The Chevrolet LUV Truck was a home run for GM. Starting in 1972 when the hit the market, the LUV was a staple in the company’s lineup all the way into the early 1980s when it was replaced by the venerable S10 which went on to have a long and successful run of its own. These small trucks were a revelation among the American public. They were more compact, economical, and fun to drive than their larger lumbering counterparts, they got better fuel economy, and poeple realized that they were capable of doing the work that needed to be done as well. If you wanted to commute to work and haul your dirt bikes on the weekend, you didn’t need a 3/4-ton, V-8 powered behemoth. You needed a small truck with a bed and a little cargo capacity.
The addition of the 4×4 version of the LUV was cool because it was again, a game changer. These little trucks were street cruisers and light haulers but with the addition of four wheel drive, they became exploration vehicles. Yes, they were down on power to the bigger trucks but they had short little wheelbases, a tight turning radius, and could carry most people as far as they wanted to go into the hinterlands.
All in all, this is fun stuff. It is a slanted comparison between a Ford and a Dodge Van but whatever, we dig it.
