By Michael Karesh
May 9, 2008 -
Let’s not dismiss the Pontiac G8 V6 out of hand. Sure, you give up a Smart-and-a-half of ponies with the less powerful powerplant. But 256 horsepower would have seemed like plenty even five years ago. (And the way things are going, it might seem like plenty five years from now.) For enthusiasts who’ve advanced beyond the raw thrill of gut-sucking torque, it’s not the meat, it’s the motion. Yes, Virginia, it’s possible for a car to be fun to drive even if it can’t flatten you against the seatback off the line. Ah, but does this G8 V6 fit this bill?
In the G8 V6’s favor, even the GT variant is not a one-trick pony. It offers an attractive (if not distinctive) BMW E46-influenced exterior, a plenty roomy interior and a fine handling, even driftastic chassis. All of these strengths transfer to the V6. So the potential certainly exists for a fun-to-drive sedan that’s less expensive to buy and operate.
Unfortunately, the G8 V6 isn’t exactly what you'd call a bargain (mate) compared to the G8 V8. Base to base, you save $2400. That, my pistonhead pals, is a pittance for an extra 105 horsepower. But wait, there’s less! The GT comes complete with the V6’s Comfort and Sound Package as standard. It also boasts other extra standard kit, including a leather-wrapped steering wheel and limited-slip rear end.
Inside the V6 version, the hits keep not happening. The base model's oversized urethane wheel looks fleet and feels worse. The cloth seats are much grippier than the optional leather, but they do nothing to alleviate the interior’s downscale ambiance. So attired, the V6’s interior is so uniformly black, joyless and basic that it makes a Dodge Charger’s cabin look like a Lincoln. Were the panel fits this imprecise in the GT, or were they just less obvious in the premium interior?
The V6’s base interior isn’t the automotive poster child for the New Zealand rugby team. Red digital auxiliary instruments rest atop the center stack. The crude oversized graphics would have looked out of date a decade ago. Taken as a black hole, the spartan interior crosses the fine line between functional and cheap and heads straight for K-Mart.
Even the V6’s Premium Package’s red leather seats and instrument graphics are only a partial fix. Pop for the packs and make an allowance for the GT’s trick diff, and V6 buyers save just a touch over a grand. With a price difference this small, the V6 needs to bring something else to the party– even for those [four of us] who aren’t torque junkies.
Fuel economy! Nope. With EPA ratings of 17/25, the V6 goes two miles farther than the eight-pot on each gallon in the city, but only one mile farther on the highway. Sure, the G8 V6 is competitive with other gas-powered two-ton sedans. And? Anyone seeking fuel economy in a G8 best pray for a diesel variant.
With [perhaps] a hundred fewer pounds on the nose, the G8 V6 may be a better handling car than the GT. But if there is a difference, it isn’t large. With either engine, the G8 is a fine-handling, throttle-steerable sedan that’s too large to be tossable.
This year’s G8 comes with any gearbox you like provided it’s a manually-shiftable automatic. In the V6’ case, you get five cogs instead of six, which partially explains why its fuel economy advantage isn’t larger. The V6’ cog swapper is a bit more responsive. When used as a manual override, the shifter feels crude, as is the GM way of such things.
That leaves but one attribute in the “possible advantage” category: smooth revving. The V8 relies on pushrods to operate its two valves per cylinder. The V6, in contrast, has a pair of cams in each head and an extra set of valves. DOHC good, pushrods bad, right? The V6’s tach needle should head for the red zone more readily than the V8, and sound and feel more refined whilst doing it.
Only it doesn’t. For two decades, GM has been finding ways to make DOHC engines sound and feel absolutely ordinary– or worse. This Zeta iteration of GM’s DOHC 3.6 continues this oft-tragic tradition.
Up near the redline the six isn’t awful. But getting there is no fun; the engine lacks the urge to rev and the midrange is, well, unpleasant. There’s no whir of fine machinery, only the grunt and roar of a poorly tuned intake and exhaust. Go part-throttle, as in typical suburban driving, and the midrange sounds especially cobby. Right foot up or right foot down, there are no joys to be had from this powertrain.
There’s inexpensive, and then there’s cheap. The G8 V6 is cheap. It combines a slew of promising parts– clean well-proportioned exterior, driver-oriented interior, DOHC engine and all-independent rear-drive chassis– into something much less special than it could have, indeed, should have been.
2 / 5 Stars | 2008 Pontiac G8 V6
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POWERED
May 9th, 2008 at 7:45 am
The battery and oil pressure gauges are such a blunder it’s almost comical. Who actually decided to put these two largely useless bits of information presented so horribly in such a prominent position? Is this person still employed by GM?
Anyway, the 5 speed auto on the V6 might be the only reason to get this over the GT. The V8’s 6-speed auto will take almost a full second to decide on a gear, only to change its mind and take another half second to actually shift. No exaggeration. Sport mode works well, but it’s too aggressive for everyday driving. I’d wait for the manual in the V8 at all costs. The dealer said they’re planned for Christmastime.
Lastly, one thing I noticed about the V8 (haven’t driven the V6) was that I was underwhelmed by what was supposed to be 360hp. With two and a half times the horsepower of my Mazda3, I expected more from it. A G37 (also auto) felt like it had considerably more power. Is the auto tranny to blame? Or is 2 tons really just that heavy? Has anyone else experienced the same?
May 9th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Despite all of the “negatives” in the article, I would consider the V6 G8 IF IT HAD A MANUAL. It would be kind of a cheaper alternative to the nearly perfect CTS. With the automatic and small price difference to the V8, though, it is not in the running.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I think 256 hp horsepower is a lot of power until to this day. I haven’t driven any 21st century American cars and couldn’t tell if 256 is power.
I like the car’s design it doesn’t look like A BMW and doesn’t look like a Mazda 3. It’s still Americana to me. A European will like this one or a Japanese who likes American cars.
Pontiac is still in the Market for performance and a lot of them are out there.
Pontiac is here to stay. Long Live This American Car
Feasiblity study
Probably there is no Manual Because We Americans Don’t know how to drive a Manual or We know how to a drive manual but still purchased Automatics. Not like Europeans especially the British Loves driving manuals.
Hey!!! but if you wanna save on brake pads and gas drive a manual but learn how to drive first.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:25 am
The garish display atop the center stack is one of the unfortunate byproducts of the dash design required to accomodate the ever more ubiquitous satnav options. Automakers are left to fill the space when the option is not ordered. Some obviously do it better than others.
The price difference between V6 and V8 models is boggling. While the difference probably reflects the additional actual cost of the larger motor, nobody ever sells cars on that basis. The obvious conclusion is that they decided to lose $x per V8 model sold and wanted to limit any further bleeding on the V6 variant. Had the price difference been a more typical $4k-$6k they would have lost more of their shirt for every car sold.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:28 am
This pricing actually makes sense to me. How much more should a V8 really cost you? It’s not like it has THAT many more parts and is that much more complex (and in the case of pushrod V8 vs DOHC V6, it may be LESS costly to manufacture).
i hate that cars *start* at $20K and end up costing $27K when you opt for the bigger engine and a sunroof.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:31 am
dean: no satnav is available, so that’s not the reason.
It would not surprise me if the 6.0 actually cost less to produce than the 3.6, since it has one cam instead of four, 16 valves instead of 24, and so forth. GM has spent decades figuring out how to minimize the manufacturing costs of an OHV V8.
I went into this test drive hoping to report that the V6 was a surprisingly viable option. I still remember the first time I drove a DOHC four-valve engine, in a rear-drive Toyota Corolla, and so for years associated multi-valve with fun to drive.
But GM isn’t the only manufacturer capable of producing a no-fun DOHC engine. We own a Mazda Protege5 and Chrysler PT Cruiser (my wife wanted one, okay?), and neither DOHC four begs to be taken to the redline.
TrueDelta might have reliability information on the G8 in August, but November is more likely. Depends on how quickly people buy these and sign up to participate.
Know a G8 owner? Send them here:
http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php
May 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
So this thing is a red herring for the GT, huh?
Great review and wonderfully objective perspective. I knew it was Mr. Karesh without even reading the credit. Sounds like this one is destined for the rentals, where saving a Hamilton or two per month is substantial over an entire fleet.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Michael, I looked up the Holden site after dean’s post, and the Commodore indeed does have sat nav as an option (and for only 1290 Aussie dollars!). I guess they left out an American conversion of the nav in the rush to get the G8 to market.
I should add to my prior post up top that I did enjoy the G8 a lot. I guess I’m just very frustrated that such a great vehicle was ruined by the transmission. I thought the interior (on the V8) was pretty nice. Audi-inspired and done well. The chassis is great, suspension tuned very well. With the salesman in the car I couldn’t take it past 6/10ths, but it knows its way around the corners. A bit more steering feel could inspire more confidence, but overall it’s surprisingly good.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Interesting. But is it positioned where the aux gauges are, or is it integrated into the audio system lower on the IP?
I vaguely remember reading that the satnav was left off because the location would be too low for American lawyers.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Good point, MK. Looking at Holden’s brochure for the Commodore:
Multifunction colour LCD display
The centre console mounted full colour
screen displays full audio system details
and the dual zone electronic climate
control settings for driver and front
passenger. It also provides full colour
mapping when the optional satellite
navigation is installed and, when the
vehicle is stationary, acts as a second
DVD display if the optional DVD player
is fitted.
looks like that screen can do a lot in Australia. So i guess the screen was too low for America, and GM didn’t bother to redesign the top of the dash.
Audi seems to have their screen pretty low as well:
http://www.audiusa.com/etc/medialib/cms4imp/audi2/aoa/product_my08/s4sedanmy08/interior.Par.0002.Image.jpg
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