Wife's in Oz... and she sends me this:

considering they used a VW engine.. might not be that hard a swap.. I will take mine with a TDI

I want this for a ute

But seriously, does anyone have any reading material on the theory of UTE conversions? There have to be some common tricks for tightening up the rear. (Thats.. what.. she..)

It's really tempting to make a Legacy ute. They are available for CHEAP MONEY around here, and you can buy class 2 hitches that bolt on. That and they would accept the eg33 h6 pretty easily. Throw in the dual range subaru 4wd transmission and.. well... I think I just ruined my underwear.

it's been done

It was an epic fail IMHO

The Baja blows. I have no intent in following in the Baja's footsteps.

I'd drive an STI powered Baja

If the baja were a 2 seater without all the chunkiness it would be neat. Like a wrx ute.

It's not just the too much truck syndrome in America, it's the too much of everything syndrome. Bigger is better mentality. People buy more houses than they need, wedge giant big screen TVs inside, fill it with a bunch of crap and go into massive debt in doing so. If the choice is between a $30K car or a $30K truck which is twice as big they feel like they are getting more with the truck even if they don't need it. Just my 2 cents.

^^^^^ Oh ya I would drive a STi powered Baja also.

What does a ute offer that a Dodge Magnum can't offer? True, I can pile things up higher in a ute, and things can hang over the sides, but besides that, why not just get a station wagon and have your stuff protected and be able to carry 4 passengers? You can even get it with 425hp. Why is the Baja so useless, but a Falcon ute so incredible? My guess is that the short bed made it pretty useless, but was that it (styling aside)? I'm really curious. I have always passed off the enthusiasm as a "I can't get it so I really, really want it" thing. That's what I credited the failure of the GTO and the G8 to. When we could finally get the Monaro here, nobody wanted it.

I agree that if the ute were significantly cheaper than an F150 and I needed a pickup I'd seriously look at it, but I really doubt it would be significantly cheaper than an F150 so why not go for the more capable machine. I guess fuel economy could sway things back to the ute. I'm just really curious what I'm missing.

Bob

What you're missing is it's a car frame, with car brakes, car suspension, car motor, car transmission, car interior, car gas mileage, car excellence, with a bed.

That's what you're missing.

Schmidlap wrote: I agree that if the ute were significantly cheaper than an F150 and I needed a pickup I'd seriously look at it, but I really doubt it would be significantly cheaper than an F150 so why not go for the more capable machine. I guess fuel economy could sway things back to the ute. I'm just really curious what I'm missing. Bob

Well for starters, this is a performance car website, and due to lower cg, lighter weight, better aerodynamics, lower unsprung weight and such, a ute can be made to handle much better than a truck can ever hope to. It also features a lower load height and the aforementioned economy. So put it to you this way: A ute has most of the virtues of a light pickup while maintaining most of the virtues of a car, while a F150 makes a good truck, but a lousy car.

As for why not a station wagon? Because it's really nice to have a place where you can put smelly stuff without stinking up the cab, put brush without tearing up the interior, and have a toploader drop off some topsoil or gravel. Seriously, it's kinda a no-brainer. That said, my next truck probably be a SUV plus trailer. But I'd seriously consider a ute if one was available.

Schmidlap wrote: What does a ute offer that a Dodge Magnum can't offer?

Ever try to carry a fridge in a Magnum? How about that engine you score for $50 on CL that is oozing oil and coolant? Maybe that Ford 9" you need for a dragster project that is leaking smelly 90wt oil, or the transmission that is sloshing ATF out of the dipstick hole? Or the deer you took down with a smelly gut shot that is leaking blood from every orifice? Or the half scoop of pea gravel for your new walkway pavers in the back yard? How about the tanbark mulch for your landscaping?

You really want that stuff in your Magnum?

Not to mention that almost anything that has to be machine loaded can't be loaded into a wagon or SUV. Ever try loading an engine into the back of a blazer? You almost can't. My buddy came over a few weeks ago to pick up an LS1 in his S10 blazer. We had to remove the tail glass, and even then we had to set the engine on the tailgate and get multiple hernias scooting it in... while destroying the carpet too. The trip home also destroyed the plastic wheel well trim.

My point is, maybe there is nothing in YOUR life that needs a bed, but millions of people do benefit from an open bed for their cargo.

Taiden wrote:

I really like this

And by the way... the Baja is so useless because of its pathetic GVW and the 3.5' bed.

Schmidlap wrote: What does a ute offer that a Dodge Magnum can't offer? True, I can pile things up higher in a ute, and things can hang over the sides, but besides that, why not just get a station wagon and have your stuff protected and be able to carry 4 passengers? You can even get it with 425hp. Why is the Baja so useless, but a Falcon ute so incredible? My guess is that the short bed made it pretty useless, but was that it (styling aside)? I'm really curious.

Utes look better than a Magnum, but that's not relevant. Besides, Kreb & Curtis covered all I was gonna say about using wagons and vans to do truck work. The Falcon > the baja, simply because the Baja sucks at everything it was supposed to do, the Falcon does not.

Schmidlap wrote: I have always passed off the enthusiasm as a "I can't get it so I really, really want it" thing. That's what I credited the failure of the GTO and the G8 to. When we could finally get the Monaro here, nobody wanted it.

I'm fairly certain the failure of the Monaro here had more to do with the standard reasons good cars fail. GM didn't pimp that car like they should have, It's not a ______ mentality*, didn't look like a performance car, the unwashed masses don't really want v8s and RWD, they want cushy overweight crap. Now that the price has dropped so much and people actually realize what fantastic cars they are they're getting snapped up left and right and I see them getting flogged all the time.

*Think Charger and the "Chargers aren't 4 doors" crap that floated around when they came out and you'll understand what I mean.

""

Schmidlap wrote: I agree that if the ute were significantly cheaper than an F150 and I needed a pickup I'd seriously look at it, but I really doubt it would be significantly cheaper than an F150 so why not go for the more capable machine. I guess fuel economy could sway things back to the ute. I'm just really curious what I'm missing. Bob

Technically speaking, regular utes(If sold in America) should run around light and midsize truck prices, since thats about where their truckishness runs. The heavier duty ones and the performance models should be higher pricewise. But the biggest draw, for me at least, is that utes aren't 6000lb 20 ft long monsters that are larger than I'll really need. Most full size half tons dwarf my 93 Ram 150, and many "midsize" trucks are now either larger or the same size as mine. Hell, you have to actively search to find a truck that isn't a damn crew cab anymore, and good luck getting one without a bunch of fancy garbage, leather seats, an automatic trans, or a 40 thousand dollar price tag. This is ridiculous and unneccessary.

The majority of truck buyers out there have no need for full time 4wd, 5000lb payload capacity and the ability to tow two cars. They need a bed that's able to take some weight, pull some stuff, all in a platform that is better suited to everyday life than modern trucks are.

Grizz wrote: The majority of truck buyers out there have no need for full time 4wd, 5000lb payload capacity and the ability to tow two cars. They need a bed that's able to take some weight, pull some stuff, all in a platform that is better suited to everyday life than modern trucks are.

You have to shop the fleet and contractor specials to get stripped out work trucks.. and even they are getting hard to find. My BiL's work truck (he is a carpenter) may only be RWD.. but the interior is nicer than any vehicle I own

mad_machine wrote: You have to shop the fleet and contractor specials to get stripped out work trucks.. and even they are getting hard to find. My BiL's work truck (he is a carpenter) may only be RWD.. but the interior is nicer than any vehicle I own

My cousin got his Colorado like that. Straight base model, and as stripped as a work truck should be. I always cringe getting into trucks when I'm working and see that the interior wouldn't look out of place in a luxury car.

I think the Ute would do as well as the El Camino did... and it went from 1959 to 1987.

Think about how well all the Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda light trucks have done since 1975. The Ute fills a similar niche, but with optional Corvette performance.

Think about this too... what if GM brought it over with a nice little 4-banger in a stripped down version. How many delivery services would snatch them up? Think about all the Rangers and Colorados are out there bringing parts to garages and delivering other small orders to commercial businesses. Heck, our entire WorldPac parts fleet is Priuses. They don't need the payload of a Ranger, nor do they need the 25 mpg. Give them 35 mpg in a lower, safer vehicle that costs less to insure and they'll buy them like cocaine at Studio 54.

I guess what I'm saying is... if you doubt the marketability or utility of a compact pickup, then you are doubting the success of the millions for S10s, Tacomas, Hardbodies, and B2500s that have dominated the utility truck market for 40 years. Take a look at resale values on 80s and 90s toyota pickups and tell me there isn't a demand for them.

^ Kinda like the people who said the Transit Connect wouldn't sell in America.

all it should take is one manufacturer to bring one and the rest would likely follow

Millions of Aussies, Kiwis and various other nations can't all be wrong

from this

to

Can anybody shed some light on that red VW ute? That thing is pretty sweet..

Looks like a chopped down VW Fox wagon.

It is indeed a chopped Fox.

http://www.build-threads.com/build-threads/vw-fox-ute-conversion/

supposedly this was a production vehicle, I like it:

VW Saveiro

Schmidlap wrote: What does a ute offer that a Dodge Magnum can't offer?

Carrying a dirt bike....