First G8s arrive!!!

[Camino LS6]

http://pontiacunderground.autos.yahoo.com/blog.php?id=401

[Cory Wolfe]

*dances*

I'd love to win #888, too.

[regfootball]

nope. 888 is MINE!!!!!!!!!!

[SuperSport623]

[knightfan26917]

Ahhh...SWEET!

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

CDshowcase=www.WRMN1410.com*SATURDAY.january26*2p-5p.and.8p-11p.CENTRAL

"I've had enough" ... REO Speedwagon ... 'Time For Me To Fly'

[Duncan]

Brings up an interesting point - Dodge is apparently painting the 43rd Challenger off the line in Petty Blue, as a tribute to the King. It will be a strictly one-off color, not one that's available on any other Challenger.

What other significant numbers might be used to create special collectibles? I was thinking that number 1955 - representing the first year of the Pontiac V8 - would be nice for the G8. Maybe paint it a 1950s-style two-tone red-and-white.

Any other suggestions?

[Intrepidation]

GIVES MEH!

[ocnblu]

Funny, you guys weren't this excited when the G5 first hit the lots, what gives?

[Intrepidation]

Funny, you guys weren't this excited when the G5 first hit the lots, what gives?

CUz it was already around with a Chevy badge on it.

[hyperv6]

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK...... RING RING RING. THERE HERE! THERE HERE!!!!!

The new Pontiac has arrived so let the selling begin.

[Camino LS6]

I think these will sell better than expected.

[vonVeezelsnider]

CUz it was already around with a Chevy badge on it.

So is the G8.

Edited January 26, 2008 by vonVeezelsnider

[The O.C.]

Okay....the "Queen Bitch of Interiors" has to speak his voice......

Saw the new G8 at NAIAS.....GT and a V6.....and was shockingly appalled at the interior quality on these new sedans. Those of you that have seen the production units arrive....how do THEY look?

I was certainly NOT alone in my opinions....many people commented how cheap the car looked inside. The worst offenders were the controls/switches/knobs/etc.....cheap, flimsy, and certainly not substantial. GM's "black tie" controls may be overused in many GM cars, but they are far superior from a quality and refinement standpoint.

Additionally, in the base $27K model, the steering wheel and gear shifter are not even covered in leather.....but a nasty plastic....?

At least the seats were nice.....front and rear.....and at least the base car has an attractive cloth trim.

That being said.....the cars are still extremely attractive....and I love the powertrains. But with all the strides GM has been making in interiors, this car's interior was a major disappointment to me....

Other opinions?

[Oracle of Delphi]

Okay....the "Queen Bitch of Interiors" has to speak his voice......

Saw the new G8 at NAIAS.....GT and a V6.....and was shockingly appalled at the interior quality on these new sedans. Those of you that have seen the production units arrive....how do THEY look?

I was certainly NOT alone in my opinions....many people commented how cheap the car looked inside. The worst offenders were the controls/switches/knobs/etc.....cheap, flimsy, and certainly not substantial. GM's "black tie" controls may be overused in many GM cars, but they are far superior from a quality and refinement standpoint.

Additionally, in the base $27K model, the steering wheel and gear shifter are not even covered in leather.....but a nasty plastic....?

At least the seats were nice.....front and rear.....and at least the base car has an attractive cloth trim.

That being said.....the cars are still extremely attractive....and I love the powertrains. But with all the strides GM has been making in interiors, this car's interior was a major disappointment to me....

Other opinions?

Hmmm, I said that last year when I was at Holden, I was told I didn't know what I was talking about, even though I drove the Holden. Well now you will all see it. Enjoy that quality interior.

[ZL-1]

So is the G8.

haha, t3h LuMinA RuleZ!

Edited January 26, 2008 by ZL-1

[Oracle of Delphi]

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK...... RING RING RING. THERE HERE! THERE HERE!!!!!

The new Pontiac has arrived so let the selling begin.

Get them while you can, two model years tops! :AH-HA_wink:

[caddycruiser]

Get them while you can, two model years tops! :AH-HA_wink:

All of a sudden something seems oddly possible about that...

Still, I'll gladly also take #888. It would put the Fleetwood to rest more, but I guess my gas bill would still be insane...

[Intrepidation]

CUz it was already around with a Chevy badge on it.

Somehow an RWD performance car that is't sold as a Chevy in the same market as the G8 is easier to get more excited about than a FWD average-at-best economy car that's sold across the street.

[Robert Hall]

Okay....the "Queen Bitch of Interiors" has to speak his voice......

Saw the new G8 at NAIAS.....GT and a V6.....and was shockingly appalled at the interior quality on these new sedans. Those of you that have seen the production units arrive....how do THEY look?

I was certainly NOT alone in my opinions....many people commented how cheap the car looked inside. The worst offenders were the controls/switches/knobs/etc.....cheap, flimsy, and certainly not substantial. GM's "black tie" controls may be overused in many GM cars, but they are far superior from a quality and refinement standpoint.

Additionally, in the base $27K model, the steering wheel and gear shifter are not even covered in leather.....but a nasty plastic....?

At least the seats were nice.....front and rear.....and at least the base car has an attractive cloth trim.

That being said.....the cars are still extremely attractive....and I love the powertrains. But with all the strides GM has been making in interiors, this car's interior was a major disappointment to me....

Other opinions?

How does it compare to the Grand Prix, though? I'm not expecting Cadillac quality in a Pontiac, but as long as it's better than the cheap, nasty plastics of it's predecessor...

[Oracle of Delphi]

How does it compare to the Grand Prix, though? I'm not expecting Cadillac quality in a Pontiac, but as long as it's better than the cheap, nasty plastics of it's predecessor...

It's about the same, if not worse. :AH-HA_wink:

[ZL-1]

It's about the same, if not worse. :AH-HA_wink:

Since I've never been inside a GP or G8, does that mean it's ?

[Camino LS6]

It certainly looks nice in pictures - but I don't grope my dash anyway, so I don't care too much.

[Bimmer325]

It's about the same, if not worse. :AH-HA_wink:

Hard to believe. The interior quality of every Grand Prix rental I've had has been borderline embarrasing.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Hard to believe. The interior quality of every Grand Prix rental I've had has been borderline embarrasing.

JD Power begs to differ :wink:

[gm4life]

I entered my whole fam, thankfully my son is 18. Finally more PONTIAC EXCITEMENT, can't wait to see them kick charger ass.

Edited January 26, 2008 by gm4life

[enzl]

JD Power begs to differ :wink:

The GP Int. is awful.

Well screwed together, but awful.

The G8 has to be better than the GP's 'Fisher Price does Avis' interior. I'd take LX-quality.

Edited January 26, 2008 by enzl

[hyperv6]

The GP Int. is awful.

Well screwed together, but awful.

The G8 has to be better than the GP's 'Fisher Price does Avis' interior. I'd take LX-quality.

It is as I own one and been in the other.

The only reason I bought the GP was the Supercharger and the $10,000 off the sticker. I paid less for my new GP than the GM employess bragged about paying on the GP site.

The money off made me over looke the interior. At least my Comp G inteiror did not have that horrible dash of the GXP. It may have looked good in the TA but not in the new GP.

Edited January 27, 2008 by hyperv6

[daves87rs]

Get them while you can, two model years tops! :AH-HA_wink:

[enzl]

It is as I own one and been in the other.

The only reason I bought the GP was the Supercharger and the $10,000 off the sticker. I paid less for my new GP than the GM employess bragged about paying on the GP site.

The money off made me over looke the interior. At least my Comp G inteiror did not have that horrible dash of the GXP. It may have looked good in the TA but not in the new GP.

I'm not an interior guy, per se...but I find it shocking that the G8 plastics will be in the same league as the GP.

I'm not busting on the GP as much as I'm hoping that GM has learned that lesson by now. The 'bu, CTS and even the Lambdas show that they're listening.

[turbo200]

there is no way the G8 plastics are in the same league as the GP. Nothing is in the same leauge as the GP, except even older Pontiacs. Mark my words, I will eat my own shoe if in any way the GP interior plastics are comparable to the G8.

[ejspecial]

I think that if you are expecting the G8 to have a killer interior then you are going to be dissapointed. Industry average - no more, no less.

I have seen many fanciful comments regarding this car ever since it was announced and I think a lot of it has to do with peoples misconceptions about what sort of a car the Commodore is and by extension what sort of a carmaker Holden is. Holden is a maker of good value family cars, and sporty variations on that theme - they are not a cut price BMW. Holdens priorities when designing the VE were :

Practicality - VE is first and foremost a family car built for Australia, therefore considerations such as interior space, durability, ease of use, and the ability to carry a family and tow their caravan or boat are some of its most important aspects.

Price - Holden is the equivalent of Chev in Australia, they cannot charge large premiums for their cars and so there will be compromises. I think Holden does as good a job as any to keep these to a minimum but this is why you end up with an average interior. The upside is the engineering that goes into the platform itself.

Performance - This is the bit you should be excited about because having driven many VE's they are, in my opinion, a great fun car to throw around (for a family car) and I think your expectations in this area will not only be met but exceeded.

Pizzaz - This is where Australia differs most with the U.S. in vehicle tastes IMO and if you cant live without all the bells and whistles then the G8 is probably not the car for you.

In summary, if you are after a cheap, sporty, large, comfortable family sedan get a G8. However if you want to add all the best quality interior appointments and all the newest and greatest innovations then frankly, I think you need to open up your wallets a bit further.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I think that if you are expecting the G8 to have a killer interior then you are going to be dissapointed. Industry average - no more, no less.

Pizzaz - This is where Australia differs most with the U.S. in vehicle tastes IMO and if you cant live without all the bells and whistles then the G8 is probably not the car for you.

QFT

Edited January 27, 2008 by Pontiac Custom-S

[Intrepidation]

So the interior is average, at least the design is nice. Plu, it's what the car can do that really matters...not how much love-makin' can be done on the dash.

[hyperv6]

I'm not an interior guy, per se...but I find it shocking that the G8 plastics will be in the same league as the GP.

I'm not busting on the GP as much as I'm hoping that GM has learned that lesson by now. The 'bu, CTS and even the Lambdas show that they're listening.

What I said is I own a GP and the G8 is better.

Some one else who post a lot but say little and hates anything Holden is the one who said it was not any better.

I will let you decide who is the one is less subjective.

It also is not just the plastic they used in the GP but how and where they used it.

I accepted my GP interior because I got a new full loaded Comp in 04 for $10,000 off sticker. I could not get a used car that cheap. Now if I had paid a higher price for a GXP with the same if not worse dash I would have tried to cover my mistake.

As I am a GP owner I will tell you to bust all you like because it is a honest statment of the GP.

What few also at stating here is you also get what you pay for. If you get a base V6 it will not have as nice of an interior as the higer price car. The car I saw was a GT and it was every bit better than the GP.

[Bimmer325]

JD Power begs to differ :wink:

The Initial Quality Study is a measure of problems owners experienced during the first 90 days with their vehicle. Don't confuse the award with praise for the Grand Prix's bargain-basement interior.

It clogs rental dumps across the country for a reason.

[Camino LS6]

When the GTO debuted it put all GMNA interiors to shame, if the G8 equals or betters the GTO interior we should have no concerns about the quality.

Holden is a bargain vs. BMW as it looks better, performs better, costs less, and regularly hands BMW its ass in competition on the track.

What's not to love? Especially in this market dominated by soulless blobs of boredom that measure the differences between them mostly by the badge they wear.

[thegriffon]

Whether you think the late Grand Prix and G8 have comparable interiors is highly subjective. I am one of the few who liked the design of W-body Grand Prixs (all of them), and the VEs are nowhere near that expressive. Holden build quality has in the past not been very good (at least partly why the Buick version of the previous gen was dropped), but has supposedly improved a great deal (GMNA at least has data from the GTO to compare with NA plants). If you are expecting soft-touch artificial skin surfaces you are going to be disappointed. You will get something more on a par with the G6 and Aura, but at least it will be miles ahead of the Charger and 300C and may possibly be the first GM family sedan to win a comparison test by C&D and R&T for who knows how long. It could really use an American tuned version of the LY7 instead of the rather anemic Australian one though (blame the lackluster fuel quality down under). I do think it looks better as a Pontiac than it does as a Chevrolet or Holden though.

[The O.C.]

there is no way the G8 plastics are in the same league as the GP. Nothing is in the same leauge as the GP, except even older Pontiacs. Mark my words, I will eat my own shoe if in any way the GP interior plastics are comparable to the G8.

It's not so much the plastics but the cheap feeling of all the controls. I'd say the dash plastics are very comparable to previous-gen CTS.....that funny-textured stuff. Most of it is hard...which isn't necessarily bad if it's grained nicely....but the G8 has this weird texture that reminds me of the dot-matrix stuff in the old CTS.

I'd say the actual fit is quite a bit better than the GP......dash plastics INFERIOR to the GP.....and switchgear which is about equal or worse than what GP offered. The GP's major failing, in my eyes, was the shoddy fit....console to dash for example.....at least here the G8 offers an improvement.

[The O.C.]

When the GTO debuted it put all GMNA interiors to shame, if the G8 equals or betters the GTO interior we should have no concerns about the quality.

Holden is a bargain vs. BMW as it looks better, performs better, costs less, and regularly hands BMW its ass in competition on the track.

What's not to love? Especially in this market dominated by soulless blobs of boredom that measure the differences between them mostly by the badge they wear.

Funny you mention that....the GTO's interior is/was far better than the G8's. Looks like Holden took the old GTO and stuck the bean-counters on it.

[The O.C.]

You will get something more on a par with the G6 and Aura, but at least it will be miles ahead of the Charger and 300C and may possibly be the first GM family sedan to win a comparison test by C&D and R&T for who knows how long.

More like miles BEHIND Charger and 300C....especially 300C.

[Robert Hall]

Funny you mention that....the GTO's interior is/was far better than the G8's. Looks like Holden took the old GTO and stuck the bean-counters on it.

Hmmm....maybe GMNA informed Holden that the GTO's interior was too nice for Avis and that they wanted cheaper materials for it's replacement.. Maybe Holden imported some bean counters from Detroit that were more familiar with GMNA's traditional cheap gray plastic interiors..

But seriously, I'm going to reserve judgement on the G8 interior until I've actually sat in one...how many people here have even seen one in person yet? People blather on endlessly about things they've only seen in pics... seeing an interior up close and in person can be quite a different experience than just looking at pics.

I saw the Fifty Cent G8 concept at Barrett-Jackson, but with the tinted windows I couldn't make out much of the interior details.

Edited January 27, 2008 by moltar

[Camino LS6]

Funny you mention that....the GTO's interior is/was far better than the G8's. Looks like Holden took the old GTO and stuck the bean-counters on it.

Now that is odd - and a disappointment.

Still, it is of minor concern to me in the face of the rest of the package.

[The O.C.]

... seeing an interior up close and in person can be quite a different experience than just looking at pics.

I agree....and from pics, it looked great....but after sitting in it, not so much.....maybe those were pre-production units I sat in during the auto show....and maybe production units will be better? But they looked production....hmmm

[Cory Wolfe]

I agree....and from pics, it looked great....but after sitting in it, not so much.....maybe those were pre-production units I sat in during the auto show....and maybe production units will be better? But they looked production....hmmm

Well... Anything before production units arrived, which was just a few days ago according to this thread, would technically qualify as pre-production, not that it'll make much of a difference.

As for the interiors, the Grand Prix's problem was never materials. Same with the G6 for that matter. They always had soft-touch dash plastics, but the center stack and trim plastic were horrid, as was the fit and finish.... and the design.

[regfootball]

I think that if you are expecting the G8 to have a killer interior then you are going to be dissapointed. Industry average - no more, no less.

I have seen many fanciful comments regarding this car ever since it was announced and I think a lot of it has to do with peoples misconceptions about what sort of a car the Commodore is and by extension what sort of a carmaker Holden is. Holden is a maker of good value family cars, and sporty variations on that theme - they are not a cut price BMW. Holdens priorities when designing the VE were :

Practicality - VE is first and foremost a family car built for Australia, therefore considerations such as interior space, durability, ease of use, and the ability to carry a family and tow their caravan or boat are some of its most important aspects.

Price - Holden is the equivalent of Chev in Australia, they cannot charge large premiums for their cars and so there will be compromises. I think Holden does as good a job as any to keep these to a minimum but this is why you end up with an average interior. The upside is the engineering that goes into the platform itself.

Performance - This is the bit you should be excited about because having driven many VE's they are, in my opinion, a great fun car to throw around (for a family car) and I think your expectations in this area will not only be met but exceeded.

Pizzaz - This is where Australia differs most with the U.S. in vehicle tastes IMO and if you cant live without all the bells and whistles then the G8 is probably not the car for you.

In summary, if you are after a cheap, sporty, large, comfortable family sedan get a G8. However if you want to add all the best quality interior appointments and all the newest and greatest innovations then frankly, I think you need to open up your wallets a bit further.

WHAT WOULD CARL-PETER THINK

[-Camaro-]

So the interior is average, at least the design is nice. Plu, it's what the car can do that really matters...not how much love-makin' can be done on the dash.

If the interior looks good(which it does), I don't give a flying #$*& if the plastics feel like plastic.

[gm4life]

The interior on them isn't bad at all. Not as good as Enclave or Malibu.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Hmmm....maybe GMNA informed Holden that the GTO's interior was too nice for Avis and that they wanted cheaper materials for it's replacement.. Maybe Holden imported some bean counters from Detroit that were more familiar with GMNA's traditional cheap gray plastic interiors..

But seriously, I'm going to reserve judgement on the G8 interior until I've actually sat in one...how many people here have even seen one in person yet? People blather on endlessly about things they've only seen in pics... seeing an interior up close and in person can be quite a different experience than just looking at pics.

I saw the Fifty Cent G8 concept at Barrett-Jackson, but with the tinted windows I couldn't make out much of the interior details.

I agree...

Before the Malibu hit the lots, all we heard on this board was "cheap interior" this and "subpar" that.

So far, it seems to have faired pretty well in the press and the eyes of the public.

I think the major issue is that the enthusiasts here continue to compare Pontiac and Chevrolet interiors to Cadillac and Buick interiors. The price point of a Pontiac just doesn't give it the $$$ required for a 'premium GM interior treatment'

The media seemed to like the show car and I think it'll do fine in the market.

[The O.C.]

I think the major issue is that the enthusiasts here continue to compare Pontiac and Chevrolet interiors to Cadillac and Buick interiors. The price point of a Pontiac just doesn't give it the $$$ required for a 'premium GM interior treatment'

But FOG.....GM way long ago used up all it's mulligans for this excuse....in a day and age where today's "Cadillac" and "Buick" interiors are just now CATCHING UP to the vast majority of less-expensive KOREAN products.......we can't excuse ANY GM product with a dime-store interior.

I'm not saying they all have to be as LUXURIOUS as Caddy and Buick interiors....but they damn well better be built well and at least substantial to a point.

To me....the G8 seemed overly cheap....maybe it's a Holden "thing" because GM is showing us now how they can do interiors.....Malibu is one less-expensive example (although I have bitches with the center stack and plain door panels) the Lambdas and CTS are other examples.....and the GMT-900s. And the black-tie units may be overused in many GM cars, but the quality of the black-tie switchgear is damn near faultless and feels a standard higher.

[Cory Wolfe]

I agree...

Before the Malibu hit the lots, all we heard on this board was "cheap interior" this and "subpar" that.

After seeing it in person, my opinion of the center stack hasn't changed any. It's still pitifully cheap.