IT'S OFFICIAL: the Pontiac grand Prix's replacement—dubbed g8—will be sourced from Holden, gM's proudand plucky Australian brand. trust us, this isgood news. As first revealed in our october2006 cover story, this ballsy sport sedanrepresents the return of rear-drive, manualtransmissionofferings and engine choicesthat'll make you forget about today's tepid,rental-lot favorite.

Didn't Pontiac try the captive import thingwith the gto that just went out of production?Yes. whether you liked the nouveau goat—we did—draw few conclusions about theg8 from that experience. the latter is beingdeveloped on general Motors's from-scratch,rear-drive global chassis architecture,dubbed Zeta (the Holden version is calledthe ve platform in Australia). It's a differentkangaroo from either of gM's previous oZto-U.s. transplant projects.

The commodore lineup is the heart of theHolden brand. the previous generation wasa top-seller for nearly a decade. gM invested around $800 million U.s. into its replacement,launched down under last summer to strongreviews. In addition to the Pontiac version'sunveil at the chicago auto show as you readthis, it'll form the basis for vauxhall sedansin the U.K. and opels in germany. of greaterimportance to muscle-hungry Americans,it provides the foundation for the rebornchevrolet camaro, and we're sure it'll dothe same for a future Impala ss.

Riding on a 114.8-inch wheelbase, theve's overall size and packaging will haveyou thinking 5 series; check out the shape ofthe rear-quarter window. the commodore'sdesign is clean and muscular, with a wedgeshapedbody and strong fender flares.there's good stuff here: a super-stiff chassisstructure, independent suspension front andrear, four-wheel disc brakes, power rack-andpinionsteering, and the bandwidth to tailorand equip the car for basic transportationor tire-melting.Initially, Pontiac will serve the 2008 g8 intwo flavors, based on choice of powertrain.the standard model, likely to be called g8gt, will be powered by gM's familiar 3.6-liter,24-valve, doHc aluminum v-6, rated at about260 horsepower. It'll be offered with a choiceof a six-speed manual transmission or a fivespeedautomatic. You 545i types on a budgetwill head straight for the Ls2 v-8-poweredvariant, which probably will be named g8gtP. that means the also familiar 6.0-liter,all-aluminum, overhead-valver similar tothe gto's. choose between a six-speedmanual or gM's fabu six-speed, multimodeautomatic transmission, which offers standarddrive, sport drive, and manumatic control.outputs have yet to be finalized, but expectaround 360 horsepower.

Since we won't be testing the g8 for awhile, we traveled to oZ in search of wheeltime. our commodore ss v—radiant in itsIgnition orange metallic paint—wasequipped with the v-8 (362 horses in Holdentrim), manual transmission, and optional19-inch alloys. It's the topline mainstreamcommodore, not counting even higherperformanceHsv (Holden special vehicles,analogous to chrysler's svt or Mercedes-Benz AMg) models. the ss v also gets standardleather upholstery, automatic climatecontrol, a trip computer, and a host of otherdetails optional or not available on lesser variants.

If the ss v driving experience recalls anyother car, it's the previous-generation M5.that sport-sedan icon was about the sameoverall size as the new commodore andalso had a six-speed stick, 400 horsepower,and a wonderfully sophisticated chassis.the tunes played out of the ss v's four-pipeexhaust will remind you of the cadillac cts-v.Acceleration is strong, and there's plenty oftorque available over a broad powerband.Australian magazines report 0-to-60-mphtimes of around 5.7 seconds, not as quickas the more powerful gto or cts-v, but certainly respectable. clutch takeup issmooth and progressive, the shifter cleanand sure through its gates. As with mostgM six-speeds, sixth gear is almost too tall,but makes for easy, high-speed cruising.the transmission and rearend ratios feelappropriate for our road conditions andshouldn't require much tweaking, if any.

The steering is a joy. It's nicely weightedand provides adequate road feel. turn-in iscrisp and immediate, yet there's no bumpsteerif you hit lumps mid-corner—something else that won't need to be messed with. same canbe said for the brakes: Pedal feel modulatingthe big discs is solid, and ABs, electronicBrake force distribution, electronic BrakeAssist, and traction control are standard onall commodores. we hope they'll all carryover to the Pontiac iterations.the chassis is a sophisticated piece andfeels like a cross between german andpremium American offerings. As you'dexpect, the aggressive 19-inch rollingstock is sensitive to road-surface conditions.on smooth pavement, the ss v has a wellcontrolledbut comfortable ride. when thepavement gets nasty, ride quality suffers abit and road noise increases. the standard18s would provide a more comfort-biasedride, but we wouldn't trade them for the 19s'sharp responses and great look.there's plenty of room inside, and theergonomics are good, too, although noteveryone is used to window switches justaft of the shifter. the e-brake hides itselfin the shape of the lower console. therewere a few sloppy panel fits inside (ourtester was an early launch press car), andthe occasional piece of hard, semi-cheapplastic—the same stuff we pick on gMfor in some American-built products. Butwhat's important to enthusiast drivers, likethe chassis and powertrain, Holden hasnailed. Base price for the ssv in Australiatranslates to about $42,000 U.s., althoughwe suspect Pontiac will have to come inbelow that to make it work here. our guessis a base MsRP for the v-8 g8 of $35,000 to$36,000 in 2008 dollars.

Setting the crystal ball beyond the g8'sintroduction, we find a gXP model that couldshare some componentry with the aforementionedHsvs. we hear a performance versionof gM's 6.2-liter v-8, as introduced in thisyear's cadillac escalade, should be good forat least 400 horsepower. our bet is more like425. And with that should come even edgierrolling stock, suspension, and body armor.Hey, Holden: thanks, mates.