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Sedans Pontiac G8 2008 Pontiac G8
1266 messages, Last post on Dec 07, 2009 at 12:07 PM
You are in the Pontiac G8 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
| The new MT has a review of the Commodore and they were very impressed. The only criticisms they had were the 19s sacrificed ride quality and the interior wasnt much better than GM products here in the states. | |
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Upon reflection: I test drove 3 different M45s – each the Sport model – before settling on my Corvette last Fall. I decided to spend a little time looking at how the G8 would seem ( based on preliminary information ) to stack up on specifications, since I was quite impressed with many dynamic aspects of the M. I hereby acknowledge that the M45, at just over $50K for the Sport model, is not a direct competitor to the G8 GT \ V8. So, there. But anyway: Weight appears similar – The M45 is just over 4,000. And it did handle reasonably well, as far as I could tell in my test drives. ( I never really push for anything like maximum cornering speeds on a test drive. ) The M45 Sport rides on 245/40x19s – where the G8 looks like it will have exactly the same sized rubber. And the G8’s near equal F\R weight distribution is clearly a positive. And specifying an LSD is a “good thing”. The 5 speed manumatic trans. in the M45 is one reason that I decided against the M. The trans. behavior was actually OK. But. I happen to have a ( not very rational, but very strong ) preference for low RPM at cruising speeds. My Corvette shows just over 1,500 RPM at 70. The M is geared for 2,300 RPM at 60 ( and close to 2,700 at 70 ) and I simply find that engine speed “too high” – for me. Not that the motor will not happily turn those RPM – and Infiniti seems confident that the motor will last. At least for the duration of their warrantee period: 6 years \ 70,000 miles, as I recall. GM, obviously, will be warranting their drivetrain for 5 \ 100,000. Partly due to this gearing, the M45’s EPA highway MPG rating ( 23, for 2007 ) is not particularly impressive. I wonder what the G8 will post. ( Under the new 2008 testing procedures. ) And I wonder if the M45 will ( finally ) offer a six speed automatic by MY 2008. I’ll predict that with the M45 at 17 \ 23 now and expected to be at 16 \ 21 for 2008 ( according to EPA estimates ) the G8 GT \ V8 with automatic trans. will post something like 17 \ 23 for MY 2008. ( 2 MPG better than the prediction for M45 – and 2 less than the predicted 2008 ratings for the Corvette with automatic, assuming the same drivetrain. ) Perhaps, with AFM, the G8 will actually achieve a higher highway number? One big contributing factor to the M45’s acceleration ( satisfying, for a fairly large 4-door sedan, typically posting high – or even mid-13s at something over 100 ) is the relatively aggressive gearing. And gearing that requires no 2-3 shift before completing the 0-60 run, and no 3-4 shift before the end of the quarter mile. The HP \ TQ ratings for the M45’s V8 are: 335 \ 340. ( Premium ) The G8 is 362 \ 391. ( Regular ) With a bit less weight, but also with substantially less aggressive final drive gearing, I wonder what the actual, independent test numbers for the G8 will finally be. The 6L80 does provide a reasonable overall first gear ratio ( 2.92 final times 4.03 first gear = 11.76 to 1 ) but the M45 overall is 12.87 to 1. Hmm. And second for the M is 2.37 and 7.96 overall – vs the G8’s second gear of 2.36, but 6.89. My guess, based on all this ( certainly does not qualify as real ‘analysis’ ) is that the G8 GT \ V8 with automatic will end up posting very similar numbers to the M45 for 0-60 & the quarter mile. And much lower RPM at cruise than the M. Speaking of ‘finally’, it sure seems odd to me that GM has released such specific information close to a year before the expected North American launch of the G8. 2 or 3 months seems like a timeframe that would allow a continuation of interest until the cars actually appear & are available for a test drive. 10 or 11 months? Again, seems rather odd, to me. By then, I suspect that many people will have forgotten all about the G8. Anyway, I am completely ignoring any comparison of interior fit & finish, materials, ride quality, etc. here – as no production version exists for anyone outside GM to test. I am hoping the best for the G8 – notwithstanding my earlier comments about my surprise at the projected weight - and I do expect that I will test drive one at some point. If the G8 can produce similar driving dynamics, at a price closer to mid-$30s than $50K, I will be impressed. And a GT \ V8 may make my short list next time around. - Ray Still interested . . . = = = Gearing. M45: Final drive: 3.36:1 Top gear ( fifth ): 0.83 G8: Final drive ( A6 ): 2.92 Top gear ( sixth ): 0.67 [ fifth = 0.85 ] Length. M45: 192.6 G8: 196.1 Wheelbase. M45: 114.2 G8: 114.8 Width. M45: 70.8 G8: 74.8 |
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Replying to: holdenguy (Feb 28, 2007 8:17 am) Rocky |
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wondering if the NY show brings us any new information or pics... -Brian
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Replying to: subearu (Apr 04, 2007 1:02 pm) I doubt there will be anything new - but if there is, I will report here.... - Ray Hoping if the only G8 is the (apparently) 1 & only 'prototype' Show Car, it will not be on a turntable & guarded ( ? ) by a 'spokesmodel'...
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Replying to: rayainsw (Apr 04, 2007 3:20 pm)
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Replying to: socalkid (Apr 09, 2007 9:48 am) Saw the car at the NYIAS, looked good, except for the scoops and of course the nice brakes, rims, and rotors won't be on it in the end. -mike |
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i second that emotion - to omit the faux hood scoops like GTO has. i liked the 2004 smooth GTO hood, and the late model camaro smooth hoods. fake scoops are just silly. if they are just vents, it's dumb to make them appear to be scoops. ok, just a little peeve of mine, one of the two things i don't like about my GTO. ok, 3 things. the other two are the spoiler and the lack of cylinder-shutdown for my long highway cruises. |
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Replying to: holdenguy (Feb 24, 2007 6:46 am) |
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Replying to: brz71 (Apr 14, 2007 7:49 am) But what point are you trying to make? The new VE Commodore has the steering way forward of the engine. There will not be an AWD version of this car. How many times do I have to tell you guys this? Bit of news in the pipeline is this, They are considering putting some new diesel engine in the Commodore. I know the US is not much into diesel, but Europe is. Opel have said that they want the Commodore. The head honcho there came out here and took a few Commodores for a flogging, he loved it. This diesel is 3 litres and puts out a massive 178kw. It has well over 500n/m of torque. More than the 6 litre V8. Also, your G8 is already going down the assembly line. As is the Poms Vauxall VXR8,(HSV R8). I still can't get over the fact that the Poms are getting HSV's cheaper for what we can get them here. Clarkson and The Stig will be cracking a fat driving this car around the old airport track!
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