2008 New York Auto Show: 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck
- Competes with: Dodge Magnum, Honda Ridgeline, your uncle’s old El Camino
- Looks like: GM is serious about pleasing its mulleted buyers
- Drivetrain: 361-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 with six-speed automatic
- Hits dealerships: Late 2009
We’ve been expecting the G8 Sport Truck for some time, but finally seeing the real thing, even if just in the photos here, is something else entirely. GM actually went out and built a car with a truck bed … in the 21st century!
The sport truck is clearly reminiscent of the classic El Caminos many of us remember from our youth. Seeing one again nearly 20 years later is jarring in some respects. Helping ease our minds is the modern car it’s based on: the Pontiac G8 sedan that recently went on sale.
The sport truck shares the same powerful V-8 engine and rear-wheel drive as the G8 GT, and GM says it will get to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. It also has 18-inch wheels standard, with 19s optional. A color-coordinated soft tonneau cover is also standard. We’d still expect there to be various accessory tops to choose from when it goes on sale late in 2009.
It might not look like it, but there is a cargo area behind the seats that measures 8.5 cubic feet, which is pretty surprising. Stability control, side curtain and side thorax airbags are welcome standard safety equipment.
That late on-sale date is a killer, but it does give GM time to name the sport truck, an honor it will bestow upon one lucky consumer. If you go to www.pontiac.com/namethiscar you can submit your own idea for a name. The famed El Camino-ologists over at Jalopnik spent some up close time with this inheritor to the Camino throne and have a video and exclusive photos besides the ones provided by General Motors. Pickuptruck.com also delivers a video here. Give them both a visit and you can check a gallery of manufacturer photos and a few extra Jalopnik exclusively shared with us.
