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Pontiac Gets Back Into the Muscle Car Ring With the G8 |
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Written by Muscle Car Tech
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Friday, 07 March 2008 |
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The 2008 Pontiac G8 is once again joining the ranks of the muscle cars. It's been two decades since Pontiac has manufactured a sedan with a V8 and rear wheel drive. The driving excitement in Pontiac's four door models has been missing even longer than that. In that time, Pontiac offered up the front wheel drive, V8 Grand Prix GXP and sedans with small V6 engines and front wheel drives. With the introduction of the brand new G8, Pontiac seems to be throw its hat back into the muscle car ring.
The 2008 Pontiac G8 is once again joining the ranks of the muscle cars. It's been two decades since Pontiac has manufactured a sedan with a V8 and rear wheel drive. The driving excitement in Pontiac's four door models has been missing even longer than that. In that time, Pontiac offered up the front wheel drive, V8 Grand Prix GXP and sedans with small V6 engines and front wheel drives. With the introduction of the brand new G8, Pontiac seems to be throw its hat back into the muscle car ring. The new G8, which will be produced at a plant in Adelaide, Austraila, is 196.1 inches long and has a wheelbase of 114.8 inches. The plant already manfuctaures the Holden Commodore that is exclusive to Austrailia. Both cars share the rear wheel drive Zeta from GM. The Holden has proven popular in Austrailia and a careful look at the GB GT test vehicle shows why. The new G8 GT is powered by a massive 6.0 liter V8 engine that offers 361 horsepower when it's paired with the six speed automatic transmission. The five speed automatic generates 256 horsepower. There are no current plans to offer the G8 GT with a manual transmission. The new V8 engine shares a lot in common with the engines in GM's truck lines, but it lacks variable valve timing. In spite if this, it does offer some impressive lineage of its engine parts, including LS3 Corvette's intake manifold. The new G8 GT also has Active Fuel Management technology that can work in the top four gears. Half the car's eight cylinders can be shut down when the car reaches cruising speed to improve on fuel economy. The GT version of the G8 gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway. The new G8 GT boasts a 0 to 60 mph speed of 5.3 seconds and will run the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds with a top speed of 101 miles per hour. The numbers are close to the more expensive Dodge Charger SRT8 that boasts the 425 horsepower. The new G8 GT gives pure muscle car performance and acceleration. GM has produced some of its best suspension in the new G8 GT. The steering is tight and lively. The new G8 features multi link struts and a four link rear suspension system that perfectly handles twisty stretches of pavement. The suspension is the same for both the V8 and the V6 engines. The Sports package included firm leather seats and steering wheel. The rear seats comfortably accommodate a six foot person with room to spare. The back seat also features a full pass through for hauling large objects in case the 17.5 cubic feet of room in the trunk isn't enough. In spite of these interior features, the G8 GT isn't a luxury vehicle and it shows on the inside. The dash features an add digital screen that gives oil pressure and voltage readouts. |
