliver comparable performance with 30% better fuel economy, significantly better fit and finish, superior service accommodations and established high resale value. "
 
You have proof of any of that? Of course not. There have been few if any complaints about the fit and finish on the G8 so your assertion that other vehicles in this price range have much better build quality is silly. You also talk about 30% better fuel economy. Which cars are you talking about? The G35 gets 17/24 which is hardly 30% better than the G8. If you only want a base model G35 or C300 than you will spend about the same as the G8 GT but how many luxury car buyers want a base model? how many base models are even stocked at dealers? Your entire thesis is proven wrong by the success of the 300 and Charger. while both cars start out considerably cheaper than the G8 they cost more than the G8 with V8 engines. A loaded 300C is about $40k and chrysler had no trouble selling them until recently when gas prices and old age began to slow the 300 down.
 
Pontiac only plans to sell 40k G8s a year and few will be sold to fleets. Low resale value is a function of lack of demand for a used car due to over production. Low annual sales plus low rental penetration equals decent resale value. This isnt a Grand Prix. I would be shocked if Pontiac cant find 40k buyers for this car.
 
"For someone who really needs to have a V8 in their luxury import sedan they can always get a low mileage 3 year old certified pre-owned BMW 545i, off lease, with warranty to 6 years, 100K miles, for probably around $35K.
  
I submit that is the better value and the wiser investment."
 
I submit that its the better value to those obsessed with badges. I would never want the maintenance and repair headaches associated with a used BMW. On top of that the 545i is considerably smaller while not offering any performance advantage and lacking the comprehensive new car warranty that comes with the Pontiac. If you have a problem with Pontiacs than you should stick you your luxury brands. everyone knows you can get a used luxury car instead of a $30k new non luxury branded car and yet people buy 300s, Maximas, Avalons, etc. every day.

Greenpony:
"There's a lot more to powertrain tuning than axle ratio... You're focusing on something that is irrelevant without the transmission's gear ratios and the tire size."
 
I focus on it because the gears in the tranny themselves are not steep enough to offset the tall rear end ratio.
 
In fact, most people don't consider gearing at all in their performance considerations yet experience the difference it makes every day (i.e. by their tranny).
 
In any case, I'm saying that for this *given* (fixed) tire size and tranny ratio selection, the ratio should be higher. It will certainly be so for the GXP (even when the GXP tires will be slightly taller). It would be great if GM can offer optional ratios like they do on all their trucks, which actually costs very little money ($100 or $90? if I recall)

Wouldn't they have to certify each version separately with EPA?

They don't on trucks and SUV's.

Philadephia PA:
 
Can you explain then why Pontiac had to give 30% discounts on the re-badged Holden Monaro (Pontiac GTO) with a 400 HP Vette LS2 and it still could barely move 13,000 per year over three years?
 
40,000 G8 GTs annually with 360 HP would be more exclusive than 13,000 GTOs with 400Hp?
 
You want exclusive? A friend of mine bought a Turbo McLaren Grand Prix new in 1991 for $25K. That was the year it was the Indy 500 pace car. Only 3750 cars were built? Exclusive enough? With 50K miles he sold it three years ago for $6K. After having it on the market for 2 years.
 
A 1990 M3 with a 100K miles can go for $15K or better. And it only cost $5 K more than the McLaren Turbo Grand Prix at the time.
 
Taurus SHO's, like the one I bought in 1990, and the later Impala SS were exclusive. They were just as expensive to service out of warranty as any BMW of their day. What are the few of those EXCLUSIVE American sport sedans worth now but a pittance? You cannot even find many basic parts for them.
 
Yet on roads all over the globe you still see well maintained E30 3-series BMWs. With well over 175,000 on their engines.
 
You are so right. Badges in and of themselves mean nothing. However
sheer numerical exclusivity is meaningless as well. Heritage as a result of product appeal and reputation are qualities something BMW has earned over the years. An entire marque like Pontiac doesn't earn those qualities with one re-badged model sold only in a handful of markets.
 
BTW the Infiniti G35 is rated for fuel economy of 19/26. That is 30% better than the 15/24 rating for the G8 GT. And the G35 doesn't even have Cylinder De-Activation.