Consumer Reports Gives The Pontiac G8 GT/GXP A Recommended Rating

[Seattle09GT]

'nuff said. On their list of most reliable cars.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1101555

...We recommend the Pontiac Vibe, the V8 version of the Pontiac G8, and the Saturn Aura, which have average or better reliability. Some of those cars can still be found on dealer lots...

[Blackrider]

Good to know!

[Seattle09GT]

Good to know!

Even better, in the same story, BMW is poo pooed for low quality. And recently the S4 was put over the 335i in a magazine review.

Hell is freezing over.

[Panzer Leader]

I find this article pretty funny. It states that the V8s are pretty damn good cars, and they are, but fails to acknowledge the V6. What BS! The cars, except for the engine and drive train are identical. The problems with the LCAs are the same. However, it appears that the GTs have more unique problems than the V6. The fuel pump problems appear to be limited to the V8. And the few trans and differential problems are also seem to be limited to the GT. So what gives? The V6 has more HP than both the 3 and 5 series BMW 6 cylinders, and handles extremely well with even the OEM FE2 suspension. It is a rear wheel drive car and runs 87 octane, better than anything Toyota or Nissan can muster. It handles better than a Lexsus I250 and I300 for sure, and costs a heck of a lot less than the I250 and the G35/37. But yet the V6 gets no respect, again what BS.

[Seattle09GT]

I find this article pretty funny. It states that the V8s are pretty damn good cars, and they are, but fails to acknowledge the V6. What BS! The cars, except for the engine and drive train are identical. The problems with the LCAs are the same. However, it appears that the GTs have more unique problems than the V6. The fuel pump problems appear to be limited to the V8. And the few trans and differential problems are also seem to be limited to the GT. So what gives? The V6 has more HP than both the 3 and 5 series BMW 6 cylinders, and handles extremely well with even the OEM FE2 suspension. It is a rear wheel drive car and runs 87 octane, better than anything Toyota or Nissan can muster. It handles better than a Lexsus I250 and I300 for sure, and costs a heck of a lot less than the I250 and the G35/37. But yet the V6 gets no respect, again what BS.

Lets keep in mind a few things:

1) This is an enthusiast site. We are enthusiasts. People are going to come here and ask questions. People generally don't ask questions like, "when I stomp on the gas pedal my car rockets to 60 MPH in under five-seconds," is that normal?"

They are going to ask questions like, "when I'm driving along at 30 MPH I can feel a slight engine shake and hear a rumble, is that normal?"

Now someone comes here for the first time and reads that and goes, "HA! Those GM products are a piece of crap, they grumble and shake at 30 MPH!"

They never got to the punch line that is AFM, and it is quite normal, and anyone who has experienced the grumble and vibration of AFM, it isn't like the car is going to fall apart.

Ditto for the issue like light vibration for no known reason in the 60 MPHish range when things are just right - annoying yes. Devestating problem - no.

Point being - it is going to appear there are a lot more problems when you read a sight like this than the community as a whole. If you have 2% participation of an automotive community - you are hugely successful (I've run a 38K member auto enthusiast site with about a 6% ownership reach - that is UNHEARD of reach). But it is still a tiny fraction of all owners.

2) People don't generally post, respond, discuss when they are happy in detail. But boy they sure do when they are unhappy (see point one).

3) Consumer Reports didn't yanks this data out of their butts. The reliability data is based on surveys comnpleted by subcribers of the magazines. They answered questions. So the below average rating on the V6 G8 is based on owner feedback. I don't know what else to say to you.

4) Where Consumer Reports failed their readers is their policy of rubber stamping vehicles as "recommended" without any owner feedback, testing, and evaluation. Consumer Reports had done this for years with Toyota, and it finally bit them in the ass in 2008 when, embarassingly the Toyota Camry and Toyota Camry both came in as below average for quality, and the Toyota Avalon barely skated into average territory, and all three had the coveted "recommended" stamp. How did it happen? Consumer Reports had to publicly confess what detractors have said for years - well we recommended them based on past performance without testint them.

5) A recommend for reliability is not an endorsement to go out and buy a car. The greatest example of this is the Toyota Yaris. The Yaris is tops in its category for reliability - it is bullet proof. But it is also on Consumer Reports list of 10 worst cars. What?!? Ten worst cars? For what - I thought it was reliable! Well Consumer Reports doesn't just survey for reliability, they do, ehem, actually test SOME cars (but keep in mind on point four - not all) and the Toyota Yaris has one of the lowest scores, ever, on usability, driveability, ergonomics, road manners, etc. You know - the stuff that the G8 totally kicks ass at for the most part (well OK, ergonomics leaves some things to be desired, but it is a blast to drive).

I for one don't put a lot of weight into the Consumer Report ratings PERSONALLY. But like it or not - the media and the buying public do.

I don't put a lot of wieght in for these reasons:

1) Automatic recommends on vehicles they don't even test

2) Surveys of satisifaction and reliability are based on a sample taken from their subscription base only, and no one publication captures a broad enough demographic to capture the views of all consumers of all products

3) Some issues/views they have on cars are highly subjective. The road test portions, when they test cars, at the end of the day, have a human element, and human elements can be subject to bias. There just isn't any other way to put it.

With all of that said - if the V6 came in "below average" for reliability, it is because the readers of Consumer Reports, who own V6 G8s, reported in a statisitically significant number, to provide an overall score, that came in "below average."

As for the why - you'll have to shell out some $$$ for the magazine.

It does bode well for future resale of the G8 GT/GXP - that it gets high marks for reliability - quirks and all.

[yllwjckt07]

I was going to say, we must be very sensitive, as we pick this car apart on this site...