G8 V6 review

[crooner214]

I know you Canadiens pay more in taxes than us Americans do, so is it possible that there are more corporate taxes as well? I have no idea, but that does seem kind of expensive.

On subject, if I were in the market for this car, I'd go with the V6 (but I'd be dreaming about the V8)

[dindak]

Originally Posted by ConcordeNick

Why is that? Why are we (Canadians) getting ripped off? There is no difference in safety/emissions/etc.... in the cars and many of the componenets or even the vehicles themselves are manufactured here. I priced a G6 GT coupe on the Pontiac USA website and it came out almost $10,000 LESS!!! There is no excuse for this.

Nick

Canadian dollar is virtually at par with the US $ but GM is still pricing like it's at C$1.25 for a U$. Just nuts. They have done some price adjustments but not as much as some others like Chrysler. That's why I am looking at used cars now, GM may loose my new purchase because of their stubborn behavior. Used car prices have dropped because US cars are flooding the market now.

[JerryL]

I just returned from a 4 day stay in SoCal....Anaheim and Ontario and points in between. I didn't see a single G8....GT or V6. Where are they ?? They're rare in Miami but still noticable.
I was stunned not to see a single one.....blinged out 300C's were everywhere.

[63GrandSport001]

give the G8 the 3.0L GDI 260BHP V-6 engine and a 6 speed and call it a day, it should end up about as fast as the Honda Accord V-6.

I think its funny that when we talk about American cars that excel in a line someone has to say that straight line speed isn't everything. Yet once you have an American car and a import in the opposite situation they want to just focus on straight line speed.

People are funny, they also take away.5 seconds from their favorite car and add .5 seconds to the cars they hate lol.

[eurohazard]

Originally Posted by 63GrandSport001

People are funny, they also take away.5 seconds from their favorite car and add .5 seconds to the cars they hate lol.

At least!

[dindak]

Originally Posted by JerryL

I just returned from a 4 day stay in SoCal....Anaheim and Ontario and points in between. I didn't see a single G8....GT or V6. Where are they ?? They're rare in Miami but still noticable.
I was stunned not to see a single one.....blinged out 300C's were everywhere.

They only arrived here in Ontario in June. I have only seen one on the road ever and it had dealer plates. It's a niche product though, if GM planned to sell big numbers they wouldn't be shipping from the other side of the world. You will never see G8s like you see 300Cs.

[mikmak]

I'd be happy with a G8 V6 (or SV6 as they are called down under), but ours do come with the 6M. I seriously, wouldn't need to go any faster. I'm actually a little pissed that you have to get the V8 Sportwagon to get a manual. SV6 is a 5speed auto. BOO!!!

On the comparisons with the Accord/Maxima:
1. sit in the back seat without ducking,
2. floor it going around a corner

That should sort that out.

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by I-Love-Pontiac

Since when was acceleration so important? If pure speed was all that mattered the Cobalt would be the best in it's class.

Simple. G8 is billed as a fun to drive performance sedan. Fastest Sedan for $30K. There is a HUGE emphasis on how fast it is for it's price in advertising. So when acceleration isn't much better than a Civic, the suspension tuning isn't great, and fuel economy is worse than the competitor's V6 large cars, there's something wrong there...

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by JerryL

I just returned from a 4 day stay in SoCal....Anaheim and Ontario and points in between. I didn't see a single G8....GT or V6. Where are they ?? They're rare in Miami but still noticable.
I was stunned not to see a single one.....blinged out 300C's were everywhere.

They sjut came in, and besides I seen a few of them and I live in the Bay Area.

[MCGARRETT]

Simple. G8 is billed as a fun to drive performance sedan. Fastest Sedan for $30K. There is a HUGE emphasis on how fast it is for it's price in advertising. So when acceleration isn't much better than a Civic, the suspension tuning isn't great, and fuel economy is worse than the competitor's V6 large cars, there's something wrong there...

ahem..


G8 GT


Your rationale is makes as much sense as someone expecting that the base Cobalt XFE is going to deliver the same lap times as a Cobalt SS.


"I dont know how this made it around the ring in 8.22 seconds", -its an automatic Cobalt LT sedan

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

ahem..


G8 GT


Your rationale is makes as much sense as someone expecting that the base Cobalt XFE is going to deliver the same lap times as a Cobalt SS.


"I dont know how this made it around the ring in 8.22 seconds", -its an automatic Cobalt LT sedan

The whole G8 lineup is billed as a performance sedan. Hell the whole Phontiac brand is billed as a performance brand.

[MCGARRETT]

Yes, but your comment about "the fastest sedan under 30K" does not apply to the V6, something does not have to be "the fastest" to still be a good performing car.

[PMC the 1st]

Originally Posted by CmicasatheGreat

If it makes anyone feel better... the BMW 528i does 7.1 seconds 0-60 mph mark and costs about $46K

The Charger V6 gets almost 9.3secs

Point is that any one of these cars are pretty much too heavy for a V6 under 300HP, but they are i existence to have something in that particular make that gets better fuel economy than their HI-PO versions are able to make... EACH one of these cars has a mid-level version that does amazing things as far as performance... the 5series... the 535... the G8.. the GT... the Charger... the R/T.. and EACH one of them has a even more power exclusive version that takes it further...

In light of the fact that the G8's chassis dynamics are widely considered a BMW 5-Series equal, steering is neutral and balanced and braking is linear, I'd have to conclude that InsideLine complaining about acceleration deficits amounts to import-pandering (again).

Some recent quotes:

Again, the G8 shines. With its front tires unburdened by power delivery, the Pontiac steers more fluidly; feedback is undiluted. Stability control switched off, the G8 happily wagged its tailed around our figure-eight course, the rear end breaking loose with a gentle nudge of the throttle and the chassis sliding past the cones all crossed up but completely controllable. The fun factor simply isn't comparable, however impressively the Maxima hangs on. And despite its weight disadvantage, the G8 felt (and is) better balanced, easily wringing out 0.87 g of grip.

--Motor Trend

Beyond good looks and powertrain potency, another pleasant surprise with this Pontiac is the G8's interior. The design is smart but clean, with upscale plastics (the dash top and upper door panel sections are of a nice rubberized-to-the-touch "graphic" material, with many other surfaces of a BMW-like "pebbled" texture). A sweet-sounding 11-speaker, 230-watt Blaupunkt AM/FM/CD player sound system with MP3 auxiliary jack comes standard. And the front seats are very comfortable and supportive and feature good side bolstering — not too snug but you definitely know it's there.The rear-wheel-drive car's weight distribution is an almost perfectly balanced 50/50 front/rear (our measurements, on a full tank, yielded 52/48), the result of tucking the engine down low and toward the back section of the engine cradle, mounting the battery in the trunk and placing the steering rack farther forward than normal, ahead of the front axle centerline. Pontiac says this last attribute helps give the G8 GT's steering a more direct feel; as a driver, I did get good feedback at all times from the front wheels.

In normal or even fairly spirited driving, once again we had nothing but positive comments about the way the G8 GT's chassis performed, especially its silky, smooth ride with just the right touch of firmness. "The suspension is set up for an excellent balance of on-road comfort, smooth enough for pleasant daily driving yet firm enough for good grip in fast cornering," said Bryant.

[TriShield]

Nobody would care about this car if it didn't come with a V8. Thank God it does.

[TriShield]

Originally Posted by Xenon

Like they said, it would be nice if the G8's V6 powertrain was the same as the Camaro

The reported times for the Camaro aren't so hot either. It looks more impressive on paper.

The allure of these cars aren't V6 engines, it's the V8, RWD combo that's becoming hard to get at an affordable price.