With more than 30,000 miles on the odometer, our Pontiac G8 has led a hard life. The transmission lurches from gear to gear when it's cold and there's an annoying flutter from the back of the car (subframe, body panel?) that registers over stutter bumps. It's as if the car has spent a little time flat-out on the dirt roads of the Australian outback. Or maybe our Josh Jacquot has driven it more than a little.
And yet the G8 still drives great, a real American-style car in the dramatic way it does things and European in its ability to deliver the requisite finesse when the circumstances calls for it. In fact the Pontiac G8 is everything that the Chevrolet Camaro SS is not.
Maybe it's the more deliberate action of the steering and throttle. Maybe it's the ability of the chassis to glide over the rough patches in the road without losing its grip in the corners. Maybe it's the good visibility from the driver seat.
The Camaro SS has much the same hardware as the Pontiac G8, but it feels as it's been screwed down a little too tightly, like the GM engineers have set it up to achieve great test numbers but not necessarily great driving. The Pontiac Solstice sports car always drove the same way, like it had been calibrated as GM engineer John Heinricy's ride in the SCCA run-offs.
Every time I walk away from the 2008 Pontiac G8, I think about what a great drive it is. Whenever I walk away from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, I never look back.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 32,650 miles
1487 says:
11:06 AM, 09/30/09
Great visibility would be a function of being a 4 door sedan. Most sedans have better sightlines than the camaro. Other reviews of the camaro haven't noted the issues you are talking about. Primarily the criticism has been too much understeer and limited visibility when driving on twisty roads. I doubt anyone in a G8 would be able to keep up with a Camaro SS on a twisty road.
jeepsrt says:
11:14 AM, 09/30/09
Are these issues from how it has been treated as a long term test car? or just issues with the car itself?
hybris says:
11:18 AM, 09/30/09
^ I'd pick A.How it has been treated as a LT car.
fuhteng says:
11:24 AM, 09/30/09
I don't know about that 1487. I think a SS versus GXP test would come down to how well the driver can see, so I give the win to the GXP. I would love to run that test though.
I'm at nearly 20k miles and no problems with my gearbox. I'm not sure what he means by the flutter.
s197gt says:
11:26 AM, 09/30/09
1487, from caranddriver.com comparo with the hyundai genesis coupe:
"Still, the Camaro always feels vast—the lack of outward visibility doesn’t help a driver’s comfort level, either—and subliminally, it seems to encourage juicy burnouts and smoky sideways action rather than racetrack precision. "
i'm pretty sure i could easily find others.
srlracing says:
11:31 AM, 09/30/09
30,000 miles of being treated worse than a rental car. This car is holding up very well for a performance car in IL's fleet. How many other performance vehicles have made it to 30,000 in the fleet?
subytrojan says:
11:36 AM, 09/30/09
Excellent blog entry, MJ! :o)
s197gt says:
11:39 AM, 09/30/09
and the mustang has good sightlines. i know because i own one, but caranddriver agrees, too:
"The Ford is also the right size. It doesn’t devour a driveway or need to be greased into a parking space. The dash and shoulder lines are low, and the 360-degree view out is mostly unhindered."
1487 says:
11:42 AM, 09/30/09
s197:
Um, I said visibility is a problem. He is saying the steering, throttle response and handling composure are lacking relative to the G8. That's hard to believe when they share hardware and the camaro was tuned by Holden. Why would Holden make the handling worse on the Camaro?
s197gt says:
11:49 AM, 09/30/09
1487, gotcha, my bad.
rayainsw says:
12:46 PM, 09/30/09
"The transmission lurches from gear to gear when it's cold ..."
OK - I will ask again here:
please
please
PLEASE
have the trans. concerns diagnosed & addressed
by a competent dealer
BEFORE you sell your G8 GT.
please...
- Ray
Has trans. issues - now fixed by dealer....
rayainsw says:
12:49 PM, 09/30/09
Edit:
HAD trans. issues
not
Has trans. issues
Wish we could edit these posts.
Like we used to be able to.....
[ sigh ]
- Ray
G8 GT driver.
Now VERY happy with the 6L80 trans.
fuhteng says:
06:43 PM, 09/30/09
Hey ray, was it the software change? I don't remember the tech bulletin, but is that what it was for you? Mine was done before I got it.
triksh0t says:
01:05 AM, 10/ 1/09
To: 1487 Re:Handling performance of a G8
My car would blow the Camaro SS away in the twisties. Then again, my suspension is far away from being stock. Pedders Track II Suspension Kit w/ my own semi-aggressive alignment ftw!!!
...
Oh yea, and x2 about having a competent dealer fix tranny issues.
rayainsw says:
05:21 AM, 10/ 1/09
My issue required opening up the trans.
Dealer techs apparently did a fine job.
- Ray
Software was up-to-date at delivery...
scottyscooter says:
07:40 AM, 10/ 1/09
"Every time I walk away from the 2008 Pontiac G8, I think about what a great drive it is. Whenever I walk away from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, I never look back."
Ouch...
creeper says:
09:04 AM, 10/ 1/09
the only reason he doesn't look back at the camaro is because a few hours of driving it has conditioned him not to bother looking over his shoulder to check his blind spot.