Forbidden side of bakkie’s 95 years: Part Three

Nineteen-twenty-five, a year deeply ensconced within the decade known as the “Roaring Twenties” which, from an automotive standpoint, saw the founding of the Chrysler Corporation, Sir Malcolm Campbell becoming the first person to crack 150 mph (240 km/h) and more importantly, the introduction of a new type of vehicle, the pick-up truck.

Initially nothing more than a Ford Model T with a wooden loadbox, the foundation was literally laid for a vehicle which has morphed over the last 95 years from a hardworking workhorse, into a capable “work-hard play-hard” all-rounder.

Regardless of which reference you use to describe it; pick-up, ute or simply truck, it has become an institution and none more so than in South Africa where the term bakkie is not only edged into people’s vocabulary, but also part of our landscape and culture.

In this final celebratory piece of paying homage to 95 years of the bakkie, we identify another four offerings not available in South Africa that might have swung the opinions of buyers had they been present.

Honda Ridgeline

The United States’ love affair with the pick-up is of course well document, but when Honda debuted the Ridgeline 16 years ago, it could’ve been more different for the norm.

Using a unibody platform rather than a conventional body-on-frame, the Ridgeline introduced a number of firsts such as an independent rear suspension, a nifty tailgate that could open downwards or to the side in a barn-door style and a storage area underneath the actual loadbed that could swallow a reported 240-litres.

In spite of selling less than 300 000 units during its eleven year production-run, the Ridgeline was nonetheless renewed for a second generation in 2017, with an interesting option being a bed integrated sound system.

Like its predecessor, a single drivetrain option is offered; the same 206kW/354Nm 3.5-litre V6 from the Passport and Pilot that is paired to a nine-speed automatic gearbox with drive going to the front or all four wheels. Soon to face competition from the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Ridgeline is marketed as a United States only model and is therefore solely produced in left-hand-drive.

Fiat Strada

When it comes to the saying of ‘a hard act to follow’, the challenge facing the recently revealed second generation of Brazil’s best-selling pick-up couldn’t have been greater.

Replacing the old Strada that used the same platform as the Palio and mainly benefitted from interior and exterior updates since bowing in 1996, the latest model rides on the same architecture as the Argo hatch, with styling from the senior Toro and an interior mirrored on the Mobi hatch.

Available as either a single or double cab, the front-wheel-drive only Strada comes powered by a choice of two engines; the 1.4-litre Fire that produces 63kW/122Nm when fuelled by petrol and 66kW/123Nm when running on ethanol, and the Argo’s 1.3-litre Firefly that delivers 75kW/134Nm or 80kW/139Nm. Despite a five-speed manual being the sole transmission available, a five-speed automatic is reportedly in the works along with a turbocharged version of the Argo’s 1.0-litre Firefly engine.

RELATED: Forbidden side of bakkie’s 95 years: Part Two

Discontinued locally eight years ago, the return of the Strada would provide much needed competition for the Dacia/Renault Logan-based Nissan NP200 that has had the half-ton segment all to itself following the withdrawal of the Chevrolet Utility three years ago. Despite having raised the matter with Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) South Africa, no feedback has yet been received.

Renault Alaskan

With Mercedes-Benz soon to pull the plug on the poorly conceived X-Class, the third and final model to use the Nissan Navara as a base has remained a forbidden entity in spite of achieving success in Latin America since premiering there four years ago.

Styled along the lines of the pre-facelift Talisman sedan and the Espace MPV, the Alaskan’s interior is a virtual mirror image of the Navara’s with the only difference being the Renault diamond badge on the steering wheel. The choice of powerunits is also carried over in the form of the 2.3-litre turbodiesel that punches out 120kW/403Nm in single turbo guise, and 140kW/450Nm in twin-turbo form. What’s more, buyers have a choice of rear-or-four-wheel-drive, as well as a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

So why a no-go for South Africa? According to Renault’s Vice-President of Marketing, Jesus Boveda, the return on invest compared to the projected unit offset simply make no financial sense.

RELATED: Forbidden side of bakkie’s 95 years: Part One

“We would be able to bring the Alaskan [to South Africa] in around in four months if we wanted to, but I think it is a very tough market and to enter it, we would have to be legitimate and with Alaskan, we would be selling 20 to 40 units a month and that would not be legitimate at all,” Boveda told The Citizen last year before confirming that Renault will however bring the Duster-based Oroch to market in 2021.

Suzuki Jimny

Despite Suzuki being adamant that would it never introduce an open-deck version of the Jimny, the spotting of such an example earlier this year in New Zealand created something of an online frenzy, which was quickly doused when the actual details emerged.

The work of Suzuki New Zealand with full approval from Hamamatsu, the conversion is modelled on the entry-level JX model, equivalent to the South African-spec GA, and sees the entire rear section being replaced by an aluminium dropside tray complete with a mesh divider behind the cab.

While a new bulkhead with a small storage area is located behind the front seats inside, the rest of the interior and spec is unchanged from the regular JX, with the same being true of the 1.5-litre petrol engine that continues to produce 75kW/130Nm. The selectable four-wheel-drive system is of course standard along with the five-speed manual ‘box.

As much as pressure continues to rise for Suzuki to develop its first pick-up since discontinuing the D40Nissan Navara-based Equator in the ‘States eight years ago, it seems the only way to pursue the top-brass in making decision is to go it alone but with permission.

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