Upcoming Pontiac Ute gets five stars in Australian crash test
For those of you interested in picking up one of the new Pontiac G8 ST utes when they come to the US next year there's good news. In a recent round of ute/pickup crash testing in Australia, the Holden Commodore Ute beat all comers to score five stars. No competitor matched the lofty score. The Ford Ranger-based Mazda BT50 got three stars while the Indian Mahindra pickup only managed two. The Mahindra currently doesn't have airbags, which hurt its scores. Look for that to change before Mahindra launches its trucks and SUVs in the US a couple of years from now. For the time being, however, if you plan on driving into any barriers, you'll want to go for the El Camino wannabe.
UPDATE: Enough already! Yes my NyQuil hazed brain still isn't working quite right as I try to recover from this flu I've been battling all week. I did indeed mis-read the story. The Holden/Pontiac Ute only got 4 stars. On to other topics of discussion.
Gallery: Holden VE Ute
Gallery: 2010 Pontiac G8 ST
[Source: Drive.com.au]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
andre lavoie 6:46PM (3/29/2008)
well that certainly is a bonus for an already cool truck.
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SAA 10:32PM (3/29/2008)
Is it me or is this thing real ugly? What is the demand for a 2 wheel drive "truck" that seats 2?
Matt Keller 11:32AM (3/30/2008)
One can only wonder what you were thinking when you wrote that.
TBlueMax 6:49PM (3/29/2008)
"Holdens VE Commodore ute has received four stars out of five in independent crash tests, outperforming leading imported one-tonne utes." "The results show that the homegrown, car-based utes are the safest on our roads. The BF Falcon ute also scored four stars when it was tested in 2006."
Actually, it scored the best with 4 out of 5, not 5 out of 5, and tied the Ford Falcon ute.
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TBlueMax 9:45PM (3/29/2008)
Sam - not a problem. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the flu - it happens to the best of us.
Yar 6:51PM (3/29/2008)
With tons of torque and very little weight over the rear wheels, I expect high crash-test rating to be a well received bonus.
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Benfolio 6:58PM (3/29/2008)
Unless it has a FULL FRAME it is not a truck and should not be compared to one. Or two.
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tankd0g 7:45PM (3/29/2008)
For the purposes of insurance and emmisions, it is a truck. If oyu don't like it, tell the other two to get on the unibody band wagon.
Nick 7:58PM (3/29/2008)
It can carry as much as an S10, tow nearly as much as well, all the while getting better fuel mileage, better handling, and better outright performance across the board. It's more than capable enough to be considered a "light truck".
Ignorance is sad.
Harrison 8:06PM (3/29/2008)
It's not a truck. It's more like a Honda Ridgeline that's not trying to be a truck.
Stuka 9:14PM (3/29/2008)
Nick: 1: Its not going to get better milage than the trucks it will compete with when equipped with a 6L V8. And it wont have any power over the competition when it has a V6. Also, ANY truck under an 18k (I think its 18) pound GVRW is considered a light truck. So technically an F550 is a light truck. But why compare it to an S10, which has not been in production for over 1.5 years?
Nick 10:17PM (3/29/2008)
Stuka: The V8 Ute gets an average of 17mpg, and the V6 gets 21 mpg, both of which are equal or better than the paltry 190hp '04 S10.
As for you getting technical on the literal definition of "light truck", come on, you know exactly what I meant. Why compare it to an S10? Because it's the closest thing to an accurate comparison. You make 1.5 years sound like an eternity...What should I compare it to, a Silverado 3500HD? Hate on it all you want, but this Ute will give more than enough practicality to fill the needs of what most pick-up owners use their trucks for, while still being capable of delivering great handling, a sub-6 second 0-60mph run, and all of the other bonuses of being based on a car platform.
Dave 9:23AM (3/30/2008)
It may have truck features but its a car just like the previoius El Camino.
SAA if you are still around, most people buy trucks and never haul anything in them other than one passenger. They are used a commuter vehicles and who needs 4-wheel drive with traction control. Not any different then another car and shares the same platform as the Pontiac G8 which base model is just 2-wheel drive. I certainly wouldn't want 4-wheel drive in anything, for what?
The vehicle needs more economical engines from the start not big V8's.
94 taurus owner 4:41PM (3/31/2008)
That's good.
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Noah 8:05PM (3/29/2008)
No, YOU are an El Camino wannabe, AB!
And seriously, it got 4 stars, not 5. You guys getting overworked? Need more staff?
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jegjrfan 8:27PM (3/29/2008)
And Pontiac is running contest to name this G8 ute at pontiac.com/namethis car. Funny how the ad just ran as I type this while watching the Homestead Rolex Series race.
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holden 9:05PM (3/29/2008)
Well the cool thing is, looks like you could just order a Holden bumper and hood and you would have yourself the only Holden in the U.S.!
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Michael 9:06PM (3/29/2008)
Ford will be watching this Pontiac carefully. If it does well, maybe Ford will throw their hat in the ring, and bring the Ford Ranchero back on the next Mustang platform.
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Nick 10:18PM (3/29/2008)
Or they could just import the Ford Australia version of their "Ute".
focaldude 10:51PM (3/29/2008)
Ford is already working on its version of a new ranchero. It's based on the Focus platform. It will be called a fo-cup!!