Pontiac G8 gets to the gas pump fast, often

ATLANTA | With gasoline around $4 a gallon, Pontiac may have picked a bad time to make a muscle car, but they made a pretty good one. The G8 is powerful and comfortable. And it ain’t bad to look at either. The sticker price reflects good value, which may make the cost of filling it up a little easier to take.

The Pontiac G8 GT is a big, fast car that harkens back to the days when Detroit muscle cars ruled the roads. Power — and plenty of it — is provided by a 6-liter V-8 matched with a six-speed automatic transmission. Despite its heft, expect this car to go from 0-60 mph in less than six seconds.

This full-size sedan tracks like a laser beam, making cars that drive themselves seem plausible. Handling is a bit heavy when steering through the parking lot, but is solid at highway speeds. The overall driving feel recalls a more costly sedan that starts with a B and ends with a W.

Lacking is fuel efficiency. The V-8 is a thirsty beast, getting about 16 mpg in driving typical of an Atlanta commute. Premium fuel is recommended, adding to the cost of a fill up.

A less muscular edition of the G8 offers a 3.6-liter V-6 with 256 horsepower. The smaller engine is paired with a five-speed automatic.

The V-6 offers just slightly better gas mileage. Not enough to avoid the bigger engine. Buy the V-6 version and you’ll be slapping your forehead and saying, “I could have had a V-8.”

The interiors of previous Pontiacs tested were cheap looking. This car is different. The materials, fit and finish of the interior are much improved.

The door lock, window and mirror controls are installed in the center console, not the side door panel as is customary. The G8 GT has a fairly lengthy list of standard features including remote start and a premium 230-watt sound system with 11 speakers.

The 2008 Pontiac G8 will win performance enthusiasts over because it’s a car that finally makes good on the brand’s age-old promise of “driving excitement.” This car does it right, packing muscular engines underneath its taut sheet metal and routing its power to the rear wheels, as a proper American (or Australian) muscle car should.

This most American of rear wheel drive cars - big, fast - was designed and is built in Australia. It has a base price of $29,310 with the price of the test car being $31,245.