David Mikesell is a free-lance automotive reviewer based in Indianapolis. Read this review and others like it at DaytonDailyNews.com/Wheels.
I have to admit, driving the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP made me nervous. No, it wasn’t the 415-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine under the hood; rather it was the engine in combination with the bright red — Liquid Red, to be precise — exterior paint color.
Talk about a speeding ticket waiting to happen.
Fortunately, I didn’t wind up on the business end of an officer’s citation pad. That’s not to say that the performance of the GXP wasn’t explored. Maneuvering around a plodding motorist on a state road resulted in having to tap the brakes in the passing lane, understandable since Pontiac says this G8 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
New for this model year, the GXP adds very high performance to an already spirited G8 that debuted in 2008.
The rear-wheel drive sedan offers plenty of pop in its base and GT versions, but the GXP really stands out. Sport dual hood scoops, 19-inch wheels, side fender vents, rear defogger and four chrome-tipped exhaust tips dress up this G8.
A sport-performance suspension aids in handling and does not diminish a comfortable ride in the roomy interior where even 6-foot-plus riders can stretch out in the rear seat.
Front-seat riders are well-padded with side bolsters on the leather buckets that come with GXP embroidering.
The only downer to the GXP is the $1,700 gas-guzzler tax tacked on to the $37,610 price, thanks to EPA mileage ratings of 13 mpg/city and 20 mpg/highway.
The G8 is assembled in Australia along with that country’s Holden offerings. There were fewer than 2,000 GXP’s built for this model year, which is too bad. Also a downer is that Pontiac will close by the end of next year.
The G8 GXP is a heck of a note to go out on.
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