Four Decades Ago, Volkswagen Built A Humble, Capable Diesel Pickup Unlike Anything On The Market Today

Volkswagen doesn’t build trucks, right? At least not for the US market. And yet, jump back to 1979, and that’s exactly what the brand was doing. The very first vehicle Volkswagen ever built in America was a humble little front-wheel-drive ute, and it went by the name of Rabbit. Or, just the Volkswagen pickup—depending on who you talked to.

The pickup was named after a bunny because it was based on VW’s existing Rabbit hatchback—known as the Golf to the less fun-loving markets around the world. It was the brainchild of a crack US engineering team, led by one Duane Miller. It was a small crew that was fiddling around with Rabbit derivatives, but a keen one. The truck ended up in production in good old Pennsylvania, sidestepping that bothersome chicken tax that ruined so many plans gone by.

The engineering was just what you’d expect for a hatchback turned into a truck. Up front, the pickup was mostly Rabbit, from the front bumper to the rear cabin wall, though it scored upgraded struts and springs for its new workaday lifestyle. Out back, it scored a simple double-wall tray for cargo, tools, or whatever else you needed to haul on a given day. Supporting the rear was a simple beam axle with leaf springs, a low-cost and rugged choice that also provided the maximum possible bed space.

The Rabbit pickup debuted just as America was going through its first big diesel craze, before GM turned everyone off the idea. The pickup also shared its drivetrain options with the hatchback. That meant you could get a 1.6-liter gasoline engine good for 78 hp (76 hp in California), or a 1.5-liter diesel good for 48 hp. The gasoline engine would do 23 mpg city and 35 mpg highway with the five-speed gearbox. It was easily trounced by the diesel, which offered a mighty 41 mpg city and 54 mpg highway.

But what was that like out on the street? The diesel was slower than a rushed passport application. It took a lazy 21.1 seconds to haul itself up to 60 miles an hour, a number akin to other diesel trucks of its era. Quarter-mile was a 21.7-second affair according to Car and Driver, and top speed was a leisurely 75 mph.

The gas engine was altogether more spritely. Popular Mechanics timed the 1980 model as achieving the same in just 15.8 seconds. That’s woefully slow by today’s standards, but not at all unusual in the Malaise era. Meanwhile, VW claimed the later 1.7-liter gasoline model could hit 60 mph in just 9.7 seconds, even with the same 78 hp. It’s a hint Popular Mechanics might have been a bit laggardly with the stopwatch. In any case, the later 1.6-liter diesel hit 52 hp, but any increase in acceleration was likely minor at best.

The Rabbit pickup was a featherweight, though, with a curb weight of just 2,046 pounds. It didn’t hurt for traction when unloaded like many of its rivals, either. That was by virtue of its front-engined, front-wheel-drive layout. One tester likened it to a slot car, calling it “a blast to drive hard” and “wonderfully predictable.”

It was a diminutive thing, sitting over 15 inches shorter than Toyota’s contemporary pickup. No surprise, given it was based on a car with a unibody structure. It drew criticism for its compact interior, but it was easier to maneuver than a longer vehicle. There was no underlying frame, but that didn’t stop VW’s pickup from serving as a practical little workhorse. It would haul up to 1,100 pounds of payload, which equalled or bettered some “real” trucks from rival automakers.

It also had a liftover height of just 22 inches—a good 5 inches lower than much of its competition. That made plenty of loading tasks easier. The double-wall tray was also credited as a sign of quality and hardiness, something not every pickup offered yet in the early 1980s. Forget towing, though. According to a 1981 review by Popular Science, the official spec was “not recommended.”

The pickup stuck around until 1984 in the US market. Where it really blossomed, though, was across the rest of the world—where it was known as the Volkswagen Caddy. The Caddy debuted in South Africa in 1981 as a locally built model, where it remained in production until 2007.

The Caddy similarly hit Europe in 1982, surviving a full decade until 1992. VW tapped its Sarajevo plant to assemble the trucks. In these markets, it scored a range of different engines over the years. Later models included a 1.6-liter turbodiesel good for 70 horsepower, and a 1.8-liter gas engine with a healthy 94 hp.

While it was long-lived in other markets, the Rabbit pickup was quickly forgotten in the US market. The world of trucks moved on, as pickups got bigger and engines got brawnier. Still, for a few good years there, you really could pick up a diesel-sipping Euro truck from just about any old Volkswagen dealer. The world has since changed, and the likes of the Rabbit pickup will likely never hit US shores again.

Image credits: Volkswagen