2008 Pontiac G8 GT review from North America

I have only had two real problems with the car in the first 12k miles, and neither of them are mechanical problems (though I would expect this of any new car at this day in age).

The only problems that I have is that the paint on the plastic steering wheel trim has chipped in a couple of spots (probably not the best material for somewhere that your hand rests all the time), and the lumbar in the seat loses adjustment every so often (about once a month I re-adjust it).

I have never wished I had any other car. This car is perfect for me. It has lots of room to be comfortable on long drives, and plenty of trunk space to carry more luggage than any four people should have. The back seat has plenty of leg room and I constantly drive groups from work to lunch without anyone worrying about having to slide a seat forward for legroom.

Oh, and it also has a kinda big motor. I truly enjoy the big V8, I was actually planning on just getting the V6, but with a price difference of only about 2k and only saving 1 mpg on gas I couldn't turn down a V8. My other car has a 400ci small block, but this engine make much more power. The 6 speed trans seems to work well for me (though everyone wants something different). The standard shift mode lets the motor cruise between 1-2k rpm. This makes it so I will get 24mpg on the highway at 70mph, and 19mpg in suburban driving (unless I let my right foot take control).

The traction control is very nice and very necessary to keep the back end of the car planted (though the traction control will let the back end wag just a tad). This is the first car that I have really had with traction control (though I did build a system in college, but that is another story), and I will never buy another car without it.

In the middle of the gages is a small screen that will relay information to the driver. This screen can be set to show tire pressure, speed, fuel mileage, trip mileage, or let you know when you exceed a set speed.

On the negative side, the amenities in the car are simple, but that is what I like. I have a portable XM unit that I move between my two cars so not having XM doesn't bother me (though I understand 09 offers it).

All the door and window controls are in the middle.

There is no spare tire, I don't know if it is because GM wanted to keep it under 4k lbs or if it was to expensive, but it isn't there. Instead there is a can of fix-a-flat and an air pump (I am keeping the AAA card close by).

The radio has a huge screen that I don't understand because all it really does is become a clock. Everyone thinks I have a navigation system and I have to explain it to them.

The exhaust has a tendency to build up on the back of the car making it seem to always have a light coating of black dust back there. I have a white one though, so that doesn't help.

There are also some other quirks that will come up from it being primarily designed as a right drive car. The power buttons for the radio and HVAC are on the wrong side. The fuel door is on the right (still messing that one up), battery is on the left to balance out the driver (who should be on the right), and the ABS/traction control module is on the opposite side of the car from the master cylinder.

All that aside, truly love the vehicle and I recommend to anyone looking for a vehicle in this market to test drive one and see what you think. If they are out in rental car fleets then rent one and drive it around for the day, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.