Review: Pontiac G8 GT vs Dodge Charger R/T

[jckjds]

Originally Posted by rumble bee

D***, it must be some kind of F***ed if the HEMI can't fix it( pardon my french, but had to make sure to get the mood of that statement right, ) Just look at the Ram 1500, otherwise a sorry truck but if you throw a HEMI in there, it turns it into a monster. Guess cars don't work the same way.

You have been brainwashed. The hemi is a fine engine, I'm sure, but your suggestion that it is somehow inherently superior to the GM Gen IV small block is laughable. The GM small block is the class of the pushrod world.

[ptmeyer84]

correct me if i'm wrong, but the hood scoops on the G8 are functional. They may not feed air into the engine but I thought they provided a cooling effect to the engine bay. Anybody else hear this?

[FierySolstice]

Originally Posted by osv_alero

Now if GM can take this and make it into a mid-size and compact car, Pontiac really will be the lower cost BMW that GM needs it to be.

Amen to that!! But I really think that they only need a smaller sized midsize car, smaller than the Malibu and Aura, just to diferentiate itself from the others. A some hot hatch would be fun too.

[CADILLACSIXTEEN]

Originally Posted by thebuickguy

As much of a fan i am of the old school muscle i have to admit their time has come an gone maybe if gm, dodge, and, ford would have picked up on this in the early 90s it would have been a savior but now its more of a gimmick. It will still be nice to see cars that harking backs to the good days but what both companies need is a 30 MPG to 40 mpg highway vehicle that trumps all foreign competitors.

Which is exactly why i dont see the G8 as any type of muscle car. Its just a great large 4-dr sedan. That doesnt make it a muscle car, especially when that's all they do is compare it to a 5-series.

The charger on the other hand is clearly meant to be more of a muscle car. Other than its V8, why else would you want this car? My point exactly.

[CADILLACSIXTEEN]

Originally Posted by powervette

no way I would consider one of those, I can get a splendid Hyundai Genesis for this price (see another main page thread)

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................. ............................... yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................... ..:confuse d:

[KingElvis]

Originally Posted by chris442

I don't know how to break this to you, but the Mopar V8 with the dome shaped combustion chambers isn't the be all, end all of V8s. GM's Gen IV motors are, well, better.

I'm not just saying this, either. I drove a 300C for a month while my GTO was in the bodyshop thanks to an inattentive driver in a Silverado. It was a nice car, but I didn't think the engine was quite up to the level of the LS2 I was used to. The biggest problem with the car was the 5 speed, however. It downshifted very slowly, especially at highway speeds. It also makes it worse when you're used to choosing your own gears.

The car also has a very 'big' feel to it. Bigger than it actually is. I'm sure that the G8 seems better based on that alone, at least in terms of feel.

At the track, the 300 did better than I expected. Pretty good acceleration from a stop. I got 5.68 s 0-60 based on the built in timer, and my best ET was a 14.03 at 99. Makes me feel pretty good to beat the mag's time when the have 10 more hp. Not on the level of a GTO, certainly, but very good for a family cruiser.

Based on my experience in those two cars, the results don't shock me. G8 being directly descended from the Commodore I'd expect it to be better than my GTO in most ways other than hp, and I think the GTO was better than the 300C overall.

This issue of the 'manumatic' shift action is an under-reported but very annoying problem. I have a Charger and the 'manual' shift is a complete joke - you move the lever and there's about one full second of hesitation before the car actually shifts gears.

Give me a Turbo Hydramatic 350 - that's truly 'manual' in that you shift the lever, the trans shifts - not a 'request' that must be approved by the black box.

There's a similar problem with the electronic throttle. Or when if you don't want to idle in a gear at a light, when it turns green and you shift back into 'D' the computer waits for a second before 'approving' what you've done.

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by CADILLACSIXTEEN

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................. ............................... yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................... ..:confuse d:

Ssssssssssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaa aassssssssssssssssssmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........... ....

[jckjds]

I really don't understand the reviewers' claims that the Charger is a better looking vehicle. Is that a joke?

G8 = sporty and sophisticated (muscle car in a GQ suit)
Charger = redneck (muscle car in a wifebeater)

I know which one I would prefer.

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by ptmeyer84

... but the hood scoops on the G8 are functional. They may not feed air into the engine but I thought they provided a cooling effect to the engine bay. Anybody else hear this?

The "hood scoops" are real holes in the hood. They do not feed air to the engine. Aspiration is done much more efficiently by the current setup than similar size hood scoops ever could. The G8's hood holes do not and cannot play a role in engine cooling. Air cooling requires cooling fins and a large fan. The G8 has a small electric fan and no cooling fins. Like virtually every other automobile engine sold in North America, it is liquid-cooled.

[racy]

Originally Posted by chris442

I don't know how to break this to you, but the Mopar V8 with the dome shaped combustion chambers isn't the be all, end all of V8s. GM's Gen IV motors are, well, better.

I'm not just saying this, either. I drove a 300C for a month while my GTO was in the bodyshop thanks to an inattentive driver in a Silverado. It was a nice car, but I didn't think the engine was quite up to the level of the LS2 I was used to. The biggest problem with the car was the 5 speed, however. It downshifted very slowly, especially at highway speeds. It also makes it worse when you're used to choosing your own gears.

The car also has a very 'big' feel to it. Bigger than it actually is. I'm sure that the G8 seems better based on that alone, at least in terms of feel.

At the track, the 300 did better than I expected. Pretty good acceleration from a stop. I got 5.68 s 0-60 based on the built in timer, and my best ET was a 14.03 at 99. Makes me feel pretty good to beat the mag's time when the have 10 more hp. Not on the level of a GTO, certainly, but very good for a family cruiser.

Based on my experience in those two cars, the results don't shock me. G8 being directly descended from the Commodore I'd expect it to be better than my GTO in most ways other than hp, and I think the GTO was better than the 300C overall.

Owning both a Vette and a 300C, I'll agree generally to your post. However, the Hemi has an undisputably better low end torque curve than the Gen IV. There's no arguing the with the addictive rush one gets from the seemingly endless pull of a revving LSx motor, but they are indeed lacking down low.

Conversely, the HEMIs got it down low and begin to nosedive up top. I'd like to believe this is mainly due to the cam profile, but the modding for the new HEMIs aren't mature enough to really set any verdict yet.

[ColoradoZQ8]

Originally Posted by chris442

I don't know how to break this to you, but the Mopar V8 with the dome shaped combustion chambers isn't the be all, end all of V8s. GM's Gen IV motors are, well, better.

I'm not just saying this, either. I drove a 300C for a month while my GTO was in the bodyshop thanks to an inattentive driver in a Silverado. It was a nice car, but I didn't think the engine was quite up to the level of the LS2 I was used to. The biggest problem with the car was the 5 speed, however. It downshifted very slowly, especially at highway speeds. It also makes it worse when you're used to choosing your own gears.

The car also has a very 'big' feel to it. Bigger than it actually is. I'm sure that the G8 seems better based on that alone, at least in terms of feel.

At the track, the 300 did better than I expected. Pretty good acceleration from a stop. I got 5.68 s 0-60 based on the built in timer, and my best ET was a 14.03 at 99. Makes me feel pretty good to beat the mag's time when the have 10 more hp. Not on the level of a GTO, certainly, but very good for a family cruiser.

Based on my experience in those two cars, the results don't shock me. G8 being directly descended from the Commodore I'd expect it to be better than my GTO in most ways other than hp, and I think the GTO was better than the 300C overall.

Well, I'm a GM guy and I think the Hemi is just as good if not better than any GM smallblock.

The only big beef I've ever had with the Hemi is that the vast majority of them are saddled with automatic transmissions. Thankfully, Dodge has realized this problem -- the 2009 Hemis finally get an optional six speed manual in the Challenger.

The Hemi is an incredible engine. So are the LS series from GM. They are both competitive with each other. The same can't be said for Ford's laughable V8 engine series.

[usa1]

Originally Posted by 63GrandSport001

On GMs power train website they have the L76 listed as premium recommended so you can indeed use lower grade fuels.

http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en...Car/08_L76.xls

Interesting. The owner manual says regular is required. No mention of better performance from premium.

Mark

[ptmeyer84]

Originally Posted by MisterMe

The "hood scoops" are real holes in the hood. They do not feed air to the engine. Aspiration is done much more efficiently by the current setup than similar size hood scoops ever could. The G8's hood holes do not and cannot play a role in engine cooling. Air cooling requires cooling fins and a large fan. The G8 has a small electric fan and no cooling fins. Like virtually every other automobile engine sold in North America, it is liquid-cooled.

I know how the engine is cooled, but I was curious as to whether the scoops cooled the engine BAY. I know of other automobiles that use this logic for cooling the bay, but they are mostly for show. I am just skeptical of car and driver, they get their facts screwed up quite often.

[CrimsonTider]

Originally Posted by dindak

I would love a G8 but still none locally and I see them going for list when they arrive.

Why didn't GM give this car some volume and make them in Oshawa!

Our dealership has six G8s just up the street. Two V8s & four V6s. They are lined up front and center so everyone can see them. Problem is they have been sitting there for at least 2 weeks while the Vibes & G6s are flying off the lot.

Sadly for Pontiac, this is finally the right car but at the wrong time. Better get one now for I fear they won't be here long.........

[eaton53]

splendid Hyundai

Oxymoron