HSV reveals world's most powerful ute
GTS Maloo brings supercharged LSA V8 power, GTS looks and tech to the humble Holden ute, perhaps for the last timeHSV has released the world's fastest ute. Grabbing the full mechanical package of the GTS sedan, the GTS Maloo packs a supercharged 430kW V8 and promises to be the most powerful and most expensive ute ever sold by a factory Down Under.
The new Maloo GTS ensures glory days of V8 Aussie rivalry remain alive and well, oblivious of their pending assassination. As evidenced by Ford's GT F and HSV's GTS super-sedans, buyers of locally-built top-tier muscle cars have never had it so good.
In the spirit of the Sandman commercial vehicles of the 1970s, the GTS Maloo, as it will be known, will not solely be labelled as a 'GTS'. Instead, it will also share the look and underpinnings of its 'badge-sake', with none-too-subtle cues of inference both outside and in.
For the modern-day version this means the same supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8 found throbbing beneath the bonnet of the GTS sedan, the same tarmac-tearing 430kW and 740Nm outputs and the same TR6060 MG9-spec six-speed manual and 6L90E automatic transmission choices.
The figures make the GTS Maloo the most powerful sedan-based ute the world has ever seen, and HSV expects up to 40 per cent of sales to be manuals.
Like the GTS sedan, the GTS Maloo receives mammoth AP cross-drilled brake discs grabbed by six-piston callipers at the front and two-pot clamps at the rear. The rotors are tucked behind a revised 'Dark Stainless' version of the GTS' 20-inch Blade forged alloy wheels which, unlike the sedan, are not damped by HSV's Magnetic Ride Control suspension.
HSV said the cost of development in tuning MRC for the GTS Maloo was prohibitive, and would have meant passing on an unacceptable premium to the customer. It has in mitigation fitted the torque vectoring rear-end from the GTS sedan with specially developed passive dampers, a model-specific tail shaft and a GTS Maloo-specific electronic stability control tune.
HSV also had to relocate the spare wheel carrier 20mm aftward to accommodate the larger diff, but says it will still offer a full-size (black-painted) alloy spare wheel.
The GTS Maloo will be limited to just 250 units all told, with 10 of those headed across the 'dutch' to New Zealand. HSV execs initially aimed to produce only 150 examples of the special model, but admit they "undercalled it" after a media leak in August led to 155 "very firm" deposits being placed sight unseen at HSV dealerships almost immediately.
It is expected the HSV GTS Maloo will be priced "somewhere between $85,000 and $90,000" when it goes on sale this November, with the Clayton crew saying much of that is required to cover the model's "unique and intensive development program", which began back in May 2012.
Differentiating the GTS ute from the Maloo on which it's based are the aforementioned alloy, a GTS front fascia and guards, Pitch Black fender grille and mirror scalps, Shadow Chrome exhaust tips, a blacked-out rear number plate surround in the tailgate and a build ID plate on the centre console.
Like the Maloo R8, the GTS Maloo will feature HSV's sail-planes and twin-hump hard tonneau cover. Otherwise, all technology and appointment details are as per the GTS sedan.
Two new colours — Jungle Fever (an intense olive green) and Some Like It Hot (a deep cherry red) — will be launched with the GTS Maloo, and will also be offered on MY15 HSV models in place of Karma (a regal blue) and Fantale (a very vivid orange) from later this year.
"We have been working on this project for a couple of years now," said HSV managing director, Tim Jackson. "There are a number of unique elements required to integrate the LSA into the Maloo platform, and significant time in getting all the safety and performance technologies to operate effectively. Every time we launch a vehicle is an exciting time, but we believe the GTS Maloo is something special and sets a new benchmark in the performance market."
HSV is yet to announce performance figures for the GTS Maloo, nor has it referenced an official payload capacity. But motoring.com.au will provide you with a good idea of both when the GTS Maloo passes through our garage in a few short weeks. Stay tuned.
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