What it's Like to Buy and Own a Kei Truck

Do you own a kei truck? Probably not. But you want to own a kei truck.

These little pickups are gaining popularity and are even road-legal in places, such as Washington state. Not only are they fun, but they can be great little work horses, too. The one pictured above is a Suzuki Carry belonging to our good friend, Tuan. He calls it ... are you ready for this? ... Carry Potter. 

Tuan wrote a great article all about the buying and owning experience on our sister site, Crankshaft Culture. It's a really fun and insightful read for anyone thinking of buying one of these.

You can also follow Crankshaft Culture on Instagram @crankshaftculture.

For Sale: 1971 Toyota Hilux

The Toyota Hilux is the quintessential old-school Toyota pickup. We found this one for sale in Eastern Oregon and it could make for a cool project. So much potential for these awesome little pickups. And who doesn't love dog-dish hubcaps?

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Custom Daihatsu Midget II Thinks it's a 1935-1937 Ford ... Sorta

What the actual hell is this? I mean, I know what it is, but what the hell?

Well, it's technically a 1996 Daihatsu Midget II kei truck. Yes, the same one everyone drove in Gran Turismo. However, this one has been, well, customized to look like a 1935-1937 Ford if you're on acid. These are weird little beasts to begin with, but how do you make a weird car even weirder? Do I even need to explain? Look at at this damn thing.

Project SJK: Restoring a Classic Suzuki SJ410k Pickup

Have you ever wanted to do an automotive restoration but simply didn't think you had the skills to do it? Well there's only one way to get experience, and that's by diving in and doing it. That's exactly what Omri Ginzburg did with his Suzuki SJ410k restoration project.

The MINI Paceman Adventure: Off-Highway Contender or Dirt Road Pretender?

MINI released this little concept this week: The MINI Paceman Adventure. It basically takes the two-door Paceman All4, removes the back half, and makes it into a pickup. There's all-terrain tires, a roof-rack, and even an intake snorkel for, according to MINI, a "challenging river crossing." In addition, there's a modified suspension to help soak up the extra bumps off the highway, more ground clearance, auxiliary lighting, and the spare tire up on the roof.

At first, I thought this was pretty cool. I'm a big fan of adventure vehicles—cars and trucks that let you "get out" a bit farther than most people. I like the color and the wheel/tire combo. But then I got to thinking about it.

The idea of the Paceman Adventure is great: A go-anywhere go-more places AWD MINI with a pickup bed and some add-ons that make it look like it's ready for a cross-continent expedition. However, from a practicality standpoint, it would'e made much more sense to simply take a regular Paceman, remove the rear seats, and give it the "Adventure" treatment. I mean really: What are you going to do with that bed? You can hardly put anything in it, and what you could put in it is going to get wet if it rains. Many people that are into the adventure lifestyle are also into the gear. The MINI has some gear bolted on, but where are you going to put your tent, stove, cooler, and backpack?

I am a fan of giving cars the "rough-road" treatment, a term I first heard on Expedition Portal. (Think Subaru XV Crosstrek. Think Jeep Renegade.) Think regular vehicle with more ground clearance and a bit more capability. I think MINI could've made a legitimate case with the Paceman Adventure if they had just kept it as a mini SUV-like vehicle instead of a pickup configuration.

While I do have to give MINI credit for stepping outside of its smallish box, I think that the MINI Paceman Adventure is more of a pretender than a contender. It's a bunch of bolt-ons, a useless bed, and a few visual differences that try to make this MINI look like a mountain man, when in reality it ends up looking more like a poser that's just left REI.

What the Hell? VW Rabbit Pickup ... sort of

My friend Paul sent me this picture from Minnesota. This is a VW Rabbit hatchback that's been "converted" into a pickup. And yes, this used to be the five-door hatchback. This is not a real Rabbit Pickup (aka a "Caddy"). Hey,  someone likes it.

I wish I had more pictures of this Frankenrabbit, and this is the biggest I can really make the picture without making it any crappier.

Behold: The MINI El Cooperino

Behold: The MINI El Camino El Cooperino. This custom Cooper was spotted yesterday in Portland on I-205 northbound. How cool? I mean really: Who wouldn't want a MINI Coooperino? All those other variations on the MINI are great, bit this ... oh yes. It's almost as cool as the Suzuki Lapin Pickup Concept from 2002 (see below).  Plus, the MINI is actually in the U.S. Anyway, it's totally cool.

The case for the compact pickup

As you can see from yesterday's post, there's talk that Suzuki might bring a small pickup to the U.S. market. Although it seems unlikely at this point they might just be onto something.

Let's see: Ford is getting rid of the most fuel efficient pickup on the market. It is also the smallest (or close to it). That means the smallest pickup one can buy on the U.S. market will be the Chevy Colorado, which gets 18/25 for MPGs. (Ranger gets 22/27), and isn’t that small at 192” long.

And let's face it: The Colorado isn't exactly "compact" at the aforementioned 192" long, with a 111.3" wheelbase, and a curb weight of 3,718 (4WD auto).

Remember when companies offered a compact pickup? The 1990 Ford Ranger, for example, weighed nearly 1,000 lbs. less than the current 2.9-liter Colorado, and was 16" shorter. Ford sold a ton of 'em. But, over time, like most vehicles, trucks kept getting larger, and larger, and heavier and heavier, while the fuel economy dropped. I'd argue there isn't a single "compact" pickup on the U.S. market anymore. Yes, some are smaller than others, but compact? Not in my eyes.

And, just like it used to be with small, subcompact cars, if there is nothing to choose from, then of course there's not going to be high sales. Remember 5-7 years ago when people said, "There's no market for subcompacts in the U.S."? Now look at the vast choices!

The current Ranger lineup, death being imminent, is still selling OK, especially considering it's about 2.5 billion years old in automotive design life. Ford sold 6,488 Rangers in July, ’11. That’s more than the:

-Flex
-Expedition
-Fiesta
-Crown Victoria
-Transit Connect
-All of the Lincoln models (nearly combined)

If Suzuki can come with a competitively priced, fuel efficient pickup that is smaller than the Colorado/GMC Canyon (and the current Equator), they might be able to bring in people who don’t need a full-size or mid-sized pickup. This would include people like me. I’d buy one of these in a heartbeat. I don’t haul large loads, pull heavy trailers, or stow tons of gear. But from time to time, I could really use a vehicle with a pickup bed, and I enjoy off roading. I, however, also want a vehicle that gets Ranger-like (or better) fuel economy.