BARGAIN BARNBURNER; Pontiac's sweet G8 GT sedan sells itself.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

When we first drove an engineering prototype of the Pontiac G8 GT ("Scary Sedan!'' AW, Nov. 26, 2007), we were thrilled with it, and for good reason. It is certainly the best four-door five-seater you can buy for less than $30,000, and we're sticking to that overall assessment after our drive in a production G8 GT. It is both fun and practical in a muscle-car way, and nothing else out there can claim the same.

On what amounts to our second date, we admit we're noticing a few pimples. For instance, why can't this otherwise very-well-engineered sedan have a more linear throttle feel? Why does it have to jump like a scared kitten whenever a foot gets near the gas pedal? Why can't the brake pedal be similarly linear? And that exterior isn't getting any more exciting to look at with our second gander. Yes, those are nits, and we're picking them.

Maybe it's just so surprisingly good that we're comparing it with cars that cost twice as much and offer twice the refinement. That's not fair. It reminds us a little of the Lexus GS ...