2009 Pontiac G8 Midsize Car Review & Performance

The G8 may be the largest sedan in Pontiac's line, but it's not as big as traditional domestic full-size cars. Nor is it as big as current full-size models such as the Ford Taurus, and it has a much shorter wheelbase than the Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger.

The shape of the Pontiac G8 seems exactly what it should be: muscular but smooth, edgy but reasonably subtle. Its styling should appeal to both exes and pretty much all ages. The G8 is unmistakably a Pontiac, especially from the front, with the signature split black grille and hood scoops. The scoops, though, are restrained, almost slits, as opposed to big bulges There's a spilt air intake, also in black, at the bottom of the front fascia. With the angled headlamps and front fender flares, everything is nicely balanced and just aggressive enough.

There's another set of openings in the front fenders, visible in side view right behind the wheels. The one on the left fender is a functioning air intake, while the right side is there merely to match the left. The G8's roofline sweeps enough to disguise the fact it has four doors, and the hips above the back fenders lift fairly high, flowing into a tidy spoiler. The G8 GT and GXP feature clear taillight lenses with four polished exhaust tips, while the base G8 has red lenses and two tips.

The wheels are 18-inch and 19-inch wheels are conservative, with either single, monoblock spokes or split twin-spokes. The wheels on the GXP are flashier.

The Pontiac G8 interior is attractive and nicely finished. The base G8 and the standard cloth interior in the G8 GT are similar. The GT has a bit more faux brushed aluminum trim, and it's tastefully done. The GXP distinguishes itself with two-tone sport seats featuring GXP embroidery and a color-coordinated gauge cluster.

All G8s come with XM Satellite Radio hardware and Bluetooth capability as standard equipment. The XM comes with a complimentary three-month subscription, but the owner will pay for the service after that. Bluetooth connectivity is integrated into the OnStar system and allows hands-free phone calls through your existing cell phone.

The seats are comfortable and power adjustable, four ways in the base G8 and six ways in the GT and GXP. The GT we tested had the optional leather seats, and they were good-looking in black. The seats offer good support for sporty driving. The GXP's sport seats offer more side bolster support for very hard driving, but they're harder to slide in and out of and they feel narrower.

Instrumentation is good, although not without flaws. There's a digital battery/oil pressure gauge in the center of the dash that's unattractive and not particularly useful, and the digital gear indicator is too small to read. The speedometer and tachometer are big enough, easy to read, and appropriate to the performance character of the G8.

The power window buttons are located on the console between the seats. Some drivers will like them there. We don't. They are more difficult to locate quickly without looking than door-mounted window switches, but they do allow the front passenger to operate all the windows, too, rather than just the front-passenger window. The emergency brake handle has been designed not to take up space, and is designed to mimic the grab handle on the right. However, like other similar designs the disguised hand brake can pitch your fingers when lowered, a good way to anger a harried driver.

The rear seats offer good legroom and decent head room. The driveshaft tunnel doesn't intrude too much in the center, either. There are heating and A/C vents in the rear doors, which also have good storage pockets. The front seatbacks have nets, which make easy storage for magazines, discs or plastic bottles.

Trunk access is wide and lift-over height is reasonable. The G8 boasts provides 17.5 cubic feet of cargo space, a foot or two more than most comparably sized competitors.

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We like manual transmissions and the Tremec six-speed manual in the GXP shifts nicely. We grew tired of it around town, however. The relatively heavy clutch pedal and strong engine torque conspired to produce a jerky ride around town; it demanded attention and skill to drive smoothly and we weren't always in the mood for this. For around town use, we'd prefer the automatic.

Pontiac developed the GXP suspension on Germany's famous Nurburgring open-road race course. It's firmer than the GT suspension but we didn't find it harsh around town.

We used the brakes on the GT good and hard, and never reached a point were they got hot enough to start losing stopping power. The vented rotors are big, and they meet the high performance standard set by the engine, transmission and suspension.

The GXP offers larger rotors still, with lightweight aluminum calipers provided by Brembo. The advantages here are resistance to fade after repeated hard usage and more powerful braking to take advantage of the upgraded tires.?PontiacG8Engines_options??????? ????????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ? ???? ????????? ?????????????? ????????????????A66.0-liter overhead-valve V8?PontiacG8Interior???? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????????? ??? ?????? ????????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???????? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????????? ????? ??? ??? ????????????? ?????? ???? ???????? ????? ????? ????????? ??? ?????????? ??? ? ????????????????? ????? ?????????????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????????? ????? ???????? ??? ????????? ?????????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ??? ?? ????? ???? ? ????????????? ??????????? ????????????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ????????? ???????????? ?? ?????????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????????? ????? ??? ??????????? ??? ????? ??????????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ???????????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????? ??? ????????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ??????????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??????????????????????????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??????????? ? ??????? ??????????? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?????????? ???????????? ??? ??? ???????????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??????????? ??? ?????????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????????? ?? ??? ??????????? ????????? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ????????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????? ????????? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ???????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??????????????? ??????? ??? ????????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???????? ? ???? ??? ?? ????? ? ??????? ????????????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????????? ?????? ??????????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ?????????? ????? ?? ??????? ???????????????? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ????????? ?????? ?? ??????????? ??? ?? ?????? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????????? ????? ?????????????????????????????????????A?The Pontiac G8 is a modern muscle car, with rear-wheel drive and a snarly V8. Under full-throttle acceleration, the new GXP model reminds us of a Corvette, pasting us into the back of the seat as a guttural roar comes from under the hood. In fact, the high-performance GXP is powered by a Corvette engine.

Bigger than the Mustang and Camaro pony cars, the G8 is a four-door like the Dodge Charger. It's smaller than the Charger or Ford Taurus, however, with exterior dimensions close to those of the Cadillac CTS and BMW 5 Series.

The G8 is attractive, smooth and muscular with an unmistakably Pontiac nose. The interior is comfortable and tidy, with good instrumentation and nice materials. The back sransmission. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated City/Highway 13/20 mpg, landing the GXP a federal Gas Guzzler Tax of $1,700, which you'll need to add to the price.

We like manual transmissions and the Tremec six-speed manual in the GXP shifts nicely. We grew tired of it around town, however. The relatively heavy clutch pedal and strong engine torque conspired to produce a jerky ride around town; it demanded attention and skill to drive smoothly and we weren't always in the mood for this. For around town use, we'd prefer the automatic.

Pontiac developed the GXP suspension on Germany's famous Nurburgring open-road race course. It's firmer than the GT suspension but we didn't find it harsh around town.

We used the brakes on the GT good and hard, and never reached a point were they got hot enough to start losing stopping power. The vented rotors are big, and they meet the high performance standard set by the engine, transmission and suspension.

The GXP offers larger rotors still, with lightweight aluminum calipers provided by Brembo. The advantages here are resistance to fade after repeated hard usage and more powerful braking to take advantage of the upgraded tires.

The 2009 Pontiac G8 is available in three variants, distinguished primarily by engine size and horsepower.

The base G8 ($28,190) features a 3.6-liter, dual-overhead-cam V6, with 256 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, and a five-speed automatic transmission. It comes with cloth upholstery, a full complement of power features, including seats, a seven-speaker sound system with single CD and auxiliary input jack, and 18-inch aluminum wheels. For 2009, XM satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity for mobile phones have been added to the standard-equipment list.

The G8 GT ($31,555) upgrades to a 6.0-liter V8, generating 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque, and a six-speed automatic. The cam-in-block V8 features GM's Active Fuel Management technology, which switches from eight-cylinder to four-cylinder operation during light-load driving conditions to improve fuel economy. The GT also adds dual-zone automatic climate control and upgraded Blaupunkt audio with 11 speakers and six-CD changer.

Options are few. The Comfort and Sound Package ($795) for the base model adds dual-zone climate control and the stereo upgrade, bringing interior features up to GT specification. The Premium Package for the G8 ($1,375) and GT ($1,250) includes leather upholstery and heated front seats with more adjustment. A Sport Package for the GT ($600) adds sport pedals and 19-inch wheels with summer performance tires. Stand alone options are limited to a power sunroof ($900) and all-season tires for the 19-inch wheel package ($150).

The G8 GXP ($37,610) is powered by a 402-hp, 6.2-liter LS3 V8 and comes with the six-speed automatic. The GXP adds other performance upgrades, including a more aggressively tuned suspension and Brembo brake system. A six-speed Tremec manual transmission is optional.

Safety features on all G8s includes frontal airbags and side-impact airbags for front passengers, with curtain-type head protection airbags front and rear. Active safety systems include full-feature ABS, traction control and electronic stability control. There's also a tire-pressure monitor. The standard OnStar package includes a one-year subscription to the Safe and Sound accident reporting service, which will direct emergency crews to your location should the airbags deploy.