Big and Little Meet.(driving)(Column)

Byline: Cory Farley

I've been ricocheting around lately in a pickup the size of a 12-man tent. Its owner had a long trip planned and I had a kid's furniture to move, so it worked out nicely for us to swap my 36-mpg "five-door'' (really a station wagon, but shhh) for his "full-size'' hauler.

It's been awhile since I drove anything that big, and it's nowhere near as much like rocketing along in a snow saucer as it used to be. There's directional control, it hardly ever bounces clear of the pavement, and the brakes will bring it to a reasonably straight stop on the first try, which is the one that matters.

Still, cargo capacity aside, I can't think of one thing about this lump that recommends it as transportation.

There's justification for four-wheel drive here in Reno, where mountain and desert are both half an hour away. The neighbor who owns this thing, though, bought it as a commuter. He doesn't need it for work (an ophthalmologist doesn't do much heavy hauling), and he doesn't use it for play (he has a Suburban to tow his boat). The pickup is to him what a Caterham Seven would be to me: Something to do with his mind on ...