Many people think of pickup trucks as innately off-road capable, as they're generally marketed as utilitarian and practical vehicles. The truth is that some pickups just aren't practical, and even some that are just don't cut it when the terrain gets tough. Often that's by design; be it cost-cutting or style, there's a host of reasons why trucks sometimes end up road-only.
Unfortunately for manufacturers, some pickups are useless off-road through sheer oversight. They might be marketed as all-terrain vehicles with beefy tires and commercials shot on mountains, but in reality, they're no more capable on dirt than an average hatchback. From the deliberately designed to the marketing mistakes, taking these pickups off-road might mean a drive back in a tow truck.
10 Chevrolet SSR
Chevy's SSR pickup was always going to be less practical than the average truck thanks to its convertible roof and unusual shape. The bed was mostly taken up with the roof when it was folded down, drastically decreasing the storage space available.
The car isn't the best-looking of trucks either, thanks to its confused faux-retro looks. It was really a design showcase more than a practical pickup, and as such it's got almost zero features to make it any good off-road.
9 Bollinger B2
The upcoming Bollinger B2 looks on first glance like a very capable pickup off-road, and if the company are to be believed, it will be. So why's it on this list? Well, it's fully electric, but Bollinger list the truck as having just 200 miles of range.
That mileage sounds good, but when carrying heavy loads the range will decrease massively. How much exactly is not known yet, but the last thing a driver needs when venturing out beyond the back roads is a range warning light. Since there's unlikely to be a handy charging point nearby, the B2 may well end up needing a tow.
8 VW Caddy Pickup
VW's Caddy pickups are built to be cheap and reliable, and they can probably handle most dirt roads with aplomb. Any rougher terrain and the Caddy's 2WD and relatively low ground clearance will start to become an issue.
Caddys aren't built for real off-roading, so it's likely that its cheap road tires will get stuck in deeper mud. There's also very little underside protection, so catching the pickup on any rocks will likely result in parts failure.
7 Dodge Ram SRT-10
The Dodge Ram SRT-10 was built as a super sports pickup, and it's one of the most powerful production pickups ever made. Sporting a 500hp engine, the SRT-10 is a real monster in a straight line and can keep up with many sports cars.
That same powerful engine counts against it on the dirt though. Without any off-road tires or all-terrain driver assists, the SRT-10 is likely to end up hopelessly spinning its wheels at the first patch of mud or ice it encounters.
6 Dongfeng Xiaokang K01
Forbes reports that this Dongfeng is China's cheapest pickup truck, retailing at just under $4,000 new in 2016. It's designed to be as simple and cheap as possible, to make it easy to repair even in the most remote of villages.
It can carry a 750kg (1653 lb) load, but with only 45hp it won't be going anywhere fast. Skinny tires and an upright construction also leave this pickup at risk of tipping over on any seriously uneven terrain.
5 Chevrolet Corvette Pickup
This very weird aftermarket conversion is actually available to rent from a company in Switzerland, although who would want to drive such a thing is a complete mystery. It's a C5 Corvette that's been converted into a pickup, with a comically small bed.
Everything else on the Corvette is unchanged, giving it as much off-road capabilites as... well, a stock C5. Most buyers wouldn't dream of picking a C5 as an off-road workhorse so it's best to give this converted version a miss too.
4 Mini Pickup
Built in Britain by automaker Austin, the Mini pickup has a certain charm thanks to its tiny size and classic looks. It sported a range of equally tiny engines, with the smallest option being just 0.85L. That made it unsurprisingly very slow, and also meant it lacked the punch needed to get over rougher territory.
With a low ground clearance and components ported from the regular Mini, it was hardly cut out to be an all-terrain master to begin with. Instead, this pickup is best appreciated as a quirky retro classic, one that should never leave the tarmac.
3 Lincoln Blackwood
Ford decided they wanted to make an upmarket version of their best-selling F-150, so released the Lincoln Blackwood in 2002. It sold terribly, in part just because it was a combination no-one really asked for. Sales were so bad in fact that it was taken off the market in 2003, making it the shortest production run ever for a Lincoln.
Part of the issue was that it wasn't capable enough off-road, with the focus put on luxury design and materials. That just meant that anyone trying to off-road this truck was likely to end up with a much heftier repair bill than a normal F-150 should anything go wrong.
2 Proton Jumbuck
Malaysian manufacturer Proton's entry into the world of pickups was the cheap and cheerful Jumbuck. Produced between 2002 and 2009, the Jumbuck enjoyed sales success in the UK and Australia thanks to its low entry price and simple construction.
It was never intended as an off-road pickup though, and as such Proton never added any features to make it capable on dirt or snow. With 2WD and just 86hp, it can't compete when the going gets tough. It also lacked many modern safety features like airbags or anti-lock brakes, so in the event of a crash a driver would be likely to face serious injury.
1 VW Saveiro
Manufactured in Brazil for the South American market, the Saviero shares many components with the VW Polo hatchback. It's a basic truck for those who need to carry loads on tarmac, and it can handle most gravel roads with some careful driving.
Off-road it's just not up to scratch, as the Polo-shared components means it has the toughness of a compact city car. It's also only FWD, and entry-level engines come with just 76hp. That will make getting up hills with a heavy load a challenge, never mind any serious off-roading.