I reviewed the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT last year, and was impressed. For 2009, just in case 361 horsepower wasn't enough, Pontiac has added the 415-horsepower G8 GXP. More appealing to me than the extra power: the availability of a six-speed manual. An outstanding car for the price? I took one for a test drive to find out.

Pontiac G8 GXP Styling

The G8 is an attractive sedan. But it too closely mimics the styling of circa-2000 BMWs for my taste. Even with the hood scoops meant to give the Australian-designed exterior a Pontiac "look," this sedan appears neither distinctive nor especially Pontiac. A Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger has much more on-road "presence."

The GXP adds little to regular G8's exterior aside from larger wheels. So it's just as tasteful yet derivative.

Inside, the Pontiac G8 GXP is spartan to a fault, since the interior is identical to the GT's. The car I drove had black leather. The available red/black leather would help brighten the place up a bit. The goofy-looking auxiliary instruments appear to have been deleted for 2009.

Pontiac G8 GXP Accommodations

The driving position is very good, neither too low nor too high, and with an instrument panel of reasonable depth and height. The A-pillars are overly thick, though. Otherwise, the view forward is much more open than in a Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger.

The front seats are fairly comfortable, but provide little lateral support. I'd been hoping for more aggressive bolsters in the GXP, but these failed to materialize.

The front seats have a rotary manual recliner. Some people will find it hard to reach. No power recline is available.

The rear seat is very roomy--this is a large sedan--and is just high enough off the floor to provide decent thigh support to adults.

The trunk is also roomy. While the entire rear seat does not fold, it includes an unusually wide passthrough in the center.

In general, the G8 GXP lacks many of the features usually available on a $30,000 car, much less a $40,000 car. Want a navigation system? Buy a Garmin and stick it to the windshield. The G8 is clearly targeted towards sports sedan buyers, not luxury sedan buyers.

Pontiac G8 GXP Performance

In my review of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT I wrote:

"361 horsepower isn't what it used to be. Sure, the Pontiac G8 GT is very quick. But it doesn't feel as quick as it is. Blame relaxed gearing and a subdued engine note. Aftermarket exhausts will be popular."

Well, the GXP gets a slightly larger V8--a 6.2-liter--and it's good for 415 horsepower. And the exhaust note is no longer subdued. Dip into the throttle and you'll hear plenty of that classic American V8 rumble. But only if you dip into the throttle. While cruising, engine noise is comfortably low. 

Anyway, back to the horsepower. It might be as much a matter of transmission and thoatier exhaust as the extra horses, but the GXP is one of those cars that feels so quick it's almost scary.  

The manual transmission's shifter isn't the best I've sampled, but it's good enough to avoid being a source of complaint. Throws are moderate in length and effort, with some feel of the mechanical bits involved. Finding the desired gear was not an issue. The clutch is light enough that using it repeatedly did not prove tiresome.

The uprated brakes, with four-piston Brembo calipers up front, are strong.

The GXP's 6.2 lacks the cylinder deactivation that bumps fuel economy in the GT. So EPA ratings fall from 15 city, 24 highway to 13 city / 20 highway. Good for a $1,700 gas guzzler tax, this is easily the least desirable aspect of the car. Shame the 6.0 is not also available with the manual transmission, though I suppose this wouldn't make a large difference--I'm not aware of any cases where cylinder deactivation is available with a manual transmission. 

The G8 GXP handles much like the G8 GT, just with the added control afforded by the manual transmission. The steering is only somewhat communicative, but this is good enough to be above average these days. Otherwise, the chassis handles excellently, with very good balance and little roll in hard turns. With buckets of torque on tap, the rear end steps out readily if you dip into the gas while turning. You don't even have to dip in very far. No worries, this oversteer is unusually linear and controllable. The steering wheel is almost redundant--you can steer this car with the throttle. Though thick pillars block visibility, the G8 otherwise feels smaller than it is from behind the wheel. The standard stability control does not cut in too early or too obtrusively.

Last year I thought the G8 GT's ride perhaps too firm for many potential buyers. I had no issues this time around with the GXP. Might be a matter of different roads. Or maybe it's because my mind was calibrated for the GXP's sportier positioning. Either way, ride quality is reasonable for a high-performance sedan. Noise levels are low while cruising.

Pontiac G8 Price Comparisons and Pricing

The $39,995 G8 GXP undercuts it's closest competitor, the Dodge Charger SRT8, by about $1,900 at MSRP and $1,300 at invoice. Current incentives, including employee pricing on the Dodge, reduce this gap to near zero, though.

The manual transmission actually costs $695 extra. But where else can you get a sedan with a V8 and manual transmission? Only from BMW. And a BMW 550i will cost you over $20,000 extra. Sure, the BMW has the interior and feel of a more expensive car. But the Pontiac is actually roomier and more fun to drive.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Pontiac G8:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/G8.php

Last Words

The Pontiac's exterior is too derivative and its interior is too spare. You can't get features like power recline or a nav system. But when a roomy sedan is this fun to drive, that hardly matters for anyone who's focused on the driving experience.

At one point, Pontiac was also going to offer this car in wagon form. That would have been very attractive to me. But the wagon didn't make it to the U.S., and slow sales (and GM's financial condition) have even the G8 sedan in jeopardy.

Apparently there's not a large market for large high-performance sedans with little in the way of gadgetry or luxury. Too bad, as this is my personal preference. If this is your own preference, and you need a large sedan, find a G8 GXP before it's too late.

A Note on Pontiac G8 Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a G8 rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Pontiac G8 reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need reliability data on all cars--not just the G8--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 41,590
Model and Options: GXP manual transmission, sunroof