Originally posted by MarkJerling Nice as it is, Racer, you won't be able to park it here.
No-one sells a ute with an 8-foot bed here. Almost all double cab utes have beds roughly 5ft x 5ft which is plenty big enough for their use.
The ute sold in higher numbers than anything else is the Ford Ranger, which has a 3.2l diesel. Petrol utes are almost nonexistent.
The light trucks that have an appeal to and that I have seen (films) in Australia , not sure about NZ, are the Toyota and Nissan 4WD pickup cabs and chassis with flatbeds. The flatbeds of some have short riser sides that can be dropped or lifted, according to need. They seem to be ruggedly built for an off road bias .
Those light trucks are something that I think might find a market, albeit niche market i North America. We do have mid sized, compact pickup trucks over here, Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet/GMC, Ford come to mind and they are reasonably popular. Of these, I believe only the GM Colorado/GMC have diesel engines available and they use a turbocharged 2.8 liter, 4 cylinder with 369 ft. lbs. of torque.
One domestic , full sized pickup that has recently come out and is getting very good reviews is the Chevy/GMC half ton with a 3 liter, inline six cylinder diesel. Think the power rating is 277 hp, 460 ft. lbs. of torque and quite good MPG for the size and weight. If I was in the market for a pickup here, this would be the one. Maybe a used one, as they are pricey.
Video: How Does The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 Diesel Handle the Mountains in Winter Conditions? - The Fast Lane Offroad