I have viewed and driven a G8

[Quadcammer]

well, on my way to get some stuff in the cobra (god what a nice day in jersey), I decided to stop by at the local pontiac dealer.

They had a V6 and the GT.

First problem, they look identical. Front, side, etc. The difference I could see was the ricey tail lights, and the wheels (which aren't that different). Side note, the cloth in the V6 was scary.

Now, looking around the car, I thought it was well proportioned, and a decent size. Lines aren't bad, and the front looks pretty decent. The back, well, its ok, but doesn't inspire emotion.

Then, I get in. The door panels are pretty nice, with the stiching.

But this is where GM still sucks...the gaps...

One side had a 3/8" gap between the dash and the speaker/a pillar. the other was pretty much pinched together, with no noticeable gap. The panel that holds the headlight switch was about 1/4" further in than the panel towards the door.

So i start it up and go for a short ride. Nicely weighted steering, smooth powerplant, and decent brakes (a bit squishy, imho). Rode a bit harder than I expected.

So overall, its not bad, but with the poorly assembled interior, and the strange materials on the top of the dash, It just looks a little thrown together inside.

With some decent wheels, a swap for the standard V6 taillights, and a bit tighter assembly, it wouldn't be so bad.

A decent car for 30kish, but I think there are used cars I would prefer.

[krispycobalt]

3/8" gap on one side and no gap on the other? how come I have a hard time believing that?

[Hobbes]

Nice review quad

[Quadcammer]

Originally posted by krispycamaro
3/8" gap on one side and no gap on the other? how come I have a hard time believing that?

I thought I gave it a fair review. I don't really have any reason to bullshit that.

I didn't get the ruler out, but the gap on the drivers side was substantially larger than that on the passenger side.

I was surprised myself.

:shrug:

[Harmon Rabb]

Originally posted by krispycamaro
3/8" gap on one side and no gap on the other? how come I have a hard time believing that?

my c6 has bullshit like that going on. i believe it 100%.

[krispycobalt]

3/8" gap is huge, with that movement of a panel clips wouldn't engage/holes wouldn't line up

[dave1w41]

Did you have your scale or was that just by your eyeball?

[Quadcammer]

eyeball only.

3/8" may have been too big, i've never been terribly good at guessing distances.

It may have been 1/4" on one side, and 1/16th on the other, but they were definitely not even.

[cm_ls1]

so overall you agree its a pretty nice car , compared to its competition and previous pontiacs ?

as for the gaps, might have been a one off.


what did you think of the ride and handling?

:cool:

[dave1w41]

Originally posted by Quadcammer
eyeball only.

3/8" may have been too big, i've never been terribly good at guessing distances.

It may have been 1/4" on one side, and 1/16th on the other, but they were definitely not even.

I always take one of these with me. Normally if I can't get them to match at least out to the third decimal place, I prounounce the car "junk" and move on. http://www.mitutoyo.com/Images/002/259/500-172-20.jpg

[Quadcammer]

Originally posted by cm_ls1
so overall you agree its a pretty nice car , compared to its competition and previous pontiacs ?
as for the gaps, might have been a one off.
what did you think of the ride and handling?

:cool:

Yeah, it wasn't bad compared to other 30k vehicles. There were some changes I would make, but it was not bad. This is certainly a step forward for GM. I mean, id probably move towards a G35 instead, but overall, a solid product.

the ride seemed a bit stiff to me, but the roads are awful by me. The dealer is on a pretty populated street, so no real chance to check handling, but on some turns, the turn in felt pretty good. I did notice what seemed to be a bit of chassis flex while entering/exiting the driveway of the dealership though. The interior plastics creaked a bit during this.

Originally posted by dave1w41
I always take one of these with me. Normally if I can't get them to match at least out to the third decimal place, I prounounce the car "junk" and move on. http://www.mitutoyo.com/Images/002/259/500-172-20.jpg

sigh. you just can't handle that GM isn't producing a perfect product can you?

Both the v6 and the GT seemed to have similar gaps. The V6 seemed a bit better, but again, I was just eyeballing it.

While in the grand scheme, its not a big deal, having such a huge gap in a very noticeable place like that would bother me. It was something I noticed right away when I opened the door/got in.

[dave1w41]

Originally posted by Quadcammer


sigh. you just can't handle that GM isn't producing a perfect product can you?

Both the v6 and the GT seemed to have similar gaps. The V6 seemed a bit better, but again, I was just eyeballing it.

While in the grand scheme, its not a big deal, having such a huge gap in a very noticeable place like that would bother me. It was something I noticed right away when I opened the door/got in.

No vehicle is perfect. For what the G8 is; it's pretty much head and shoulders above everything else in it's class. Time and again it's compared with cars that cost over $10,000 more just to get the basic car. It's not like a 1993-96 F-Car interior; it's more than liveable.

[SphyNxXx]

Good review and it sounds spot on from what Ive seen and read abotu the car. Its a nice car, but no Lexus, but neither was it intended to be one. It was designed to a be a nicer replacement for the Grand Prix.

[cm_ls1]

[i] I mean, id probably move towards a G35 instead, but overall, a solid product.
[/B]

wht do you think about fitting 5 adults comfortably compared to the g35 , and a trunk full off suitcases?

[dave1w41]

Originally posted by cm_ls1
wht do you think about fitting 5 adults comfortably compared to the g35 , and a trunk full off suitcases?

Really; if you are shopping the G35 why not spring for a Corvette or shop the Mustang GT. The G35 isn't really competing with the G8; one is a coupe the other is a sedan. Besides that; I'm not sure why anyone would buy a car like the G35 that has such a severe suspension geometry problem in the front end.

[BrightRedOne]

Originally posted by dave1w41
No vehicle is perfect. For what the G8 is; it's pretty much head and shoulders above everything else in it's class. Time and again it's compared with cars that cost over $10,000 more just to get the basic car. It's not like a 1993-96 F-Car interior; it's more than liveable.

It's not head and shoulders over a G35 Sedan by any stretch of the imagination. Especially in terms of quality.

[dave1w41]

Originally posted by BrightRedOne
It's not head and shoulders over a G35 Sedan by any stretch of the imagination. Especially in terms of quality.

It's several thousand dollars cheaper. Nissan's aren't exactly known for having fantastic quality either. The Nissan is also as ugly as a Kabul whore.

Does the sedan have the same geometry issues with the front suspension that plague the coupe and the Nissan 350z? Do they offer a lifetime supply of front tires and free re-alignments every 20,000 miles yet?

[Sal Collaziano]

I think that about sums it up...

Originally posted by SphyNxXx
Good review and it sounds spot on from what Ive seen and read abotu the car. Its a nice car, but no Lexus, but neither was it intended to be one. It was designed to a be a nicer replacement for the Grand Prix.