The new GTO is supposed to beg to be driven, above all else. And here, it delivers, relegating virtually all its shortcomings to minor irritations.Americans love V8s, and the GTO answers the call. From its throaty, rumbling exhaust note, to the subtle joy of a barely perceptible rocking movement at idle, to pink slip-collecting acceleration, this one is the real thing.
Clutch take up on the manual is smooth, although strong enough to handle a heavy right foot. And that right foot treads on a responsive gas pedal, with a quick tip in giving ready access to the engine's ample power. Shift throws are short, but could be more precise, especially when the lever is directed toward reverse. Annoying is the first-to-fourth gear bypass at speeds below 20 miles per hour, necessary to avoid a gas guzzler tax on the six-speed manual, but only those sufficiently socially responsible to ever even think about leaving first gear at such a snail's pace will ever notice.
The automatic transmission works quite well, quickly sensing the driver's intentions and responding with the correct gear and shift speed. A big readout on the dash displays the selected gear when shifting manually. However, we were surprised and disappointed that the automatic did not have a better manual-shift feature. While a manual-shift feature seems unnecessary on a lot of luxury cars that it comes on, it seems to be missing in action on this sporty coupe.