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Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thanks to a long line of uninspiring products over the past couple decades, Pontiac -- ostensibly GM's "driving excitement" division -- acquired a rather unfortunate reputation as fodder for rental-car fleets. But that's been changing as of late, thanks to a concerted effort by GM to reassert the brand's high-performance heritage. The 2011 Pontiac G8 is at the core of Pontiac's recent resurgence. This powerful yet refined rear-wheel-drive performance sedan is unlike anything Pontiac has offered in recent memory -- and we mean that as a sincere compliment.
The Pontiac G8 is a mechanical twin of the Commodore sedan from Holden, GM's Australian subsidiary. That's a good thing, as the Commodore has garnered accolades Down Under for providing affordable full-size functionality in a swift and agile package. Thankfully, Pontiac stylists resisted the urge to outfit the American version with the brand's traditional assortment of scoops, vents and spoilers, and the car looks muscular and purposeful from most angles.
The G8's mechanical merits are impressive, from its range of energetic engines to its impressive combination of sharp handling and supple composure over broken pavement. The new 2009 GXP model raises the performance bar even higher with a 402-horsepower version of the iconic Corvette's 6.2-liter V8. One of our few complaints about the G8 has been the lack of a manual transmission, so we're pleased to report that you can get one on the GXP (though still not on lesser G8 models). In any guise, the G8's BMW-like MacPherson front strut layout and multilink rear suspension yields a sophisticated driving character that's more typical of European sport sedans than large domestic rear-drivers.
The G8 also impresses inside, especially considering the plasticky depths to which Pontiac interiors had previously sunk. There are still too many hard surfaces, but the center stack is more than a little reminiscent of Audi's industry-leading efforts. Passenger room is plentiful, particularly in back, where all but the largest riders will have space to spare. The rear center seat isn't so hospitable, however, as the wide center tunnel necessitated by the G8's rear-drive layout essentially eliminates legroom there.
At the G8's moderate price point, the Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 twins are the only other roomy, rear-wheel-drive, full-size performance sedans available. The Chrysler siblings are certainly competent, but the G8's sporting character sets it apart. We're not fans of the G8's lackluster fuel economy, but then, the Charger/300 duo aren't likely to win any efficiency awards from the EPA either. Bottom line: If you want a large sedan with American attitude and Continental manners, the 2011 Pontiac G8 is in a class of its own.
Inside, the car is nice – and we don't mean "nice for a Pontiac." Since it will probably come up at some point, no, the interior isn't fastened together with the Absolutely No Play Allowed tolerances and super soft touch materials for which the Germans are credited. The leather seats are plenty plush, and though the leather on the doors isn't Nappa soft, it's decently padded and has the look of quality. And the GXP is unquestionably solid – so much so that, if you're looking for something to compare it to, you'll compare it to the Germans. There were no squeaks, no rattles. When you press any of the large, clearly-marked and well-laid-out buttons, they all perform their functions immediately. Give the metallic finish center console the tap test, it responds with "Yes, sir?", not "I really wish you wouldn't do that." The stalks make a pleasant "thunk" when employed. The switchgear is allergic to fuss.
Speaking of switchgear, what could be the best thing about it is that there really isn't much of it. We are fatigued by getting into yet another car that looks like a giant button monster got drunk and threw up everywhere. This is especially true when they're supposed to be driver-focused cars. It's hard to be a hardcore driver when you want to turn the A/C off but know you'll have to stop driving in order to find the button. The G8 GXP doesn't go in for all that. The digital gauges atop the center stack have now been eliminated. The center screen is large and legible in all light. The climate controls are immediately friendly. And there's not much else to worry about.
But before we get to that, one last word on the interior: capacious. Or how about these: commodious, voluminous, ample. There's a ton of room inside. And since this car was put together in Australia, we don't mean one of those miserly U.S. tons, either. No, there's a British long ton of room in there. Four 6-foot-plus men could fit inside and enjoy an interstate ride and still have room for that humongous center armrest in the back. Or a goat. It's that roomy.
Our niggles with the interior: we didn't like the CD dials on the steering wheel – we find buttons easier to deal with. And speaking of easier to deal with, getting directions with OnStar was awful. Like Here Comes the Inquisition awful. Like we'd rather ask that dude sleeping in the street if he knows where to go awful. GM, please give us proper GPS navigation with a map screen. Even as an option.
Final chassis tuning was done at the Nürburgring in Germany, and the result is a truly likable machine with deft, Euro-sedan handling. The steering is lighter and less communicative than the best racks from, say, BMW, but it still manages to instill confidence in hard corners. Placing the nose is easy and reassuring as the compliant suspension soaks up bumps and pitching pavement without disturbing the body, which is well disciplined by the shocks to remain steady. Grip from the conservatively sized tires is unexpectedly good, no squealing or understeer to report; we recorded 0.85 g on the skidpad. Lurid slides of oversteer are only summoned with a heavy right foot, and then easily controlled.
In a nod to America’s generally lumpier roads, the FE3 suspension pack has retuned shocks and a 2mm-thicker rear stabilizer bar but is kept supple with ample wheel travel, which prohibits fitting any wheels or tires larger than the standard 19-inch polished alloy wheels and 245/40 W-rated Bridgestone Potenza RE050As. The ride is set to "livable" and freeway hop is reduced to a distant ka-wop of the tires in most cases, although the settings are somewhat firmer and the tire rumble somewhat more pronounced than in the base G8. Four-piston Brembo calipers up front haul the GXP to a stop from 70 mph in a commendable 156 feet, although we noted a fair degree of fade after just three hard stops.
As in all G8s, exceptional comfort in the seats comes from good thigh support and thick bolsters. Back-seat riders are pampered by tons of knee- and legroom and a seat-back fixed at a restful recline. It's a lucky commuter, indeed, who scores a G8 for a taxi. GM broomed the red-face gauges of the 2008 model, all 2009s having white illuminated script that is easier to read. The dorky, digital, unusable voltage and oil pressure meters in the center stack are gone, replaced by a shallow cubby maxed out by a few pens.
GM is hoping to move 5000 to 7000 GXPs per year, but sales of the G8, introduced last February, have been off Pontiac’s predictions by more than 50 percent, thanks to high fuel prices and America’s soft economy. The GXP’s base price will be about $40,000, including a $2000 gas-guzzler charge, when sales begin in December. There’s not much in the way of visual distinction from the base G8: a blockier front fascia, the bigger wheels, the seats and the dash accented by GXP logos, and a unique squared-off steering wheel. Options are few: a sunroof, all-season tires for colder climates, and a dealer-installed Track Pack, which includes upgraded transmission- and engine-oil coolers. The color choices are even the same as those of the base G8.
This is the most powerful Pontiac ever, and here's the nut: the LS3 6.2-liter small block V8 is good for 415 hp and 415 lb-ft., which is something like a solid 8.5 on the family sedan Richter scale. Pontiac claims a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds, though we recently heard of an outlet putting down a 4.4, and the quarter will go by in 13 seconds. Of course, if you have some past Pontiac products in mind, this might not provoke the aimed-for respect of driving prowess, and in fact it could all be rather worrisome.
Cringe not, fair reader – here's the bolt: 4-wheel, fully-adjustable independent suspension that, need you even ask, was tuned on The 'Ring. MacPherson struts up front are paired with a four-link, coil-over-shock setup out back, and the pair tied down with front and rear stabilizer bars. Up front, everything is adjustable: caster, camber and toe. To the stern, you can fiddle with camber and toe.
And here's the lockring to make sure it all sticks just so: a 6-speed Tremec TR6060 manual transmission as an available option. The Hydra-Matic 6L80 automatic transmission is standard, but if you want that... do you really want a GXP?
It's all controlled through steering on a variable-rate rack, and it's all stopped with 4-piston Brembos up front, single-piston calipers out back. This leaves an equation giving us six speeds to unleash 415 hp and 415 lb-ft through a sport suspension and P245/40 R19 tires. On a 4,000-pound car. That means there are quite a few possible answers. The answer we came up with: "Oh @#%*! yeah."
Take off from a standstill on a smooth road, and it's Go-Go-Gadget horsepower. The GXP is set up to react like a sports car, so there's 2-percent squat and 98-percent "Baby, it's time to go!" Take off on a bumpy road and the birds will chirp, those being the 19-inch tires looking for anything that will offer some traction. But they'll do it efficiently, business-like and in a straight line – the car doesn't jump around looking for purchase, it simply looks. And you can hit the 'Repeat' button on that as often as you like.
Straight line speed, however, has never been an issue. The pearly gates open up when you start cramming the car through turns and discover home-baked, heavenly goodness. Houlihan told us that they got rid of telescoping steering in order to keep the rack stiffer, and the rear brace across the top of the back seat remains as well, even though it eats into the pass-through space. Stiffness here was the name of all games. And in keeping the bodyshell stiff, they didn't need to make undue compromises with the suspension to keep everything in line.
The steering doesn't weight up as much as we would like, but that's because we drove the car like a high horsepower 2-seater and so we began to expect more resistance. But it is meaty enough to be plenty filling, and the wheels will pass all messages instantly through the rack, telling you everything you need to know.
LA has a mess of curvy roads with awful pavement, and the GXP never came unglued. If it was an excessively large expansion joint taken at impressive speeds on the highway, the car skooched over a couple of millimeters and continued on course. If it was a hairpin that looked like the pavement had caught the measles, the back end and its wider track did nearly all of the work and left you plenty of options for correction should you need it: steering, throttle, brakes and even lifting off. It would not come unstuck.
Only once were we reminded that the car weighs 4,000 pounds, and that was because we had come around a corner at something like Ludicrous Speed and there was a log in the road. A quick, instinctual juke to the left, and the log was gone and forgotten. All we thought was, "Hey, that was 4,000 pounds right there..."
All G8 models are equipped with front seat airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, antilock disc brakes with brake assist, stability control and traction control. OnStar is also standard equipment.
Driving Impressions
Those who buy a V8-powered G8 because they want a four-door modern-day muscle car will not be disappointed. If you turn off traction control, the GT or GXP will lay thick stripes of rubber in your favorite parking lot until the cows come home -- or until you run out of tires. What buyers may not expect is the tight handling that comes with the package, particularly in the case of the GXP, which rides on GM's sport-biased FE3 suspension.
All's not perfect in the G8's world, of course. The V6 is noisy and harsh in almost all driving conditions and gets progressively worse the harder you push the accelerator. Also, the upgraded six-speed automatic on G8 GT models often transmits a firm kick during upshifts that's absent with the base five-speed unit. Brake feel isn't optimal either, as the long-travel pedal feels a bit soft for performance-driving purposes. But overall, the G8 should go a long way toward helping Pontiac reclaim its storied past. Driving excitement is once again alive and well.
reference:www.edmunds.com,autos.aol.com,www.caranddriver.com
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