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.
[Source: Drive.com.au]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
andre lavoie @ Mar 29th 2008 6:46PM
well that certainly is a bonus for an already cool truck.
SAA @ Mar 29th 2008 10:32PM
Is it me or is this thing real ugly? What is the demand for a 2 wheel drive "truck" that seats 2?
Matt Keller @ Mar 30th 2008 11:32AM
One can only wonder what you were thinking when you wrote that.
TBlueMax @ Mar 29th 2008 6:49PM
"Holden’s 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.
TBlueMax @ Mar 29th 2008 9:45PM
Sam - not a problem. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the flu - it happens to the best of us.
Yar @ Mar 29th 2008 6:51PM
With tons of torque and very little weight over the rear wheels, I expect high crash-test rating to be a well received bonus.
Benfolio @ Mar 29th 2008 6:58PM
Unless it has a FULL FRAME it is not a truck and should not be compared to one. Or two.
tankd0g @ Mar 29th 2008 7:45PM
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 @ Mar 29th 2008 7:58PM
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 @ Mar 29th 2008 8:06PM
It's not a truck. It's more like a Honda Ridgeline that's not trying to be a truck.
Stuka @ Mar 29th 2008 9:14PM
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 @ Mar 29th 2008 10:17PM
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 @ Mar 30th 2008 9:23AM
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.
Noah @ Mar 29th 2008 8:05PM
No, YOU are an El Camino wannabe, AB!
And seriously, it got 4 stars, not 5. You guys getting overworked? Need more staff?
jegjrfan @ Mar 29th 2008 8:27PM
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.
holden @ Mar 29th 2008 9:05PM
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.!
Michael @ Mar 29th 2008 9:06PM
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.
Nick @ Mar 29th 2008 10:18PM
Or they could just import the Ford Australia version of their "Ute".
focaldude @ Mar 29th 2008 10:51PM
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!!
f3rg @ Mar 29th 2008 9:52PM
All those stars are great. But tell me how pleased the other guy is going to be when all the crap in the bed goes flying over that low roofline and through his windshield?