[Reckamech]

I was just wondering what you guy thought of the New Pontiac G8? It derives from GM's new rear wheel drive platform and it will have a manual tranny. Let's have some real comments and not any GM bashing for the sake of bashing GM. They really are putting out some nice products including the new CTS.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by Reckamech

I was just wondering what you guy thought of the New Pontiac G8? It derives from GM's new rear wheel drive platform and it will have a manual tranny. Let's have some real comments and not any GM bashing for the sake of bashing GM. They really are putting out some nice products including the new CTS.

I am sorry, but "nice" has different meaning for different people.
I rented the CTS with like 3000 miles on it and was not that impressed. THen I realized the price for it and it is FAR from "nice"...

They may be getting better, but far, far, far from "nice" or even to be considered...

[ACZakka325i]

I would buy a Caddy.

[younghov85]

I def. would buy a Caddy!!

[Chris.G]

Originally Posted by Reckamech

I was just wondering what you guy thought of the New Pontiac G8? It derives from GM's new rear wheel drive platform and it will have a manual tranny. Let's have some real comments and not any GM bashing for the sake of bashing GM. They really are putting out some nice products including the new CTS.

Hi mate, since this car is derived from Holden GM in Australia i know a fair bit because this car is actually produced here (www.holden.com.au or www.hsv.com.au). The G8 is actually a Commodore SS-V here. This car is very impressive and is miles ahead of other muscle cars we have produced here in Aus. I am a BMW enthusiest and i must say that i would choose to drive the HSV(holden special vehicle) version of this car that we have here over the BMW e90 335. Unfortunately the U.S. isn't lucky enough to be receiving the HSV version anytime soon.

The G8 (ss-v) is still an impressive ride, all i can say is that it drives like a BMW but it will never be a BMW. I'm just glad that this car can handle thanks to a better platform made by the Holden team here(representing GM). All i can say is take one for a test drive and im sure you will have a big grin afterwards

HSV version in Australia


Feel free to ask questions either on here or PM.

[Zeiss]

I LOVE HSV!
Would be one of my reasons to live in aus one day
Lucky buggers!

[Chris.G]

Originally Posted by BNR32

I LOVE HSV!
Would be one of my reasons to live in aus one day
Lucky buggers!

i heard that the HSV version will be exported from Australia to the U.S probably end of 2008 so you might have a chance to import from the U.S to Canada

[Zeiss]

Originally Posted by Chris.G

i heard that the HSV version will be exported from Australia to the U.S probably end of 2008 so you might have a chance to import from the U.S to Canada

Wow! you don't say! But it might cost a pretty penny
My mate first introduced me to hsv when he had his maloo. Stunning machines!
I reckon if i had one here, would turn a lot of heads. And the sound of that V8 is to die for !

[Chris.G]

^ i guess time will tell on the pricing of HSV's overseas but if you can import one in the future go for it. ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY!! The maloo is a great ute but wait till you see the new one thats hopefully going to come out in the October Sydney Motor Show

[THE JEDI]

Originally Posted by Chris.G

Hi mate, since this car is derived from Holden GM in Australia i know a fair bit because this car is actually produced here (www.holden.com.au or www.hsv.com.au). The G8 is actually a Commodore SS-V here. This car is very impressive and is miles ahead of other muscle cars we have produced here in Aus. I am a BMW enthusiest and i must say that i would choose to drive the HSV(holden special vehicle) version of this car that we have here over the BMW e90 335. Unfortunately the U.S. isn't lucky enough to be receiving the HSV version anytime soon.

The G8 (ss-v) is still an impressive ride, all i can say is that it drives like a BMW but it will never be a BMW. I'm just glad that this car can handle thanks to a better platform made by the Holden team here(representing GM). All i can say is take one for a test drive and im sure you will have a big grin afterwards

HSV version in Australia


Feel free to ask questions either on here or PM.

This is all I can say after being in the Marines I got a chance to go to Australia...and had a girl there....did I mention she was hot...well anyways I drove some Holdens and this is what i will say..if GM doesn't change a thing other than a pontiac grill.....this thing is gonna be hot...GM and Bob Lutz hate him or love him..me I like the guy......this is gonna be a great car...the models I drove were from years ago and all I can say is.....I had to shake my head at why GM hasn't done this years ago...GM gets it Ford..has some hot models one called the falcon, gawd it's awsome

[gtb75]

I've got a bit of a dilemma about what I'm going to do with my car situation going forward, but the G8 GT or GXP (not officially announced yet) is on my list. My dilemma is staying two cars (daily driver like the G8 and my Z06) or consolidating to one car (E90 M3).

After owning a 2004 GTO, I can certainly say that Holden builds a great product! I think the G8 is going to be an outstanding car when it hits the market - regardless of price point. The Zeta based Commodore has received great press and Holden has a billion dollars invested in the platform. Here's what Edmunds thought about the Commodore: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=120615

And here's the best G8 resource out there at the moment: http://www.g8board.com/forums/

While I think the G8 has great potential, I personally feel that it'll be a bit large and heavy to work well as a "track toy". I attend HPDE events 4 or 5 times a year with my Z06, so my thinking is that the E90 M3 will be good enough to serve dual duty as a daily driver as well as a track car. I know it won't be as fast as the Z06, but I've got a feeling that it will be sufficient for my use

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by gtb75

I've got a bit of a dilemma about what I'm going to do with my car situation going forward, but the G8 GT or GXP (not officially announced yet) is on my list. My dilemma is staying two cars (daily driver like the G8 and my Z06) or consolidating to one car (E90 M3).

If I could afford a Z06 AND a G8...I think I would just get a E90 M3. As long as you really abuse your car on the track, you probably don't need two cars...it will be nice to drive a fast and refined car as a daily driver and take it out for spin occasionally on the track.

I have a lot of respect for Holden products...but let's see if Pontiac messes it up while importing here. The GTO was a great car...but not many people seem to have bought one...it was never made available up here in Canada.

[SteVTEC]

AUSSIE CARS ARE HOT! YES!! GM and Ford are BOTH stupid for not bringing some of these cars to the US. Emissions or CAFE or other Fed requirements be damned. They're just plain HOT! LOL I love the Holdens and the FPV Falcons too.

[gtb75]

Originally Posted by spacedogg

If I could afford a Z06 AND a G8...I think I would just get a E90 M3. As long as you really abuse your car on the track, you probably don't need two cars...it will be nice to drive a fast and refined car as a daily driver and take it out for spin occasionally on the track.

That's pretty much about where I stand on the issue... I love my Z06, but wish I could drive something with that level of performance (or near it) year round. The E90 M3 would be practical enough that I could drive it every day (and even in the winter with snow tires) as well as be good enough to use for HPDE's. As I mentioned I only do a few HPDE's a year as it is... If I was to go further with them, I'd probably get a dedicated track car.

Despite some mixed response to the first round of reviews, I still feel that the E90 M3 will offer a similar level of performance as a Porsche 911 or Corvette C6 (not the Z06). I've run with E46 M3's on the track and was really impressed with how they perform - even compared to my car! If the E90 M3 improves on that level of performance and can give me 4-door utility, I just might be sold...

This all being said, I think the G8 will represent an outstanding value for the low mid 30k mark the GT model will be coming in at... 362HP RWD V8 sedan with your choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto trans - pretty sweet deal IMO!

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by gtb75

That's pretty much about where I stand on the issue... I love my Z06, but wish I could drive something with that level of performance (or near it) year round. The E90 M3 would be practical enough that I could drive it every day (and even in the winter with snow tires) as well as be good enough to use for HPDE's. As I mentioned I only do a few HPDE's a year as it is... If I was to go further with them, I'd probably get a dedicated track car.

Despite some mixed response to the first round of reviews, I still feel that the E90 M3 will offer a similar level of performance as a Porsche 911 or Corvette C6 (not the Z06). I've run with E46 M3's on the track and was really impressed with how they perform - even compared to my car! If the E90 M3 improves on that level of performance and can give me 4-door utility, I just might be sold...

This all being said, I think the G8 will represent an outstanding value for the low mid 30k mark the GT model will be coming in at... 362HP RWD V8 sedan with your choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto trans - pretty sweet deal IMO!

Exactly, given the opportunity to have the Z06, G8, any GM/Ford/Nissan/Honda, and an M3...the choice is clear...

[Reckamech]

I am glad I got a nice little conversion going on here. Being a previous owner of a 91' Taurus SHO (I love big 4 door manual cars) the g8 is real attractive to me. If they bring a G8 GTP version toward the end of 08' I think it will be the most bang for the buck you can get. Currently the E90 M3 is on my list as my next ride but if I can save 30K and put down 400+ horses it may make my choice really hard. To throw a little confusion into the mix I also want the BMW 135i. That thing is sweet. By the way look out for the CTS-V. Scarry FAST

[Chris.G]

^Well either way you can't go wrong both makes of cars are great to drive

[Chris.G]

Originally Posted by gtb75

I've got a bit of a dilemma about what I'm going to do with my car situation going forward, but the G8 GT or GXP (not officially announced yet) is on my list. My dilemma is staying two cars (daily driver like the G8 and my Z06) or consolidating to one car (E90 M3).

After owning a 2004 GTO, I can certainly say that Holden builds a great product! I think the G8 is going to be an outstanding car when it hits the market - regardless of price point. The Zeta based Commodore has received great press and Holden has a billion dollars invested in the platform. Here's what Edmunds thought about the Commodore: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=120615

And here's the best G8 resource out there at the moment: http://www.g8board.com/forums/

While I think the G8 has great potential, I personally feel that it'll be a bit large and heavy to work well as a "track toy". I attend HPDE events 4 or 5 times a year with my Z06, so my thinking is that the E90 M3 will be good enough to serve dual duty as a daily driver as well as a track car. I know it won't be as fast as the Z06, but I've got a feeling that it will be sufficient for my use

For track use we have the GTS model here as the one in the pic i posted, it has MRC so its actually quite impressive on track. However i'm almost certain that the e90 M3 will beat it on track anyday. There's just to much load on the car and the back end tends to go out a bit on corners.

[gtb75]

Originally Posted by Reckamech

I am glad I got a nice little conversion going on here. Being a previous owner of a 91' Taurus SHO (I love big 4 door manual cars) the g8 is real attractive to me. If they bring a G8 GTP version toward the end of 08' I think it will be the most bang for the buck you can get. Currently the E90 M3 is on my list as my next ride but if I can save 30K and put down 400+ horses it may make my choice really hard. To throw a little confusion into the mix I also want the BMW 135i. That thing is sweet. By the way look out for the CTS-V. Scarry FAST

I'm with ya on the 4-door manual "super sedan" idea I had a 2002 Nissan Maxima SE 6-speed (ok, hardly a super sedan) before I got my Legacy, so I know the feeling... Actually, I think SteVETC (who posted above) is a fellow former Maxima owner - pretty sure I remember him from Maxima.org!

No doubt that the G8 is going to be an amazing value - regardless of what's under the hood... Even the base V6 with 260HP at $25K is going to be really nice. As far as the 135i goes, I'm totally in agreement with you there... I'm really beginning to like the look and wonder if it'll end up being a better choice as a track toy than the M3 between the lower weight and 6-piston front calipers.

The new CTS-V is the great unknown at the moment... While I doubt the rumors saying that it will have a LS7 under the hood (it's an $18K crate motor), I wouldn't be surprised to see a 500HP supercharged V8 hiding there.

In summary - I'm definitely not brand loyal... I buy the best car out there (IMO of course) regardless of the badge. That being said, the next few years are shaping up to be great for us car guys!

[uhaulball]

Yes the one time i been to australia in '03... saw the Ford Falcon, and the Holden Commodore SS-V HSV, drooled like a baby! i came back stateside and wondered why the hell the falcon wasnt avail. if it was i wouldve gotten that car over my e90. they are awesome machines

[gtb75]

Originally Posted by Chris.G

For track use we have the GTS model here as the one in the pic i posted, it has MRC so its actually quite impressive on track. However i'm almost certain that the e90 M3 will beat it on track anyday. There's just to much load on the car and the back end tends to go out a bit on corners.

I tend to agree... That was the problem with my Monaro (GTO) - just too heavy for serious track use. While you can make any car fast in a straight line, it's in the braking and handling where you can't overcome the laws of physics.

That all being said, I'd love to see a HSV version of the Commodore in the states (either GTS or Clubsport R8) and hope we get it as the G8 GXP! While it probably won't match an E90 M3 on the track, I think it would be a great "poor man's" M5

[ehhhwik]

i love the Monaro, so hardcore and its so cheap for that kind of power and handling

i didnt know that Australia is right hand drive, good thing you guys are still recognizing/respecting the Queen, lol!