Pontiac G8: It came from a land down under

Sometimes a car seems to embody the very stereotype of national character. Think of elegant but temperamental Italian sports cars or the unique but eccentric French Citroens. Now consider the Pontiac G8, an Australian ex-patriot that started life as the Holden Commodore before General Motors gave it another name during the immigration process.

GM's Australian Holden subsidiary designed and built the G8. The GT version we tested for the February issue has a 361-hp, 6.0-liter V8, similar to that found in the base Corvette. (See the upscale sedans road test and videos.) It makes all the vigorous sounds of a healthy V8 and packs a punch that catapults this fairly large sedan to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

But raw power isn't the impressive part here. It's the chassis that matters. If you didn't know what brand of car you'd just jumped into, you could easily believe you were piloting a Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series: The driving dynamics are that good. The steering response is pinpoint quick, nicely weighted, and offers excellent feedback. Tracking is straight as an arrow. The car's agility belies its substantial size, and yet, the ride is supple and controlled. It's just too bad that some driving enthusiasts will dismiss the G8 out of hand, wrongly assuming it's just another Pontiac with more shadow than substance. The last GTO didn't exactly set the world on fire. Even Bob Lutz, GM's vice-chairman of vehicle development, has admitted that Pontiac is a "damaged brand." The saving grace for GM is that the G8's impressive chassis underpins the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, which remains an untarnished icon.

With a muscular small-block Chevrolet V8 and European-influenced road manners, the G8 is very much an interesting mix of free-spirited American abundance and Euro-style sophistication. At least in American eyes, isn't that the essence of the strong but easy-going, freewheeling Australian?

I can't help suggesting modified lyrics to the song "Down Under," the 1980s mega hit by the Aussie band Men At Work. "It was 6.0 and full of muscle…" And, yes, I can hear the thunder.

—Gabe Shenhar