The Pontiac G8 Sport Truck, based off the Holden's VE Ute, caused a huge buzz at this year's New York auto show as one of the hottest crossover pickups soon to hit the U.S. market. According to pickuptruck.com, Ford is fighting back with its own version of the Ute called the FG Falcon. The only lame thing is, we'll never see it on American soil.
Fords is claiming the Falcon will be the most powerful Ute on the Australian market. And it has the right to claim that. The FG Falcon XR8 Ute will be available with four different engines -- two that will spit out 388 horsepower with from its quad-cam Boss V-8 engine and a respectful FG XR6 Turbo Ute version with 362 hp with 393 lb-ft of torque from its in-line six-cylinder engine. It's also rumored that Ford Performance Vehicles might put out an even more powerful version of the V-8 with 428 hp and 389 hp for the turbo in the future. The U.S.-spec Pontiac G8 ST will be available with only 361 hp/385 lb-ft V-8 and six-speed automatic. The Ford will have six-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic options.
Another feature that sets the Ford FG Falcon apart from the Pontiac G8 ST is the suspension. Pontiac's G8 ST uses an independent rear suspension setup that's built for a sporty ride, whereas the Falcon Ute uses leaf-springs for hauling larger loads with a payload between 1264 lb and 2733 lb (depending on the model) and tow up to 5070 lb. The Pontiac G8 ST only manages a payload of 1316 lb and towing capacity around 2000 (pickuptruck.com claims 3527 lb).
Pickuptruck.com also reports the FG Falcon was "initially designed with an export deal in mind," but in order to pass hard U.S. regulations the vehicle would have to undergo a lot of changes and that doesn't include the redesign for a left-hand-drive version that could take up to two years. Depending on how successful the Pontiac G8 ST beomes in the U.S., Ford might want to start working on those redesigns soon.
Source: pickuptruck.com
First Look: 2008 Ford FG Falcon Ute
Source: Truck Trend
First Look: 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck