One week 2009 Pontiac G8 GT test drive: Part II

July 3, 9:23 AMSF Autos ExaminerMichael Sheena

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 There is lots of go power under the hood.

This is Part II of my review of the 2009 Pontiac G8, for Part I, please click here. 

Navigation is not available on the G8 and I will grump about that. Oh sure, you can get a portable unit that sits on the dash, but I've done that and it's a pain in the tush. You worry about it getting stolen. In California you have limited options to mount it on the windshield so you've got to place an adhesive disc on the dash so that the suction mount will work properly. Then there is the power cord flopping around. Because it's portable you'll probably move it to other cars or leave it in the house and when you need to find the nearest Burger King so that your two-year-old son can get his apple fries, well, it won't be there. "Ah," you say "Just use the OnStar system." Well, let me tell you all about that. Firstly, you've got to make chit-chat with the operator. I supposed you could be blunt, but I just can't do it, so I have to talk about the weather and hear all about the operator's last visit to the area, all the while the kid is screaming about his freakin' fries. The the operator tells you that they are happy to assist you in finding a Burger King and proceed to tell you about the Burger Kings that are miles away because they've typed in San Francisco when you are already in Daly City. In the end I just gave up and went to the one BK that I do know about 20 miles down the road. So, yes I want navigation built into the car and I'll pay the price for it.

The gauges are clean and easy to read.

There are no auto-dimming mirrors and that's unfortunate. A car in this price class should have at least an auto-dimming rear view mirror. The driver and front passenger do not have assist handles, It'd be nice for at least the passenger to have one (a couple of my co-pilots reached for the non-existent handle). There are cup holders in the rear center, but not in the armrest, rather you have to open the entire trunk-pass thru to find them. I found that to be a bit odd. You can't get xenons on this car, something that most sedans in this class offer.

Too bad there is no navi offered in the U.S.

I don't want to nitpick, but here are few examples of why I'm not enamored with the interior. Firstly, the digital voltmeter and oil pressure gauges have been removed due to complaints they looked silly, but now there is just a back plastic cave in their place. How is that any better? Here's a an odd one, the dome lights look cheap. I haven't even thought about a dome light in years, but the plastic lens on the G8's are just a frosted piece of plastic that really looks like its out of my aunt's '78 Skylark. How much would it cost to mold a more technical piece? The emergency brake lever has an odd shape that on occasion would jab me, it's styled to fit into the center console, but there's got to be a better way. At least leather wrap the lever! It's small items like these that add up to hurt the G8. A few extra dollars spent inside the cabin would pole vault the entire G8 to a much higher level.

I find the exterior's styling to be innocuous, but does not induce Homer Simpson-like "Must have donut" drooling. I'm not a fan of the hood scoops, but I actually like the fender vent: something I almost universally hate on every other car.

I also really like the front fenders. I find the muscular bulge really helps to add some excitement to the otherwise milquetoast front quarter.

I learned several things from this test drive experience. Firstly, a car of this size can work for a family of four. Whereas in the Astra, X-Type and 328 the kids were hitting each other and kicking the front seats, there was plenty of space for them to co-exist peacefully in the G8. There trunk easily swallowed all our Trader Joe's bags and the double stroller. Certainly it was no minivan, but we didn't suffer.

For GM, the car's platform is a tremendous achievement. As much as I complained about the interior, don't lose sight of the fact that from a performance perspective the G8 is a gem. The heavy lifting has been done and all that remains is some fine tuning. The G8 does require its buyer to make some sacrifices in terms of available options. For some folks, they simply can't forgo a classier interior, navi, xenons, etc and will search elsewhere. However, there are many who love the rumble of a V8 and excellent mix of ride/handling and will appreciate the G8 for what it is: a large BMW-like sports sedan at a bargain price.

I think it is important to note that unlike the GTO, the G8 did not fail in the U.S. market.  The G8 sold in reasonable numbers with little marketing support.  It is a shame that this car is going away and I hope that  GM reconsiders offering it through another one of its brands.