2010 Pontiac G8 Ute

[CJ]

"What is it?
2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck

What's special about it?
If there was an award for smoky burnout potential at the 2008 New York Auto Show, the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck would take it home without spinning a tire. Consider its setup: rear-wheel drive, standard V8 power and a big, empty cargo bed over the rear wheels.

It's a setup that has earned cult status in Australia where the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck will be built, but its success in the U.S. is far from guaranteed. We'll give Pontiac credit for giving it a shot, as the number of truly polarizing vehicles these days is growing smaller and smaller.

Essentially a G8 sedan from the B-pillar forward, the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck comes standard with the same 6.0-liter V8 found in the GT sedan. It makes 361 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque and sends it through a six-speed automatic transmission only. According to Pontiac, the setup is good for a 0-60-mph time of 5.4 seconds. A V6 is still being considered.

The basic suspension layout remains unchanged, with MacPherson struts up front and a four-link independent rear end. The rear springs were stiffened up to give the sport truck some actual hauling capability, while a 1mm-thicker front antiroll bar helps restore the handling balance. The brakes are carried over directly from the G8 GT sedan, with 18-inch wheels and P245/45R18 summer performance tires standard. A set of 19-inch wheels with P245/40R19 performance tires is optional.

Accommodating the 74-inch cargo bed has required a 4-inch stretch of the wheelbase. Pontiac says it added 60 new components to reinforce this G8's structure, so we expect the sport truck will deliver on its promise of a 1,074-pound payload capacity and 3,500-pound tow rating. A body-color soft tonneau cover is standard.

Compared to the G8 sedan, you won't notice any changes to the ST's interior. There's a pair of four-way adjustable cloth-upholstered seats, dual-zone climate control, a trip computer and even Bluetooth connectivity. Heated leather seats will be optional, along with two-tone red-and-black leather. Behind the front seats, there are 8.5 cubic feet of cargo space and two under-floor storage compartments.

As finished as it looks, sales of the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck won't start until the summer of 2009. Pontiac not only needs time to get G8 sedan production up to speed, it also needs to find a name that's snappier than "Sport Truck." In fact, Pontiac wants your help. Starting today, you can submit your ideas online. The winning entry will be announced April 15.

What's Edmunds' take?
Looks cool on the show stand. Probably won't look so great on the showroom floor, though, and it might be there awhile. ? Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line"








Very nice!

[280Z Turbo]

This will be a poorly selling cult classic.

[SVT666]

This will be a poorly selling cult classic.

I agree.  It's an answer to a question no one asked, whereas the G8 is nowhere to be seen.

[Tave]

The new CAFE standards go into effect in 2011. I like the Ute, but why the V8? If they want the run to last longer than 2 years, they should do more than 'consider' a V6.


Speaking of CAFE, I think a vehicle like this has a lot of potential in our future market.

[SVT666]

The new CAFE standards go into effect in 2011. I like the Ute, but why the V8? If they want the run to last longer than 2 years, they should do more than 'consider' a V6.


Speaking of CAFE, I think a vehicle like this has a lot of potential in our future market.

Not unless it comes with 4 doors, and then the bed is too small to put anything in.

[Soup DeVille]

This will be a poorly selling cult classic.

Kool-aid lineforms to the left. I'll save you a spot.

[Soup DeVille]

I agree.  It's an answer to a question no one asked, whereas the G8 is nowhere to be seen.

You've never heard anyone ask why they don't make the El Camino anymore?

[Justin]

I agree - I love it but I don't think they're going to move a lot of metal on these. If/when it goes into production for the US, I think it'll have a V6. They're just not showing it that way now.

[SVT666]

You've never heard anyone ask why they don't make the El Camino anymore?

Nope.

[TheIntrepid]

A dismal failure. No doubt this thing will suffer the same fate.

[CALL_911]

A dismal failure. No doubt this thing will suffer the same fate.

As much as I like this thing, I can't help but agree.

[Soup DeVille]

A dismal failure. No doubt this thing will suffer the same fate.

The G8 is quite a bit more. More practical, more powerful. Less weight, less retro.

But, I don't know if that means it would sell any better.

[TheIntrepid]

Also, the way GM's been going with timelines, I doubt they'll make it for another 5 years. By that time, whatever interest it has generated thusfar will have decreased.

[280Z Turbo]

The G8 is quite a bit more. More practical, more powerful. Less weight, less retro.

But, I don't know if that means it would sell any better.

Plus, GM released the SSR with a 5.3L and 4 speed auto. Eventually it got a Corvette engine and a 6 speed, but it was too late and the public had already decided it was an overpriced boulevard cruiser for old men with tiny flaccid penises.

[Catman]

SSR was north of $50K no?

[93JC]

It was going for about the same change as a Corvette up here (~$70,000 or more), even the original models with the 5300 V8 + 4-spd automatic combo.

This is much, much more practical than the SSR was. Personally I would have slapped a GMC grille on this one and called it Sprint (or Caballero), and marketed it on its merits as a smaller, lighter pickup truck. Call it "The most environmentally-friendly pickup truck on the market!" or something to that effect; I don't really know if this is true, but it seems plausible. You could make it seem plausible, anyway.

[280Z Turbo]

Caballero? Really?

Have you forgotten what those things looked like?

[akuma_supreme]

GMC also marketed their El Camino clone as El Conquistador for awhile too.

I don't think the last-generation ElCam was a failure so much as it was a casualty of GM's product strategy at the time.  The El Camino was based off the rear-drive body-on-frame GM10 platform (Malibu, Monte Carlo, Grand LeMans, etc).  As I understand them, body-on-frame platforms render themselves well for additional low-volume bodystyles, or at least this used to be the case until recent advancements in the past few years have made it easier to modify unibody platforms.  I'd also imagine a body-on-frame design would be more desirable from a cargo-hauling standpoint. 

When the GM10 models were replaced with front-wheel drive unibodies, there was no longer a suitable platform to engineer a replacement for the El Camino, and since it had always been a niche-player in the truck segment GM did not see suitable sales (ie 500,000+ sales, or whatever obnoxious number GM used in the 80's to justify a new model) volume to justify a replacement.

[omicron]

......We all know that this isn't a serious load-carrying ute/truck, yes? The VE series of utes is intended more as a two-door Commodore rather than a truck with any significant load-carrying or towing abilities, especially the V8 models. The highest payload rating is for the base Omega V6 automatic ute; the lowest the SS-V V8 manual.

To use an analogy, it's like the Dodge Magnum wagon - it's not as practical as other cars in its class, and a great deal of its existence is down to the fact that it looks good.

[93JC]

It's on par with other compact pickups.

[93JC]

Caballero? Really?

Have you forgotten what those things looked like?

[Cookie Monster]

......We all know that this isn't a serious load-carrying ute/truck, yes? The VE series of utes is intended more as a two-door Commodore rather than a truck with any significant load-carrying or towing abilities, especially the V8 models. The highest payload rating is for the base Omega V6 automatic ute; the lowest the SS-V V8 manual.

To use an analogy, it's like the Dodge Magnum wagon - it's not as practical as other cars in its class, and a great deal of its existence is down to the fact that it looks good.

That's odd.
I guess the only thing that V8 is good for is lighting up those rear wheels.
Oh well, that's fine with me.

[omicron]

It's on par with other compact pickups.

Look at you being all North American and referring to a five metre six litre 1.8 tonne ute as 'compact'.

[93JC]

It is compared to 6.3 metre, 2.8 tonne Dodge Rams...

[280Z Turbo]

Where's the barf smiley?

GM would be wise to distance itself from such a vile looking thing.

[93JC]

How is that vile?!

It looks quite plain and understated, in my opinion.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

It was going for about the same change as a Corvette up here (~$70,000 or more), even the original models with the 5300 V8 + 4-spd automatic combo.

This is much, much more practical than the SSR was. Personally I would have slapped a GMC grille on this one and called it Sprint (or Caballero), and marketed it on its merits as a smaller, lighter pickup truck. Call it "The most environmentally-friendly pickup truck on the market!" or something to that effect; I don't really know if this is true, but it seems plausible. You could make it seem plausible, anyway.

Syclone! 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

A dismal failure. No doubt this thing will suffer the same fate.

The differance is this G8 is just a rebadge of a vehicle aleready for sale overseas.

[Sprinterman]

Well there was once a GMC Sprint, and here's a 454 powered one!

[93JC]

Syclone! 

People screamed sacrilege when they imported the Monaro and called it GTO; I envision importing the Ute and calling it Syclone would garner similar emotional responses.