Pontiac G8 Offers Surprising Performance at Surprisingly Low Price
By Kelly Foss, www.car-data.com
Times and trends changes in the automotive world and currently, rear wheel drive sedans areviewed with high regard. Though front wheel drive machines are arguably more space and costefficient, they just don’t have the feel and handling of their rear wheel drive brethren. Afterall, Mercedes and BMW’s have always been and continue to be rear wheel driven vehicles.
General Motors made a dramatic switch from rear to front drive cars years ago and as of late haswanted an upscale rear drive model in the worst way but couldn’t justify the development costs. Asit happens, GM’s Holden division in Australia has retained rwd architecture over the years and justhappened to have a model that was exactly what the North American GM people were wanting for theirPontiac nameplate.enter the G8.
The G8 was designed by Holden to be a General Motors version of the BMW 5 series. Though the G8doesn’t have as many exotic bits as the BMW, the design is very similar and surprisingly, so is thelevel of performance.
Whereas BMW might use an exotic metal for a suspension part, the G8 will have a steel stamping.The end result however is somewhat remarkable as the $29,000 V8 version of the G8 performs atalmost the same level as a $58,000+ BMW 550i! Though the Pontiac does not have all the luxuryaccoutrements of the BMW, it is an amazing design and marketing accomplishment.
The G8 is offered in a standard model with GM’s new 3.6 liter V6 or in the GT model with a 361horsepower 6.0 liter V8. The upcoming GXP will be a 400+ horsepower really high performance sedan.The G8 GT is equipped 400+ with a 6-speed automatic transmission with tall overdrive gears andcylinder deactivation. That means that cruising down the road the G8 will deactivate half itscylinders and run as a 4 cylinder 3 liter engine. In that mode, it routinely indicates 24-26 milesper gallon of fuel economy, yet with the touch of the gas pedal, will accelerate faster than aMustang GT!
Aside from the stellar performance, the G8 is a very roomy and comfortable sedan. Front andrear seat accommodations are generous and the trunk is downright large. The vehicle is quiet,poised and a real pleasure to drive.
The solid body structure and safety equipment protects you in a crash.
Active safety components like handling and braking perform well above what the average car candeliver. On the horizon, Pontiac will be importing another Holden derivative called the G8 SportTruck. Think of it as a modern Chevy El Camino. The Sport Truck is basically a G8 with a pickupbed on the back. It is fast like the sedan but can carry 1,200 of cargo!
Pontiac lays claim to being the performance brand at GM.
2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe
By Casey Williams www.car-data.com
Pontiac’s two-seat Solstice roadster has been a hot seller since it stormed into showrooms acouple of years ago, giving the Mazda Miata fits.
With a body structure that was modeled on the Corvette, it is structurally stiff wile providingoutstanding handling – all at a bargain price.
However, if you remember back to the 2002 Detroit auto show, you’ll remember an exciting orangeSolstice coupe. It took almost 7 years, but the production version of the Solstice Coupe is uponus. And, it is much better than the concept.
According to Jim Bunnell, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager, “Today’s Solstice is thetop-selling roadster in the U.S., and we believe this new model has even broader appeal. The coupehas all the design cues and pleasing performance of the original roadster, and is an all-seasonalternative for people who enjoy open-air driving.”
The biggest complaint about the roadster is its lack of luggage space. Problem solved – thehatchback coupe harbors enough space for a reasonable number of bags. Borrowing another popularoption from Corvette, the coupe is a proper targa design with a full-width removable panel abovethe passengers. While the standard top will not store in the trunk like the Vette’s, a foldableinsert will be available to protect from poor weather.
Although the coupe looks vastly different, engineers basically removed the top and decklid fromthe roadster, installed the fastback rear, and designed a roof insert. All in all, a fairly simpleconversion.
As with the roadster, two powertrains will be available. Base models come with a 173-horsepower2.4-litre four-cylinder engine while GXP editions step up to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinderthat generates 260 horsepower. Keeping that in perspective, a 1990 Corvette generated 245horsepower from a 5.7-litre V8. Expect 0-60 mph runs for the GXP to fall below 6 seconds.
Nobody knows how to build a sports car like General Motors.
Corvettes are comfortable, fast, solid, and reliable. By leveraging all it learned from theSolstice, and looking up to its big brother from Chevrolet, the Solstice Coupe does everythingright. If only the painted top would fit in the trunk. Maybe next time. When the Solstice Coupearrives early next year, competitors will include the BMW Z4 Coupe, Mazda Miata Hardtop, and Nissan370Z coupe.
