MotorWeek Road Test: 2009 Pontiac SLP Firehawk

MotorWeek Road Test: 2009 Pontiac SLP Firehawk

[@9890jsp]

when Pontiac finally had a great lineup, they killed the brand. the g8 was technically Australian, but still. I drove a v6 g8 and it was a blast. oh, I miss Pontiac 💔

[@ImportDomestic2006]

I definitely agree with you, I miss Pontiac too. I actually have a 2006 Pontiac GTO.

[@chevyfan1251992]

+9890jsp Thank years and years of sub-par models. The 08/09 Pontiac line-up was a band aid on a bullet wound. Too little too late unfortunately. I blame all the people that hated the cars like the 04-06 GTO too. Peoples negativity = poor sales

[@jamesp504]

+LS260GTO MIY I loved the Gto. they had cool gauge clusters, even for their time. plus they were well built imo

[@jamesp504]

+chevyfan1251992 I always liked the grand Prix, it was tacky and plastic but they'd haul ass

[@chevyfan1251992]

If I got one now it would have to be a supercharged series 2 3800. The series 3 just never got the aftermarket support like the 2 did.

[@mrlovesjesus811]

I am stunned that this car went over 120 mph in the quarter mile......very impressive

[@justinbig10]

I'm still pissed that GM decided to kill Pontiac! Just when the division was starting to get it right, they pull the plug. I can see them killing hummer ( overweight, no speed, crappy mpg AND sucks off road!), Saab ( didn't like the professor/dentist/hippy car). and Olds ( can't wait for grandpa to get his settlement checks!), but to kill Pontiac and Saturn was just wrong. To me, the only reason that they killed Pontiac instead of Buick is because Buick is big in China, and they didn't want too much competition for Chevy. Woulda been best if they sold it privately or let Holden have the rights to it. Pontiac is still missed by many of us.

[@oliviersavard8676]

I'd rather still have Saab over Pontiac. Saabs at least were original and the new 9-5 looked very promising, as well as the new 9-4. They tried to be different and be more than simply rebadged GMs, unlike Pontiac at the time. Sure, the 9-7 was the worst offender and the 9-2X was just a rebadged and redesigned Impreza, but at its death, the 9-5 was brand new and looked like nothing else from GM, the 9-4 looked interesting and potentially could have saved Saab would it have been unveiled a couple years earlier, and the 9-3 would have seen a redesign not much later. Saab might have been the smallest "division" (they were never a true GM brand IMO, just like Jaguar never was totally a true Ford brand), but it had the most loyal fan base and had the most promising future at its death, with two new cars. They were an alternative to the usual luxury cars available on the market and not only tried, but were actually anti-conformist. In fact, I believe the GM takeover is, at the very beginning, what began the process of Saab's death. Anti-conformism and originality doesn't fit with mass profit, cheap solutions and excessive budget cutting, which is what GM does so well (remember the ignition switch scandal? I do) and better than every other automaker group. GM is the most American of domestic car makers, and I mean this by its ideology and business practices. Constant budget saving, constant cost cutting, often if not always at the price of the consumer. Saab did not fit into this and was forced to share GM platforms at the maximum, and the best example of this was the 9-7. As for Pontiacs, they were basically rebadged Holdens and Chevys at that point and had been for the last decade (except for the Solstice), and Saturn was literally just Opel USA when it was killed off. I'd be interested to see how Pontiac would fare today, as the general car quality immensely improved after the Recession (I recall to you that the Corvette still had the same steering wheel as the Cobalt before the Recession, just as a little example), and I believe it would probably have had went back into performance a couple years ago. However, at the time it was killed, it simply wasn't promising at all. As for Olds, it doesn't really count since it had been killed for half a decade when the Recession made its first victims. It simply wasn't selling anymore and I cannot see how it would have looked like after the Recession since it had been killed for so long and was still based on GM platforms from the 1990s at the time. As for Buick, the thing is that China is the biggest country in the world and holds potentially the biggest market in the world. That, plus there's the fact that they're still insanely popular over here, simply because it is the equivalent of Mercury back then or GMC right now: a midrange luxury car ranging between the everyman's car (Chevy-Ford) and the all out luxury car (Cadillac-Mercury). People, especially older people, see Chevys as basic but Cadillacs as all out luxury cars, and they see Buicks as better Chevys for not much more. Same for GMC. The result? I probably see more Veranos than Cruzes, see more Encores than Traxs and definitively see more Sierras than Silverados. Plus, their performance line-up might still be deficient, but the Regal is definitively interesting (especially the GS), and the previous gen Regal was definitively an underrated car on a very healthy platform (Opel Insignia). I have to agree about your feelings over Hummer though. A useless brand based over what should have stayed an experiment between AM General and Schwarzenegger. Sure, the H2 had crazy potential off-road and the H3 was interesting, but they were way too focused (the Wrangler at least had the merit of not doing 8 mpg) and basically useless.

[@keronfarrier2198]

Diatribe Much my lord🤷

[@naywahn]

@@oliviersavard8676 I put a bookmark in the middle of your comment, I'll finish it later! 👌

[@repnatl]

Saturns were pos economy cars and total trash. More in the junkyard than on the road but Pontiac was my fave of GM. They never should have gotten rid of the L67 supercharged 3.8. The 3.5 and 3.9 were not good replacments.

[@chumbawaumbacumpa]

@Chris Atkinson the Saturn S-series were a lot better economy cars from anything else GM had to offer at the time. The S-series cars aren’t bad. Everything else Saturn made (except for the Sky) was trash.

[@BoyGeorgestrait]

Getting this recommend in 2020 and wondering why, but I'm totally okay with it at the same time

[@deadgoatsracing234]

No doubt?

[@desalineyanga1116]

2021 and I agree

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Dec. 2021 here.

[@CallMeChili456]

2022

[@remo900rr]

Because you're ignorant

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

Just bought a G8 GT!!! I watched just about every G8 video on youtube and looked at all the auto sale websites for years and I finally have one!!!

[@bferg9264]

How you like your car?

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

B Ferg It is awesome! My only complaints are that the automatic shifts kind of slow and the traction control is way too aggressive. I have a Rotofab intake, Pypes headers, mid muffler delete, solo axle backs and a tune.

[@ToranaA9X308]

So you actually brought a HOLDEN COMMODORE SS

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

@@ToranaA9X308 yes I did. Now it has more done. A cam and a stall converter

[@karlsmith4160]

It was Stupid for GM to get rid of Pontiac they were my favorite car company from the general now all they make is boring vehicles

[@johnlukach4091]

C7 zr1 and camaro ZL1 1LE are boring?

[@luisprieto1262]

They had to that was the deal with the government had to remove a couple comanies because they were bankrupt thats why they got rid of hummer and pontiac because the sells were low

[@josiahthibodeaux]

I’ll second that, should have been Buick & Hummer instead.

[@badlydrawncars6460]

@@josiahthibodeaux While I agree, Buick makes a shit ton of money in China and they sell an okay amount of cars in the U.S.

[@madmod]

@@johnlukach4091 rhetorical question farley

[@redriver15262]

The American AMG of its time

[@AussieRoberts]

Australian*

[@wiibaron]

SRT says stfu...

[@GyroPyro121212]

@@wiibaron The only SRT that could be compared to this car is the 2009 Charger SRT-8 which takes 4.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and 13.1 seconds through the 1/4 mile. The Firehawk is much faster and is even only a few tenths slower than the Viper ACR of the time which takes 3.6 to hit 60 and 11.6 through the 1/4. This firehawk is a beast.

[@Viper81766]

@@wiibaron as the SRT sits in a garage 95% of the time being repaired

[@pjwashington5818]

@@Viper81766 lol I had 2 SRT vehicles and they were reliable. 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and a 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat but the old 2004 Chrysler Sebring sedan is a whole different story 😅. I'm not going to lie I'm a GM guy at heart and YES I was worried about Mopars reliability without a warranty. It was always in the back of my mind When will this car break down 🤔

[@johnlandas3739]

Holy shit, I don't even remember them making this car

[@ToranaA9X308]

Because they didn’t it AUSTRALIAN

[@alangarrett7089]

I bought a G8 GT with the supercharger and Kooks long tubes from SLP. I can tell you these cars are a beast! You can't touch any other car with this power for anywhere close to the price!

[@9890jsp]

The Chevy SS is the G8 underneath. They still sell rwd fun, for fairly cheap

[@ralphl5441]

+9890jsp Not what I would call cheap but it is fun to drive. I have a 2015 M6 SS

[@9890jsp]

+Ralph L Well, no it's not cheap but it's a far cry from expensive. A comparable BMW costs way more for example.

[@ralphl5441]

9890jsp That it does. At about 1/2 the cost with less maintenance cost to. Cars just aren't cheap anymore.

[@legendarynikoproyou4569]

Alan Garrett unless the police are on you

[@marcussmith5755]

Pontiac was my favorite GM brand

[@recpro7847]

That'll stomp the crap out of a new SS. I can't believe I don't remember hearing about the Super Hawk version.

[@richki.24]

Same, I remember the GT and GXP but not the Firehawk version ... I must be slipping ...

[@roidblitzed]

Same. Just now heard about it

[@badlydrawncars6460]

They're rare cars. The original SLP Firehawk only had 25 examples.

[@badlydrawncars6460]

@@1rstGear Yeah I was using the original '90s Firehawks as a reference since I didn't know how many SLP G8s were made.

[@1rstGear]

@@badlydrawncars6460 yea re-read your post and realized I missed the word origional.....🤦🏾‍♂️ so I discarded my comments lol

[@57LHemi]

that's a bad ass g8. there growing on me for sure. ultimate sleeper.

[@Andrew_182]

Theyre not really a "sleeper". Their aggressive styling kind of gives away the secret under the hood. A sleeper would be something like a Ford Taurus SHO that doesn't look aggressive or give any clues that it's actually a fast car. But, I agree, G8s are bad fucking ass as are the newer version of it the Chevy SS.

[@richardunicorn7879]

I wish Pontiac was still in production. They were so cool. The Grand Prix, Bonneville, Tran Sport, Trans Am, Aztec, Catalina, GTO, Sunbird, Solstice, etc. They were all so cool.

[@THE-xp3hp]

Aztec = 💩

[@bmacster1985]

@@THE-xp3hp the tent was cool though

[@SportsMusicCars]

grand am too

[@jamesklenczar9509]

I never hand the chance to buy one,When the SS came out in 2014 I bought one.Love the car

[@eurogreekjune15]

love this guy! Doing this for a long time, lucky guy he gets to test drive all these cool cars

[@bryanmchugh1307]

Holy SH*T that thing is FAST!! I am sure the existing Firehawks are trailer queens now.

[@Mechknight73]

You should see its Australian HSV Cousin, the Club Sport R8 Bathurst Edition. Supercharged as well, they will do the quarter in 11 seconds, or disappear into a cloud of tyre smoke, whichever you're in the mood for

[@vabrad76]

Nice performance and styling. Good job Pontiac & SLP!

[@Mechknight73]

Holden Special Vehicles already did this with the Club Sport R8 Bathurst edition. Take away the Pontiac and Firehawk badges, change the body kit, and add a supercharger. Razor sharp, fast, and when you combine the high pitched whine of the supercharger with the bellow of the V8, they make quite an impression

[@digitalmagicAR]

I suppose that was a good one for Pontiac to go out with. Pretty much true to the original GTO formula of a family car that had real guts. Sad that Pontiac is gone. They contributed so much to the auto industry for all those decades.

[@ants3034]

I've owned a few Pontiacs, Bonneville, Grand Prix GTP, Grand Am GT, and now currently an 09 G6. I loved them all in they're own ways and now I want this modded G8.

[@1983jblack]

I've never been a GM guy but was ok with Pontiac. Makes me want them to revive it so it can compete against Dodge. I also wish Ford would revive a RWD V8 sedan against Charger

[@lockandreload]

THUNDERBIRD! Update the 90s T-bird to look like the ones they drove in NASCAR. Big ass 4-door body.

[@AMF96]

Very cool! The G8’s were awesome cars. I like the 98-02 WS6 Trans AM and 05-06 LS2 GTO a little better though.

[@raptorman2666]

when GM gets its balls back, they should bring back Pontiac with a badass Firebird to unveil.

[@swingbag12]

I absolutely need one of these

[@dcaseng]

The last devision I was have chopped was Pontiac. Buick and Oldsmobile had the same feel across the entire platform, and axing one of them would have made NO difference. Pontiac built excitement until the bitter end.

[@juliobahamundi7062]

queremos q PONTIAC vuelva al mercado. será un momento histórico y de resurgir pir una marca PERFORMANCE.

[@SilverScarletSpider]

What a good shout by Pontiac. Normally only manual cars are interesting but when cars are this rowdy and go 0-60 in under 4 seconds, I would want both hands on the wheel

[@gregporsche6162]

Nice car good looking and impressive performance 👍 I want one !!!!

[@paceta80]

I am in love

[@hmackprotection1]

Such a wonderful performance Sedan 💯🖤🖤

[@ToranaA9X308]

Because it’s AUSTRALIAN and we know how to design car FAR better than Americans. Out suspension engineers are the best in the world

[@claudiaunterwegs]

and this car looks very good

[@ToranaA9X308]

Thank Australia

[@claudiaunterwegs]

​@@ToranaA9X308👍🏻

[@Defstar38]

I love the G8 so much I bought one, Gt !!!

[@krystalburton6905]

Freakin awesome!

[@SmangItDrums]

And we loved it. It was a bargain compared to ANYTHING from the Germans, and today, it still is. It combined great power & performance with everyday usability & value.

[@adamrs4721]

"This g8's hardcore facial" - dude, listen to what you're fucking saying lmao

[@yurifiero]

I saw one of these yesterday so I had to look it up snice Im a GM fan. This is badass!!!

[@YMoses]

Hello, Your comment is 10 Years old now WOW.

[@darinvee4980]

I wish MotorWeek had done a review of the G8 GT. There are way more of those on the road than the GXP and Firehawk GT's combined.

[@mattingly50187]

@TEAMLSX i would, this thing is super fast for a 4 door and even fast for a firehawk

[@nathanray5553]

The new tag price for those was a damn good deal, I wish you get a car with that much to play with for that price these days brand new

[@chrisdooley6468]

God I love this car :)

[@garbage854]

WOW 😀 !! Awesome car, wish Pontiac was still around.

[@billycloudy9078]

Wow and I thought I knew about of Pontiac’s performance cars… but I’ve never even heard about this thing until now!!!

[@urpartnerncrime]

DAM THIS CAR IS FAST

[@ToranaA9X308]

Thank Aussies

[@camaro69green31]

4:01 that is one sweet rear end. Love these Poncho's.

[@ToranaA9X308]

It’s a holden commodore

[@brandonhughes2517]

A 124 mph trap in a 4k lbs car is a lot more than 500 hp

[@digitalmagicAR]

Yeah I agree that doesn't add up. I suspect some numbers "massaging" as GM has done before. What was the rated hp of the top Corvette that year?

[@sillyputtytastesgood]

That's a bad ass car. 500 HP, with almost 500 lb-ft of torque? Nice! The only (minor) complaint I have is they should've at least given you an option to be able to stagger larger sized rear tires. 245 series are pretty small for all that torque. And PLEASE tell me there's an available manual transmission.

[@dmacckid12]

Decent! I love it!

[@LSX01Nation]

124mph trap speed? id say 500hp is a conservative number.

[@coopsnz1]

Down under , vorteh supercharger can give a 2006 ve ss 420kw

[@seantaylor2683]

About 563hp, also if you are curious about something like this in the future just google "kw to hp" or whatever units you want to convert

[@BeingMe23]

The speed is electronically limited. With only redline limit and proper gearing it should do close to 200 mph.

[@JASONHJEFFERSON]

500 at the wheels

[@numinous4789]

@jayjaylen75 Giving people the tools to answer their own questions isn't being a smart @$$, it's being helpful.

[@informedskeptic]

Agreed. There's something all true sports cars need. A manual transmission. Controlling any car is a lot more entertaining with a manual. You can hold a lower gear in anticipation of punching the throttle. With an auto, you're forced to wait on the kickdown. What a bummer.

[@charlesmacgilchrist3648]

Launched at a time as bad as 1973. If I settled in the US I'd be driving a rare beast like this.

[@joeyburnes25]

I will always love this car!!!

[@ToranaA9X308]

Thank Aussies

[@joeyburnes25]

@@ToranaA9X308 holden

[@SportsMusicCars]

Saw a MINT GXP a few weeks ago close to my home.

[@billgatesisanerd]

Oh man, I want one!

[@vxhxbghgxx485]

thay. made this car only for two years from 2008 to2009 the Pontiac g8 was a great gorgeous and strong car with all trimmed level it was pmw 5. killer even the. pmw m5 to saad Pontiac brand gone in 2010 and i hope it comes back again because they use to make gorgeous cars

[@PANTYEATR1]

I'm not crazy about most 4 door cars, but I'd own this one!

[@legendarynikoproyou4569]

PANTYEATR1 not to many people like 4 door cars anymore

[@jurzyjohner432]

Great collectable car, and kept stock.

[@puprilla]

We need more v8 cars like this and the cts-v!! I test drove a few of the g8 gt's a few yrs ago super fun but to much for the city driving

[@SimbaTheGreat]

@ptwxxx the G5 and cobalt are just bubbly J-bodies. its essentially a cavalier.

[@porscheguy09]

I’m surprised they didn’t do a SLP Firehawk using the G8 GXP as a base car to start with. The larger engine would have resulted in probably at least 550 horsepower after adding the supercharger.

[@remo900rr]

We're you one of the engineers?

[@huckaberryfpv4986]

Yes

[@davidbaron6647]

PERFECT

[@g00dl00kinb0i]

Steep price for 2009 but then again this was more then just a car, it was also an investment since Pontiac was to be no more and this was a rare special SLP Edition. Real beauty !

[@bobbyjohnson6355]

Was trying to hear the exhaust but John Davis wouldn't stfu

[@hmackprotection1]

Bobby Johnson cut it out man, he’s just doing his job. Show the man some respect please.

[@johnnyBqwazy]

I too was so waiting to hear that exhaust note in the review but nooooo, all talky-talk. Too bad 😔

[@EDHBlvd]

Bobby Johnson same

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

Bobby Johnson Davis is a legend

[@thewaragainstcars]

Leave Mr. Davis alone. His voice can never be replaced for this show.

[@MichaelandCathy1999]

At least I get to drive it’s baby brother, got myself an ‘09 G6 GT, with the 3.5, V6, loaded optionally A-Z. Got a Super Tune chip , got rid of the resonator and run only 91 octane pump gas (at $6.50/gallon Canadian), but worth it. Love my Pontiac 👍🇨🇦

[@SportsMusicCars]

super tune chip??? it's all done by odb now

[@jamesdriscoll2478]

wow allways been a hawk fan but didnt know these had that much power id want one if i didnt have a CTS-V 09

[@Volvo8Fifty4Life]

The ultimate sleeper car!

[@Rome7869]

"And with only 001 made, you may own it someday" 😎👊🏼

[@artaylor8920]

At 3:41 "hard core facial". Yeah, I have a really dirty mind.

[@hartsickdisciple]

I'm not sure how else you could take it.

[@radarlove1497]

you could take it on the boobies, the booty, you know ?

[@WHO9119]

G.R.A nothing like giving her a pearl necklace

[@emotionaladolf9969]

always preferred a hot body shot makeover

[@scottskinner577]

Giggity

[@Ettore-vs7cn]

Had G6 GT. Great car

[@JorgeRodriguez-po7kx]

Would Love to have one in White

[@gavinmartindale8110]

How many were produced?

[@ask3xd903]

They can come back. Hopefully the time off has taught them something. ...something like don't forget the t-tops/targa top.

[@karlsmith4160]

Thanks For Companies Like SLP The G8 Was A Great Car From Day One I Hate That GM Discontinued Pontiac

[@brokenmedic9133]

Damnit I miss Pontiac

[@nicholaswildethethird]

Behold, the last breath (of fire) from Pontiac!

[@Daniellopez-tx5xq]

wow I never knew that there was a firehawk version of the G8 🤯

[@coopsnz1]

vf 2017 hsv clubsport lsa (550hp) is 62000usd brand new , commodore ss v redline 42000usd in oz . G8 Firehawk ( 500hp) was good value for 56000usd back then

[@mikeisaacs2314]

Great car never heard of it till now . Was better then the GXP version that crazy

[@fernandorocha8459]

Great car, this G8 is last car of Pontiac

[@mikeisaacs2314]

@@fernandorocha8459 the last good car was a G8 but the very last Pontiac was a G6 and it was in a accident. Last check it was in a junk yard

[@tillivanilli6481]

a genius sedan like GM a sedan should build again in present & future ! RWD + V8 + all american styling = must have

[@Juicytone86]

nice car Pontiac FTW!

[@quentinwooten30]

12 sec quarter mile. More than 500hp if u ask me

[@djscootersmooth9467]

Damn....bad ass.

[@punkysable]

Pontiac should have supercharged the 04, 05 and 06 GTO. I bet Pontiac would have still been around today if they did. Love Pontiac. I've owned 4 Fiero's, 84 firebird, two 98 ls1 Firebirds and two 04 GTO's and currently drive a 01 ls1 Firebird formula.

[@niceprince]

@AlexanderRozhenko well i partially agree with that. however I assume they are banking bringing more of the Asian designs to the USA since everyone was buying Japanese for so long. And since Pontiac is in a smaller market it makes sense i guess lol. I feel bad about it going though.

[@mattingly50187]

@TEAMLSX i would, this thing is super fast for a 4 door and even fast for a firehawk..... faster and quicker than a 92 firehawk actually. 92 0-60 in 4.6secs and 1/4 mile in 13.2. this does 0-60 in 4secs and 1/4 mile in 12.1.

[@manfail7469]

no launch control, no 10 speed autos, no bullshit, and still a 4.0 second 0-60! this car is the absolute limit of speed without any of the computer stuff we have now

[@SportsMusicCars]

put a 10A behind this engine and it's doing the 1/4 in mid 11's.

[@flossietube2065]

Wow!!!! I didn't even know that car existed!!!!

[@ToranaA9X308]

That’s because it’s Australian and NOT a pontiac

[@Savineyard3]

I want one. I hear that the Twin of this car is still being made in Australia by Holden. But I forget the model name but it has a different body kit and it's right wheel drive in the drivers compartment....

[@AutoYoung]

It's called the Holden Commodore and they don't make it anymore. The car being built now is the HSV and it's what the new Chevrolet SS is built from.

[@loudblazer]

@sixstringCM06 Ok, well idk what your def. of "firehawk" is, but a 5 seater sedan that runs a 12.1 at 124 is amazing! So it might not be a firehawk to you but its an amazing machine that rivals any super sedan, and the performance is very close to first year GTR.

[@bradfromthevalley]

the headlights remind of a 2000 era Maxima a rare look, kind of a down under styling. They either SLP or MOtorweek should of done a break job before filming the show, as it was used by other media folks and the brakes likely got trashed.

[@Gordfozzfoster]

The Camaro and Firebird "F" body cars were made in St Theresse Quebec Canada. The new 2010 Camaro and G8 are based on the Australian Holden Zeta platform. ASC will make a Trans Am body kit for your new Holden Zeta camaro. ASC made the WS6. SLP made the RS/SS camaro...and Firehawks.

[@jrockudont]

This is still one of the best cars ever built.

[@brinleynicholson4588]

Hang on kids! Were going to the store real fast lol I still drive a 2004 GP GT with 231xxx miles. Pontiac was awesome

[@junioralvarado2384]

did that car come with a ebt card?

[@Ferraridude13]

I mean the second gen CTS-V is basically the same thing right? ZR1 supercharger and everything

[@ronaldmcdonald5292]

I think the CTS-V has 550+ hp

[@Slipknotyk06]

@studpuppy69 - Cobalt was ground-up a different design than the Cavalier. It just happens to fill the same niche. The Cavalier was outdated. Much of the vehicle remained the same between its beginning circa 83 and the end of the run. The thing lacked character, lacked identity, and lacked soul. I owned an 86 and my friend had an 01. We found the vehicles to be different mostly aesthetically. The driving experience remained the same - poor.

[@watson9897]

I still got my 2000 grand prix gtp!

[@thetreblerebel]

Imagina a modern Firehawk. This car was awesome

[@Kaiser187]

Damn not bad

[@tobythesandwich]

@studpuppy69 No it's NOT a cavalier. The Cobalt/G5 are both on the Delta platform. Not the J-platform. The only thing they "might" have in common is an engine option. Nothing else is the same between those cars. And they last fine when you take care of them. So do Cavaliers.

[@bradm2089]

❤❤❤❤❤❤