2008 Pontiac G8: Get a V8 Under $30,000

Competent and reliable, most sedans aren't renowned for the "joi de vivre" shared by their wilder, tire-melting sports car siblings. It's almost a rite of passage into adulthood, when a deposit goes down on an Accord or a Camry, and driving becomes what you do at the beginning and the end of the work day.  Aside from mad, mad, mad Autobahn blazers like the BMW M5 or Audi S4, there just isn't a variety of options for the budget-minded car buyer who wants a bit more out of the driving experience.

Well, there's the Dodge Charger.

And ummm...

Next year Pontiac has designs on an alternative, and it looks to be a wicked piece indeed. The 2008 Pontiac G8 is more or less a rebadged Australian market Holden Commodore. Freeze. Didn't Pontiac try this already with the GTO, which was a rebadged Holden Monaro? True, maybe it wasn't the success that was hoped for (although as a drivetrain exercise, it remains a performance highpoint in GM's otherwise iffy landscape), but just hang on for a second. The Commodore is a rear-wheel drive, all new, Zeta-platform based sedan. It has an available V8. It has a sophisticated multi-link suspension setup. And it doesn't look like a remnant of the 1990's school of jellybean design. And miracle of miracles, the upcoming Pontiac version isn't too far removed from that tree at all. Thank you, GM!

The base spec car comes with a 3.6-liter, 260 hp V6, same as the Caddy CTS minus direct injection, coupled with a five-speed auto, and will cost $27,595. A Charger with similar displacement (3.5 liters) will run you only a thousand dollars less. But this is where it gets interesting. While a V8 Hemi powered Charger costs $31,655 in base trim, a G8 GT with a 6-liter V8 will come in under $30,000. OK, only $5 under, but under nonetheless. No manual will be available, although the auto-only option in this car is less egregious an affront to motoring than say the new Nissan GT-R. Besides, it's a six-speed autobox and should pair quite nicely with the torquey beast of a motor living under the hood.

Based on current Charger sales and GM's aggressive pricing structure, we suspects the G8 will sell out its first year of production. The 2007 Holden Commodore has garnered rave reviews in its native Australia and abroad, so as long as The General doesn't tinker too much with a Sure Thing (which it doesn't seem to be), then we bet the G8 smacks the sedan market upside the head, right before disappearing into a cloud of vaporized tires.

DETROIT - Pontiac today confirmed pricing for its new rear-wheel drive G8 performance sedan will start at $27,595 when it hits the streets in early 2008. The  V-8 powered G8 GT will be available for $29,995.

"The G8 represents the next phase in Pontiac's commitment to bring seductively designed, high-performance vehicles to the showroom floor," said Craig Bierley, Pontiac marketing director. "Our dealers and customers have been anxiously waiting for this vehicle since we first showed it at the Chicago Auto Show in February, so we're really excited to get this car on the street early next year."

The G8 is powered by a 3.6-liter VVT V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission and comes equipped with a number of standard convenience and safety features, including StabiliTrak electronic stability control, six airbags and OnStar. The G8 GT ups the ante with a 6.0-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and additional standard equipment.

Customers can get a closer look at the G8 at www.pontiac.com/g8.

Press release via General Motors/Pontiac