I'm not here to reminiscence the demise of Pontiac, but rather to ask what has filled the void of cars like the G8 GT in terms of practical, performance and price point.
When you look at the URL for the Dodge Charger it says, "2014 Dodge Charger - Full Size Sedan with a HEMI Engine." It would appear that Dodge is the last bastion in the land of performance sedans that I would consider affordable.
I started to think about all this after
Jalopnik's review of the new Chevrolet SS, a car that in many ways replaces the G8, both in offering and Country of Origin. But the SS costs $14,000 more than the G8 GT putting it far out of reach of many buyers. Yet the performance is identical, 0-60 in 5 seconds.
Think about that. Five years after the G8 GT was launched Chevy brings over an almost similar car with almost identical performance numbers and charges you $14,000 more for it. Talk about "Bend over performance buyer."
I don't want this to turn into a Best Performance Car Under $30K discussion, but I have to ask – was the G8 GT the last of it's breed from General Motors? Has GM walked away from the family performance buyer that isn't SS-rich?
Chevrolet SS is reminder GM no longer does cheap go-fast for the family