Let's hear it for a cheap fix!

[Blake Noble]

GM, you do know that you could have easily given us analog gauges, right?

[Oracle of Delphi]

I would prefer HUD.

[Robert Hall]

I would prefer HUD.

HUDs are lame.

[Intrepidation]

I wish that big screen that looks like a Nav was actually a Nav

Edited August 13, 2008 by Dodgefan

[Blake Noble]

I can guarantee that this decision will not be met with any acceptance whatsoever by the press.

[Northstar]

At least it does not look retarded and has some usefulness. You could put a pair of sunglasses up there or something similar...

[BigPontiac]

Hopefully the GXP at least gets some analog gauges there...

[Oracle of Delphi]

HUDs are lame.

Not as lame as that shelf.

[Blake Noble]

At least it does not look retarded and has some usefulness. You could put a pair of sunglasses up there or something similar...

I think it cheapens the interior, IMHO. Not good.

I honestly fear for GM anymore. This reminds me of the "old school" GM.

Edited August 13, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[Blake Noble]

Not as lame as that shelf.

+1

[BigPontiac]

I would prefer HUD.

You may need to buy a Camaro then...it appears to have one.

[daves87rs]

Not as lame as that shelf.

+2

Money must be real tight.

[gm4life]

It doesn't bother me.

[hyperv6]

HUD is one of the best things I have had in my last two cars.

If you have lived with one you learn it is far more than a gimick.

[schuby87]

It was decided a while ago that those gauges wouldn't be there much longer.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/12/useless...-away-for-2009/

[LastMercury]

It's a hole.

At least Ford put that enormous LINCOLN sign on the MKS center stack instead of leaving it open.

[daves87rs]

It doesn't bother me.

That's beacuse you have not seen it in person yet.....

[VenSeattle]

I would prefer HUD.

I like HUD too... I never look at my gauges in the Park Avenue because of it. HUD is one of the reasons I like the STS also.

Interesting that the Camaro is getting it. I wish the Lucerne had it, but I believe the windshield laminate prevents Lucerne from getting HUD.

[Intrepidation]

At least the digital readouts told you something. I never got what the big fuss was about.

[Sixty8panther]

HUDs are lame.

Yeah... those stupid Fighter Planes.... YF22s are such $h!piles!

Seriously, why are HUDs lame?

[Robert Hall]

Yeah... those stupid Fighter Planes.... YF22s are such $h!piles!

Seriously, why are HUDs lame?

In a car, it just seems to me to be a gimmick. Like digital gauges were a gimmick. I like clear, conventional gauges.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Some additional pictures:

[FAPTurbo]

I like HUD's, but that's probably because I was raised by Nintendo, and have acquired ADHD; they're just so 'video-gamey' !

[Blake Noble]

They should have used the center stack from the Calais. That would have been a much better fix.

[Camino LS6]

I am indifferent to the whole issue, it's just a minor detail.

[Bimmer325]

Right. A hole in the dashboard is so much better.

Please...

[Camino LS6]

Right. A hole in the dashboard is so much better.

Please...

Well, given the choice between a place to store a small item and a useless display, I'll take the storage. Either way its a piddling little detail that doesn't affect my opinion of the G8's basic goodness at all.

[regfootball]

the NAV screen should be where the slot and vents are. the vents should be moved down a bit. dumbasses didn't get the radio screen up high where its actually useful while driving. dumbasses.

[Camino LS6]

Ugh, no nav ,please.

I hate huge display screens in a dash.

[91z4me]

I like HUD's, but that's probably because I was raised by Nintendo, and have acquired ADHD; hey look something shiny!

Interesting.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just to be clear:

Digital displays/heads up on a Honda or BMW = way cool

Digital displays/heads up on a GM = lame.

just because.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Thus cementing Pontiac's place in the GM empire...

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Well, given the choice between a place to store a small item and a useless display, I'll take the storage. Either way its a piddling little detail that doesn't affect my opinion of the G8's basic goodness at all.

Just wait 'til the press gets ahold of it...

After all, this is the same bunch that berated the Escalade for it's sub par steering wheel telescoping ability.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Just to be clear:

Digital displays/heads up on a Honda or BMW = way cool

Digital displays/heads up on a GM = lame.

just because.

LOL... Yep...

Add that to the ever growing list of niceties the asians seem to rip off from 80s & 90s domestics and not get lambasted for it. You know, like cheap plastics, charcoal gray interiors, crappy 80s design and electronics equipment that sounds like it came out of your grandfathers era.

[kool1]

Shelf is a great place to keep your Skoal!

:-P

[Robert Hall]

My Ray Ban sunglasses case would fit in there with my cell phone, looks like. I wonder if it's sloped downward inside so said stuff wouldn't fly out.

[frogger]

I drove one with the "shelf" and it wasn't deep enough to be much use. I'm not sure what I would bother putting on there, it would just slide off and onto the floor around the first spirited corner.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I attended a classic car show at a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership yesterday and one of their 2009 G8 GT was open, so I decided to check out the "new shelf" for myself. I took three pictures:

The first one is of the shelf (it does have a little rubber mat in it to prevent items from moving):

The second one has my car & house keys in it for perspective (if you have the same GM key fob, you'll see just how deep it really is):

And the third picture has my cell phone in it, as that's what I'd likely keep there, and maybe my iPod too:

[Robert Hall]

I attended a classic car show at a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership yesterday and one of their 2009 G8 GT was open, so I decided to check out the "new shelf" for myself.

I bet under hard acceleration or braking, any items in there would go flying out, though..needs a little lip around the edge, IMHO.

[caddycruiser]

I attended a classic car show at a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership yesterday and one of their 2009 G8 GT was open, so I decided to check out the "new shelf" for myself. I took three pictures:

The first one is of the shelf (it does have a little rubber mat in it to prevent items from moving):

The second one has my car & house keys in it for perspective (if you have the same GM key fob, you'll see just how deep it really is):

And the third picture has my cell phone in it, as that's what I'd likely keep there, and maybe my iPod too:

Wow, the BEST pictures ANYWHERE of this much talked about and debated hole. Even answered a wonder question of mine about it, hah.

All after I was just looking at a base '09 V6 that was one of the early ones to show up on my dealer's lot, that has the gauge cluster still in the center. Either way, doesn't bother me, though I think I do like the usefulness of a rubber based cubby.

[Flybrian]

How exactly is an oil pressure gauge 'useless'? And how exactly does do several car 'experts' come to such a conclusion?

[caddycruiser]

How exactly is an oil pressure gauge 'useless'? And how exactly does do several car 'experts' come to such a conclusion?

Well, in the era of people 1) not knowing what the heck it means, or 2) not caring...it's a new car "I don't care", this is what you end up with.

Always one of my father's biggest pet peeves, a lack of gauges. And I agree. It's good to monitor things from time to time, you know, just because.

[caddycruiser]

I don't know. Now that I've gotten used to the Pontiac "red" glow inside, I really enjoy it, and think I'd miss those center gauges if I got a black hole car.

Here's the 2009 I've looked at still with:

Not saying either is perfect, but if I can get another readout or gauges, I'll take them. My bigger issue is just the lack of interior color...WOW, is it BLACK in there! Quite a shock to go from my Taupe cloth G6 and then into the above black cave once. Yes, there's red leather available for the GT (tried one of those too), but not enough, and I guess I'm just too averse to the coal bucket, linty, dusty, look inside

[caddycruiser]

^^Oh...and now that the cluster is gone, where the heck is there a clock readout on base radio cars? Gone?

[GMTruckGuy74]

^^Oh...and now that the cluster is gone, where the heck is there a clock readout on base radio cars? Gone?

Well, those were two different displays (base V6 without radio upgrade; V6 with radio upgrade & GT). I'll go out on a limb and say that if the base radio remains then the display remains too; unless the upgraded radio for V6 models is now the standard radio? There was an '09 base V6 on the lot, though I didn;t think about this to check it out.

[Robert Hall]

Not saying either is perfect, but if I can get another readout or gauges, I'll take them. My bigger issue is just the lack of interior color...WOW, is it BLACK in there! Quite a shock to go from my Taupe cloth G6 and then into the above black cave once. Yes, there's red leather available for the GT (tried one of those too), but not enough, and I guess I'm just too averse to the coal bucket, linty, dusty, look inside

The G8 could benefit from some optional two tone interiors, IMHO...at least some color inserts for the door panels and seats.

[saturnd00d]

I'm stunned at the amount of people in this thread who actually get that nerve-racked about such a small detail.

The car is great, performance is great, looks and handles great. So you lose a small screen in the center of the console, even though your eyes should be fixed to the road while driving...big deal

You could always swap in a screen from the '08 model

If you let things like that affect your car purchases...you need to get out more.

[GMTruckGuy74]

saturnd00d, I actually prefer the storage space to the digital gauges. I was just providing some 'FYI' on the new change for 2009 by taking some pictures to illustrate how deep the space is. Regardless, I'd still buy a G8 whether it had the digital gauges or the storage space! :AH-HA_wink:

[caddycruiser]

I'm stunned at the amount of people in this thread who actually get that nerve-racked about such a small detail.

The car is great, performance is great, looks and handles great. So you lose a small screen in the center of the console, even though your eyes should be fixed to the road while driving...big deal

You could always swap in a screen from the '08 model

If you let things like that affect your car purchases...you need to get out more.

Hah, I completely agree. It's a small detail either way in a terrific "tank" of a car.

I really need to drive one, sometime, just to see...V6 of course.