What Engine Did The 2008 Pontiac G8 Have & How Much HP Did It Produce?

After nearly a century of making cars, the Pontiac brand was killed off in 2009. In its dying days, though, it was still making some pretty cool cars. Sure, the Torrent, the G3, and the Vibe probably won't make it onto any lists about the coolest-looking Pontiacs models ever made, but they weren't the only cars in the lineup back then. Two cars in particular were still doing right by the Pontiac name. They were fun to drive, had attractive styling for the day, and were relatively quick: the Pontiac Solstice and the G8.

The Solstice was a small, affordable, two-seat convertible that competed with vehicles like the Mazda Miata. Lovable in its own plucky way, it was the lone roadster in Pontiac's lineup. The Pontiac G8 is a future classic sedan that was meant to go up against vehicles like the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300. To compete in that company, the G8 came with two different engines at launch in 2008 –- the LY7 V6 and the L76 V8 –- but the base engine was a bit underwhelming. Thankfully, the optional V8 was much more powerful and entertaining, and the G8 got an optional upgrade to the 6.2-liter LS3 in 2009.

The standard engine for the 2008 Pontiac G8 was a 3.6-liter V6 that put out 256 horsepower paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The V6 model had rear-wheel drive, but it wasn't exactly quick. The car's zero to 60 time clocked in at around 7.0 seconds –- respectable, but not much faster than the average family sedan. For reference, a 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid could make the same sprint to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds.

If you wanted your G8 to have a bit of grunt, it was the V8 or nothing. G8 GT models used a 6.0-liter L76 V8 that produced 361 horsepower, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. The V8 models used rear-wheel drive, too, but they also received summer performance tires and a limited-slip differential for improved cornering performance.

A G8 with the V8 could go from zero to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds. In 2009, Pontiac added a larger, even more powerful engine that would become the G8's swan song and help it become a true classic.

It really is a shame that 2009 was Pontiac's last year. That's when the G8 got a big leap in performance with an even larger V8 under the hood. The standard V6 and the optional 6.0-liter V8 were still available with the same power ratings, but a new trim level was introduced called the GXP. The G8 GXP was powered by GM's beloved 6.2-liter LS3 V8, sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette, that produced 415 horsepower.

The GXP was available with a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, making it an engaging muscle-sedan. It was also seriously fast, going from zero to 60 mph in around 4.7 seconds. That couldn't compare to the base Corvette from the same model year, which clocked in at 4.1 seconds, but it was still impressive for a sedan of any sort.

On top of being quicker, the GXP offered other performance upgrades like a retuned suspension and big four-piston Brembo brakes. Unfortunately, that was the end of the line for the G8. A few years later, Chevrolet brought back an updated version of the big V8-powered sedan in the form of the Chevrolet SS, but it was relatively short-lived as well, lasting just a few years from 2014 to 2017.