Smile! Load launch control and 100 extra horses make 536hp Maloo mega pick up

VAUXHALL only sells one pick up these days, but the new Maloo mega pick up gets seriously down and dirty with more than 530 horses from a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 in what’s known as a ‘ute’ Down Under!

While rivals clean up emissions and fuel economy, the stock Maloo LSA is guaranteed to turn heads with a 100 extra horses from its all-new, supercharged 6.2-litre, 536bhp V8 engine for Porsche 911-matching performance.

The Vauxhall Maloo LSA will haul up to 540kgs from standstill to sixty in an unfeasibly short space of time, and do so with the utmost composure, despite the fact that it’s classed as a commercial vehicle – business users can even claim the VAT back from its very reasonable £54,500 on-the-road price.

For 2016, the new LSA engine brings maximum power up from 431PS for the outgoing LS3 V8 to 536bhp, and an increase in torque from 570Nm to 671Nm.

First seen in the current VXR8 GTS launched last year, the LSA is essentially the same unit fitted to the Camaro ZL1, albeit in a slightly re-tuned form.

An Eaton 4-lobe supercharger, stand-alone water-to-air charge-air cooling system and high-flow exhaust system with bi-modal exhaust function turn the Maloo into the fastest production ‘ute’ manufactured in Australia, and the fastest CV available in the UK.

Cab of the new Maloo

To cater for the extra 105PS of power and 101Nm of torque compared with the outgoing Maloo, modifications have been made to the vehicle’s chassis. Spring and damper rates have been stiffened to reduce body-roll and further improve turn-in, while the unique rear suspension module delivers improved rear stiffness and rear braking efficiency.

Also now standard on the Maloo LSA are Launch Control (manual models only), a limited slip differential, sat-nav, Bluetooth, Onyx Leather trim, and EDI (Enhanced Driver Interface).

In addition to more power and standard equipment, the 2016 Maloo also benefits from a raft of exterior styling upgrades. The front end features a re-designed fascia incorporating a subtle splitter, while the addition of pitch-black bonnet air vents help deliver an even more aggressive look.

The pitch-black theme is carried through to the mirror-backs and wing-vents, with a new 20-inch, five-spoke alloy wheel design completing the styling package. Two new colours – Slipstream (vibrant blue) and Some Like it Hot (metallic red) – complement the Maloo’s fresh new look.

• Vauxhall’s VXR8 GTS, the other model in Vauxhall’s V8 rear-wheel-drive range, the five-seat, four door saloon, also has some subtle changes for 2016.
• While power remains unchanged at 585PS, and torque at 740Nm,  it too gets new bonnet vents, bumper grilles and side sills, as well as a new centre-stack arrangement inside the cabin and two new exterior colours. On-the- road price for the 2016 VXR8 is £55,500 with six-speed manual transmission and £57,200 with the six-speed auto, with oil cooler.