We are finding the new iPad not as intuitive as we thought! We took awhile to realise the contacts icon leads to the iPad contact list( where you can see them all, but we haven't worked out how to import to it), is different to the contacts list in gmail.
It is best to set up all your contacts in gmail on a laptop, by importing from a Windows client like Outlook, or just using existing gmail contacts, Yahoo contacts etc, and then when you log on to gmail using the iPad, you wont see a list of them, that you can edit, browse or select by ticking them, like on the laptop, but you have to add each person you want to email by typing a letter or two from their name, or the Group they are in, and they pop into the address box.
You have to set up the Groups in gmail on your laptop...
good luck,