2008 Pontiac G8 GT Test Drive: poncho takes its V8 Muscle Car-Mojo Back

It's been more than 20 years since GM's excitement division, Pontiac, last offered a rear-drive sedan with a V8. And it has been even longer since any Poncho with more than two doors was really exciting to drive. Instead, we have had two solid decades of front-wheel-drive sedans and V6 engine and a handful of years with a rather uninspired, before drive, V8-powered Grand Prix GXP. This is hardly the stuff of our dreams muscle car.

Well, with next G8, Pontiac appears to have my son back.

The 196 ,1-inch long G8 rides on a 114.8-in wheelbase and is produced in Adelaide, Australia, at a plant already churning out market-Aussie Holden Commodore sedan. Both Holdens and Pontiacs use GM's new rear-drive architecture Zeta-the same as you find in the next Camaro 2009. The Commodore has been a huge success Down Under, and after having spent a week with our G8 Ignition Orange GT test car, we can see why.

The GT model is a solid 6.0-litre L76 V8 with 361 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque coupled to a six-speed automatic. Base cars get the GM 3.6 liter V6 with 256 horsepower and 248 lb.-ft. of torque, coupled to a five-speed automatic. Unfortunately, no manual transmission will be offered. The V8 is similar to the largest production V8s can be found under the hood of some GM trucks, even though it does not have variable valve timing, as those engines truck. Regardless, it is a Gen IV small-block V8 with pieces from several sources rather prestigious as the intake manifold of the engine Corvette LS3. And it has the Active Fuel Management (AFM), so the big engine can shut down half the cylinders and conserve fuel. The system can run in the third, fourth, fifth or sixth gear, in the past, the MFA has only worked at the speed overdrive. And that helps to track the GT 15 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway. (Six-cylinder models are rated at 17/25).

Pontiac says the 3995-pound G8 GT will reach 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and run through the 0.25-mile in 13.8 seconds at 101 mph. These numbers are solid, rivaling expensive 425-hp Dodge Charger SRT8 sedan and blasting the 340-hp Charger R / T in the weeds. In the street, the G8 feels even faster than these figures suggest. The V8 pulls strong from the lowest point on the tachometer all the way up to the top of the gauge. And the transmission of sound crisp moves throughout the gearbox. Smoky burnouts? Check. Yes, certainly, it accelerates like a muscle sedan. And our test car melted-down, 19 - in. Proving that the rear tires. But the magic of the G8 move is deeply buried under the floor.

The G8 systems, suspension and steering are some of the best GM product. One afternoon, we reached our favorite canyons high above the crashing waves of Malibu, California, we expect a blade, but an individual driving experience, but we were wrong, the direction is straightforward, accurate and lively . And the G8's multi-link strut front and four rear suspension link appears to have been set up to work perfectly with rough, twisty-sections of blacktop that must be Aussie influence. In fact, the harder you run the G8 in the twisties, the less it tends to be felt. Better still, if you choose the car V8 model V6, you get the same basic suspension tune. Unlike some automatic with manual shift controls, transmission G8 held on the train until you hit the engine of rev limiter at 6000 rpm. So there was never an opportunity of this mid-boring upshift corner.

Inside, the G8 will certainly not be mistaken for a luxury sedan. And it is normal. The important stuff like a big wheel and leather seats of support are included in the package Sport. The rear seats are carved deep and comfortable for six footers. And there are plenty of way for skis and other devices where the 17 ,5-cu-ft. Tronc is not enough. Like the exterior sheet metal, much of the interior of the G8 is shared with the Holden sedan. The only oddity is the Aussie fairly wide screen digital top of the pile center of the oil pressure and voltage. It is a return to the digital dashboards 1980's that one could live without.

The G8 GT is a relative performance to negotiate, from only $ 29995. If you have a little more money, and aspire to an even more powerful G8, stay tuned: The rumors persist about a GXP model with more than 400 horsepower LS3 Corvette engine and a six speed manual. Pontiac performance is back, baby. -- Ben Stewart