GM pickup truck plant announcement yesterday

[Jstpssng]

I come in narrow streets less than two times a year. For Dutch understandings, my S70 is rather large. Yet it offers more leg room than my Canadian cousins Buick Roadmaster. Its just that North American body-on-frame designs were lightyears behind. Thats why Ford uses the Volvo P3 platform (S80) for the current Crown Victoria, and that nearly all American vans are replaced by European unibody or integrated frame designs. Ford sells the Euro Transit, Mercedes the Sprinter, Ram the Fiat Ducato, GM a Jap Nissan.

The bottom line is that a van is bought for practicality and a truck for bragging rights. Which is why the Sprinter changed an entire vehicle class in the US, with all other manufacturers following.

I guess that's a difference of opinions. What is the advantage of your van vs a pickup? I could conceivably haul most of the things in a van that I do in my pickup; yet it wouldn't be as practical. How would I load the 800 lb rototiller which I haul back and forth between the family property and mine? Other things that I carry, such as gas, diesel, pigs, poultry would fit in a van; but then I would be stuck smelling them. Besides, it's much safer to haul things like firewood or my ATV isolated and strapped in the pickup bed if I ever do need to stop fast. I always seem to have something in back... right now it has 100 gallons of water that will go to my livestock and garden.

Then again maybe I do just like to brag because I have a slightly rusty, tired pickup.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Yeah......that’s still a hatchback.




.

Sigh.......
There's a difference in a hatchback and an SUV. The crossover is a mix of the two.

 

[Btown]

That, sir, is a hatchback.

Disguised as a station wagon.

 

[Btown]

Yeah......that’s still a hatchback.




.

The Jetta Sport Wagon, now labeled Golf Sport Wagon is a station wagon just like the Subaru. . Like the good old saying goes. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck. I agree no one wants to drive a station wagon. It just sounds bad and brings back memories of wood paneled wagons of the 70’s and 80’s. And yes the Golf wagon is available lifted with AWD.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Nice vw truck!

Too bad it looks like an suv, walks like an suv, and talks like an suv.

 

[Renze]

I guess that's a difference of opinions. What is the advantage of your van vs a pickup?

We have a Nissan pickup at work, but its pretty useless. To load a few pallets of plasma cut welding parts we still take the trailer because you cant load 2 ton in the Nissans bed. When taking a MIG wrlder to a jobsite you have plastic flapping around in the wind, because you dont want to transport your 8000 euro pulse mig in the rain. You cant take it to a job in the Western Netherlands because all your tools are exposed in an open bed and they steal like ravens in the cities. And you need to tie down every single piece in the bed, because the wind can pick it up. Also, when forklift loading, you easily damage the tailgate, where with a van, the doors move out of the way and you can shove things with the forklift up till the mast hits the bumper. And you can load a pallet through the side door too.

Pickups are only good for hauling inexpensive stuff in the bed, that doesnt get stolen, is heavy or large enough to tie down easily, and is rain proof. For which i take one of my trailers, a small single axle 750kg or the 2.5 ton tandem. Tools like chainsaws and angle grinders, i only haul in the boot.

 

[Jstpssng]

We have a Nissan pickup at work, but its pretty useless. To load a few pallets of plasma cut welding parts we still take the trailer because you cant load 2 ton in the Nissans bed. When taking a MIG wrlder to a jobsite you have plastic flapping around in the wind, because you dont want to transport your 8000 euro pulse mig in the rain. You cant take it to a job in the Western Netherlands because all your tools are exposed in an open bed and they steal like ravens in the cities. And you need to tie down every single piece in the bed, because the wind can pick it up. Also, when forklift loading, you easily damage the tailgate, where with a van, the doors move out of the way and you can shove things with the forklift up till the mast hits the bumper. And you can load a pallet through the side door too.

Pickups are only good for hauling inexpensive stuff in the bed, that doesnt get stolen, is heavy or large enough to tie down easily, and is rain proof. For which i take one of my trailers, a small single axle 750kg or the 2.5 ton tandem. Tools like chainsaws and angle grinders, i only haul in the boot.

Anything that I tie down in the pickup I also would tie down in a van. There's something about having 1000 lbs of steel in my lap after stopping quick that doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Renze]

....i mean, a truck has become such a household item in American culture that most people would feel funny driving a van... unless its the fleetmanager at work who decides what the company will have you drive, the fleetmanager takes in account the total cost of ownership plus the savings in prevented cargo theft and wheather damage.

 

[4570Man]

We have a Nissan pickup at work, but its pretty useless. To load a few pallets of plasma cut welding parts we still take the trailer because you cant load 2 ton in the Nissans bed. When taking a MIG wrlder to a jobsite you have plastic flapping around in the wind, because you dont want to transport your 8000 euro pulse mig in the rain. You cant take it to a job in the Western Netherlands because all your tools are exposed in an open bed and they steal like ravens in the cities. And you need to tie down every single piece in the bed, because the wind can pick it up. Also, when forklift loading, you easily damage the tailgate, where with a van, the doors move out of the way and you can shove things with the forklift up till the mast hits the bumper. And you can load a pallet through the side door too.

Pickups are only good for hauling inexpensive stuff in the bed, that doesnt get stolen, is heavy or large enough to tie down easily, and is rain proof. For which i take one of my trailers, a small single axle 750kg or the 2.5 ton tandem. Tools like chainsaws and angle grinders, i only haul in the boot.

I only have a suburban that comes with more limitations than the van but I agree on all points. And the trailers are much easier to load and secure the load on vs the pickup bed. I have a dump truck for doing actual truck stuff. Pickup beds suck.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I remember back in the 80s, the business owners wife refused to let her husband park a company van in their upscale neighborhood driveway, on account of it being, just too blue collar! I could see if it was on going, but it was a one night only affair.