Vauxhall Maloo updated with LSA

VAUXHALL will offer the HSV-built Maloo ute in the United Kingdom with the same 6.2-litre supercharged LSA engine as the Australian car from 2016.

Known as the Vauxhall Maloo LSA, the single pick-up in Vauxhall’s catalogue is touted as the country’s fastest commercial vehicle, with UK businesses eligible to claim back the valued-added tax (VAT) built into the car’s base £54,500 ($114,086) driveaway price.

The Maloo LSA scores the same detuned version of Chevrolet’s LSA 6.2-litre supercharged V8, backed by either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto with steering wheel paddles. Both transmission types are backed by a limited slip diff.

The LSA engine – a version of the Camaro ZL1 engine with a reduced supercharger pump volume – makes 394kW and 671Nm, which is 6kW shy of the claimed output figure for the HSV R8 Maloo sold here.

HSV’s marketing and planning manager Damon Paull told GoAuto that the Maloo sent to the UK is, for all intents and purposes, the same car that is delivered locally.

“The changes are relatively minor,” he said. “The speedo is in MPH, a rear foglamp is fitted to satisfy standards and badging on the car is changed, including a new ID badge in the interior, a new infotainment screen logo and seat stitching.

“There’s still HSV identifiers in the car, in particular the HSV logo on the steering wheel remains in place.”

Mr Paull said the UK had taken between 20 and 30 HSVs a year over the last two years, with the majority of the sales being for the HSV GTS-based Vauxhall VXR8 sedan.

“The UK has just ordered its first three customer Maloo LSAs,” he confirmed.

As with the GTS, the Maloo chassis required considerable reworking to enable the low-slung LSA to fit in under the bonnet. A new rear cradle, driveshaft, engine mounts and more were engineered in, while stiffer springs and retuned dampers were also added.

Launch control for manual models only, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, leather trim, and an enhanced driver interface is also standard.

20-inch, five-spoke alloy rims join two new colours – Slipstream blue and Some Like it Hot red – round off the Maloo LSA’s tweaks.

The sedan version, known as the VXR8 GTS, also scores some subtle changes for 2016. Power remains unchanged at 430kW and torque at 740Nm, but new bonnet vents, bumper grilles and side sills, as well as a new centre-stack arrangement inside the cabin and two new exterior colours, have been added.

On the road in the UK, the 2016 VXR8 sells for £55,500 ($115,132) with a six-speed manual transmission and £57,200 ($119,737) with a six-speed auto.

Local pricing for the Maloo R8 is $76,990 plus on-road costs, while the equivalent GTS sedan costs $98,490 before ORCs.