[sentenza]

Given the use case you describe, a Citroën Jumpy would probably be the most sensible car:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Jumpy

If you want a car that looks slightly better and costs a bit more, you could go with a VW T6:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Transporter_(T6)

Here in Europe, most people with your usage pattern would actually just buy a station wagon and hitch a trailer to it when needed:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Insignia#/media/File:Opel...

There are even rooftop containers for kayaks and specific cycle holders for the rear of the car so that you can go camping with a typical European station wagon without having to use a trailer.

I'm not trying to complain about the choices you made, but rather trying to emphasize the point of the article. Pickup trucks are more of a cultural phenomenon than a practical necessity. If the emission standards are raised, other solutions will appear without much/any loss in convenience.

[wafflesraccoon]

I'd argue a pickup truck does everything described better than the three vehicles you posted. Most people only have one vehicle and a pickup is simply a great jack of all trades.

I 100% agree that pickups are a American cultural icon (just look at the ads, they drip nationalism) but it is hard to argue that they are not practical.

[sentenza]

Pickup trucks indeed have their advantages over the vehicles I listed. However, I would disagree somewhat regarding where the advantages are.

I'd say that the vehicles I listed and pickup trucks manage fairly equally in the above transport categories (tools, furniture, kayak, bike). The way to go about it is just different.

But: Pickup trucks outclass all the vehicles I listed as soon as you leave the tarmac. Here in Germany, many people in rural areas who would own a pickup truck in the US also own a "family tractor" for working in the woods or in other off-road locations.

Then again: The vehicles I listed will always be faster on the Autobahn than a pickup truck. I regularly see people in station wagons go 160km/h and above for prolonged distances on the A3 at night.

In the end, I find it extremely fascinating how a different regulatory environment has bred different 'species' of utility vehicles on both sides of the Atlantic.