For enhanced safety, the Pontiac G8’s rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Cadillac CTS-V doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.
Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the G8 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The G8’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The CTS-V’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
Both the G8 and the CTS-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.
There are over 87 percent more Pontiac dealers than there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the G8’s warranty.
The G8 has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the CTS-V (19.2 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.
The G8 stops much shorter than the CTS-V:
G8 |
CTS-V |
||
70 to 0 MPH |
156 feet |
166 feet |
Car and Driver |
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the G8’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the CTS-V (114.8 inches vs. 113.4 inches).
For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the G8 is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the CTS-V.
The G8’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.7% to 48.3%) than the CTS-V’s (53% to 47%). This gives the G8 more stable handling and braking.
The Pontiac G8 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Cadillac CTS-V.
As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the G8 GT is quieter than the CTS-V:
G8 |
CTS-V |
|
At idle |
41 dB |
53 dB |
Full-Throttle |
80 dB |
85 dB |
70 MPH Cruising |
67 dB |
71 dB |
Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the G8 is rated a Large car by the EPA, while the CTS-V is rated a Mid-size.
The G8 has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CTS-V (107 vs. 98).
The G8 has 1.6 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the CTS-V.
The G8 has a much larger trunk than the CTS-V (17.5 vs. 13.6 cubic feet).
With its sedan body style, valet key and remote trunk release in the glovebox, the G8 offers cargo security. The CTS-V’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.
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