For the past couple of months, we've been hearing from more than a few G8 fans that the lack of a navigation system on the car irks them. In fact, a couple people have said that it's literally a deal-breaker for them. That surprised us. First, we agree that not including a good navigation system in the G8 was a mistake on Pontiac's part. It's similar to the manual transmission goof (i.e. the lack of a manual transmission for the G8, a performance car). It's a mistake. Especially since the standard Blaupunkt that comes in the G8 seems like it was meant to have a navigation component.

That being said, it's hard to believe that anyone would consider that a deal-breaker for buying a G8. First, you can buy a portable Garmin or Tom Tom unit for $300. It obviously won't be a part of your car, but it has the same (if not more) functionality as most navigation systems that are built into other cars. Second, the G8 comes with the OnStar system. That includes OnStar's Turn-By-Turn Navigation service.

Again, we agree with a lot of you that Pontiac made a mistake when it didn't offer a navigation system as an option (or even a standard feature) on their G8. But, there are workable alternatives. Plus, not only will a portable navigation device deliver more functionality than most integrated systems, it costs less. Some integrated navigation systems can add $1,000 or more to the price of a car while offering less functionality.

So, is the lack of a navigation device in the G8 a deal-breaker for you? It wasn't for us.