I recently had a conversation with a mate of mine who was interested in buying a “new to him” SUV for daily driver, hauling kids, mountain biking, camping and road trips, going to the home store, etc. He was looking at trucks and SUV's that were 2-3 years old, so as not to take that huge hit on depreciation but wasn't really coming up with much. The “American” SUVs are generally garbage (debate reserved for another thread) but they are cheap from a price standpoint. One could alternatively purchase something like a 5-6 year old Toyota Landcruiser and while it may command a premium over a five year old Chevy Tahoe or Chrysler Minivan, it is justifiable in my opinion. He was not interested.
The conversation then devolved into all the cool “vehicles” that we dont get here in the states. Everything from a 400 HP Mitsubishi Evolution or a 75 MPG diesel SMART Car, which can be bought right off the showroom floor in many European countries to more mundane purchases like D4D Hilux, Isuzu NPS, solid axle diesel Landcruisers, Land Rover Defenders and so on and so on. We both have our reasoning why this is the case, but that is also a topic for another thread as well.
I have long been a fan of cabover import trucks like NPR and FG, but there are downsides to them as well. Firstly, they are almost exclusively used for “work trucks” like landscaping and moving, city delivery, etc. No one goes to a Fuso dealer and buys an FE Crew Cab to replace their Chevy Suburban, at least no one that I know.
Then I thought to myself, why not? We will never likely see a new Defender 110 TD5, nor an NPS, nor a Crew Cab FG with a real transfer case and lockers. The times are changing slowly with the alleged introduction of diesels in ½ ton domestic pickups starting next year. Sadly, these will be saddled with emissions crap that do nothing more than cut emission as the expense of fuel economy, causing one to burn more diesel for a given amount of miles. They arent built worth a damn and are covered with petroleum based plastic and every electronic gadget and nanny known to man. An expo worthy rig, most are not.
So, an on paper (bar napkin) solution was quickly devised and after several minutes of R&D time at the bar, we had it all figured out. Pick your “most desirable, coolest, ROTW truck for the end all be all, do a little of everything” duty.
HDJ-78, Defender 110 TD5, Mercedes G-Wagen (diesel, non luxo-barge edition), diesel Prado, ???? (silently insert your own favourite here), but our list was pretty clear and concise, if nothing else from a principal design standpoint. No particular order and I'm sure there are plenty more choices.
So, can a crew cab, 4WD cabover fill all of these requirements as well or better than the best of the pack of 30 years of “common” SUVs and trucks? I believe they can and with some work, be a segment leader. Now you may say, “I can swap a diesel into my FJ-60” or “ECR does a 300 tdi conversion on NAS 110” or “I can build my Tahoe in to the greatest expedition vehicle ever” and you would certainly be correct on all accounts, well maybe not the Tahoe. With enough time and money and resources, one can do just about anything imaginable, but that is not the point here. Even those trucks are limited.
The point is that, for the most part, people don't want “practical”. They dont want a G-Wagen with paper thin door cards and a rubber mat over a steel painted floor. They dont want manual roll up windows, they dont want a choice of three exterior colours, they dont want a loud heavy diesel that will go 400,000 miles without majour service work and run on anything from veggie to kerosene to transmission oil. Even in the off road and expedition worlds, those traits are not desirable by most.
The Good, the Bad and the rest of the story:
If I were able to purchase or import something like a relatively new Defender 110 or diesel Lancruiser, the price would not exactly be budget friendly. These, along with many luxury SUVs currently for sale here, are pricey. So, what could one build to create the ultimate TUV (Travel & Utility Vehicle) for the price of a shiny new luxo pickup or SUV? (50-60 grand USD)
DIESEL: “Most” cabover trucks in the US and the rest of the world come with commercial grade diesels already in them. Yes you can get a Vortec motor in an NPR if you want a gasser but they aren't that common. These diesels will run forever when properly maintained and there are commercial truck dealers and service shops in almost every city. So, not having diesel powerplant options is checked off the list. Sorry Toyota....
QUALITY: “Many” modern cars are not built the way they used to be, while some have improved over the years. Toyotas are some of the best, but I believe the 80's and 90's trucks and SUV's are better than the current crop. While this is another debate for another thread and may apply to the import cabovers as well, it is appropriate to say, “small import cabovers like FG and NPR are generally very well built.”
SPACE: If you have never been in a crew cab NPR or FE Fuso, they are CAVERNOUS, much larger than a crew cab pickup or large SUV. Yes they are boxy and may lack the styling of a Porsche Cayenne, but they are appealing in their own right. We are going for ultimate practicality, usability and function here, not to be first in line at the mall valet parking line. Sorry Porsche...
In Oz, there are nifty little beds called “tray backs” or “ute backs”, something else we don't commonly see in the states. A crew cab NPR or FG with a tray back could easily fill the role of everything that ¾ ton or 1 ton domestic pickup would do and then some. Making that flat bed easily removable, will allow you to swap a box similar to this, offering plenty of room for all things out of doors. This body allows "outdoor living" and is not for parking in a campsite or RV park and going inside to watch TV.
A Crew Cab NPR will seat 6-7 people and still offer plenty of room in the box for everyone's gear, the ability to tow a trailer and will drive as well as an SUV on the road with only minor suspension and cabin modifications (springs and shocks set for your weight and driving style and better seats.) If you need to carry more than four kids, you may want to see your doctor about having a bit of surgery.
DRIVELINE: Cabovers do not enjoy the aftermarket options that a domestic pickup or SUV might have. This means choices for wheels, lockers, gears, suspension kits, etc., are extremely limited here. However, with a bit of creativity and some time, all of that can easily be resolved. To start, you can go a LOT of places in 2WD with a locker or limited slip diff. This is not a truck for rock crawling. It is the size of a 2500 Suburban, with more room. An axle swap from a one ton pickup truck will open the world of gears, wheels and lockers and can be had for $400 - $800 each plus installation.
If you want 4WD, an AAM or Dana axle can be installed with leaf springs by any competent fabricator. Have some new driveshafts made and you are set. Converting a 2WD truck into 4WD is not for the average garage mechanic but it's not that difficult for someone who knows fabrication and understands basic vehicle design. Add in an Atlas or Lo-Max 205 transfer case and you have a 4WD NPR Doka.
ENGINE: The small diesels found in cabover trucks do not compete with Duramax 6.6L, Cummins 6.7L or Ford 6.7L for HP and torque. The question is do you “need” 400HP and 800 TQ to take your family and gear down the road to your favourite camp spot and relax a few days? Isuzu makes great diesel engines as does MFTB. If a bit more power is desired and you have the 5.2L Isuzu motor, a simple programmer will provide 250 HP and 560 foot pounds of torque. That should do nicely.
RIDE & COMFORT: One area that is lacking in a “work truck” application and again something we dont see in the states, are comfort features or “mod cons”. You dont get heated leather seats and touch screen navigation in the dash when you buy an NPR here. However, these features are simple to add. I recently found a complete set of front and rear seats (heated and cooled) from a wrecked Dodge 2500 for $2,400 and that included the brackets, center consoles and five seats. Of course, some fab work will be needed to fit them but they will be heaps more comfortable than the OEM product. Bob's you're uncle and you are the envy of every landscaping company for miles around.
Additional features like audio upgrades, window tint, rear AC, sound deadening material, etc., are all simple and non vehicle specific for the most part. You could even have a jack knife sofa in the rear if desired. Try that in your Chevy pickup. ;-)
With two body options about 10 feet long each, this truck will confidently fulfill almost every duty you could ask of it and do so with aplomb. (A mountain carving sports car it is not). So far, we have come up with the following uses by interchanging the two bodies. A “dry van” could also be added if needed.
Family travel vehicle – crew cab offers tons of room, gear storage in RV box with food/supplies. Stop and have a picnic lunch, fast food will kill you.
Daily Driver – tons of room inside, RV body could stay on for groceries and errands. Put ice cream in
the fridge for the drive home so it does not melt ;-) Large fuel tanks, easy to drive.
Farm/Work: – flat bed holds GN ball, haul firewood, take stake-sides, move tall items, gives hay rides to the kids.
Dry Van – Moving truck, motorcycle/ATV hauler, mobile garage or workshop, bunk house/tree fort, moving truck ;-)
RV Box – Sleeping for 2 adults, add tents and canopies for additional space. All items are secure and in locking weatherproof storage compartments. Will go anywhere a large SUV will go.
People Hauler – family vacations, mtn bike/hike day trips, camping with friends, hauls six in comfort, seven if everyone is skinny.
Stealth Camper – pull over anywhere climb in the back and “camp” does not stand out in the crowd.
Expedition/Extended Travel – Robust engine and chassis, no worries taking it on 10,000 mile trips. A modern SUV or truck should be able to do this, but these are not as good or flexible IMO.
I could go on and on about design and features and flexibility but I am 100% convinced that withsome planning and engineering, there is almost nothing these trucks can't do. That said, I have yet to convince my still skeptical buddy that this is the truck for him. So, he will be a sheeple and buy an SUV. I, on the other hand, will continue to dream about solid axle Landcruisers, VW Amarok's and D4D Hilux pickups until, that is, I can build my do it all cabover truck.
Cheers,
Dzl
The conversation then devolved into all the cool “vehicles” that we dont get here in the states. Everything from a 400 HP Mitsubishi Evolution or a 75 MPG diesel SMART Car, which can be bought right off the showroom floor in many European countries to more mundane purchases like D4D Hilux, Isuzu NPS, solid axle diesel Landcruisers, Land Rover Defenders and so on and so on. We both have our reasoning why this is the case, but that is also a topic for another thread as well.
I have long been a fan of cabover import trucks like NPR and FG, but there are downsides to them as well. Firstly, they are almost exclusively used for “work trucks” like landscaping and moving, city delivery, etc. No one goes to a Fuso dealer and buys an FE Crew Cab to replace their Chevy Suburban, at least no one that I know.
Then I thought to myself, why not? We will never likely see a new Defender 110 TD5, nor an NPS, nor a Crew Cab FG with a real transfer case and lockers. The times are changing slowly with the alleged introduction of diesels in ½ ton domestic pickups starting next year. Sadly, these will be saddled with emissions crap that do nothing more than cut emission as the expense of fuel economy, causing one to burn more diesel for a given amount of miles. They arent built worth a damn and are covered with petroleum based plastic and every electronic gadget and nanny known to man. An expo worthy rig, most are not.
So, an on paper (bar napkin) solution was quickly devised and after several minutes of R&D time at the bar, we had it all figured out. Pick your “most desirable, coolest, ROTW truck for the end all be all, do a little of everything” duty.
HDJ-78, Defender 110 TD5, Mercedes G-Wagen (diesel, non luxo-barge edition), diesel Prado, ???? (silently insert your own favourite here), but our list was pretty clear and concise, if nothing else from a principal design standpoint. No particular order and I'm sure there are plenty more choices.
So, can a crew cab, 4WD cabover fill all of these requirements as well or better than the best of the pack of 30 years of “common” SUVs and trucks? I believe they can and with some work, be a segment leader. Now you may say, “I can swap a diesel into my FJ-60” or “ECR does a 300 tdi conversion on NAS 110” or “I can build my Tahoe in to the greatest expedition vehicle ever” and you would certainly be correct on all accounts, well maybe not the Tahoe. With enough time and money and resources, one can do just about anything imaginable, but that is not the point here. Even those trucks are limited.
The point is that, for the most part, people don't want “practical”. They dont want a G-Wagen with paper thin door cards and a rubber mat over a steel painted floor. They dont want manual roll up windows, they dont want a choice of three exterior colours, they dont want a loud heavy diesel that will go 400,000 miles without majour service work and run on anything from veggie to kerosene to transmission oil. Even in the off road and expedition worlds, those traits are not desirable by most.
The Good, the Bad and the rest of the story:
If I were able to purchase or import something like a relatively new Defender 110 or diesel Lancruiser, the price would not exactly be budget friendly. These, along with many luxury SUVs currently for sale here, are pricey. So, what could one build to create the ultimate TUV (Travel & Utility Vehicle) for the price of a shiny new luxo pickup or SUV? (50-60 grand USD)
DIESEL: “Most” cabover trucks in the US and the rest of the world come with commercial grade diesels already in them. Yes you can get a Vortec motor in an NPR if you want a gasser but they aren't that common. These diesels will run forever when properly maintained and there are commercial truck dealers and service shops in almost every city. So, not having diesel powerplant options is checked off the list. Sorry Toyota....
QUALITY: “Many” modern cars are not built the way they used to be, while some have improved over the years. Toyotas are some of the best, but I believe the 80's and 90's trucks and SUV's are better than the current crop. While this is another debate for another thread and may apply to the import cabovers as well, it is appropriate to say, “small import cabovers like FG and NPR are generally very well built.”
SPACE: If you have never been in a crew cab NPR or FE Fuso, they are CAVERNOUS, much larger than a crew cab pickup or large SUV. Yes they are boxy and may lack the styling of a Porsche Cayenne, but they are appealing in their own right. We are going for ultimate practicality, usability and function here, not to be first in line at the mall valet parking line. Sorry Porsche...
In Oz, there are nifty little beds called “tray backs” or “ute backs”, something else we don't commonly see in the states. A crew cab NPR or FG with a tray back could easily fill the role of everything that ¾ ton or 1 ton domestic pickup would do and then some. Making that flat bed easily removable, will allow you to swap a box similar to this, offering plenty of room for all things out of doors. This body allows "outdoor living" and is not for parking in a campsite or RV park and going inside to watch TV.
A Crew Cab NPR will seat 6-7 people and still offer plenty of room in the box for everyone's gear, the ability to tow a trailer and will drive as well as an SUV on the road with only minor suspension and cabin modifications (springs and shocks set for your weight and driving style and better seats.) If you need to carry more than four kids, you may want to see your doctor about having a bit of surgery.
DRIVELINE: Cabovers do not enjoy the aftermarket options that a domestic pickup or SUV might have. This means choices for wheels, lockers, gears, suspension kits, etc., are extremely limited here. However, with a bit of creativity and some time, all of that can easily be resolved. To start, you can go a LOT of places in 2WD with a locker or limited slip diff. This is not a truck for rock crawling. It is the size of a 2500 Suburban, with more room. An axle swap from a one ton pickup truck will open the world of gears, wheels and lockers and can be had for $400 - $800 each plus installation.
If you want 4WD, an AAM or Dana axle can be installed with leaf springs by any competent fabricator. Have some new driveshafts made and you are set. Converting a 2WD truck into 4WD is not for the average garage mechanic but it's not that difficult for someone who knows fabrication and understands basic vehicle design. Add in an Atlas or Lo-Max 205 transfer case and you have a 4WD NPR Doka.
ENGINE: The small diesels found in cabover trucks do not compete with Duramax 6.6L, Cummins 6.7L or Ford 6.7L for HP and torque. The question is do you “need” 400HP and 800 TQ to take your family and gear down the road to your favourite camp spot and relax a few days? Isuzu makes great diesel engines as does MFTB. If a bit more power is desired and you have the 5.2L Isuzu motor, a simple programmer will provide 250 HP and 560 foot pounds of torque. That should do nicely.
RIDE & COMFORT: One area that is lacking in a “work truck” application and again something we dont see in the states, are comfort features or “mod cons”. You dont get heated leather seats and touch screen navigation in the dash when you buy an NPR here. However, these features are simple to add. I recently found a complete set of front and rear seats (heated and cooled) from a wrecked Dodge 2500 for $2,400 and that included the brackets, center consoles and five seats. Of course, some fab work will be needed to fit them but they will be heaps more comfortable than the OEM product. Bob's you're uncle and you are the envy of every landscaping company for miles around.
Additional features like audio upgrades, window tint, rear AC, sound deadening material, etc., are all simple and non vehicle specific for the most part. You could even have a jack knife sofa in the rear if desired. Try that in your Chevy pickup. ;-)
With two body options about 10 feet long each, this truck will confidently fulfill almost every duty you could ask of it and do so with aplomb. (A mountain carving sports car it is not). So far, we have come up with the following uses by interchanging the two bodies. A “dry van” could also be added if needed.
Family travel vehicle – crew cab offers tons of room, gear storage in RV box with food/supplies. Stop and have a picnic lunch, fast food will kill you.
Daily Driver – tons of room inside, RV body could stay on for groceries and errands. Put ice cream in
the fridge for the drive home so it does not melt ;-) Large fuel tanks, easy to drive.
Farm/Work: – flat bed holds GN ball, haul firewood, take stake-sides, move tall items, gives hay rides to the kids.
Dry Van – Moving truck, motorcycle/ATV hauler, mobile garage or workshop, bunk house/tree fort, moving truck ;-)
RV Box – Sleeping for 2 adults, add tents and canopies for additional space. All items are secure and in locking weatherproof storage compartments. Will go anywhere a large SUV will go.
People Hauler – family vacations, mtn bike/hike day trips, camping with friends, hauls six in comfort, seven if everyone is skinny.
Stealth Camper – pull over anywhere climb in the back and “camp” does not stand out in the crowd.
Expedition/Extended Travel – Robust engine and chassis, no worries taking it on 10,000 mile trips. A modern SUV or truck should be able to do this, but these are not as good or flexible IMO.
I could go on and on about design and features and flexibility but I am 100% convinced that withsome planning and engineering, there is almost nothing these trucks can't do. That said, I have yet to convince my still skeptical buddy that this is the truck for him. So, he will be a sheeple and buy an SUV. I, on the other hand, will continue to dream about solid axle Landcruisers, VW Amarok's and D4D Hilux pickups until, that is, I can build my do it all cabover truck.
Cheers,
Dzl
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