The brains at GM have decided it would be a good idea to bring back the El Camino style automobile in the form of the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck. From the front it looks just like the G8 GT but when you look around back you will find a 73.9 inch cargo area (bed), which is barley 6 foot. In this article I am going to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly about this truck hitting show room floor in 2010.

The Good: The truck will be getting its performance from the same LS2 6.0L V-8 as its sister G8 GT. This means it will be putting down 361 horsepower and 385 lb./ft of torque which is not bad in today’s market. With the 6 speed automatic and Active Fuel Management technology, it will provide both a sedan like fuel-economy with small truck capabilities while still posting a surprising 5.4 second 0-60 time. The truck is based on the same rear wheel architecture as the G8 sedan so obviously they had to reinforce various aspects of the truck to handle cargo. On the insider the Sport Truck will have all of the same comforts and amenities as the G8 sedan with A/C, cruise control, driver information center, Bluetooth connectivity, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry and remote start, and others. The truck will be sitting on 18-inch, machine-faced wheels with P245/45R18 summer tires.

The Bad: As I stated earlier it has a 6 foot bed which makes the truck not exactly ideal for hauling anything more then groceries or boxes. Keep in mind you will have to use tie downs and or drop the tail-gate to haul most standard ladders. The total length of the truck is 118.5 inches which is 4 inches longer then the G8 sedan. With fancy styling and design of this truck I can’t really see anyone buying it as a work truck for the fear of scratching or denting a car you paid from the rest of the G8 line approximately 30-40k (actual price has not been announced at this time). If you want leather seats or all season tires that will cost you extra. There is also going to be a Sports Package available which includes 19 inch wheels. I wonder why a Sport Truck does not include a Sports Package.

The Ugly: Well just look at it. GM’s approach of bringing back to life the El Camino, I feel, is going to fall flat. You would have thought they learned when the SSR sold well below expectations and was discontinued in late 2006. You have a 2 seat vehicle with the ability to at most haul a couple of jet ski’s its not practical in any way. I see a loosing battle in the works for the folks at GM. You won’t see me moving to Adelaide, Australia, to seek a long term job.

Tags: g8, G8 sport truck, pontiac truck, Sport Truck

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 9:39 am and is filed under Auto News, Coupes/2dr, General Motors, Pickups/Trucks, Pontiac. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.