I got an hour to burn one morning back in 2008 so I decided to pay my local Pontiac dealer a visit to check out the new G8. Back then they only have the GT version with the V8 and the sales representative told me that none of the dealers had the base V6 at that time. After talked to the sales for about 5 minutes I was able to get a test drive, it was short but definitely gave me a better understanding about GM’s new hottest car. Following are my observations and opinions:
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Exterior: From the pictures I have already came to like G8’s styling and to see it in person certainly did not disappoint. This car looks GOOD! The 19-inch 5-spoke wheels fit the big sedan very well and the overall flow of this car is very nicely done. Maybe GM should seriously consider having Holden to take over its sedan design projects. I would say the only down side of the exterior styling is the hood scoops, I personally rather not having those but sure enough there are people who like them. The paint quality is mediocre at best, orange peels are excessive and very obvious.
Interior: The interior styling is probably the best I’ve seen in any GM cars, it is clean, straight forward and ergonomically sound. Fit and finish is night and day compare to the old Pontiacs, especially the last gen Grand Prix, I would say it is now on par with Nissan in this department. However, the orange demo in the show room (it has the moon roof. The one I drove does not) already has a loose headliner and looks like it could fall off at any moment. I don’t know whether or not this is an isolated case but seems like GM still has some work to do regarding the interior. Besides the top of the dash and door panels the car is filled with hard, black plastics, which is not a surprise for non-luxury cars now a day. The look is okay but felt cheap when touching it, however it does not feel any cheaper than the Nissan Altima. The seats are supportive enough but the fake leather felt urg… fake, with the 10-way adjustable (6-way power, 4-way manual) it was easy to find a comfortable driving position.
Personally, I don’t think the much criticized oil temp and battery gauges on top of the center stack look that bad as many editors have mentioned, it could look much better if the color is not red though. I have to give props to GM for the nicely integrated screen on the center stack, the look is modern and one can get all information from it. If it was up to me I wouldn’t put the window switches on the center console but it certainly is not a deal breaker and one could easily learn to live with it. Overall I think it’s a job well done for GM, it wouldn’t wow an interior critic like me but I definitely appreciate the improvements that GM has made compare to their older products.
Driving: This is where this car shines. The suspension is firm but yet not overly stiff to make the car bumpy over rough roads. Steering is tight and road feel feedback is clear, the car drives smaller than it is (a very good thing) and it takes corners in a confident way with very little body rolls. On the dark gray demo I drove, when the steering wheel is turned there was noise coming from the front wheels, the sales told me it’s probably the tires but I am not buying that. Again, I don’t know if this is an isolated case or not but that tells us that GM has not yet cleaned up all its quality glitches. Performance wise, the 361-hp V8 is the shining star, the throttle response is quick, sound is great and the endless torque is pretty impressive. This is a very fast car but somehow it doesn’t feel “wicked fast” as one would in a 335i or IS350, that’s probably due to the weight and size of the car. When the engine is at idle, there are a lot of vibration in the cabin, it is certainly a big turn off and cheapened the car quiet a bit. Last but not least, the brake is etiquette but a little mushy for a sports sedan.
Bottom Line: Honest effort from GM and should give the BMW 550i a run for its money if one only cares about performance. When the overall package has been taken into consideration I would say the luxury sports sedans would have nothing to worry about.
If you are on a budget and looking for a performance car with decent cabin… look no further.
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