2008 Pontiac G8

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One of the things that made Duke Ellington great was his uncanny ability to recognize his musicians' greatest strengths and arrange his music to put those players in a position to best take advantage of their individual talents. General Motors has apparently realized the beauty of that strategy.

Yes, Australia.

That's because there's a GM company down there called Holden that has a very strong institutional memory when it comes to building engaging rear-wheel drive automobiles to an affordable price. In 2004, Pontiac's revived GTO emerged from ‘Roo-land based on this philosophy, and this year, we get the Pontiac G8.

This, by the way, bodes very well for the 2010 Camaro that is also being developed down south. And it bodes very well for buyers of the 2008 Pontiac G8.

Two engines are available for the newest Pontiac. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 256 horsepower at 6300 RPM and 248 foot-pounds of torque at 2100 rpm. A five-speed automatic transmission conducts the V6's output to the rear wheels and zero to 60 happens in about seven seconds.

Out on the road, that translates into a pleasantly engaging automobile with more than adequate power, a comfortable ride, and enough adhesion to demonstrate a delightfully entertaining demeanor when the roads get sinuous. Under extremely vigorous testing, we did find aerodynamic lift at greatly elevated speeds, which translated into a light steering feel. The G8 still responded readily to commands from the helm, but there was a disconnected feeling that left us inclined to back off the velocity thing a taste and stay where the car felt tight. To their credit, the GM engineers who were along for the ride seemed very interested and scribbled furiously in their notepads when we discussed this with them. Based upon the intensity of their concern, we have no doubt this problem will be addressed.

The G8 GT gets a 6.0-liter small block V8 that delivers an endowment of 361 horsepower at 5300 RPM and 385 foot-pounds of torque at 4400 RPM. A six-speed automatic does transmission duty, feeding into a limited-slip differential. You can catapult the G8 from zero to 60 in as little as 5.3 seconds, or you can take all day if you'd like to just sit there with the rear tires spinning in a glorious orgy of torque and tire smoke.

However, to do so would be a very big mistake, because as thrilling as its acceleration is, you'd miss the best part of the G8 GT's repertoire--it's handling. With that big V8 singing its aria out in front of you, the chassis is steadily doing its part to keep you and the G8 GT dancing to the music as you swing through corner after corner.

And while we did note a trace of lift with the Pontiac G8 GT at very high speeds as well, for some reason, it wasn't nearly as pronounced as it was with the V6 - perhaps the added weight of theV8 made a difference.

That said, in the corners, Pontiac's G8 GT rewards nearly every type of driver. You want to go in smooth and carry a lot of speed? No problem. You like to go in slow and boot your way out with throttle-induced oversteer? No problem. You prefer to employ a combination of the two to swing the rear-end like a pendulum through a corner? No problem. Name the tune, the G8 GT happily grooves to your rhythm.

By the way, don't let the phrase "built to an affordable price" give you cause for pause. The G8 is one handsome automobile. From the flared fenders to the hood scoops (not functional - yet), to the long nose, short deck and sleek roofline, the proportions are spot on. Yes, the G8 could sit a bit lower over its tires and wheels--there was more furious scribbling from the engineers at that suggestion by the way--but beyond that it's a ride you'll get out of and glance back at in appreciation every time you walk away from it.

The interior, while a bit on the plastic side, does have some nicely artful touches. We particularly like the placement of the window switches and the incorporation of the handbrake into the center console. We also like the look of the entertainment system. However we'd like the window switches more if they had a clearly defined detent for the express up and down feature. And it'd also be great if the entertainment system offered navigation and satellite radio. (And yes, there was more furious scribbling, as well as the promise of nav and satellite in later builds.)

Still, the overall shapes, fit and finish are right up there for the class and the overall ergonomics are first rate as well. The seats are comfortable and supportive and they do a great job of holding you in place while you and the G8 GT do the back road boogie. And best of all there's plenty of room in the back seat for two full-sized adults or baby seats and all the appurtenances that go along with them.

Bob Lutz, the hard living, hard charging former Marine who guides GM's product efforts these days says the company's aim is to make Pontiac into a brand that delivers affordable alternatives to BMW's ultimate driving machines. And honestly, if you track it by the stats, the G8 is pretty much dead even with the 5-Series BMW in terms of acceleration to 60 and in the quarter mile, as well as its ability through the slalom, on the skidpad and under braking.

Having driven both cars, we can tell you the G8 GT does all of those things quite well and will handily keep up with the BMW in every aspect of performance. Now, the BMW does feel better while it's doing all of those things, but sheesh, for twice the money, it damn well ought to.

Still, if you've got 30 grand to spend and you want the best V8 sports sedan experience you can get for the money, there's really nothing else out there to choose from. And frankly, as good as the Pontiac G8 GT is, that's really not a problem at all.

Go ahead, drive it -- if you enjoy a responsive car, you'll definitely like it.

An Australian A-Train to share with a Satin Doll, make ours a Black and Tan Fantasy please.

Pricing for the V6 G8 starts at $27,595, the G8 GT starts at $29,995.