What’s it like to live with from a bike perspective? I drove a Ranger briefly a long while ago and my lasting memory was it was about the length of a battleship and handled about as well. Also, from memory the rear load area would have been too small to take more than a single bike without a lot of faffing…

So anyone got any bike related experience? Do they handle any better these days?

The VW Amarok is quite nice to drive as far as pick ups go but is a big old motor.

As far as fitting bikes on the back, front wheel over the tailgate with a protective pad and then ratchet strap them down.

The fil has one. It’s handy for some things but generally the worst of both worlds. Poor economy and a bit too small in the back and a small passenger area. A normal 4×4 with flexible rear space makes a lot more sense. Lots of room for passengers or a huge boot with the seats down. Probably be good for a diy uplift day.

I know a man with a Hilux pickup that bolted his front forks, sans front wheel, to a Thule bike thingy on a mount across the front of the load bead. The rest of the bike was as-is in the load area.

All told, it was more secure and more stable in the back than just having a bike laying there, or jutting over the back. Mind you, it did mean that you had to put the wheel somewhere.

Two will go in with wheels. Take the front wheels out and you can fit 3 in standing up. Stick some carpet over the tailgate and hang the forks over the back and you’ll get 5 in.

You’d have to want one for more than bike carrying duties for one to make sense.

i’ve just gone through all this as it’s time to get a new company motor, and my company where happy for me to get a Kombi Van or a pick up to save BIK tax…

In summary, the only things that have changed in pick up’s in recent years are the engines and the standard of spec. I drove a ranger, an Amarok and an Isuzu Yukon.

Honestly, they all still handle like a barge, the Veedub being marginally better. To handle the 1000Kg payload they need leaf springs on the rear. this makes them quite tail happy when they’re light and quite skippy on the motorway. The amarok was awful on fuel, late 20’s mpg and the Yukon was best being mid to late 30’s… The Veedub is indeed a big truck.

I completely discounted the Navara, L200 and HiLux as they are all seriously long in the tooth and have fairly thirsty motors or still running a 5speed box.

I then looked at a VW Sportline Kombi and was completely purturbed by any van dealers who want to spend a minute with someone who will spend £35K on a new van. I’ve written to VW and pointed out that no every van buyer wants a white basic van and the ridiculously high residuals on Sportline Kombi’s make them more cost effective than a 5 series estate and they should up their game to attract more people who want a lifestyle vehicle and not a parcel carrying box.

Bikes can go in upside down horizontally across the bed. The wheels overhang the sides a bit, but you can get 5 in that way.

I’ve run a VW Amarok for the last 12 months, before that a Mitsubishi L200 for 4 years and driven quite a few HIluxs.

The VW is pretty huge (a way wider than the L200), parking and narrow country lanes are hard work, doesn’t like corners too fast due to leaf springs, being high and weighing over 3T.

Most times I just throw my 1 bike flat in the back (can’t do this with the L200) and it really is handy. If I’m taking more than 1 bike then I’ll put a tailgate pad on and hang the front wheels over (carry about 5/6 this way).

Around 34mpg and actually drives well apart from narrow twisty country lanes as above.

I’ve always had them for BIK plus I don’t pay fuel…….if it was my own money I’d be looking at something other than a 4×4 pickup but love it as a company car/van.

VW is the best in class IMO

I don’t understand why picup’s are popular. Unpleasant to drive and not really even safe to store stuff in the back of.

@geordiemick00: I had the same experience with local VW van dealer who were helpful enough but were clueless as to what I wanted and how long it might take to get one. I then spoke to Swiss Vans who found what I wanted and delivered it the following week 8)

CHeers – reinforces my first thoughts!! I need the 4×4 aspect of it (those kerbs in Waitrose carpark are frightful, don’t you know darling 😆 )rather than the pickup so better options out there

Unless you pick carefully some pick-ups aren’t even that good from a 4×4 perspective. Most of the power going to the rear wheels which don’t have a lot of weight over them can mean some fantastic tail slides.

correct, I think the VW was an electronic version, you need a proper one with locking diff etc

I’ve just finished a ten year fling with 4×4’s and am now back in a Pre facelift T5 wondering why did I ever leave.

Those Amaroks are pants, they look the part but just don’t deliver, the engine’s too small the tyres they supply are geared for mpg rather than traction and it costs 400 quid if you clip a mirror. (they like the post facelift T5’s don’t flip back and they are so wide you can’t help but clip stuff).

The L200’s have a crap turning circle and are or were juicy when I had one, the biggest problem with tailgating bikes is the lack of security, you worry even pulling into a service station for a coffee break.

I missed the dream ride on ebay a couple of weeks back a Synchro T5 174.. gutted.

Pretty much what’s said above, not very practical in reality. I’ve got a 2010 Navara Tekna 190 which has all the toys and plenty of power in a straight line if required and I’m getting 34mpg when driving it like an old lady (the computer lies). They’re not that great in winter either IMO, as 4 wheel drive on the roads should only be used in extreme conditions, so it seems better allround to get winter tyres on your car/van. Mine even struggles in 2 wheel drive on steep wet cobble stones, so it’s rear wheel drive isn’t that good without any weight in the back. You could in theory get a lot of bikes in the back I suppose, if wheels off and/or tailgate down, I’ve seen 3 complete bikes strapped vertical into the back with tailgate down, but in reality, one bike doesn’t obviously throw in without a bit of faff. They’re probably more useful with a snugtop, but mine has a solid Tonneau which doesn’t offer much for bikes or much else. It was actually more practical, safer and easier to throw 1 or 2 complete bikes in the old Mondeo Estate.

I’ve an old ( P reg ) imported, Cyprus? Nissan D21 the model before the current Navara ( d22 ). 2.7td and it returns about 23mpg but I’m always stop starting, doing short runs and carrying a load. Its a 2×4 with optional 4×4 & high and low ratios. The 4×4 mode is fantastic. Last winter I towed both a transit van and the timberwolf chipper which it was attached to out if a water-logged field and uphill out of another field without slipping once. What I like most though is that it has a full-size double cab ( no half-cab here ) and full-size pick-up bed ( 7 foot ) ..bike and kit storage for me, sons & mates not a problem.

I also owned a Dodge double-cab pick-up with an 8′ bed. 5.2l v8 – 17mpg…but you travelled in absolute luxury…1800rpm at 70 and power on tap if needed.

…and had a ’78 Chevy C20 pick-up as a bit of a hobby. Had a transit diesel engine in it when I bought it so imported a 500bhp v8 small-block Chevy engine for it, race box,exhaust, carb etc. That was fun.

If I had a choice and done it all again for a daily driver I’d have a lpg converted Dodge. Lpg would equate to about 34mpg.

I have a 12 year old Ranger, had it from nearly new. It’s done 160k changed only a leaf spring or two and an alternator, love it. Thinking of getting a new one actually. I use it mostly for work, long stuff over the cab, 8’x4’s in the back useful bit of kit. It’s no sports car, but it keeps up in most situations. Good in winter, just load a bit of weight in the back if it’s icy or snowy.
I have had 9 bikes in the back! OK some were kids bikes and it took some care to load up.

I spent a couple of weeks at Easter driving an F250 in the US – you’d get loads of bikes in the back of that, it was enormous. Not sure it would even fit the lanes on most roads over here 🙂

The 7.3l V8 made a great noise but only got something like 12mpg on a good run and the steering wheel seemed to be attached to the front wheels by rubber bands – it was more like piloting a boat, the steering was so indirect.

Have a Toyota Tacoma 4X4, double cab, with short bed. I have a shell on mine, so easy to haul a bike, but really only 2 bikes fit with the shell. Great off-road vehicle, which gets utilized all the time here in the Southwest US—in fact necessary for some of the places I go to ride.
I have the off-road suspension, so rides a bit stiff, lot’s of clearance and handles the extreme terrain in this part of the world well. V-6, 17 mpg city, about 24 on the highway.
Spent a lot of my early years with various sports-cars, but once in the desert southwest, have only had 4X4 pickups the past 20 years.

I got driven down to Croydon and back, in a Mitsubishi Raging Bull, from Leeds last week and it was a journey from Hell. Cramped, uncomfortable and eye-wateringly thirsty. I own a Vito van and a Voyager and both beat the Mitzi hands down as everyday vehicles and bike carriers.

Plenty of people here in Oz have them…

Waterproof bags
Lots of locks
Lots of fuel
Lots of rubber

Had ones on the farm, great for moving straw bales and sheep

I haven’t tried getting a bike in my shiny new L200 yet (only picked it up on Thursday). Thus far though getting about 36mpg which isn’t too bad, and if it is anything like the Outlander that should go up as I get it run in. It is a work tool, but I am enjoying it – turning circle is a lot better than most, and I can use 4 wheel drive on normal roads since it has the Shogun system in it.

That said, it is a short bed version so not the best load hauler – perfect for my needs though (and it fits on a standard parking space too). If I didn’t need a pickup though I would have been looking at something else. My particular needs and situation gave me a choice of the L200 or a Defender!

Got to have a play with fitting bikes in/on tomorrow. I half wish I had gone with the aluminium tonneau and fitted bike racks to that (did something similar with a Navara in the past), but then the dog would have been upset at travelling under said cover rather than with the comfort afforded by the canopy top 😉

Unless you pick carefully some pick-ups aren’t even that good from a 4×4 perspective. Most of the power going to the rear wheels which don’t have a lot of weight over them can mean some fantastic tail slides.

Well, that’s pretty much borlox – clearly it depends what you have in the back, and in 4wd mode they grip pretty well on dirt roads (not that you need a 4wd for dirt roads). They still have high clearance and a locking central diff. The only 4×4-related issue they have is that because of the tray they tend to have slightly compromised departure angles.

I think the VW was an electronic version, you need a proper one with locking diff etc

Actually, the locking central diff is what you don’t need until you’re on a loose surface. If you engage it on the road chances are you’ll be needing a new diff / prop shaft and a tow truck. This applies to most part-time 4wd systems, so it’s certainly not pick-up specific. And on that subject – ‘needing’ a locking diff is a bit of a yesteryear view. Modern electronics can often be much more effective. I know the traction control will lock a spinning wheel after 1/16th of a turn on my Freelander 2, transferring the power to the other wheels very quickly. It leaves me AWD grip on all occasions without having to worry about knackering the drivetrain through wind-up. FWIW, the Amarok has won Ute of the Year down here in Oz for the past two years, and I’d bet most Amaroks here see a lot more real off road driving than they do in the UK.

Defender is at least coil sprung all round and perm four wheel
Drive , but has to be the worst build thing I’ve ever bought td5 110

But Im bound to reach a point soon where have I replaced all the common failed parts
And the resale value is far up on anything else.

And it does tow very well

The big problem with the Defender… they aren’t really ideal for doing long distances in! I love em, but being over 6′ tall they are just too cramped for anything other than a relatively sort journey.

Took the L200 off road today… didn’t take long to get it muddy 😉 The Navara was a hoot off road too, especially on sand dunes/beaches.

Amarok has won Ute of the Year down here in Oz for the past two years, and I’d bet most Amaroks here see a lot more real off road driving than they do in the UK.

Really? Most I see these days are locked up in the urban jungle 🙂 Just another penis extension for the I AM MAN who needs his big ute to go to the Bush (caravan park/luxury holiday shack) twice a year….

Really? Most I see these days are locked up in the urban jungle

Do you even have ‘urban’ in Tassie?

Just another penis extension for the I AM MAN who needs his big ute to go to the Bush (caravan park/luxury holiday shack) twice a year….

That would be your chip coming out again. You really should see someone about that 😉

Cheers Zokes, I do get out of here a bit. Not a chip but a smile when looking at the love of the 4×4 and the big outdoor lifestyle “image” when really most (like in the UK) only go to the supermarket and the school run. I have met plenty who get out to the real wilderness but it’s normally in a battered land cruiser with all the extras added.
Just wait till the actually tax fuel over here 🙂

In nearly 25 years of driving I’ve had all sorts of vehicles from knackered old Minis, Chevettes & classic Fords, to Astravans, Vitos & Peugeot 405 estates. Brand new Primera estate, Mazda 6 hatch and Passat saloon.

My last vehicle was a Ford Ranger – the Thunder with leather and not really any toys whatsoever. It was chipped and went ok, didn’t handle ‘that bad’, returned 30-35 mpg and easily pulled a Merc flatbed, trailer and 1.5t mini digger off a muddy verge with M&S rated crossover tyres. I really did like that truck!

I currently have a 2010 Navara with just about every gadget going and it’s a great bit of kit. I love the driving position, it handles fine, got me past a dozen or so stranded cars on a steep snowy hill one Friday evening at 9pm after a 4 hr drive back from Bristol, tows my 24ft caravan with ease and has got me on/off at least two caravan sites that would have seen anything else stranded. Drove to Bristol today with cruise set at 70 and the (admittedly lying) computer said 37mpg (really around 33). I have a hardtop on mine and atop all my tools lays my hardtail – front wheel off.

There are more practical vehicles – especially for bike carrying, but I’d love to see you loading muddy tools and bikes into the back of a mondeo then hose it out.

I love em and will be having another in a year or so – probably the new Ranger

Well, as our prime minister not-quite-elect doesn’t believe in climate change, I can’t see fuel being particularly taxed here, especially given the redneck nature of most liberal voters!

I’ve seen quite a few Amaroks a long way from Tarmac. They do make a certain amount of sense in terms of still being a ute and having the space and load capacity, whilst being relatively (compared to other utes) car like to drive. I agree that there are a lot of 4wds here that don’t get beyond a dirt road or the beach, but either of those surfaces is considerably more extreme than waitrose’s car park. That said, Land Rover in Adelaide reckon we’re the only ones who do proper off road driving in a Freelander 2 that they’ve sold! Our issue is that it’s not big enough… Second spare tyre, 40 litres of fuel and 80 of water, plus fridge, tent and tools, and we get pretty close to max weight, never mind getting the doors shut and it all bolted to the roof!