Did any of the other Japanese compact trucks come with a bed this long? This LUV’s is 90″, or seven and a half feet long. Its wheelbase is no less than 117.9″ long. Help me out; was this not the longest of its kind?
All the more space for its message to be displayed. We did an extensive CC on the LUV/Isuzu Faster here, but that was a short bed version. And devoid if the graphics.
The Isuzu-built pickups had a reputation for toughness, in a field of competitors where the average level was already very high. These trucks were made for serious work in other parts of the world, and thrived on abuse. The Isuzu 1.8 L gas four was used for a long time, and the 2.0 L version powered the Trooper II.
This electric-bicycle has plenty of room back here in the bed. And it’s not going to stress the rear springs any either; these long bed LUVs were rated to carry 1635 lbs.
So why isn’t there a load of books in the bed?
I certainly don’t have the specs handy, but Toyota and Datsun/Nissan both sold regular cab/long bed versions. So did Chevy S-10 and Ford Ranger.
I’m sure some folks here will dig out the figures.
Toyota and Datsun long beds were 7′, not 7.5′, IIRC.
We used to have a 1979 Toyota long-bed pickup, remembered as “The Pumpkin.” I think its bed was about as long as this one.
I would not have expected this truck to have a 1635 payload rating! The first-gen S10 trucks only had a 1000lb payload rating with a 1500lb payload option for the longbed version.
The owner of a junkyard gave me a terminally rusted short-bed version that someone left abandoned in front of his property which adjoined the Birmingham, AL impound auction. The truck and another car sold for $50 and the purchaser just left his LUV there. I dragged it home, eventually got the throttle plate un-stuck & got the sucker running. The clutch was about 5% so top gear was only attained once on a very rural, flat road.
Man what a fun-to-drive truck it was — I could not believe how easy the manual steering was: I had an ’82 S10 LWB at the time with manual steering which was extremely high-effort despite the awful 2,246 turns lock-to-lock it had. The difference between the two trucks was like night and day.
These LUVed to rust though.
My favorite part of this is that the people who paint up a truck to admonish people to “read more books” chooses a vehicle that spells its name LUV.
It is ironic; of course, LUV was an acronym for Light Utility Vehicle.
Same length as the S10 I drive. Don’t know exactly how long but one of my servicemen had a mazda with a bed that looked that long. This could very well be the longest of the japanese.
Appropriately enough, the cloud on the right rear reminds me of the cover art of The Fault in Our Stars.
Maybe not so appropriate, considering this is a rust-free 30 year old truck…
Paul,
The 1986-1993 Mazda B-series was available with a 118.1 inch wheelbase and a true 8′ bed. This was likely a result of the rather large (for the time) extended cab which was on the same wheelbase.
Good call. I can’t ever remember seeing one, but by then extended cabs were mighty common.
What’s odd is that the short bed, regular cab truck had a different, slightly shorter bed than the short bed, Cab Plus version. I think the regular cab had a 6′ bed while the Cab Plus had a 6’4″ bed.
Then, in Asian markets, Mazda offered a four-door crew cab truck as well, with an even shorter bed length – probably about 5′.
I really should write my promised Curbside Classic on the Mazda Bs.
A friend of mine had a regular cab, long bed B-series pick-up. Extremely useful hauler, but I remember it feeling a bit odd to drive, as long and narrow as it was. Great visibility though.
We also had a B-series short bed. These were terrific, simple trucks. I would LUV to read a full CC on these.
Someone had a LUV for reading?
Wooking pa LUV in all the wrong places wooking pa LUV
I remember you!
Was this the version with the odd oval instruments in the dash?
Nice clean styling that would not have looked out of place on a sedan or coupe.
7.5′? IMHO, there are two kinds of load beds — those that can handle 8 foot lumber and/or sheet goods with the tailgate up, and those that cannot. I chose the latter for my only minitruck, and lived with it, but at least it was easier to manuever.
No. All the LUV’s with oval gauges had quad headlights, ’76 and older
I can’t think of a captive import that has ever done very well in sales. But, they find a niche. A friend’s dad was a total Union man, buy American type, Pontiac loyalist, etc., yet bought one of these (likely the short bet). I wonder if he knew its foreign roots, or if the Chevy bowtie was simply an acceptable sanctioning of his choice.
The LUV and Courier were both very successful.
Agreed – there were plenty of both of these makes around here – western Washington – during their time. I knew more people who owned one or the other than Datsun or Toyota small pickups.
I bought a 1986 Isuzu P’up (aka Chevrolet LUV) new in late 1985. I opted for the LWB version (117″ WB with a 7-1/2 foot bed) because it came standard with a 5-speed manual transmission as opposed to the SWB version’s 4-speed and a 19 gallon fuel tank which was significantly larger than that of its attenuated sibling. At the time I was making frequent trips between San Antonio and Houston and the larger tank was a real convenience. I was especially appreciative of the torsion bar front suspension. That little pickup handled well and had a very smooth ride (for a truck) especially with the longer wheelbase.
As I remember the engine had a displacement of 1.9 liters which struck me as odd. The only other automobile I knew about with a 1.9 liter four was the Opel GT or Manta from the 70’s. By the early 80’s GM was also selling an Opel badged Isuzu at Buick dealerships. Without being told specifically I knew the engines in my pickup and the German Opels was not the same.
Just before our second child was born I traded the Isuzu for a slightly used Ford F150 XL SuperCab. Going from the Isuzu to the Ford was like moving from a fishing cabin to a Newport mansion though the Ford had a shorter cargo bed (6-1/2 feet).
Speaking of pleasant ride associated with long wheelbases, the SuperCab’s 140 inch wheel base gave it a ride not unlike a few Packards I’ve ridden in even without the torsion bar suspension – at least on smooth roads.
Toyota had a 1.9L, the 8-RC, from 69-71 here in the US. My ’96 Saturn SL2 also has a 1.9L. Yes, odd displacement, but between the ’70 Corona Mark II I had in high school in the very early ’80s, and my Saturn I still have, I have owned 2 rigs with 1.9L engines. How weird is that?
I posted a Holden badged Rodeo (second gen version of this) with a long bed to the Cohort page
That’s an electric bike?
It isn’t a factory built EB but one that has been converted with the front wheel motor. Look at the rack and you’ll see a cable coming out the front of what is strapped to it. On the handle bars you’ll see a red button to activate the motor. You can also see the wires heading to the motor down the left side of the fork.
Looks like it is a Golden Motor “Magic Pie” http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/goldenmotor-ebike-conversion-kit-26in.html
My best friend had a ’78 standard cab version of this truck with the manual. I don’t recall if he had the standard bed, or not, my guess was, it was the standard bed.
Anyway, he bought it in the early 1990’s, and drove it for about 3 years before the hot, sticky summers of middle Kansas forced him to replace with something with AC.
These were truly great little trucks, noisy yes, somewhat crude, yes, but durable, and reliable, and got the job done, even when very loaded down like he had done once, which also included the trailer too.