He didn't disappoint, even though he had leaf springs at the rear and only a two-liter engine under the hood. True, the pickup's payload capacity was 800 kg. Then there was the Mazda BT-50 (1100 kg), whose rear end sagged almost to the ground under load, and at 60 km/h it swayed like in a strong storm. The third run involved the Nissan NP300 (1002 kg), which also behaved like a drunken sailor under load but impressed us with its excellent traction. Now it's the turn of the UAZ PickUP.
We fill a thousand-liter ballast with water and also notice that the size of the UAZ's cargo box is average for its class, but the side height is unique – 650 mm. It also has an excellent plastic insert in the cargo box, which is already available in the base trim and protects the paint from scratches. A necessary and useful thing that competitors simply don't offer.
I started the engine of the Ulyanovsk truck without much hope. A gasoline high-revving engine is not the best choice for a utilitarian vehicle. But the UAZ didn't let us down. By feel, we could have loaded more. But only not for off-road trips. Asphalt, and only asphalt. Without a diesel, even an empty UAZ PickUP is hard off-road (it's 200 kg heavier than the Patriot).
On hard surfaces, the UAZ drove confidently. The maximum safe speed based on test results is 70 km/h. The rated top speed is 140. At eighty, unpredictable drifts begin during maneuvers. It floats not like the Japanese trucks, but with less amplitude. But correcting drifts is difficult due to the outdated chassis.
LOOKING FOR THE MIDDLE GROUND
We will continue experiments with loading pickups, but we'll adjust the methodology. Already now we can confidently say: any truck with maximum weight on board requires the driver to have utmost control over the road. In addition, you definitely need time to get used to the handling characteristics of such a vehicle, because under load it turns into a completely different vehicle – its behavior and reactions to steering change dramatically. A loaded pickup is unlikely to give you driving pleasure. It becomes a rather dangerous truck that needs to be driven slowly and carefully. In this regard, we will most likely reduce the ballast weight by half. The 500-liter ballast is already ready. If the handling at such a payload suits us, we will also measure acceleration to 100 km/h and braking distance.
