Boo! Comparing a lemon to an apple. Bah! American cars can't even beat the Japs!

Yeah, American cars really can't. Too bad the G8's actually just a rebadged Aussie Holden.

seriously, pontiac just ripped off Yahtzee's review style from zeropunctuation.
go google "zero punctuation" and watch a clip or two, you'll see what i mean.
other than, that, funny stuff :)

You just have to have good engineering. How good these cars are I can't say, but I wish them good luck. I once owned a firebird and I'l bet the door weighed 2 hundred pounds. I took it off to try and alingn it better. Well, no luck there, I was lucky to get the thing back on.

HAHAHAHA an American better than a German car, I need to see it to believe it

Actually you are all wrong, its an Australian Holden Commodore rebadged and with a few minor cosmetic changes.

Not bad at all, considering this is the basis of GM's Aussie Supercar racing.

So you ask for a Million dollars when all you want is $20--because you know that if you ask for $20 you will get $5... This seems to me to be the real psyche behind this commercial. By no means will it persuade the blue-collar who is looking at a BMW. But, for all of us who could never afford a BMW, this commercial might just make us think we would be proud to own one of these little zippy cars!

they had another one on 'Timex' vs Rolex. And the Timex was better because it was made of a new high tech material (plastic)...

Typical, just listen to the voice-over. All talk, no action. Hot air, no substance.
That's why USA is where it is today.

Shut-up, just do your homework. Then you can talk, and maybe we'll listen.

Ripping off design from BMW and then bragging about it. How low can americans go...

30k to 50k
they must be talking in American prices
in the EU your talking 60k + to 100k +
for the same cars
in the EU anything with more than 150hp is a very large motor
95% of the cars in the EU dont have more than 150hp hehhe
any american car that cost 30k will out run a car that cost the same price in the EU
If iam wrong show me a car at you can buy in the EU for 30k euro
that can out run a car you can buy in the states for 30k dollors
sure BMW builds some very nice cars but they alot cheaper in the states than they are in the EU
that why BMW sell most of their big cars in the states not in the EU

Hi Guys, I'm an aussie and currently drive a Commodore SS-V which you guys refer to as a Pontiac G8!

It truly is a magnificant car. It has to be driven to be believed.

I was a BMW 5 series owner but after having a lot of problems with my BMW, I decided to go for a different brand. Well the Holden costs a lot less and yeah it might have it's down sides but the good deffinately out weigh the bad.

Here in OZ, the BMW 530i which I owned cost me in excess of $120,000. My SS-V cost me $53,000. It out performs my old BMW and also out handles it.
Has it had a couple of small issues? Sure... But no more than my BMW. But at less than half the price, I'm much happier with the Holden.

Cheers,
Mike G

@H. Fernandez:

I didn't realize German cars were better than Japanese cars. Is BMW or Mercedes #2 in the world, and poised to become #1 soon? Or do any German makers have the most power efficient engines in the world(without forced induction)? Or fuel efficient for that matter? To put it a better way:

-The Evo's and STI's are technology giants, and quicker, faster and handle better than most cars double their price
-Almost every Honda engine is coming up to 100hp/liter, and still gets better than average gas mileage.
-Toyota's Hybrid system so far rated the best in efficiency, and they also have some decent engine technology(as proven by BMW using Toyota diesels in the new Mini)

Don't kid yourself, American automakers need to overcome German companies before they can even think about tackling the big Japanese manufacturers.

I have the two cars bmw and pontic same model
the pontic the best of bmw of sure

jason,

@ 1: what you mean to say is that 1% of all Mitsu's handle better then Golf/Astra. That still leaves 99% that handle worse.
@2: CO2 emissions are a neck-to-neck race in which the Europeans and Japanese both lead
@3: Nope, the BMW Turbo Diesels have the most energy efficient foot print.

At least we agree, American cars are no-where. But before they can beat the Eu/Japanese, they still have to beat the Koreans and Indians.

"Yeah, American cars really can't. Too bad the G8's actually just a rebadged Aussie Holden."

Thats funny...if the car wasnt a Holden than it would be crap cause its american right? lol

And if you want to analyse things in that redneck "nationalistic" way i would have to say that if it wasnt for GM (american) there wouldnt be no Aussie GM...in fact there wouldnt be aussie car industry.

Good lord, what a joke

How is the handling of the pontiac ?

I mean, american cars go very fast on straight roads but usualy have very bad handling on mountain roads.

High hp/liter isn't a good thing. Performance and fuel efficiency are good things. The civic si averages 21/29 while the regular civic gets 35 avg. Highly strung engines are not economical, comfortable engines are. I'd rather have a comfortable (larger) engine that puts out decent power, they're the same efficiency but one's a lot more fun to drive. The 128i is a good deal faster than a civic si and has much the same fuel efficiency.

The s2000 is subject to the gas guzzler tax @ 21 mpg combined. A dodge viper is too, at 20mpg. But the viper blows it away, at the same economy?

I think rx7 guy posted something similar to this a while back.

There's too much conjecture about american cars sucking before they're even released, it's fair to criticize the one's that have been sold today but only the future can tell us how the G8 will stack up. You all ought to give it a chance before you assume it's garbage.

American too BAD, starting from the paint, compare to a TOYOTA and you'll see it.

You "america obsessed" people need some help...lol...

Well seeing as many here did not seem to bother to read either the reviews or take a look at the car themself heres some facts.

The auto press is actually behind this car as state, many publications gave it praise for its handleing and overall performance. Car and Driver even noted that it felt very much like a BMW on the road and when parked next to his luxury car in the driveway the G8 did not look out of place.

Went to the NAIAS this year as well and got to take a look at the car. The car does have a nice look to it and thankfully did not have much of the old tacky pontaic typical trim. Inside its a step up from what GM has been putting out over the last decade for sure. I still find I enjoy the feel and look of a Japanese interior though but the diffrence is narrowing.

The price of this car is great for what your getting out of it. The V8 is a inexpensive option that does not hurt gas mileage much from what I saw (driving style could of course effect this). Do I expect this car to win over the BMW 5 and 6 series crowds, no I dont since the BMW is a social status symbol as much as a car. The point trying to be made by the advertisement I found was that just because it has a BMW badge does not mean you cannot obtain similar performance elsewhere.

To touch quickly on the Holden issue, well its a mute point to be honest. Holden is part of GM so to me its no strike against them for bringing over a good platform to other markets. People truly need to get past their national intrest and realise that the auto industry is today an international game. Guess all those American assembled Toyotas are no longer really Japanese cars since they were made here? It makes little sense for a company to add the cost of developing a new model if they have one suitable in another market that they could bring over.

I enjoyed reading the previous comments though as this was a topic about if a Pontaic staking a stab at BMW. My own opinion I could care a less who builds the car I am interested in the reality of the situation. Go read some quality reports from the industy like JD Power and you might be surprised to see how low Mercedes Benz and some other score. I try best to not get involved in the fanboy arguments that seem to be all over the internet about almost anything today.

G8 = 550i? speed is not the only measure of sucess in autos although i realize it dose go a long way. This is the only pontiac i dont wish be totald by a locomotive. but the fact is its never going to come close to the over engeneerd BMW, it will excite the trousers off you no doubt about it. But the conservative's that drive 550i's dont usually want to go anywhere without there pants. so whos going to buy this car? well i guise anyone who needs a nice sedan but cant drive a forigen car because of threats of reprisals, from your local union rep.

I think the saying "you get what you paid for" rings true here. The BMW5 is twice the price of the G8 cos its twice as complicated and has bout twice as much technology packed into it. It comes with all the bells and whistles you could want and then some. Honestly id have to say that for those who need that BMW badge and can cough up the 120K without thinking twice to go for it. However there are those of us who think that spending 100K or more on car like this is too much and i wouldnt feel bad at all driving round in a G8 or SSV. As for the people talking fuel economy shut up and go buy a prius or something. If youre shopping for a V8, fuel economy is going to be the last thing on your mind.

>CheapCarLover:

"There's too much conjecture about american cars sucking before they're even released, it's fair to criticize the one's that have been sold today but only the future can tell us how the G8 will stack up. You all ought to give it a chance before you assume it's garbage."

You're right, but that's because that last 20 years have shown us that they usually *do* suck. Only time will tell us if this is a quality car, or it's just another footnote to the rental fleet schlock that detroit usually throws up. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of American cars as the next guy, but I just can't seem to get excited from a G8. Like most of the modern american V8 fleets, it will probably sell well to a small community, but otherwise represent insinificant sales on the whole.

"HAHAHAHA an American better than a German car, I need to see it to believe it"

The Sherman tank was inferior to the Panther in every way except one: it was easier to produce.

Guess who won that battle.

American car manufacturers will never be able to fully recreate the massive electrical gremlins and bugs that plague all german cars!

Well, we may be missing the obvious: the BMW is classier looking that the G8. I mean, the G8 is "better than the beemer" and all, but man, the BMW just looks superior and just plane nicer. It looks less sporty, but yet sporty. There's something about that look.
The Pontiac is stuck trying to "tweak" here and there with mostly the same looks that its been recycling for the past who-knows-when.

This is apples and oranges to me. If I had the money though, I'd still go with the BMW even without test-driving the G8. Since when is a car better than another that costs twice as much? No one is stupid enough to believe that the extra 50-percent more is for nothing. The BMW is in a class of its own and is superior.

Hilarious how all you say the Pontiac is crap and doesnt drive nearly as nice, yet none of you have actually driven it. Typical American talk. All talk, no facts.

im an american auto engineer. i like the G8. i like the BMW. i like STI's. i dont descriminate. however, i also live in michigan. i drive a ford focus. it is the best $6k i have ever spent. i will soon be purchasing a new ride. with this economy, the G8 is the best bang for its buck. cant you guys appreciate cool cars when you see them, and not descriminate based on origin? come together...

on second thought, that car kicks ass. i wanna G8

Fuel economy doesn't NEED to be the last thing on your mind with a big V8. You can pick up a 500hp Z06 vette and get 25mpg (500hp and NO gas guzzler tax).

of course the Japanese brands have LOT of cars with those sorts of performance/efficiency numbers...

lets see... there's the... ahh... well...

hmm...

hp/litre - what a stupid metric...

"Yaaaa, we're the hp/litre kings!"

"Cool, so you must get great gas mileage..."

"Ahh... no not really"

"Oh... well then you must be making ungodly amounts of power"

"not so much..."

"So... uhh... what exactly does that do for you?"

"Well... nothing exactly... but it sounds REALLY COOL!"

Fuel economy doesn't NEED to be the last thing on your mind with a big V8. You can pick up a 500hp Z06 vette and get 25mpg (500hp and NO gas guzzler tax).

of course the Japanese brands have LOT of cars with those sorts of performance/efficiency numbers...

lets see... there's the... ahh... well...

hmm... ;-)

hp/litre - what a stupid metric...

"Yaaaa, we're the hp/litre kings!"

"Cool, so you must get great gas mileage..."

"Ahh... no not really"

"Oh... well then you must be making ungodly amounts of power"

"not so much..."

"So... uhh... what exactly does that do for you?"

"Well... nothing exactly... but it sounds REALLY COOL!"

Its like the LS460 vs Genesis where they compare them and only say the LS wins because it can park itself. What next my beetle has headlights does that compete with a Bentley Flying Spur? they both have headlights. Compare things in the same class people.

Since when is a cheaper car better than a more expensive one?

The GT-R is faster than any production car around the Nurburgring at 70k. Faster than a 600k Ferrari Enzo, faster than every Lamborghini.

I don't think you can say that more money always means better. Usually, but not always. In this case, the G8 is not as refined or balanced as the BMW, that's for sure. It is not a better car, but it is a better value for the most part. The acceleration stat is weird too, I dunno what mags have tested the G8 at, but the 550i 6-speed time is 5.3s.

@ loy

thanks for the GTR reference this thread was missing one.

The Evolution X owns all.

Its great to be an American
PC maker Dell announced a plan to save $3 billion over the next three years by cutting costs and laying off employees. The firm will close its desktop manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas and will cut about 10 percent of its workforce:
Dell Inc. is also reaffirming its plan -- announced last year -- to cut at least 8,800 jobs, or about 10 percent of its work force. In the last nine months of fiscal 2008, the Round Rock, Texas-based company cut 3,200 jobs.

The company plans a broad range of cost cuts in design, manufacturing and logistics, materials and operating expenses to stay competitive.

Dell is also reviewing alternatives for its financial services business, especially its consumer and small to medium business revolving credit financing receivables. Shares of Dell rose 31 cents to close at $19.92. They added another 28 cents to $20.20 in aftermarket activity.

We must put the chains on the blacks to be great . Lets do it !!!

loy which nurburgring numbers are you quoting there... the ones that claim it's faster than a Radical SR3? Or the one's that only claim it's faster than a Porsche GT?

The only time I read about that actually STATED that the GT-R was running Stock tires and boost levels was close to 8 minutes (far more believable than the rediculous 7:15 number some knucklehead is publishing). The GT-R is a great car and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see it running with the 911's, but until I see some times for full production totally stock cars running the full course - the claims are all suspect.

@ Whoever you might be

I don't know what Dell has to do with automobiles. Dell laptops suck. Dell's tech support sucks, thats the reason I wouldn't buy one. They need to lay off their workforce in India. Go post your anti-american crap on other websites. The silly european countries banned slavery but a few years before the US fought over it.

@ loy

The Porsche GT2 is 6 seconds faster than the GTR.

The GTR weighs 3792lbs. That's entirely too much.

It's an awesome car, apart from all the electro-nannies they have on the Japanese cars.

Dell layoffs ?!?!?!?!?!?

Dude...psychiatrists need to start including the following question in their tests:

"Have you been having a complete obsession about the United States lately and does that obsession manifests itself by an hilarious combination of "leftwing-america-is-evil politics" and "right-wing nationalist" politics with the mandatory "nationalistic penis size envy towards america"?"

@Doctor Phil
Lets make America great once again , bring back black slavery..

Just think of it.. This car would only cost you 5k if it was built all with ni66er slaves in the USA..!!!!. The world than would be a happy place and no would mind paying 3 dollars for gas !!!

Hmm, isn't this, I don't know at least half a decade too late?

As we all should know, the G8 is just the GTO with more vents and spoilers (hmm), and that was just a Holden Monaro with a few badges slapped on its rump.

Seriously though, this is Corvette muscle in a sedan form, and it doesn't break the bank.

I liked the GTO incarnation better, the Pontiac "I have more vents and spoilers to go fast" strategy needs to die (why it didn't with the AZtec is beyond me).

The base technology is sound, and I think that based on performance we have a close tie, but if you are shopping for luxury, we all know where that is, and what it costs.

Forgot to add, the engines from GM are all designed in Germany now anyway, and probably the suspension too, so even GM is fully aware of the state of auto development.

The Chassis is from Holden, so good, strong Australian stock there.

So what does that leave? The styling, interior and luxury, and of course Pontiac Drops the ball, maybe a little closer to the mark this time, but clearly dropped.

I could easily still see buying a Pontiac GTO (to this day my head swivels every time I see one on the street), the price for this Pontiac meddling is too much, both in aesthetics and price, to justify. Even to get the independent rear suspension, V8, and rear-wheel drive.

Torque. Without a supercharger I don't care how many hundreds of horsepower you can wring from a wheezy 4 banger, it is not a smooth delivery. (I love 4 cylinders, they just belong on a racetrack, not a performance mid-size, or weight, street vehicle).

car vs car comparison. An underdog car tries to stand with the big guys. The little guy made a humorous vid on it.

What follows is 50 comments of Anti-American and... racist propaganda???

Only on torque report...

This is a joke!
PONTIAC? -> (P)oor (O)ld (N)i66ger (T)hink (I)ts (A) (C)adillac?
Even Cadillac is no match to BMW, PONTIAC?
With this 30K, I would rather get an EVO no question ask, period!
GM and Ford loss hundreds of millions every month, dunt know how long they can survive in the near future? from government?

the racist stuff is not cool you guys are fools for saying anything of that nature on this site.

The joke is not funny even on April Fool's; you should be ashamed.

Regardless, the thread ended with "therooster".

All for black slavery:

The next you go and burn a cross on some family's front yard, do America a big faver and tie your self to it.

The racist crap has no place here.

In styling alone, not to mention the class a BMW brings to the table makes this an April fools joke.

No matter what having a G8 race past a BMW 5 series has got to get under the skin. At the next light BMW driver "I didn't have it in sport mode". The G8 driver replies "That's OK I had the AC on..."

First, the racist stuff stops or I send Anonymous out on you.

Second, the 550i is a good deal faster than the G8 according to many benchmarks. Officially the numbers are 5.3 seconds to 60 but many people have pulled it off in 5 flat. The G8... is just 5.3.

I've driven both now, and I do prefer the 550i. The engine is far smoother than the G8's, which only gets its torque up top. Also, the 550i did have better fuel economy (although I agree with the guy who said if you are shopping for a V8, this probably doesn't matter). And the G8 does not have BMW's telepathic steering. In a Bimmer (not "beemer," its Bimmer), if you want the car to go somewhere, it does exactly that. Turn the wheel and you are there.

In the G8, not so much. Oh its markedly better than any other American car I've driven, but there is still that little bit of guess work. And there is more body roll, but thats probably due to the slightly higher amount of weight.

And its a stupid automatic in the G8. It shifts bloody out of fucking control and and I never know what its going to do, like its possessed. I hit a turn and gun the gas, and if the turn zaps to much, I get an upshift! UPSHIFT! Usually this did not happen, but it does every once in a while.

The 550i however has a nice manual, and I don't have to sing its praise for everyone to know what a good little gearbox that is.

And again to fuel economy: while not really to important here, it is good to note t