2008 Pontiac G8 GT: Open Thread

Which aspect of this car do you hate the most?

I think the lack of electric back adjustment on the front seats, and the crappy rear cup holders. Some of the stuff is wonky, but it all feels solid, which is more than can be said about a lotta GM stuff over the years.

Is the interior as bad to live with as it is to look at?

This car has a great interior.

[ Very ] Brief Review:
Bottom line =
if mine was totaled today,
I'd buy another one...
- Ray
2009 G8 GT driver.....

It's too bad pontiac is going bye bye. I wish they would have made some real drivers cars 5 years ago. I wonder what's going to happen for service and warranty work. Im guessing that it will move to Chevy dealers.

you guys called the saturn aura interior "amazing" but a corolla's interior was about 1000x better. (material quality wise)

if the longterm VW TDI (new one) is the benchmark for "verg good" material quality, where does the G8 land in relation to the VW.

If the GT had been available with a six speed manual I would have strongly considered one. Cars such as the the G8 GT/GXP, CTS-V, Camaro SS and the ZR1 will almost certainly be the last hurrah for performance cars from Government Motors. GM CEO Barry O will soon have them building nothing but plug-in hybrids, Volts, and other similarly dreary cars- appliances that will warm an eco-weenie's heart but sit on dealer lots gathering dust.

1) Consedering that Pontiac will be thing of the past, do you have any fear of buying a Car made in Australia that was only made 2 years here and is discountinued without any major components in available in America?

2) If you had a choice between a Brand new 2010 Camaro (base/V6) or a G8 GT (base/V8) for the same price which one would you consider buying and why?

Is it just me or GM is doing the same old story with the Volt as they did in the 90's with the EV1? Just pretending they are doing something for the environement but actualy have no intentions of ever selling this product?

"1) Considering that Pontiac will be thing of the past, do you have any fear of buying a Car made in Australia that was only made 2 years here and is discontinued without any major components in available in America?"

That's been batted around in another thread, but yes, I would be concerned. The G8 isn't a badge-engineered Chevrolet like the G5.

"2) If you had a choice between a Brand new 2010 Camaro (base/V6) or a G8 GT (base/V8) for the same price which one would you consider buying and why?"

If Pontiac wasn't dead I'd take the G8. If I'm going to have to drive a big heavy car it will at least have an accessible and usable rear seat. That said, since Pontiac IS Tango Uniform I'd get the Chevy. With a stick.

I love '09 G8 GT. It's got respectable handling and the gas mileage on my 45 mile daily commute isn't too bad (17-18mpg with A/C, 20mpg without). I got a spectacular deal on the car back in February, which I just could not pass up. My friend has a manual G8 GXP, which I've driven. The GT has about 85% of the handling prowess, a little bit more lean. The power difference is there, but it just wasn't worth the $8K extra. I was offered a screamin' deal on a GXP as well. If I want to at some point, I could upgrade the suspension and do some minor engine mods and be far ahead on cost.

My complaints:
1) No power seat back adjustement/seat position memory.
2) In very bright sunlight, the computer displays are hard to read.
3) The sound system could use a bit more bass.
4) When one gets below about 50 miles range on the gas tank it just says low fuel and doesn't indicate miles any more. If I fill up when that comes on, I have 4+ gallons left. That's not low fuel, folks. I was spoiled by the accuracy in my BMW before.
5) Stuff that isn't a huge deal, but I'd pay for if it was an option: Xenon/HID headlights, homelink, rain sensing wipers. On the plus side, replacing my windshield when a rock inevitably cracks it won't cost a fortune like on my BMW with the rain sensor in the windshield.
6) Passenger seat doesn't go back as far as the driver's seat. That's usually not a problem, except the rare occasion when my wife drives. I hear there's a fix for that, according to my friend with a GXP.
7) Driver/passenger windows have auto down, but not auto up
8) FM doesn't have RDS, but I find myself listening to the free built-in XM almost all the time now and that does display band/song info.
9) Interior trunk release is way over in the glove box, same as the '87 Escort GT I had in high school. I mostly use the key remote because of that.

I was also considering a CPO 335i and could come up with a list of complaints about that car as well. Yes, I'm nitpicky.

I love the car though, even more than when I bought it. The passing speed and ability to enter an onramp at way too fast speeds is intoxicating.

I would really like to see a dyno pull with this car.

Pull the plug on this G8 long termer and replace it with one from a manufacturer that isn't a lame duck (or is that dead duck?)

How come the G8 doesn't seem to get picked for the longer trips?

It seems to me that the G8 would have been a fine alternative to the Genesis for some of the recent road trips.

The G8 did get some long-drive lovin' early on I think. This blog was one of the main things to really get me interested in the G8, instead of a G35/37 or 335

Anyway, I have an '08 G8 GT (who would bother with the V6?) and I love it. I have the premium but not the sport package. And yes, I would buy the G8 GT over a V6 Camaro because it is a sedan. I want to make sure the future wife never has any reason to make me get rid of it!

My favorite parts:
power
handles well
very roomy
solid stereo
looks (I really like how she looks in bright red, also nice in black or the medium blue I've seen around)
solid interior

What needs helps:
NEEDS A MANUAL TRANNY FOR THE GT!
Sport mode goes to the right (away from me) and it is backwards to pick gears
Stupid dial for the back of the front seats (everything else is electric, why not the main thing you use?)
Finniky controls for the HVAC

I am not worried about finding spares. The tranny and engine are all from NA.

Sure, the G8 GT isn't perfect, but she was the right buy for me!

Donna,
The only other thing I would request from IL is the final track data versus the original. 0-60, 1/4-mile, etc (which you guys do anyway). Other than that, I have loved the blog, and as I said, it was a great marketing tool/guide when it came to buying mine. I intentionally avoided the sport package because of the silly steering wheel (and I like the stock wheels better too).

Fuh

In its price range how does it rank against other 4 door "sports" sedans in terms of value, performance and comfort:
On the high end (cars a listing at $$ higher than the G8 GT)...
Acura TL
Audi A4
Infinity G35
Lexus IS 250

On the more traditional end (cars at about the same $ as the G8 GT):
Camry (XLE 6cyl $32k)
VW CC (6 cyl )
Nissan Maxima (3.5-S $30k)
Accord (EX-L 6cyl $29k)

Just looking to see how it stacks up against the competition. In terms of on paper price and performance it seems to be an excellent deal; however, if it is such a good deal then why do these other cars seem to out sell it.

"If you had a choice between a Brand new 2010 Camaro (base/V6) or a G8 GT (base/V8) for the same price which one would you consider buying and why?"

are you kidding?! no grown man i know would choose a v6 camaro over a v8 sport sedan.

no man i even want to know...

"Consedering that Pontiac will be thing of the past, do you have any fear of buying a Car made in Australia that was only made 2 years here and is discountinued without any major components in available in America?"

Mboily, unless you don't consider the entire powertrain to be a "major component", you'll be perfectly safe buying a G8.

Pengwin, please keep your hyperbolic comments out of the adults' thread.

I have no questions for Edmunds, but I think the timing of this car is a shame. If I had the dough, I'd buy a pair of G8 GT's -- one for me, and one for my dad. He deserves better than an Accord as his retirement vehicle.

I have an '08 G8 GT.

Complaints: Manual turndial lumbar/recline controls are awful. Just awful. Stereo system seriously lacks punch and gets really fuzzy at even medium volume levels. No clutch pedal. The passenger seat does not go back far enough (airbag regs I believe) but can be 'modified'. "Manual" shifting in sport mode is useless. Just leave it in reg sport and it's just fine. There is still too much hard plastic in the interior for a car that costs this much.

I love this car. The seats are awesome once you have them dialed in (pun intended..). The gas mileage isn't great, but I knew what I was getting into. The fact that they are few and far between on the road is great.

The best part about the car: A growling V8 sending all that torque to the rear wheels. Understeer....a little throttle...back end rotates...full power...gone!

3) It would be nice to have some input on winter drivability an I mean real Snow & Ice with Cold cranks. Perhaps anyone from the midwest or the North Eastern Region could reply to this?

I live in Minnesota, and I bought my car in February. There was one nice 6" snow that I got to take it through, and I'll tell you this much...DEFINITELY getting winter tires before next winter. I was stuck on an incline of less than 10 degrees for 15 minutes lol. I put it in sport shift mode, took off traction control, and crept it up the 100 yard incline sideways at 4500 rpm!

I'm sure the car would do just fine in moderate snow with even all season tires, but the stock Potenzas are just useless in accumulated snow.

Ernmcraken: Thanks for the short but strait to to point report and answers. What is your best Mpg Tank?

I wrote a review for the G8 GT back in 2008, here it is...

http://lexusnet.com/blog/?p=244

The others out-sell the G8 GT because they have better brand names. Pontiac has been known for... ummm... what's the term... less than stellar cars for at least 25 years. As Donna said, no bashing the Aztek or the Sunfire, but sadly enough, that is what people think of when they hear Pontiac. Without all the praise from the automotive press, I wouldn't have bought mine either!

"you guys called the saturn aura interior "amazing" but a corolla's interior was about 1000x better. (material quality wise)"

When did they ever praise the interior of the Aura?

Pontiac did make some decent cars over the last few years including the GTO, Bonneville SSei/GXP, Grand Prix GXP, G6 GT/GTP and Solstice. This idea that they haven't made a decent car in 30 years is a stretch. The G8 is the best of their latest efforts, but not the first sign of life since the muscle car era. The real issue is that their cars were FWD.

mboily,
I bought my wife a G8 GT in April 2008. I put some quality snow tires on it (Toyo Observe Garit KX)to get through our Colorado winter. The car performs extremely well in snow with the LSD and stability control combining for uneventful trips on icy and snow packed roads. The only time that either my wife or I have had any trouble was when there was 8" of snow on the ground with a smoth layer of ice underneath. The car doesn't do too well when pushing ~3" of snow with the front bumper, but that is to be expected.

Overall we have found our G8 to be a great family car that has served us well regardless of weather conditions. This is a very comfortable road trip car and without too much effort can achieve 24+ mpg in highway driving. The readily available power is excellent for passing manuevers in the mountains and although there is a bit of road noise, it isn't too distracting. My wife and I both really enjoy the car and have no regrets about purchasing it. Ours is an 08 GT in Magnetic Gray Metallic with the luxury package, but without the sport package.

Do you guys know any plans GM has of keeping the G8 (or at least its platform) alive after pontiac has died?

daskiing1, GM will keep the platform alive, but back where the car comes from, Australia (also, it's 'Zeta' platform is the basis for the Camaro). Other than that, virtually everyone who knows a thing about the G8 wants it to become a Chevy and replace the Impala/Caprice in the US (a step up from the impressive new Malibu with RWD). I hope that comes true!

gregnv, It's way bigger than most of those listed, and those of similar size don't drive anything like it.

Living in the Great White North, I bought some Micheline Alpnie PA3's and drove circles around the rest of traffic. I was amazed at how confidence inspiring this car is with a good set of winter tires.

Only real complaints, terrible paint(lots of chipping and she's less than a year old), and a low front splitter.

I regularly get 24 mpg on the highways. Lowest tank, 10.5~11 mpg... Laughed uncontrolably the whole time I pumped.

cocarguydj, mine's is exactly the same.

Love that colour. Looks great at night and is just dark enough during the day.

4) I've read critics about the quality of the leather, after 20K miles on the G8 does the seats get better or worse?

5) For those with interior cloth, what made to choose it instead of the Leather?

Dasking1 -
The G8 is sold as a Chevy in other markets:
http://www.chevrolet.co.za/content_data/LAAM/ZA/en/GBPZA/001/models/1F/func_specs.html

Hopefully GM changes the front facia and badge to make this a Chevrolet for the U.S. as well once Pontiac is gone. Maybe using the old Tempest name from Pontiac to tie the linage...

Nice work Dasking1 !!
But why change it to Tempest when It's a Lumina in South Afria?

I was just thinking the Lumina had such a checkered reputation in the U.S., that using an older unused Pontiac name from the past might avoid the Lumina reputation and tie the transition. Also, the Tempest was a 4 door at one time and also served as a basis for the famous GTO of the 1960s ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Tempest ).

I have had mine since Feb, knowing now that Pontiac is, as it were Tango Uniform, I would buy it anyway.
They will still honor all warranties and parts should not be a problem. That said I do love my car.
Its akin to when I had my motorcycles, see another one, smile and wave. Thus far the only issue I have had is unbalanced wheels from the factory. No sqeeks, rattles or anything loose. Nice. It kind of baffles me that if they can build a car that looks this good and this high quality, why weren't they doing it all along?

Schinbone: I believe the reason is because: They "Pontiac" are Australiens this time around! and prouded to offer their first universal car.

I bought a G8 GT in 2/09. I would do it again and wish I had the money to buy the wife one.

Everyone who sees the car comments on the looks and when they ride in it they LOVE the performance. I got one with leather and sunroof but vetoed the sport package. I saw no need to get 19" wheel with tires that wear out more quickly, and as I told the salesman, my feet don't have eyeballs so I could care less if there is metal trim on the pedals.

I'll agree power recline and lumbar would be nice, but once you set the controls, they are all day comfy. I travel in my job and already have 8K miles. The worse mileage that I have gotten is 15.9 mpg and the best is 27 mpg with the cruise set at the speed limit. The problem is that when there is someone trying to be speed racer in a Camry or an Accord, its just too darn tempting to give it 3/4 throttle and blast past them, which knocks miles down by a good 2 to 3 mpg!

I traded in a Malibu for this car and I was tempted to get a new Malibu 3.6 but this car was just a couple of grand more. I always thought it was kind of dumb to buy the same car over and over again. Life is too short to ride on the same underpinnings year in and year out. I never considered a Pontiac previous to this car because you could usually by the same car under a Chevy badge for less, but with the G8 GT this is not available in any other GM division in North America.

About a month after I had the car, I was checking into a hotel where there were a group of Marines staying. While checking in a group of Marines were gathering around the car getting a closer look and were admiring the lines and interior. In my mind, when the people that serve this country admire a car from an American manufacturer, even though it is assembled in Austrailia, the US must be doing something right!

I doubt that they would be as inclined to give a thumbs up if it were a new Accord, Camry, or Maxmia!