2008 Pontiac G8

I recently returned from a round trip drive to visit friends on the Florida [ panhandle ] coast – and passed 9,500 miles on the return leg. So – as I approach 10,000 miles, I decided to document a few impressions of my 2009 G8 GT.
 
Executive Summary: I enjoy every drive in this car & it has met or exceeded every expectation. If it was flattened by a meteorite in the parking lot today, I’d make every effort to replace it with an identical G8 GT – same color & equipment. That is very high praise, indeed.
 
Car: Sport Package, Premium Package, Sunroof.
 
A few details: MPG has risen slowly but steadily, as I have added miles. In my first 3,000 miles, including a virtually identical trip to visit the same friends in Florida, I was averaging 18 MPG overall – and that trip MPG was approx. 22.5. This past trip – driving exactly the same route the same speeds, & under somewhat less favorable weather conditions [ much hotter ] for fuel mileage, I averaged approx. 25.0.
 
My overall average has gradually risen to nearly 20 MPG [ 19.97 according to my Excel spreadsheet ], from about 18 early on.
 
My ‘best’ MPG, under near ideal conditions has risen also. Typically once each week I stop at the same station & fill at the same pump – then immediately drive 20 or so Interstate miles as the first portion of my commute to work, leaving before 6AM and entering the highway when traffic is relatively light and I can generally maintain 65 to 70 MPH. I reset the DIC at the fill. When I exit the highway portion of my commute I check the DIC. When new, the MPG would display 22 to 23. I have seen this rise to 25 then to 26 then to 28 – and this morning, best ever, it displayed 29.4 MPG. Not bad at all, in my view.
 
Dynamically, I still see this as the closest thing to a four door Corvette [ I traded in a C6 ‘Vette Coupe ] on the market in the U.S. of A. - for a reasonable price. And I see the actually transaction prices, now that the initial MSRP + + nonsense has long disappeared, as a screaming bargain.
 
I do have some concerns about long term parts availability & service – we shall see.
 
Driving 6+ hours at a time, to and from Florida on this past trip, I was reminded of several things:
 
1 - How comfortable the cabin is. The seats remain comfortable & supportive even after long stretches of seat time. The seat, steering wheel, pedals relationship is ergonomically excellent, for me. I find the quality of the interior materials, fit & finish to be very acceptable. And I have experienced no squeaks, rattles, moans or groans – even when driven over poor road surfaces.
 
2 – How terrific the performance of this drivetrain is. For example, I had occasion a couple of times during this trip, on rural 2 lane roads, to blast past someone dawdling at 5 or 10 MPH below the speed limit. By the time my foot moves from steady quarter throttle in sixth gear to WOT and I start to swing into the other lane, the 6L80 trans. has quickly dropped to second or third gear and the acceleration rate is quite satisfying. Very nice.
 
3 – How steady & secure the handling is. I hit over an hour of steady [ often monsoon ] rain on the return leg of the trip. The car handles this annoyance very well – feels precise & secure at all times. In my daily driving, the Sport suspension performs with a near ideal compromise [ for me ] between firmness \ responsiveness and comfort. I find that the damping rates, bushings, springs and tires work very well together.
 
4 – I have had my issues with XM marketing \ sales \ [ automatic re-]billing, but on such a trip, I really enjoy and appreciate the choices & the good reception outside metropolitan Atlanta.
 
5 – The Turn-By-Turn directions are useful & generally well implemented.
 
6 – I enjoy having a sunroof again - with the option of closed, open, multiple vent positions, sunshade, etc. This is one feature I really missed driving the Corvette – the coupe’s removable roof I found basically useless.
 
7 – Fun. This car is remarkable fun to drive.
And that is very important to me.
 
Cheers,
- Ray
No buyers remorse here . . .

Replies to this message:
• quietpro (Jul 09, 2009 11:18 am)
  • bvdj84 (Jul 12, 2009 5:04 pm)

Replying to: rayainsw (Jul 09, 2009 5:32 am)

Ray,
  Excellent review and at approx 1300 miles, I'm in full agreement. It's good to hear the solidness of this chassis remains in tact up to at least 10,000 miles. My Impala impressed me with the lack of squeaks and rattles, especially for all the cheap plastic used in it's dash and door panels. Based upon that car's durability and my impression of this car's construction and more than sufficient quality of parts, I foresee no real problems ahead.
  I take my car in to the Chevy dealer here in my hometown of Parkersburg, WV tomorrow. I'm having the brakes and transmission checked (vibration and "slipping", respectively). These are minor nuisances and I expect to be fully satisfied with them either fixing the problems or possibly being unable to duplicate. (This is a freebie visit since I don't live here and have had great service from them in the past). I will expect the problems resolved from the selling dealer but if tomorrow's visit is successful, I'll have peace of mind a little sooner.
  One final note, I hope that others speak up more here. I really enjoyed the comradery in the Impala forums. With such a great car, I figured this board would be very busy...even with the low sales numbers. If you're out there reading, please contribute. We all will enjoy hearing your experiences and may even turn you on to something new with your car.
 
Have a great day, all!
Ron

Replies to this message:
• bvdj84 (Jul 12, 2009 5:04 pm)

Replying to: quietpro (Jul 09, 2009 11:18 am)

Replies to this message:
• quietpro (Jul 13, 2009 11:50 am)
  • sporin71 (Jul 14, 2009 4:06 am)
  • whoosierdaddy (Jul 17, 2009 6:53 pm)
• etcarroll (Jul 14, 2009 11:33 am)
  • cracovian (Jul 16, 2009 7:15 am)
    • quietpro (Jul 17, 2009 10:51 am)

Replying to: cracovian (Jul 13, 2009 7:04 am)

Great news! I was waiting for a new Impala based on the Holden but went with the G8 when it looked like it was going away altogether. Based upon the pictures, I'll stick with the G8 BUT...if I can manage to get the DIC (and possibly stereo) out of a Caprice, I'll be fully satisfied. The G8's looks have grown on me but that STUPID dim red display is plain idiotic, Pontiac at its worst. Maybe my G8 will turn into a "hybrid" of sorts with Pontiac/Chevy/and possibly Holden parts before it's all over.

Replies to this message:
• sporin71 (Jul 14, 2009 4:06 am)
• whoosierdaddy (Jul 17, 2009 6:53 pm)

Replying to: quietpro (Jul 13, 2009 11:50 am)

This is great news for sure.
 
Bear in mind that the Middle East Caprice is NOT our G8. In the ME, the car that our G8 is based on is their Lumina. The ME Caprice is based on the stretched Commodore, not the one that underpins our G8.
 
http://www.gmarabia.com/content_data/LAAM/ME/en/GBPME/001/G1/1L/1LSSE_overview.h- tml?cntryCd=KW
 
I only point this out because I see them being confused a lot on other forums and blogs.

Replying to: cracovian (Jul 13, 2009 7:04 am)

Replies to this message:
• cracovian (Jul 16, 2009 7:15 am)
  • quietpro (Jul 17, 2009 10:51 am)

Replying to: etcarroll (Jul 14, 2009 11:33 am)

2001 and it already needed nursing (?) a bit unsettling, I guess... I often catch myself still thinking about my 2002 Trooper as a new car
 
Korean (and the upcoming Chinese wave) is where I draw the line. I don't mind "foreign" but buying Hyundai or Kia (technically one company) is just wrong. Seeing how GM is setting up its shop in Korea (while VW, BMW, and Toyota expand its factory network in the US) is also sad.

Replies to this message:
• quietpro (Jul 17, 2009 10:51 am)

Replying to: cracovian (Jul 16, 2009 7:15 am)

Replies to this message:
• quietpro (Jul 17, 2009 3:54 pm)
• bowtiefan1 (Jul 17, 2009 8:22 pm)
  • quietpro (Jul 17, 2009 9:08 pm)
• rayainsw (Jul 21, 2009 5:06 am)
  • whoosierdaddy (Jul 21, 2009 10:14 am)