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From all I've seen the G8 gets pretty close to duplicating performance (in an Americanized/GM sort of way) what is arguably the best sport sedan built(M5), for about 1/30th the price...and you guys write wimpy, waffling reviews.  Come to your senses!

This is the *only* new performance car that I'm looking at.  Clarkson went mad for it (youtube: "VXR8 versus M5") and I'm trying to figure, if we get a TDI VW of some sort, or we stop exhaling for a few minutes each day, "can we offset our carbon footprint with this very *practical* sedan, Honey?"  "I can hypermile that thing to 24mpg, I'm sure of it." Sacrifices can be made.

Yes, it's the car we've asked for from Michigan for decades and GM is profoundly, stupidly late, but we need you to focus on the car and let the market (and GM) worry about sales forecasts.  What about the car?  
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Graduate, Rodan School of Automotive Design

The G8 is a great car. That said, it is not the same as the VXR8. There are tuning differences. Plus, you must always remember that Clarkson reviews things for entertainment, not just for a proper verdict.

The G8 performs well but it is no M5. Still, for the money, it's mega.

I really like the G8 but I don't know many people in the market for a $30,000 car that will want to pay to fuel it. Plus, it's a shame there's no manual option (for now). The fact that there are at least two G8s sitting on the dealer lot in Ann Arbor must say something about the market considering it just came out.  

If you buy the G8, good for you. It's a great car and GM should be proud they made it happen. You'll love it. You just have to realize that the fuel economy is a big issue for most people right now.  

Clarkson is a great entertainer, but his appeal stems from his clear verdicts.  When was the last time you saw a US magazine write, "nearly all American cars are rubbish; bad handling and built to a price?".  Yet, that is what you think when you look at the plastic-y bits of a top-of-the-line Caddy CTS.  And, modest you, you'd be hacking at Consumer Reports if your editor didn't think you had at least some entertainment value to your writing.

Some might also imagine that you would notice the dozens of cars and trucks on the market that get same or worse mileage (15city/24hwy) as the G8.  For example, why didn't you mention in your review of the Evo Lancer (16city/22hwy) that fuel costs will crush it?  It sounds as though the WRX STI (17/23) and M5 itself (12/18) should soon be extinct.  May be so, but be fair about it.

We've sat through decades of mindless soggy and half-assed American sedans and what appears to be the first truly brilliant, affordable sports sedan arrives to crushed motojournalists.  Can't wait to hear the review on the Smart Roadster.  (crap... Clarkson liked that, too.)  
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Graduate, Rodan School of Automotive Design

I just saw a silver G8 driving in Ann Arbor on my way back from lunch. What surprised me was how much this car just blends in with the rest of traffic. If i wasn't an automotive enthusiast, I don't think there's any way I'd even guess this Pontiac was new. Similar to the failed GTO, styling seems much too bland to create any consumer buzz (especially the tired grille design). Yes, the car could be a bargain, but not a bargain that looks appealing (a fact that I think many auto journalists ignore).

Below: Good looking?
 

The fact is the thing goes like stink and God Be Praised, it handles.

You do have to squint a bit to look at it.  (Looks like they started with a BMW and pasted on "styling cues" from the Aztek and a GTO.)  

Put it in perspective. Past GM cars are so horrid, it's nearly acceptable.  My biggest concern is that they send it back for restyling and it gets worse.  "Blending in" is OK.

Demos:  I'm 45 with 3 kids and a mortgage, but I'm not dead, yet.  I want a little grey American sleeper with a reasonable back seat with the performance of a 5 series (I can dream) to keep my blood flowing.  I like the concept of an Evo or STI, but don't wear my hat sideways or listen to music that goes "buh, buh."  I'm not VP, Sales wanting a fussy foreign BMW, either, but I want its performance.

Don't mean to give you guys trouble about this car, but they are on to something we've wanted for a long time.  

We need you guys to tell us the car's giggle factor.  I can figure out for myself if I want to pay the fuel premium.  
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Graduate, Rodan School of Automotive Design

Taildraggin:

Go to this link: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/pontiac/0804_2008_pontiac_g8_gt/index.html

It's the story from the April 2008 issue, written by Sam Smith, and is more of an in-depth look at the G8.  

If it weighs as much as an SUV it should just be an SUV. What GM needs to do is a make a Turbo 4.3L OHV aluminum V6 version of the LS2 to reduce weight and increase performance. I'd rather have a FWD VW Tiguan at 3400 lbs. and bigger tires than the G8 with a 400hp turbo upgrade. Now that's a sleeper that stings.  

Thanks, yes.  Good article.  That's one that set my interest in the car.

I got a good look at one yesterday while out on the Harley Prius.  Looked OK - no better or worse, just OK (easily identifiable as 'Americanus Pontiacus').  I did like the exterior compactness and interior size, though.  Worth a drive.

- Charlie  
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Graduate, Rodan School of Automotive Design

The G8 GT is no M5 but for the price it's incredible.  And taildraggin made the point about gas mileage.  There are plenty of substantially smaller, more expensive 4-cylinder performance machines swilling as much gas en route to slower quarter mile trap speeds yet nobody’s mentioned anything about their thirst for fuel.

The styling is restrained and the car is very well proportioned - if you like expensive European sedans like the 5-series how could you not like the G8?  It wasn't meant for the Evo crowd but most Evo fans are savvy enough to respect it.

HSV sells the ultimate G8 in Australia with 7 liter LS7 underhood. http://www.hsv.com.au/w427/  This is the car Pontiac should have at the top of its offerings just to disrupt the super-sedan world order before the fuel crunch relegates all of these cars to museums.  It appears it's 1970 all over again so why not party like it's 1999?