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2009 Pontiac G8 Quality Review

February 23, 2009

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 9 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Obvious cheap-outs are absent”Edmunds.com: “puts past Pontiacs to shame”TheCarConnection.com’s editors agree with other reviewers regarding the G8’s quality, utility, and generous interior.
Car and Driver

The Pontiac G8 has plenty of interior space, and fit and finish are first-rate. “Obvious cheap-outs are absent,” notes Car and Driver. “The G8's overall refinement puts past Pontiacs to shame,” agrees Edmunds.com
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The lack of a pass-through to the trunk is an issue many publications, including Car and Driver, brought up, but according to Jalopnik, “the back seat has ample room for any number of Kama Sutra positions.” Being a family-oriented car site, we can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

Cars.com adds that the G8 “holds its own” on rear-seat comfort and roominess compared to the Charger and Ford Taurus.

In terms of cargo room, the G8’s 17.5-cubic-foot trunk sits midway between the 16.2-cubic-foot trunk in the Charger and the 21.2-cubic-foot trunk in the Taurus.

Besides the use of some questionable interior plastics, only a few objections arise, and they regard the placement of certain controls. Due to Australia’s affinity with right-side-drive cars and because the Pontiac G8 is sold as a Holden in Australia, some controls are located universally to make manufacturing different versions easier. Cars.com glares at the placement of the window controls “dead center below the shifter on the center console.” They also gripe that the front-seat-adjusting knobs are “quite hard to rotate.” Kelley Blue Book notes the controls issue, while Edmunds.com just doesn't like the “'80s-style digital readouts for battery life and oil pressure, the cryptic control icons, and the lack of a redline indicator for the tachometer.”

Conclusion

As USAToday says, “Buy it as a family car, enjoy it as a hot rod.”

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 9 out of 10Expert Quotes:Obvious cheap-outs are absent”Edmunds.com: “puts past Pontiacs to shame”TheCarConnection.com’s editors agree with other reviewers regarding the G8’s quality, utility, and generous interior.Car and Driver The Pontiac G8 has plenty of interior space, and fit and finish are first-rate. “Obvious cheap-outs are absent,” notes Car and Driver. “The G8's overall refinement puts past Pontiacs to shame,” agrees Edmunds.com . The lack of a pass-through to the trunk is an issue many publications, including Car and Driver, brought up, but according to Jalopnik, “the back seat has ample room for any number of Kama Sutra positions.” Being a family-oriented car site, we can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Cars.com adds that the G8 “holds its own” on rear-seat comfort and roominess compared to the Charger and Ford Taurus. In terms of cargo room, the G8’s 17.5-cubic-foot trunk sits midway between the 16.2-cubic-foot trunk in the Charger and the 21.2-cubic-foot trunk in the Taurus. Besides the use of some questionable interior plastics, only a few objections arise, and they regard the placement of certain controls. Due to Australia’s affinity with right-side-drive cars and because the Pontiac G8 is sold as a Holden in Australia, some controls are located universally to make manufacturing different versions easier. Cars.com glares at the placement of the window controls “dead center below the shifter on the center console.” They also gripe that the front-seat-adjusting knobs are “quite hard to rotate.” Kelley Blue Book notes the controls issue, while Edmunds.com just doesn't like the “'80s-style digital readouts for battery life and oil pressure, the cryptic control icons, and the lack of a redline indicator for the tachometer.” ConclusionAs USAToday says, “Buy it as a family car, enjoy it as a hot rod.” 2009 PONTIAC G8 STYLING | [8 out of 10] Cars.com: “remarkably contemporary” Popular Mechanics: “won’t be mistaken for a luxury sedan” Jalopnik: “discreet and tasteful look” USAToday: “assertively Pontiac” The combination of assertive and refined styling—with a lack of gimmickry ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The G8’s chief rival is the Dodge Charger, which has more aggressive styling but is a little less refined. The Charger and the similar but more glamorous Chrysler 300 offer optional all-wheel drive, whereas the G8 does not. However, the Charger doesn’t have the thoroughly in-check body control and poise around corners to match the G8. The front-wheel-drive Ford Taurus (with an all-wheel-drive option) is just as large as its competitors, but it’s more clearly geared to an older, more conservative crowd. Then there’s the Nissan Maxima, which trumps the G8 for style but, because it’s front-wheel drive and only offers a V-6, can’t touch the G8’s level of performance.

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See the Pontiac G8 in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008

Comments (1 total)

  1. By Terry #1, Posted: 2/5/2009

    What the..?!

    "...the Nissan Maxima, which trumps the G8 for style..."
    You are kidding, right? I hate to tell you this, but the Maxima has less style than a Taurus. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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