Many have noted that some of the most successful vehicles of the past few years have been polarizing designs. Witness the Chrysler 300, Dodge Ram, and Scion xB, to name a few. Granted, there are the Pontiac Azteks out there as well, but sometimes taking a risk can pay big dividends.

Many have noted that some of the most successful vehicles of the past few years have been polarizing designs. Witness the Chrysler 300, Dodge Ram, and Scion xB, to name a few. Granted, there are the Pontiac Azteks out there as well, but sometimes taking a risk can pay big dividends.

So it’s a bit ironic after all the years of taking flak for its over-styled vehicles festooned with ribbing, superfluous lights, spoilers and skirts, that Pontiac introduces the conservatively-styled G8 and gets raked over the coals for it being too “bland.” For crying out loud, man! What do you want?

There was the rumor that a Solstice-like nose would be tacked on to the Commodore to become the G8. Personally, I don’t know how well the Solstice’s roadster-specific styling would translate to a full-size sedan. Supposedly, a more distinctive schnoz is coming in ‘10, but as it is, I don’t find the G8’s styling to be objectionable in the least.

There’s a great deal of BMW 5-series in this latest design. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. When you’re trying to recover from years having the stigma as a rental-fleet staple, to make a car that looks (and from some reports, drives) like a car costing twice as much, you could do a lot worse.

Certain sectors of the automotive digerati have especially lampooned Lutz’s statement about the “great styling” of the G8. Okay, so maybe it doesn’t look like the Batmobile. Maybe “sporty, aggressive, yet tasteful” is just the design language that Pontiac needs right now.

I think the G8 is the right car at the right time for Pontiac. Hopefully the sales figures will bear this out when it finally rolls into showrooms.

–Edward A. Sanchez