Pontiac is driving excitement. Well, it's been a while since it's lived up to it. Remember, this blog isn't about horsepower or handling. It's about design. Simply, a product's aesthetic should clearly represent it's intended purpose. A sports sedan should NOT look like a jelly bean on wheels. Fortunately, the G8 does not look like a jelly bean.
The GXP model shown above as well as the GT, have a very aggressive front end. It keeps the standard Pontiac "kidney grille" and surrounds it with narrow blacked out dual headlights. The top and bottom of the inner lights are cropped just enough to give them a menacing look. The front wheels are very close to the nose, and the flared fenders hug the perfectly sized wheel and tire combination. The rear of the car is also well designed. While some might say the little tiny round taillights are a little quirky, I think it's a bold step in the right direction for the Pontiac aesthetic. Well done with the subtle spoiler too. Someone had to sneak an unnecessary detail in there though. It just wouldn't be a Pontiac without an unnecessary detail. The hood scoops. Ugh. We all know they're fake. They're well placed, but I just think it would have looked a lot less cluttered without them.
Remember when all Pontiacs had "guard rails" on the side. It seems like it took forever for them to finally let them go. Less is more. That's what I always say.* I'm glad to see Pontiac make something sportier by making it simpler.
*Except when more is more. As in horsepower.
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3 comments:
I've cooed over the new G8 quite a bit. We have a few of them in our parking lot here at work, and I really love the fender flares. It makes them look as if they belong on a track somewhere with the DTM cars.
But I never noticed those tail lights before. I guess it's a good thing too, because I would have wanted to poke my eyes out with a stick.
okay, not really. But come on, more cheap-looking, plastic ebay-import-lights are not the right direction in my opinion.
Meatballs anyone?
I agree with Casey, redo the lights. The rest is okay.
I will say that it was big. I mean, it was intentional and all, but it was hard to appreciate the size until I saw it in person. I think GM overestimated the demand for "big car with big engine."
Minor note: I didn't like the Pontiacness of some of the interior pieces/plastics. I kept thinking that this would have been better to tie to Chevy as a "big bad mobile." Pontiac has lost its "renegade performance" mojo and I don't think any vehicle can bring it back from rental-world now.
The platform is decent...too bad it is dying due to practicalities/cost (it is an Aussie-Holden origin). I guess it is destined to go the way of the neo-GTO. Too bad.
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