Mbuku Drives the G8

[mbukukanyau]

I test drove a G8 today. I am very impressed with the vehicle. It was V8 with a dealer mark up of $4,000.00. To his credit the sales person told me, he would be willing to part with it MSRP.
Anyways, to the details.
First, the interior.
I drive a 2002 Corolla and my wife drives a Chevy HHR. So, you can get that this is a luxury u boat compared to our current rides. So, I am impressed all through.
The Trunk is huge but not deep. I did not look to see what was under there. The Rear seats are super spacious even with the seat waay back and there is leather everywhere you would ordinarily touch. With the seat all the way back I could not reach the pendals. I am 5.11. The dash material, on top is the same you as you would get from a 2007 Cadillac CTS, but the pattern feels much better.
The nobs and all the usual buttons are easy to locate and use. Its got a very quality feel to it. Better than my corolla which in its day shared some of its switch gear with Lexus. Needless to say, way better than I am used to.
I was disappointed that it has a huge color screen radio and does not have navigation . The readout on the top of the center console info center was full of boring info. The one on the instrument panel is more fun to play with.

The Drive
This car drives like a dream. Its quite, has serious grunt and the shifter is like jelly, smoothest shifter I have ever experienced. Its an automatic. The sales guy said there is no manual available. I could outrun just about everyone from the light and passed a few cars easily..
The engine noise is nice and strong, but it does not filter into the cabin much.. it sounds strong far and muted. On the freeway and back rounds around La Jolla the car felt really planted, and took the portholes without any motion transfering to the steering or the cabin.. Inside is a very isolated and nice place to be. Its calm, quiete and not much drama.

Disappointments
The rims are borrowed from the old GTO. There is no Bluetooth and the salesman tried hard to sell me onstar, complete with stories of people whose houses burnt (last years fires) and their phones were out and only onstar came to the rescue..
I am like, yer, when will that happen to me? Duh.. plus who wants the payment.. My cell phone is always a dual mode anyways… Thats my take

[Odin]

nice review but wtf? rims borrowed from the old gto? They pcd of the wheels aren't even the same. They aren't gto wheels.

[FenwickHockey65]

This is a great car, I was in one a few weeks ago at my Pontiac dealer, a G8 GT, #27 of the 888. Very nice. Marked up a couple thousand from the sticker price of course.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by Odin

nice review but wtf? rims borrowed from the old gto? They pcd of the wheels aren't even the same. They aren't gto wheels.

There was the last new GTO in the dealership parked right next to it with the same rims.
Now something interesting. Same V8 engine with the GTO , GTO more powerful, but the G8 has way better fuel economy.
This car is huge!!!

[DuSpinnst]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

There was the last new GTO in the dealership parked right next to it with the same rims.
Now something interesting. Same V8 engine with the GTO , GTO more powerful, but the G8 has way better fuel economy.
This car is huge!!!

GTO has LS2, G8 L76. Not same.

[chaseabryant]

So, quick question, sorry to others who may think it is kind of dumb..

Have you driven or ridden in a Grand Prix Before? If so, I was just wondering about how the car feels sizewise. Does it give a feeling of being much larger?

-Chase

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by chaseabryant

So, quick question, sorry to others who may think it is kind of dumb..

Have you driven or ridden in a Grand Prix Before? If so, I was just wondering about how the car feels sizewise. Does it give a feeling of being much larger?

-Chase

I've been in both a Grand Prix and the G8, and IMO, the G8 seems much smaller than the Grand Prix although the spec sheets say that they are more or less the same length, give or take an inch or two.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by chaseabryant

So, quick question, sorry to others who may think it is kind of dumb..

Have you driven or ridden in a Grand Prix Before? If so, I was just wondering about how the car feels sizewise. Does it give a feeling of being much larger?

-Chase

The car drives small, extremely responsive steering wheel. I was thinking to myself, why would anyone buy a 3 series of this car.. as some guy in a brand new one passed by..

[chaseabryant]

Hmmmm, sounds very promising, thank you!

-Chase

[from oz]

GTO wheels won't fit on a G8 or vice versa. They changed the stud diameter (I know they changed something so you couldn't switch alloys and this isn't the correct description but whoever knows the actual thing they did please respond) with the VE so they may have looked similar but they weren't the same.

Unless they drilled out a set of alloys. which I doubt.

[AndrewGS]

The lack Bluetooth will be fixed soon, but OnStar is definitely worth the price by itself.

It really pissed me off though that dealers are marking up the G8 just like they did with the GTO and Solstice. I guess some never learn.

[Koasterking]

Nice wrtie up. I saw a red one last week and I think red is the color to own on this car. It's very nice. I sat in one at the NY Auto show and the cabin is nicely laid out, good materials, and easy to reach controls.

[cdp326]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I've been in both a Grand Prix and the G8, and IMO, the G8 seems much smaller than the Grand Prix although the spec sheets say that they are more or less the same length, give or take an inch or two.

I've been in both. I wasn't in the G8 long enough or recently enough to comment on its space vs. a Grand Prix, but the dash design of the G8 does make it feel more spacious in front (IMO) and the back seat is much better in the G8. The seat itself is more comfortable and there is more space (as it should, given it doesn't have a rakish coupe-style roofline). IIRC, the G8's rear seat feels like it's low because of the somewhat high window line, but in the Grand Prix it actually is low, and has a high window line to boot.
The sole choice of black for the G8's interior isn't going to make it feel especially roomy either, I'd say.

[mikmak]

Can't remember what they did with the stud pattern either but I do know plenty of people are fitting VE rims to V cars (VT-VZ).

mbuku, do you think it fits in the Pontiac ideal/theme/lineup?

[Kamshaaft]

Good to hear that you like it Mbuku! IIRC you you weren't that sold on it before now.

Originally Posted by Odin

nice review but wtf? rims borrowed from the old gto? They pcd of the wheels aren't even the same. They aren't gto wheels.

Mbuku is more or less right actually.

Originally Posted by from oz

GTO wheels won't fit on a G8 or vice versa. They changed the stud diameter (I know they changed something so you couldn't switch alloys and this isn't the correct description but whoever knows the actual thing they did please respond) with the VE so they may have looked similar but they weren't the same.

Unless they drilled out a set of alloys. which I doubt.

AFAIK The offset has been changed on HSV's.