Proton is a Malaysian car manufacturer which sells its vehicles worldwide. The company designed both passenger and utility vehicles.
The Jumbuck was a compact pickup which had a pretty versatile character, aimed especially at small business owners or farmers.
The pickup’s suspension and body control was tweaked by Lotus Engineering. The Proton Jumbuck uses an innovative ’torquebox’ that connects the passenger car monocoque of the Proton Persona sedan to a ladder type rear chassis. This construction gives the Jumbuck a stronger frame which helps it deal with a maximum payload of 570 kg. The vehicle was offered only with front wheel drive configuration and had a starting price of $15.490.
The previous generation SsangYong pickup was launched in 2007 and was a surprisingly good product offering a high class interior comfort, capable engines and reasonable road manners. Price also worked in Actyon’s advantage, but the exterior design was anything but charming.
After five years, SsangYong decided to come up with a new generation which keeps all the good attributes of the previous model and also features a more attractive exterior design.
With a starting price of $26.990, the new Actyon Pick-up continues to be one of the most affordable double cab pickups from the market.
Under the hood, you’ll find an upgraded 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine which delivers a maximum output of 155 hp. The truck continues to be available with both 2WD and 4WD configurations.
The Dacia Logan Van completes the wide Logan lineup which consists of a MCV, a Sedan and even a Pick-up.
The Dacia Logan Van is a pretty practical compact van, designed especially for commercial applications. The vehicle is basically an MCV with the rear seats removed and the rear windows paneled off which give it a typical van look.
The van has a payload capacity of up to 800 kg and it’s offered with a choice of two diesels and one petrol unit.
With a starting price of only $8500 (exluding taxes), the Dacia Logan Van is one of the most affordable compact vans found on today’s market.
SsangYong find it hard to survive during these difficult economic conditions, but somehow it managed to remain in the competition and continues to sale its vehicles worldwide.
The manufacturer is especially known for its SUVs and pick-ups which come with an affordable price tag and are fitted with all modern common sense features.
The 2007 Actyon Sports pickup was sold until 2012 when it was replaced by the new generation. The old model was offered with both 2WD and 4WD configurations and was powered by either a petrol or a diesel engine. The vehicle features a ladder frame chassis and has a kerb weight of 1900 kg.
Great Wall is a less known Chinese automotive company, which recently has started to sell vehicles in Europe too. The Steed was the first Chinese vehicle launched on the UK market and it’s basically a four door double cab pick-up priced pretty competitively at $22.000.
Offered only in two wheel drive configuration, Great Wall Steed is equipped with a 2.0 liter engine which comes with a variable geometry turbocharger. The engine churns out 143 hp and it is married to a six speed manual gearbox.
The truck has a gross vehicle weight of 2,885kg with a maximum payload of 1,095kg. When properly equipped, the Great Wall Steed can tow up to 2,000kg.
Service intervals are set at 10,000 miles, and the vehicle is covered by a three-year/60,000 mile mechanical warranty.
After it was brought by Renault, Dacia’s destiny has finally started to have a bright future. The first model launched under Renault’s ownership was the Logan.
With a small price tag and cheap costs of ownership, Dacia’s new budget car is sold in good numbers on the emergent markets. After seeing how surprisingly successful was the Logan sedan, Renault decided to extended the range and also came with an MPV, a Van and even a Pick-up version of its model.
The Dacia Logan Pick-up was launched in 2008 and was basically a Logan sedan with the rear end chopped off. The Logan Pick-up has a maximum payload capacity of 800 kg and its engines lineup includes two diesels and one petrol unit.
The Jeep Comanche was based on the Cherokee model and was sold between 1985 and 1992. The pickup truck was legendary for its sharp off road skills and for its bullet proof reliability.
The Comanche was available with both two wheel drive and four wheel drive configurations and came with two bed lengths measuring six-feet and seven-feet. At its time, the Comanche was the cheapest Jeep in the company’s lineup.
The vehicle was launched with a choice of three engines including the AMC 150 2.5 L, 150 CID I4, General Motors’s LR2 2.8 L V6 and the Renault 2.1 L I4 turbo diesel.
The Subaru Baja was sold in only one generation being available between 2002 and 2006. The idea behind the Baja, was to develop a vehicle which came with an all wheel drive, four passenger carrying capability and an open bed at the back. Basically Subaru wanted to create a vehicle that combines the handling and comfort of a conventional passenger car with the practicality of a pickup truck, a concept that can be also found at many American small pickups.
The Subaru Baja had a unibody design and shared many common elements with the Legacy and Outback models.
The Subaru Baja was available only with a double cab configuration and was powered by a 2.4 liter flat-4 engine.
The Mark LT is Lincoln’s second attempt to design a luxurious pickup after failing with the Blackwood model that was sold for only one year. Lincoln’s first luxury pickup was highly criticized for its lack of practicality and the not-so-luxurious cabin. However the company didn’t give up and decided to try it’s luck once more with the Mark LT.
The new luxury pickup was launched in 2006 and features a smarter style mixed with a longer load bed and a modern looking cab. The vehicle is based on the four door version of the Ford F-150 pickup and it’s powered by Ford’s 5.8 liter Triton V8.
Any usual pickup buyer is interested about tow ratings, cargo capacity or price/value ratio. Though, there are some people who don’t give a damn about these figures and are ready to pay a huge amount of money for something that doesn’t offer four-wheel drive, comes with a half long bed, and drinks oil like the Drunken Master.
This is exactly the case for Lincoln’s Blackwood luxury pickup launched on the market in 2002.
The Lincoln Blackwood is based on the Navigator SUV and has a double cab configuration. Under the hood there was a strong 300 hp V8 unit and the starting price was set at not less than $52.000.
The Lincoln Blackwood was sold in a pretty limited edition with only 10.000 units being built and its direct competitor was the Cadillac Escalade EXT.
