New times bring new trends but some things never change. One of them is the desire of younger generations for muscle cars. Even today, at the time of electrification, there is still a big demand for affordable sports cars like Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers etc. Chrysler is particularly busy in this segment. Both the Charger and Challenger bring yearly updates, even though the same generation has been around for a long time. Now, we can hear rumors that the company is about to bring another legend back – the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge.
At this point, we can only speculate, but the “Judge” moniker indicates that the new model is about to be affordable and capable. The name came with the second-generation GTO and it was reserved for a cheap performance upgrade. So, we may expect the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge to offer plenty of power for money. Others believe this could be the name for a new all-electric model.
2022 Pontiac GTO Judge Design
Despite that the nameplate is quite familiar, there is a lot of possibilities for the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge regarding the overall design. Of course, one of the first things that come to mind is the platform and here, we don’t see any other scenario than a Camaro-based layout. The two models would share most of the parts, starting from the architecture, general mechanics, engines etc.
Still, we presume that the new GTO would be slightly bigger, with a notably longer wheelbase. When it comes to the body style, the earlier generations were mostly known for a two-door sports coupe. So, we might see something similar. However, we wouldn’t exclude the possibility to see something like a four-door sedan.
2022 Pontiac GTO Judge Engines
Of course, there is always the question of the powertrain. As the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge would probably share most parts with Camaro, we presume that the engine lineup would be quite similar as well. So, the offer would probably start with a 3.6-liter V6 engine. Still, we don’t exclude the possibility to see a smaller and more efficient 2.7-liter turbo-four, which puts out around 310 horsepower and quite impressive 349 pound-feet of torque.
Naturally, V8 option is also expected. We presume that the core of the offer would be a well-known 6.2-liter V8, which puts out around 455 horsepower. Still, we wouldn’t exclude the possibility to see a smaller 5.3-liter V8 in the offer too. This one puts out around 355 horsepower. On the other hand, we don’t believe that the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge would come in a high-performance variant with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and a max output of over 650 horsepower.
All engines should come in pair with a 10-speed automatic transmission, but some variants could come with a manual gearbox too.
What Does Judge Mean?
One of the most intriguing things about the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge rumors is that “Judge” in the name. Younger generations probably don’t know, but this moniker characterized the second-generation model. It was the name for an optional performance package, which was cheap but loaded with all kinds of performance upgrades. Some of the highlights were a more powerful engine, Rally II wheels without trim rings, Hurst shifter, wider tires, various decals, rear spoiler etc.
So, we may conclude that the Judge means the new model is about to offer a lot of performance features for the money. The 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge should offer strong performance at a reasonable price but other scenarios come to our minds as well. One of them is electrification, where GM could use the famous nameplate to popularize its all-electric vehicles.
What About All-Electric 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge?
This is one of the possibilities for the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge. It’s no secret that GM is working on several all-electric models and that they are almost ready for production. Moreover, the company is about to resurrect the Hummer nameplate. So, there is no reason why we wouldn’t see the revived GTO as well. At this point, everything is possible.
If the new GTO is about to come as an all-electric car, we presume it will use the company’s new architecture called Ultium. This platform is designed for electric cars only and it supports all kinds of drivetrain configurations, as well as a wide range of battery capacities. Currently, it underpins the upcoming GMC Hummer and all-electric Silverado. Still, as the platform is scalable, we could see it in this case as well.
2022 Pontiac GTO Judge Release Date
Rumors suggest that the 2022 Pontiac GTO Judge could come already in the next year. However, there is still no official confirmation. So, this should be taken with a huge reserve, especially if we consider that the Pontiac brand doesn’t exist since 2009 and that the previous resurrection of GTO wasn’t particularly successful.