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Bought a Lincoln LS based on the same story. Wish I had bought the BMW at resale time…
Christ that was really aggravating to watch just for the lame attitude.
FWIW, average 2007 5-Series is in the mid $30k’s.
I think the bratwurst on the grill was a nice touch
As I said in the G8 review thread, even if these cars were both the same price, I’d still pick the G8 because the 5-Series is so ugly. I could never park one of those monstrosities in my driveway. Such a shame since the last-gen 5-Series had such a clean look.
When the G8 is gone and long forgotten the M5 will still be around. That’ll be sometime next week I guess!
What a tired line. ‘merican companies have been trying to pitch their products as bargain German wannabes forever now. Remember the Ford Granada ads comparing themselves to a Mercedes?
BMW has plenty of things to be concerned about, but Pontiac isn’t one of them!
G8 is just more of the same, nothing special. Certain people prefer Grand Prix’s, etc. Same old story, nothing changed. I’ve seen cars like this before.
They didn’t make it unique or special enough and that’s where they failed. The sales numbers tell the story.
A lot of people have experienced GM build quality in the past. Like oh say, back in the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s. It will take some serious proof in quality to convince people that it’s “better this time”. We’ve heard that before.
Do I want to buy a G8 because it’s a great deal? Best fuel economy? Fastest car on the planet? Convince me how GM? Sell it to me how GM?
We need to go to some GM dealer service department and inform the mechanics of this site so they can tell us tales from the trenches. What’s showing up for what type of work, what never comes in for work, etc. Just some more truth about cars.
237,000 miles on the daily driver. I’ll drive it till the wheels fall off and put them back on and drive it some more(electric car replacement as soon as one becomes available)!
I’d buy an electric Volt for ~$16k. But I’m not paying twice that for two power plants. Don’t worry, GM’s competitors will have electric models out in that price range.
I love Vicki’s naughty laugh as she crosses the finish line in the Tesla(2:40):
I know this seems like a perfectly logical comparison based on driven wheels and overall dimensions, but as others have questioned, who in their right minds is really cross-shopping between the G8 was a 5 series? Whether that’s fair or not, it’s just not likely.
I recall Nissan’s ads for the Altima debut were focused on positioning it as a sensible alternative to the C-class. The Altima was a nice enough car at the time, but I seriously doubt that it stole many Mercedes sales.
The G8 will probably cannibalize GM’s sales more than pose a significant threat to similarly positioned imports. I really can’t see many Infiniti or Lexus shoppers wanting a Pontiac much more than the BMW crowd, either. And I don’t think it’s as much that nasty ol’ import bias as much as it is the desire for an even more upscale car for your money and some features that should be offered at that price point…such as, oh, I don’t know, navigation, perhaps?
Do you guys not like to drive or something? How has nothing changed with the G8? It’s a fast, comfortable, roomy car that handles and sounds great. Oh, and it’s damn cheap too. What more could you ask for? Seriously, tell me what else you could want.
Btw… navigation system option?! Really!?!? So you want to pay for a 2,000 dollar navi system that’s ALMOST as good as the 600 dollar system at Best Buy in a car that stickers for 30K? Really??! Oh wait I get it, all of you guys hit the lottery and have no care at all for money. That must be why the G8 doesn’t appeal to you. NOW it makes sense.
Qusus – I was merely saying that many folks spending into the mid-$30k range on a new car will want features like navigation available. Not me, anyway, but it makes sense to at least offer it, right? An optioned-up G8 GT gets you close to the price of a base G35 or IS350, which although both smaller and motivated by ‘puny’ V6s, are rear-wheel drive and quite posh. I just bought a car with optional navigation and purposefully wanted to avoid it.
I love to drive…but the G8 doesn’t appeal to me at all. Give me a moderately powered small car with snappy handling any day over this. I don’t need tire shredding torque to have fun. Oh, and I don’t know if I’d call the G8 ‘damn cheap’. Even the G8 V6 gets close to $30k loaded.
The main point of my comment, anyway, was to point out how pointless this tired ad strategy is. I still stand by the fact that very few BMW 5 series shoppers/owners care that a Pontiac is faster or has more legroom. A Crown Vic has more leg room, does that make it a suitable 5 series competitor? Man, Ford really missed out on that ad campaign…
The ad felt like a joke that failed to deliver it’s punchline and had to explain itself so people would get it.
I like the G8, but it is nothing like a BMW. It’s brash, and it looks like a toy, which make the typical BMW buyers unlikely to want to be seen driving such a vehicle.
They should be going after the EVO9, STI and Mustang buyers who need to migrate to a larger car. If they had a G8 hatch or wagon, it might be easier.
srclontz:
“If they had a G8 hatch or wagon, it might be easier.”
They have a sport truck!
Once upon a time, wannabe automakers compared their products to the market leaders from General Motors. But that was long, long ago; in a land far, far away.
I own a G8 and I think the comparison does the car a disservice.
It’s not BMW or German-like at all. It’s a fantastic American-style muscle car for the whole family is what it is, and how it’s intended to be by it’s makers at Holden.
It emphasizes an interior that is nicely finished business instead of luxurious and tech heavy. It’s made smokey powerslides, blitzing the quarter mile and long burnouts instead of razor precision handling.
Still if you like German cars you will find plenty to like in the G8 and it does cost a substantial amount less than a fullsize German car.
As for the wrong airport, Chevrolet would have been a better landing strip but it’s here as a Pontiac. Even if you hate Pontiacs go out and give this one a try, it has yet to garner a bad review from any outlet including TTAC and even Dan Neil or Top Gear.
There’s a reason for that.
The G8 has a lot of good things about it, just like the 5. I for one will consider it an alternative to a used Bimmer. I’m not sure which I’d like better overall. Its an alternative to everycar. The Genesis, M45, GS350 all seem more similar than different, so those come to mind first. I like a wide range of things though. A Civic SI is an alternative to a G8 in my book, so is a Cayenne. Its interesting to have so much selection in the world. Its also funny and something I’m proud off to know and appreciate that my E30 325is is better in a lot of ways than many of the above cars. Ride quality over bumps is probably not one of them though. I think I appreciate driving dynamics more (and money/time in my hands) more than the G8 though. Ah (my goddess) but I wish I had a G8.
I need to drive one of these. I went to a local Subaru Pontiac dealership a few months back when the new Forrester was supposed to be out. While the salesguy was busy looking for one with a stick, I took a closer look at this car. It’s nice, but c’mon – it ain’t a BMW. The 535 is in the upper 40’s I believe, so it’s 15k more. Is the 5 series worth 15k more than the G8?
Wrong airport? Wide stance? Am I the only one so far to get the Larry Craig reference, or is my mind just down on the men’s room floor in the gutter?
As Trishield said, the G8 (commodore) is not out to steal BMW sales, even Australians recognise that. What is does offer is a cheaper alternative with more perfromance levels. for example over here a BMW 550i is :”Prestige & Luxury, 4 door 5 seat Sedan, 6 speed automatic, Rear Drive, 8 cylinders, 91/98 RON ULP” for AUS$173,387.00 (US$142,811) as opposed to Commodore SS-V (the same variant marketed as the G8) “Large Passenger, 4 door 5 seat Sedan, 6 speed automatic, Rear Drive, 8 cylinders, 91 RON ULP”
for AUS$57,290.00 (US$47,187). So is the BMW Badge,cache,drive and feel worth US$95,624.00?
In the words of Ms Kellis “I don’t think so!” Unless the snob factor is worth that much? and I surmise that people can afford the G8 more than the BMW 550i.
And if you want a true BMW competitor, check out the Holden Statesman/Caprice (Buick ParkAvenue, I think)
BMW’s bread-and-butter in the USA (and worldwide) is the 3 series. Could we have this Holden at 3/4 scale and with a stick? The 275-300 HP V6 would be terrific at a weight of 3200 pounds.
My biggest complaints about BMW’s 335i are the large size, heavy weight, and excessive electronics. No, really, I don’t need (or even want) electronic memory seats, heated seats, dual-zone climate control, bells and buzzers galore, navigation system, windshield wipers that have a mind of their own, satellite radio, sunroof, variable speed steering, automatic transmission, auto-dimming headlights, and a whole lot of things that are so new that I don’t even know about them.
Give me this Holden a 3/4 size, V6, superb stick-shift, and way fewer gizmos than the 335i. Ooohhh… and if you really want to poke BMW in the eye, throw in a limited-slip differential.
They should be going after the EVO9, STI and Mustang buyers who need to migrate to a larger car.
That’s an astute comment, and it’s a shame that Lutz’s BMW envy got in the way of a more worthy goal.
For once, GM fields a competitive vehicle, only to position it incorrectly. This car stands no chance of winning more than but a few sales from German car buyers, most of whom will will sneer at the brand and won’t necessarily consider a big car with a big motor as having an advantage.
The G8 should be matched head-to-head against the ricer cars. That would actually be a superior demographic to target, because they would be less resistant to the Pontiac brand and would allow the car to compete on its merits, instead of on price. It would also provide a youth gateway into GM, who might try other GM vehicles as they age and their needs change. Lose the hood scoops and position it as a more adult alternative, and take shots at the Asian heritage by calling attention to the grunt.
GM should learn that if it wants to win back the young performance car buyer, they need to lure them out of Mitsubishis and Hondas, not BMW’s. BMW should be Cadillac’s target, not Pontiac’s (assuming that Pontiac should continue to exist at all.)
I think I just had an epileptic seizure from the editing of that video.
just kidding.
Reg pump gas is $1.39/litre in Edmonton, Alberta Canada right now, and we produce the damn stuff…still want a V8 powered sports sedan as a daily driver?
ambulancechaser, that equates to $AUS1.59 which is about average around the whole country. As an everyday driver get the v6, as a weekend/long distance cruiser/towing vehicle v8
SunnyvaleCA, that would have been the TT36, canned because of Holden’s masters (guess who!)
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/conceptcar?modelid=20004
Given the mpg difference between the V6 and V8 versions, I’d choose the V8. My (wife’s) driving habits get no benefit from the V6. A few daily 2 to 5 mile errands with a monthly 50 to 100 mile trip. Simply keeping the RPMs low will solve 90% of the consumption issue. Another several thousand dollars on a supercharger kit will even get me that extra 1mpg back if I really (really, really) want it.
I’m actually surprised people are so bothered by the mileage on this car. It’s not a Civic. It’s not even a Camry. It is a full size car. The Camry, Avalon, and Accord are cars for different purposes (not to mention at least 300 pounds lighter). The Ford Taurus offers slightly better V6 mileage. The G8 gets better mileage than the Magnum/Charger/300. Mileage is comparable to the WRX and Evo. Even the extra money spent on a 5-series gets you Dodge mileage. Either you have a vehicle preference or you choose the Camcord for the appliance factor or trade in protection. People harping on this can’t keep their foot out of it or don’t want anybody else to have the opportunity. Mileage simply isn’t an issue with the G8. Those hood scoops, however…
As for the marketing angle, I think srclontz has it right. I’m not in the market for a BMW. Not even a 3-series. My wife wants room for the kids, stroller, etc and I don’t want the same or worse mileage with a minivan or SUV/CUV. I’d prefer something like a WRX, but I’d be very happy with a G8 (even happier with the Sportwagon (get it HERE already, Lutz!)).
The ad is not meant to get a BMW customer to look at a Pontaic. It is meant to make pontiac buyers think they are smarter then bmw buyers. Its about Pontiac, not bmw.
You might compare a timex to rolex, they both tell time, right? They both end in “x”. The timex has a bigger face, darker hands, is easier to read.
do u think rolex buyers even care?
The G8 should be matched head-to-head against the ricer cars.
Where exactly is the evidence that current drivers of Japanese sport models would be intersted in a “full-sized” American sedan?