Pontiac G8 to start at $27,595 | Ordering Guide

[thegriffon]

Oh, here we go...

Besides the question of whether anyone wants or needs it (apparently some do want it, as it is offered in some GM cars and almost all GM SUV/CUVs and trucks), it shows to be a bad business move on GM's part for two reasons:

1) On this side of the pond, the Grand Prix had (and still has) sat-nav as an option. For the G8 to be a new and improved replacement for the GP but not have it available, especially on the new flagship car, this is a confusing omission.

2) The Commodore from which the G8 was birthed has sat-nav available. The Vauxhall VXR8 has sat-nav available. The G8 does not. This is called either bean-counting or decontenting (or both), and it's the easiest way to get blasted by everybody if you're importing a car.

Another example of the bean-counting to get the price down on the G8 can be found if you replace sat-nav with Bluetooth connectivity.

More likely it was incompatible with US map systems.

[thegriffon]

T56 is a rather crappy transmission.....as I encountered in my '06 Vette. There is nothing joyous about shifting it....even in a Vette. (But I'd still take a T56 over a slushbox....lol.)

The Aisin 6-speed in my V6 CTS, however, is a sweet tranny....very sweet-shifting.

Why can't GM design a sweet manual tranny that links up to a powerful V8 when BMW and Audi can do it...? (M3, RS4, V8 5-series and 6-series models)

Volume. Until recently almost every BMW and Audi was sold with a manual transmission, and auto boxes were (and are) outsourced (sometimes to GM). On the other hand almost every GMNA car is sold with an auto, and so manuals have to be outsourced. In Europe GME builds it's own (fwd) manuals and outsources the autos to Aisin AW (who supplys most European OEMs). Thus GMNA has been able to source fwd manuals from GME, but it still needs to source rwd manuals for cars to either Aisin AI (a sister company of Aisin AW) or Tremec (higher-volume truck manuals are built in-house at Muncie transmission—remember them?—or sourced from ZF).

[Lamar]

More likely it was incompatible with US map systems.

A possibility.

Still, I wonder how compatible the map systems are in Australia and the UK... probably closer than I think.

[jmsjags]

Why doesn't the Pontiac website show pricing?

[wolfpacknc]

Navigation is just another new option that every pu$$y who;s

too much of a retard to tri-fold a map NEEDS.

Navigation is for those of us who can afford it. Saying moronic things like...

"Navigation is just another new option that every pu$$y who;s

too much of a retard to tri-fold a map NEEDS."

is for poor shlubs like you who CAN'T.

[The O.C.]

Volume. Until recently almost every BMW and Audi was sold with a manual transmission, and auto boxes were (and are) outsourced (sometimes to GM). On the other hand almost every GMNA car is sold with an auto, and so manuals have to be outsourced. In Europe GME builds it's own (fwd) manuals and outsources the autos to Aisin AW (who supplys most European OEMs). Thus GMNA has been able to source fwd manuals from GME, but it still needs to source rwd manuals for cars to either Aisin AI (a sister company of Aisin AW) or Tremec (higher-volume truck manuals are built in-house at Muncie transmission—remember them?—or sourced from ZF).

Really nothing but excuses and spin.........

BMW sells an overwhelming majority of their cars now with auto boxes......yet they still (and others) build a sweet-driving manual transmission......

[MyerShift]

I'd want a manual V6 G8 the most, with leather and the goodies of course.