I’d say car and truck commercials don’t talk about toughness like they used to, but then I realized I haven’t seen a car or truck commercial in what feels like years. I see plenty of dealership commercials, mind you, but all they shout about is low prices, no one beats our low prices, the prices are low, check out our low prices. Actual “car / truck has features” talk? Yeah, no.
Now, back when I was seeing car commercials on the regular, they mostly just blended together. However, a few stood out because of some amazing and/or bizarre visuals (see the Robert Able-produced “Never Before” Corvette spot, this 1987 Corsica commercial, and the Plymouth Duster cocaine factory) or because the commercials were good for a laugh – Joe Isuzu, I’m looking at you.
A particular category of car-ad now seemingly long gone are ads that tout toughness, like this Subaru Justy spot that trades on the idea that everyone knows Subarus are tough:
Just go ahead and slam the shit out of this poor guy’s doors, eff him. Where does this poor Justy pilot live, downtown Bullyville? These people need to be maced.
Ford went SUPER hard on toughness with the F-150 ads that I most vividly recall from my childhood. Who can forget these high-concept stunts?
Big fan of Cinderblock Mountain:
Ours was once a land of cinderblock and log mountains pic.twitter.com/LX6iXVzs0G
— The Autopian (@the_autopian) November 6, 2022
Gotta say, the Twin I-Beam Suspension in mustard-and-ketchup paint is fantastic.
I’m inclined to say the ’78 Ford F-150 and ’88 Subaru Justy are the all-time toughest cars and trucks based on those spots alone, but surely you have your own opinions – and I can certainly attest to my 2000 Honda Civic being the toughest car I’ve ever owned, from a “logging nearly 200,000 miles with maybe three oil changes” perspective.
You tell me:
What Are The All-Time Toughest Cars And Trucks?
I always think of Chevy 1st, due to those classic Chevy “Like a Rock” commercials (which are my favorite) Thought they would be mentioned 1st, ha ha. So as far as toughest trucks, Chevy…and then obviously the Toyota “truck”/hilux; they did that video where the tried to kill the engine/truck and just couldn’t.
Honestly any 3/4 or 1 ton from the big three made between the late 80s all the way up to 2005/2006.
Take your pick really. All of the engines could be beat day in and day out with minimal maintenance. Interior plastics and paint are another story.
A 2 valve triton just runs, even blowing a plug. A dodge 360 just runs, same with the GM motors be it TBI, Vortecs, or LSs. Then comes the Diesels – I love the old detroit and international IDI engines. I saw them abused when I worked for various government entities and they just did not stop. You also can’t beat a 6BT. Move up to the early electronically controlled diesels and early common rails and still these are simple engines that dont make enough power to hurt themselves, but will take whatever you throw at them.
I’ve owned them all and was in charge of a couple of fleets driven by kids that do not care – the pain points are a transmission here and there on a dodge (many fixed by grounding) a spark plug on a triton (now an easy fix) and a 4l60e/700R4 needing a rebuild.
These trucks had far less downtime than their replacements when 3v tritons, DoD LS engines (plus MDS Dodge), and early emissions diesels (I’m looking at you navistar) came out.
Beside the unkillable Toyota Hilux, as proved by a well known trio ( even if they discovered years later in Namibia that it could get killed, I’d go for the 504/505 (preferably in the break version [that’s station wagon for you rednecks], and eventually with the Dangel modifications (so that they gets 4 wheel drive)
I put a GMT800 Suburban that already had 180k miles through 3 years of absolute hell. Getting stuck in mud pits, crashing through ditches, and even jumping terraces. That thing never needed anything besides oil changes and tires.
I ran another GMT800 through hell and back. 465k miles on an LQ4 with a 4l80e and it was still running when I sold it. It went all over Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota and all it needed was wear items like shocks and the annoying knock sensors under the intake. I miss the GMT800 seats.
I also miss those seats.
OK, here’s my Oscars categories, and the winners:
Full size truck: OBS Ford and GMT-400 Chevy (tied)
Compact truck: Ford Ranger (1st and early 2nd gen)
Full size car: Panther platform – especially crown vic taxis
Midsize car: Any GM W body with the Buick 3800
Compact Car: Tough to decide, but I’ll say MKIII/MKIV VW Golf and GTI
Sporty Car: Foxbody Mustang
Anything Goes: Geo/Chevy/Suzuki 4×4’s (Tracker, Samurai and the like)
The Gen II Nissan Xterra and Frontier are underrated. They share the F-Alpha chassis with the Titan, Pathfinder (until it became a glorified minivan), Navara, Patrol, and Armada. The Tacoma, the Frontier’s main competitor and the truck that everyone creams their shorts over, is barely in the same class. The chassis on the Frontier is basically a half-ton chassis hiding under a quarter-ton truck body. It’s fully boxed and unbelievably rigid; the Tacoma is C-channel behind the cab and about as rigid as wet noodles. The interior isn’t fancy, but it’s well put together and doesn’t rattle; it also shrugs off scrapes and dings; the VQ40 V6 isn’t impressive on power (265 bhp) but it’s incredibly reliable, especially after 2009.
I beat on my Xterra for over 200,000 miles – a ton of which was off road. I ran it through the desert at freeway speeds and scraped or slid it over rocks the rest of the time. It’s as reliable as an anvil and twice as tough.
I PREFER NISSAN TO TACOMA TOO
Ok, people really like to look down their noses, but the Nissan Altima is the toughest on the road right now.
Name another car you see on the road without a bumper, held together with duct tape, and still driving at least 10mph over the speed limit passing someone on the shoulder.
Toyota Hilux, as epically put to the test on Top Gear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR6bOr_TyxY&pp=ygUndG9wIGdlYXIgdG95b3RhIHRydWNrIGRlc3Ryb3llZCBlcGlzb2Rl
Back in 2000, my little brother bought my grandma’s 10 year old LeSabre when he went to school. I made fun of him for having an old lady car, but he bought it for 2 grand, drove it for 5 years while sunk into a front seat more comfortable than any couch any college student has ever owned, never had a single problem, and sold it for 2 grand when he graduated. Bulletproof!
The toughest cars? Easy… Rental cars.
“Tough” isn’t the same as “consumable”