The G8’s exterior is definitely a pleasing one. I liked the 2 hood scoops which give the impression that something monstrous is under the hood. The fog lamps are always a welcome addition to any vehicle and the head lights are beautiful with the jeweled clear pieces. This model had a sunroof which I definitely took advantage of and the mirrors came painted as the same color as the rest of the paint which is a great touch!
Trunk space is very generous and offers a lot of room for luggage and groceries.

The side view shows the cool vent on the side fender and the base models 18″ rims which look very sharp.

Interior Impressions:

I personally am a fan of both Leather and Cloth interiors, this base model came with cloth. The seats are very comfortable once you have them adjusted, I felt they offered enough support for your back when making sharp turns around corners. The materials for the dash, doors and deck are a little plasticy, but not nearly as bad as earlier pontiac models. When I sit inside the car and feel around, you can tell that the build quality is very nice and well put together, and the materials are actually reminiscent of higher end cars like a BMW or Mercedes. It took a little getting used to finding all the controls to adjust everything the way I like, but once I was setup with the correct seating position, mirrors adjusted and stereo set to “ROCK ON!” then everything fell into place.

The steering wheel is telescopic and adjustable, with controls for adjusting the stereo, the in-dash display and a host of other features. The window controls are located in front of the arm rest, just in front of the over sized cup holders. The hand brake is located just to the right of the driver seat, very cleanly merged with the rest of the middle console. The shifter in my personal opinion was a little too far to the right and forward so I was not too comfortable resting my arm on the armrest with my hand on the shifter (Well that’s how I drive sometimes… its comfortable!) But that’s nothing to really complain about. Located in front of the shifter was the Traction Control button.

The dash of the G8 shows a nice LCD display which you can control using the steering wheel controls. It shows your average driving speed, fuel consumption, settings for the sport shifting, cruise control status and my personal favorite, the digital speed readout. You are also able to change all measurements from Metric to Imperial as well.

The console for the stereo features a really large LCD screen, but no navigation? Apparently there is no option for navigation but I have a hard time believing if they had this much space to work with, why not develop at least an option for a navigation unit? Other then that, the display is quite readable in daylight and provides a wealth of information including the settings for the climate controls, radio stations, outside temperatures, and on screen display of the music that is currently playing. Right next to the air conditioning button is an auxiliary input jack so you can plug your MP3 player in.

Driving Impressions:
After scrutanizing the interior and exterior of the vehicle, it was time to get under way. Putting the car into drive automatically locks all the doors (You can adjust that feature through the on board computer). First thing you notice is the smooth, sporty ride that comes from the FE2 suspension package, which boasts slightly stiffer springs and sporting dampers. Coupled with either the 18×8-inch or 19×8-inch aluminum rollers (the latter fitted on sport pack-equipped models), the ride is a subtle balance of rigid and relaxed. The steering’s variable-ratio rack-and-pinion setup never felt twitchy and the summer tires provided adequate feedback through the wheel. Going over small bumps in the road felt great, almost as if it were gliding over them. The suspension defintely was one of the most notible performance plus’s about this car, it just felt great, cant say anymore then that.

Acceleration was nothing too special between 1000-3000rpms, as the 5 speed automatic transmission smoothly accelerates from 0-60kph very easily and smoothly which I found perfect for city driving, or if your like me, always in stop and go traffic. It was very forgiving and a pleasure to drive around the busy city streets. After getting out of traffic, I went for a drive around a nice twisty road which showed me the G8’s superb handling. I hardly felt any roll, and it was solid on the ground. I never felt any swaying or unusual movement, even during tight cornering. I am very impressed!

The G8 has a redline of about 6900-8000RPMS and truely comes alive after 5000RPMS, the engine just SCREAMS and you can definitely feel your head being shoved to the back of your head rest. The V6 256HP motor does not dissapoint, if your driving in manual shift mode you can definitely have a lot of fun with this car.

I personally found that the mirrors were a tad too small for my taste, compared to my 2005 Grand Prix GXP which has mirrors almost twice the size vertically. The visibility out the front of the car is fantastic, the hood does not go too far forward so you can easily see everything in front of you, and the side windows are also big enough to easily check your blind spot.

Lets not forget that one of the most pleasurable experiences about driving a car like this are the looks you get. The beautiful metallic blue was definitely an eye catcher (As I could tell from a bus load of people drooling through the window while driving by) The G8 is available in Stryker Blue Metallic, Maverick Silver Metallic, Sport Red Metallic, Pacific Slate Metallic and of course white, black and grey.

Overall, I am very happy with the G8 and I think it would make a fantastic replacement for the Grand Prix. I encourage everyone who is interested in this vehicle to come into your favourite Pontiac Dealership (Roy Foss Motors!) and go for a test drive.