Please note that the US military uses Hiluxes extensively in Iraq (and to some extent, in Afghanistan), too. We sold a bunch of Ford Rangers to the Iraqi and Afghan militaries (poor guys; those trucks are ok but the rear drum brakes consistently freeze up when parked in cold muddy conditions).<p>The best truck is a hilux with the ignition rigged to just require a toggle switch to turn on, and the inverted "T" for center of gravity calculations when sling loading (and the dry weight in kilos marked on the side) on some duct tape on the side.<p>Sometimes I've seen the rear seats turned sideways to serve as side gunners, with a pintle mount in the cargo bed (either on the light bar for forward arc only, or in the middle of the bed for 360 degree). Usually the US only does that with bigger trucks like the Silverado.<p>I wish I could get a small common-rail diesel truck in the US, or maybe a diesel-electric hybrid, on the hilux chassis. A truck that size which could be a decent remote site electric generator would be amazing.
I started and ran an import company for 7 years up in Canada, importconcern.ca, and we imported cars and parts from Japan. All of the cars were typically quite cheap at auction, except for one specific model of the Hilux - the Pick-up model. The regular Hilux Surf would cost anywhere from $4,000-$6,000 in total (very cheap), but the Hilux Pick-ups would run $10,000+ for one in somewhat decent condition.<p>We could never pinpoint exactly the reason for the higher Pick-up prices but we long suspected it was likely due to their possible use in war environments. And this article was interesting to read because it somewhat confirms our suspicion. Thanks for the post!
Just as interesting to me is how the maple leaf on the vehicle came to signal high quality, a notion that then went viral to the point that people tattoo themselves with it.
It's interesting that Afghan (presumably Islamist) insurgents would have any tatoos, considering that these are frowned upon in Islam.<p>EDIT: Not sure what's getting a negative reaction here. I was just pointing out an apparent inconsistency in the story - interviewees/journalists are known to embellish sometimes and they can get tripped up on little details.
Strange that it's so prevalent globally and yet the US commander can still claim that it's "a sign you’re dealing with Al Qaeda".<p>Similar to the story posted here a while ago about people being arrested as terrorists on the evidence that they wore some totally generic casio wristwatch.<p>Wikipedia's List of Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of possessing Casio watches:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guantanamo_Bay_detainees_accused_of_possessing_Casio_watches" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guantanamo_Bay_detainee...</a>
So instead of checking Edmunds for reliability, I should just check what the insurgents drive on warzones. Seriously, those guys have no alterior motives, they just need rock-hard reliability.
It's an extremely popular and durable truck, and yet in North America we don't get to have it. Blame it on people wanting bigger and comfier trucks instead of real workhorses.
So is being on the top of a building being imploded really that bad? It's a free fall for most of it, but the impact is cushioned a bit by the layers below you collapsing when they hit the ground. And there is not much debris that will hit you if you are on the top.<p>If they had parked it at the base, it would probably be flat.
The Hilux is also used by many oil companies in Africa, making it a status symbol, and so often purchased by people who have money/power and want to show off a bit.<p>So it's not just practical reasons, the Hilux is a status car. It's also the best selling car in South Africa in total, so it's used as a normal vehicle, not just for offroad.
The AK-47: 'The Gun' That Changed The Battlefield<p>Transcript of Terry Gross' interview with the author:<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=130493013" rel="nofollow">http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?story...</a>
This reminds me of what the Indian government did to the Yamaha RX-135. It is probably the most sought after bike in India almost six years after its production was stopped because its power-to-weight ratio was so high that rebels in the north-east were using it as getaway vehicles(with a great amount of success). Its pick-up is unmatched to this day, and has incredible resale value.
Artic Trucks are busy building an awesome six wheeled variant of the Toyota Hilux which will be driving to the South Pole in December 2010 as part of the support team for a ski race. It sports 44 inch tires and a 400l fuel tank.<p><a href="http://www.arctictrucks.com/pages/4701" rel="nofollow">http://www.arctictrucks.com/pages/4701</a>
I love the Toyota FJ cruiser! Its utilitarian like the HiLux but available in the USA. The Tacoma and Tundra have interiors more like cars than a truck you can wash out the inside with a water hose with.<p>It can carry a decent amount of ammo and guns. <a href="http://img.skitch.com/20101015-c25kibbi3nub61emqgb32mqpie.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://img.skitch.com/20101015-c25kibbi3nub61emqgb32mqpie.jp...</a>
And people wonder why cars have so many fiddly knobs and other things that break. You make a great, sturdy vehicle, everyone who needs it uses it, and your vehicle gets heavily associated with violent groups.
I own a somewhat related beast, a FJ60 Landcruiser. They hold up well.<p>It's well established that for every make of car, there is at least one forum devoted to it. My favorite (also has Hilux content) is at <a href="http://forum.ih8mud.com" rel="nofollow">http://forum.ih8mud.com</a>.
I read somewhere that the prime SUV in the arab world was the Mitsubishi Pajero. The entire category was labeled "Pajero Jeep" in Pakistan. Of course, I can't find the article now.
Top Gear did a series of experiments a few years back to find out how indestructible the Hilux really is: <a href="http://goo.gl/WI7l" rel="nofollow">http://goo.gl/WI7l</a><p>See for yourselves.