2008 Pontiac G8 GT: The Look

WTF, that's all you see in person! The flares look HUGE and fantastic. Much more dramatic than photos lead you to believe.

It's a great looking car with a lot of presence.

This is the same angle I love about my Mazdaspeed3. And it's also due to the strong fender flare on front and rear quanter panels. But yeah the G8 is an attractive car. I saw one in some electric blue the otehr day and despite the color the shape of the bodywork really impressed.

I like the G8, but I still can't stand the Pontiac nose.

I can't believe I still haven't seen one of these rigs on the road yet.

Who would have guessed a couple of years ago that a Pontiac could be tasteful? Too bad it's going away instead of, say, replacing the dreadful Impala.

Never thought I'd see the day Pontiac is praised for tasteful, clean design and BMW becoming synonymous with overwrought, superfluous, ugly cars. Sort of like they each want to be where the other was?

THE LOOK is right. I'm a GM designer who unfortunately can't take any credit for the G8. I felt compelled to comment because I've had the opportunity to drive a G8 the past couple of days and PEOPLE NOTICE!

It was parked outside my house last night and a jogger looked backwards over his shoulder at the car for about a 200 ft. distance while running by (I was afraid for his safety).

It's cool driving a hot looking sedan (I'm driving a black V6 model)that isn't connected to a "snobby" brand.

These cars are a rare sight even around Detroit. (adds to the appeal in my book). I need to consider buying a GT. Not because I want the attention. I just love the better-than-BMW looks without the brand-affiliation baggage.

By brn - What's not to like about the nose? Just looking for insight.

I almost wish Edmunds would stop posting about the G8. It just kills me to read about how good it is but GM won't even consider rebadging it when Pontiac goes away. I will never understand GM's thinking.

I agree - this is a REALLY good looking design. Acura should get the names of the design team and hire them.

The G8 has a great balance between chrome and body colored parts.

The thing that upsets me about American Cars is that a lot of models are decked out in chrome.

It seriously is one of the most unattractive things on a car when you overdo it.

"WTF, that's all you see in person! The flares look HUGE and fantastic. Much more dramatic than photos lead you to believe."

It was white, however I have a CX-7 so they're not that huge..

The thing that is great about the styling of the G8 is that it doesn't look huge despite being a fairly decently sized car. It's got that no-nonsense bodywork-stretched-tightly-over-the-mechanicals look that BMW has always been very good at. For the exact opposite of this type of look, just look at a Dodge Charger. Every body panel on them seems puffed out way bigger than it needs to be and it makes the car look humongous.

Good post, but I think they look better in red or that great medium blue! (:

I wasn't much of a fan of the Pontiac nose either at first, reminds me too much of all those awful cars still (and sadly forever) associated with Pontiac. Weird semi-trapezoids. But my G8 has grown on me! I saw a lot in Wichita KS, but I haven't seen any anywhere else. Sad.

And huisj is right. I always think mine looks very Teutonic when I'm walking up to or around it. I still like the Charger, but they've become very... common.

By the way, how do you guys keep the black so clean all the time? Do your interns spend every day washing this and the Challenger?

This is a good looking and performing car. However I too have seen less than 10 on the road. I still think Buick should go away and keep Pontiac.

If they decide to get rid of Pontiac, fine. But getting rid of THIS car - i.e. - refusing to sell it under a different division name - makes NO sense to me at all

Yeah the only compaint I have regarding the G8 is that local dealers we're charging $5,000 MSRP. It's this type of stuff that irritates the heck out of me. GM is loosing money and the dealers have the balls to add on premiums.

And yes despite the roomy interior it does hide its size well.

I actually like the BMW-esque profile and balanced proportions, however I wish the front, rear and interior had a bit more sophistication and polish. It doesnt necessarily look cheap but just something about some areas that give it a slightly down market vibe. As good of car as it is I just think it deseves a good dose of sophistication.

My suggestions:

- Same headlights housings with projectors and HIDs.

- 5 Star slipt spoke rim design. (Think Audi R8)

- Horizontal LED rear lights as these seem a bit Grand Am-ish. (Think BMW 335 coupe)

- Interior material upgrade to at least match the Malibu LTZ in percived quality.

- Higher end features like HID's, push button start, Bose premium sound ETC ETC.

- Hood scoop delete. (I feel the overall lines of the car are too sophistacted for hood scoops.)

The only thing it needs is solid red taillights and get rid of the ebay looking clear/molded black plastic taillights.

None of this matters, the car will soon cease to exist. Get it while you can.

Or are we all saying its nice, but not buying it? I know my dad and I both like the car, but neither of us bought it.

Despite the love this car gets on edmunds, I don't recall ever seeing one in the wild.

Well, to be fair, if this car hasn't sold then it does make sense for GM to drop Pontiac because poor sales for this car can only be a brand issue -- it isn't cheap enough and doesn't have enough cladding for the trailer park crowd, and the BMW crowd that it's legitimately directed at would never set foot in a Pontiac. Pity.

^ My car, may she rest in peace, was turning heads in all walks of life.

I used to work in a very brand conscious office (home and auto ins, they get cars), and people couldn't believe it was a poncho. That was a great feeling.

It's a stunner in all colours. Mine was Magnetic Grey and the lighter colour helped define the lines a little more; fantastic.

I rarely see one in my neck of the woods either. I dropped by the local Pontiac store and they had a dozen or so G8s- all with $900 ADM stickers. That should REALLY help move those puppies out the door. Now that Gubmint Motors is selling off Holden I'd say that there is zero chance the car will be re-badged. In a couple of years I suspect that the G8 will be about as common as Merkur Scorpios...

My local Pontiac dealer had a Grey G8 GT marked down to $28,000, from $32,000. Sounds like a screaming deal to me. (:

@roadburner: As far as I know, Holden is safe because their operation isn't losing money.

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f67/press-release-holden-operations-unchanged-parent-company-announcement-us-80038/

A facelifted Holden Commodore with the DI CTS engine is nearly ready to appear in Oz, and that plant has been linked to production of the new CHevy Cruze.

A Chevy badged version, with a different nose, has been built alongside the G8 GT on the same assembly line and sold in the middle east as the Chevrolet Lumina SS for a couple of years. Certification (and the will to go ahead with it) is all that stands in the way.

It looks good. However, the proportions, overhangs, curves and even the rear hofmeister kink are very bmw-derivative.

I would buy one today (literally), but am concerned trying to get it serviced over the next few years would become problematic. Short term, parts should be readily available. 2 to 3 years out it would not be surprising to experience multi-day delays for warranty related repairs. It just brings to mind Merkurs and Sterlings.

Awesome car, unfortunate timing.

It is a nice looking auto. I must admit that I was tempted, but I purchased a '09 Dodge Challenger instead. Great car!

actualsize

Thanks for the heads-up, I was sure that Holden was being sold off along with Opel/Vauxhall.

Hey ryster, don't forget the two main parts are just like most other fun GM cars out there. The engine is one of 90 million small-block Chevys that have been produced, and the tranny is from the corvette.

That being said, I have no idea how easy it would be to replace/fix the Blaupunkt stereo system if it ever kicks the bucket, which is a problem since it runs the HVAC system too!

I've thought about it too, but I love mine too much to fret too much about parts.

g8gtnorth, you can't buy a new one? Can you take a trip to the USSA to buy one and then drive it home? If not, I feel for you man!

I may... but at this point, I'm thinking I might wait to pick up a GXP instead.

Either way, I'm having to look south of the border. Not a big deal by any stretch.

saw one from afar on the left lane (i was getting ready to exit) -- appearance was a little disappointing in the distance, but definitely had nice clean lines.

eastofgratiot, it's not specific to the G8. It's most Pontiacs in the last 20 years. I just am not a fan of the Pontiac nose. I'm not sure why, it just looks crude to me.

it's one of the few domestic cars that i actually like. looks just downright gorgeous, especially in white with tints which is surprising to me.

Ha ha ha wizard, you mean like the IL 2009 M3?

brn, you're not alone. It took a while for the nose to grow on me too, but I like it fine now.

I'm a fan of the G8, and if I needed a large sedan its where my mind would be right now. I'm sad it won't be around by the time I DO need a large sedan, because it is perhaps the first GM sedan ever in my lifetime that has appealed to me. My fingers are still crossed as a Chevy rebadge. I love the Middle-East Lumina and the Edmunds mockup with the Chevy grille looked great.

Some BMW owners will step foot in a Pontiac. I bought a brand new '09 G8 GT for $26K ($34.1K sticker) in February after my BMW got rear-ended/totaled and am loving it. I'm a first time Pontiac owner, 2nd time GM owner (1st experience years ago was not so good), and have owned 2 BMWs. My dealer also has better service than any BMW dealer I've dealt with before. I'm pretty amazed so far and I like it more and more as time goes on.

I was admiring the looks and how it stands out in the mall parking lot yesterday and there were loads of nice luxury cars around. I originally didn't like the hood scoops much, but have reconsidered and think it would be boring without. I see anywhere from 0-2 G8s every day, but that didn't start until after all the incentives started moving the cars and that's still not all that common. In contrast, the 335 I was considering I see many times every day and it's extremely rare for a 3er or some sort not to be in sight within a 360 degree view at all times and I'm in Texas, aka truck land.

I honestly believe this car would have sold better as a Chevrolet. The Pontiac image is just too damaged. That and the timing with the gas price jump surely didn't help.

Saw one yesterday in ORANGE. And it looked fantastic. What a great design.

My problem is that I just can't get over the concept of driving a PONTIAC. Sure, it's probably just me, but I think of Pontiacs as cars that first-generation immigrants living through the 1970s in Queens, Pittsburgh and South Boston drooled over.

The brand has been dead for decades. GM should have imported the Holden name along with the design.

I find the G8 GT to be a beautiful car. I admire my wife's every time I see it, especially right after a washing. The fender flares over the wheels are striking and the lines are very clean overall. There are only two things that I think would make the car look better:
1. Hood Scoop Delete - they aren't terrible looking, but I think it would be a cleaner look without them.
2. Standard red-lens tail-lamps. I have never been a huge fan of the "Altezza" style lamps and I am a little baffled as to why they are included on the performance version of the car, but the base model gets the better looking (imho) standard tail lamps.

^ I found that it depends on the colour of your car. Mine's was MGM, dark grey, and thus I didn't get much contrast between the back of the tail-lamps and the body colour when parked. On the road with the lights doing their thing I couldn't tell you; I've never sat behind a GT in traffic.

By comparisson, I found that the red lenses look mch better on the ligher coloured vehicles.

I think the red-lamps would look weird with my bright-red G8. I like the clear.