TRUCKNESS.

Sure I’m not the only one glad to see a resurgence of quality content on the Jalopnik front page.

This article, by their best writer, in my opinion.

Raises the interesting point of what is the appeal of a ‘TRUCK’?

Nevermind if it has a bed or not, there is something about a certain type of vehicle, that gives it an appeal different from a more car/urban type of feeling, from something that might be just as capable, but doesn’t push the same buttons as a TRUCK.

These are my thoughts on it.

As a life long, fast car freak. I only ever had a passing interest in 4x4's. Enjoying fast cars is getting to be either an prohibitively illegal, or a prohibitively expensive exercise.

We toured Australia when we first came here, in a Ford Station Wagon. I never thought of using anything but a car (coming from the UK, where almost no one needs a 4x4, of course now they sell shit loads). It served the purpose just fine, and we had a great adventure.

However, my first cross country journey as part of an Army ‘Advance Party’ opened my eyes to the idea of using a 4x4 for touring. So, of course I bought a Range Rover. I’ve documented how much I loved that truck.

For the first time in my life I enjoyed driving slowly. Army mates used to make a joke out of it. But the the points made in Raph’s article were true, and still hold true today in a truck for me.

Yes, there was a whole dump truck load of nostagia in there. Plus the Land Rover community, the feeling of being Lord of the Manor, etc, etc. However, it also felt like most of it was built to cross continents, if not half way round the world (insert all Land Rover reliability jokes here *** ).

Dragging my mates crashed Renault Megane 225 after he had a ambition/skill mis-alignment. Rescuing another mates work van that found itself balanced precariously on the edge of a steep slope. Oh, you wanna go up there? No problem. Whatever, it always felt like it had capability in spades.

Eventually the RRC had to go. Next up was the Pajero, and it just wasn’t the same.

No sense of occasion when taking the controls. Just like a big anonymous car.

Just me? I would have thought so, but N noticed it too. She would complain how people would pull out and cut her off in the Paj, whereas they wouldn’t in the Rangie. Neither of us ever gelled with it.

For me, everytime you got in you felt like you were going to the shops, rather that going to the desert. Anyway as regular readers will know, that didn’t last long.

The 105 couldn’t feel more truck-like. Perhaps Toyota’s last tilt at an ape in a suit. Jumping in, seeing the overly large simple control buttons (so you can work them with gloves) and feeling the slight rock of the seperate body/chassis as the large, under-stressed drivetrain takes up the strain. Where should we go? Round the block, or take up the call of the wild?

I totally get the appeal of TRUCK.