Houston Cars

Meet the latest blatant copy of Honda’s Ridgeline “truck”.  Toyota created the hideous A-Bat ( that I purposefully didn’t write about ) and now GMC has the Denali XT.  The Denali XT will ride on the Zeta platform, which also underpins the upcoming Pontiac G8.  Under the hood is a 326 HP 4.9 liter version of GM’s small-block V8, and it can run on regular old unleaded gasoline as well as that E85 ethanol stuff.  Oh, and there’s a two-mode hybrid system hooked up in there too, in case the E85 didn’t get your blood pumping. 

Towing capacity should be right around 3500 lbs, with a 1,100 lb payload capacity.  The bed is 55″ long, by 47.5″ wide, which isn’t horrible considering the size of today’s truck beds.  The Denali XT also has a Midgate to help out if the bed isn’t quite long enough. 

Out back is - you guessed it - independent rear suspension.  As in sedan suspension.  As in, not pickup truck suspension.  Sigh.  Maybe Honda sells more Ridgelines elsewhere in the country, because it’s extremely rare that I see one around here.  Except gathering dust on dealer’s lots, that is.  I applaud GM for building another hybrid ( at least in concept form ).  And the idea of a car-based trucklet isn’t a horrible one.  With the right styling / setup, they could have a new El Camino.  Copying the Ridgeline styling in such an obvious manner is a no-no though, and kills this car for me long before it ever sees production.