This review is a bit of a two in one. I was able to drive this 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP from northern Las Vegas, Nevada to Fort Collins, Colorado, a journey of approximately 790 miles. This car also has a chance of being a future classic.

Pontiac started slowly diminishing in enthusiast popularity after the muscle car era. They did want to return to what they were in the muscle car era. In 2004, they recreated the GTO. It had the same 350 horsepower LS1 V8 from the C5 Corvette and the chassis from Holden, or the Australian version of Chevrolet, known as the Zeta Platform. In 2005, they replaced the LS1 with a 6 liter, 400 horsepower LS2 V8 from the Cadillac CTS-V and at the end of 2006 GM killed the GTO.

Two years later, Pontiac introduced a rear wheel drive family sedan called the G8. It ran on an updated version of the Zeta platform mentioned earlier. You could have it with a 280hp 3.6 liter V6, or a 361hp LS2 6 liter V8 if opted for the GT trim. The best part about this car though was the price. The V8 GT started at $29,995 in 2008 and it could keep up with a similarly equipped BMW 545i not only in straight line speed but also in handling, since it had a similar suspension setup. The BMW was also twice the price, making the G8 GT a hit with the American market, so Pontiac decided to up the ante.

In 2009 Pontiac launched this GXP version with GM’s new 6.2 liter LS3 V8. In the G8 it made 415 horsepower and the GXP could also be equipped with a six-speed manual unlike the rest of the G8 line up.

My GXP had the six speed automatic, which isn’t that bad. It was quick and smooth on upshifts but was willing to drop a couple of cogs and the V8 would pull you forward very quickly. Pontiac said it would do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of a limited 155 mph.

As for the handling, Pontiac scored a home run. It’s not better than a BMW, but its as good as, which is high praise for a large American Sedan  Yet it still feels like a muscle car. The ride is sporty but it isn’t uncomfortable.

Pontiac went for subtlety when it comes to the design. Outside The GXP has a different front bumper, new 19 inch wheels and GXP badging over a G8 GT. It’s the same thing inside, there’s GXP badging on the seats and, if equipped, the six-speed shifter in the console.

As for problems, there are very few. You can’t get navigation despite having a seven inch touchscreen, there’s no USB port or bluetooth audio, just an aux jack, and at around 50-60 mph the engine is a bit droney in higher gears.

In 2010, GM killed Pontiac due to their bankruptcy, just as the G8 was becoming a huge sales hit. oddly enough the car still lives on. The Zeta platform is the backbone for the Chevy SS and Current Camaro, and the platform is still made in Australia. Sadly, GM has announced that they will stop production of the platform in 2017. As a result the next Camaro is moving to the Alpha platform that underpins the Cadillac ATS and CTS, and no one knows what will happen to the SS.

Due to GM’s ignorance, the G8 is considered the last Pontiac ever made.