I like words. I like writing them, playing with them, defining them and defiling them. And automotive terminology is something I adore twice, because I also love cars. But is it keeping up with the trends? I’m all for inventing new terms if current ones are imprecise. Take this Toyota bB Open Deck, which I photographed recently. It’s not really a pickup. It’s not quite a ute, either. Well, what is it then?
There used to be a thing called a coupé utility, which is where our Australian friends got their “ute” from. I assume that the coupé part of the term means that the car is a two-door – as indeed utes tend to be. The bB Open Deck is a four-door, which kind of puts it into a different category.
So would we call this a sedan utility? Certainly not a double-cab pickup, right? I mean, it’s not in the pickup category by any stretch – or is it? I don’t know. It’s not something I can assign a word to with 100% certainty.
But then you’d also have the “wagon utility.” Those have cropped up here and there, some in unlikely places. I’m sure South America has produced a few. One that I’ve always had a soft spot for is the Dacia 1309. It’s essentially a Renault 12 wagon with the rear chopped off. But you could also get a Dacia pickup (two doors, separate bed), and double-cab pickup (four doors, separate bed). The Roumanians sure had a knack for chopping the R12 to suit their fancy.
On the JDM, a number of kei vans have adopted this body style – this is a recent Daihatsu Hijet, for instance. So those would be… “van utilities”? I’m lost. We need some fresh terminology here. Pickup trucks are pickup trucks. These saloon/wagon/van-based vehicles are something else, and they may not be that common, but they’re not exactly extinct, either. The “utility” tag feels both cumbersome and outdated, so… what should we call these?
The Toyota bb Open Deck looks like there should be a frail old woman walking behind it hanging on to the handles.
XUV – Xtra Utility Vehicle. Used explicitly or implicitly by a few manufacturers.
I do love these oddball JDM models, I think I’ve seen one on the street at some point.
Four doors and a little pick-up bed – shall we call it a Junior Crew Cab ?
+1 Mini crew cab.
It’s a pickup van. Perfect for a thimble of mulch.
Or Vanup, as I’ve called them before: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-mitsubishi-van-up-the-remodelers-truck/
And the xB Open Deck is of course a Boxup.
If a supporting image can’t be readily supplied. Some might visualize this. Without additional doors: 🙂
snatchback
Micro Utility Vehicle, for small-scale professional jobs. Moving dollhouse furniture or bonsai gardening, for instance.
“MUV over! I’m workin’ here!”
Love it. MUV that thang.
Could also stand for “Minimally Useful Vehicle”.
Microcrewcab?
Since they are so versatile , independent from size and niche , they could be called mescolanza ( sort of mixing without limits , in Latin argots )
Thankfully, this is a tiny niche in most markets. If this segment caught on, a manufacturer (or more specifically their ad agency) would try their best to come up with a catchy name that would name their product and equally attempt to popularly define the segment.
“Do you suffer from the heartbreak of Overly Aspirational Truck Syndrome? Stop feeling your OATS and ask your car-sales professional whether a Tiny Right-sized Utility is for you. TRU-car: it’s Just Right.”
The old VW Type II double cab with short pickup platform was the pioneer .
Then was the turn of Citroën’s ideas with the introduction of unclassified Mehari .
Thinking under these profiles , the above shown Dacia 1309 looks very well designed.
You CC Editors should post the picture of
FSO Polonez half sedan -half cargo , which follows the concept of rarity’s unnamed niche
When I was in Japan in the late 80s I saw a couple of these utility vehicles but in larger sizes, usually a Toyota, but sometimes a Nissan. They often appeared to be a sort of 4 door, Japanese El Camino.
MYnute. MI-nute? MINE-ute? (say them out loud.. )
Can’t think of a name but love how the Japanese can hone in on a segment opportunity. That Hijet is awesome!! I gather we will get the Renault Oroch, a four door pickup version of the Duster, soon in South Africa, and can see it doing well on price and size.
Pickups with really small beds.
‘Minipopemobile’ seems the best visual description, but lacks a certain sizzle.
Agree the top one could be a Mini-Popemobile.
So in keeping with the current trend to turn everything into acronyms, an MPM?
That kind of works.
If you put a seat in the bed, it would be a true landau. So maybe it’s a landaute.
Nano Utility Tiny Truck Itinerant
It provides for a suitable acronym also.
Subaru did this with the Legacy Outback and called it the Subaru Baja, but it didn’t last very long IIRC.
Shriners Parade Car . . . with grab handles for the head MUCKyDEMUCK
On the websites of companies that import the Japanese ones into the USA, I see them referred to as “deck vans”. Example
https://www.minitruckdealer.com/stock_list2/type/deck%20van/
Personally I would find a stretched bed a little more practical, to carry a few passengers plus a longer cargo, but I’ve never seen one like that. Even with the short bed, I think they are the cutest mini trucks. Would buy one in a minute for in-town use except for crash safety concerns, and I’ve never seen one on the road in my state so there may be no street legal loophole in my locale.
Useless?
Waste of space
Well, obviously it’s a Vanility.
Btw, as regards them Australians, whaddya mean, “friends”?
Sorry, slip of the keyboard. I meant “fiends” of course…
Stubby
Cpupe utility meant it was a two seater with coupe style roof though coupes werent built by Ford of OZ thats why they were raiding NZ for them in recent years, the Dacia is a twin cab the BB isgawd know what.
Toaster truck!