There are even rooftop containers for kayaks and specific cycle holders for the rear of the car so that you can go camping with a typical European station wagon without having to use a trailer.
I'm not trying to complain about the choices you made, but rather trying to emphasize the point of the article. Pickup trucks are more of a cultural phenomenon than a practical necessity. If the emission standards are raised, other solutions will appear without much/any loss in convenience.
I'd argue a pickup truck does everything described better than the three vehicles you posted. Most people only have one vehicle and a pickup is simply a great jack of all trades.
I 100% agree that pickups are a American cultural icon (just look at the ads, they drip nationalism) but it is hard to argue that they are not practical.
Pickup trucks indeed have their advantages over the vehicles I listed. However, I would disagree somewhat regarding where the advantages are.
I'd say that the vehicles I listed and pickup trucks manage fairly equally in the above transport categories (tools, furniture, kayak, bike). The way to go about it is just different.
But: Pickup trucks outclass all the vehicles I listed as soon as you leave the tarmac. Here in Germany, many people in rural areas who would own a pickup truck in the US also own a "family tractor" for working in the woods or in other off-road locations.
Then again: The vehicles I listed will always be faster on the Autobahn than a pickup truck. I regularly see people in station wagons go 160km/h and above for prolonged distances on the A3 at night.
In the end, I find it extremely fascinating how a different regulatory environment has bred different 'species' of utility vehicles on both sides of the Atlantic.
The differences are indeed fascinating. The first vehicle you listed would never be owned by a private individual unless they used it for a business. It seems like the inverse is true with non-commercial pickup trucks in Europe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Jumpy
If you want a car that looks slightly better and costs a bit more, you could go with a VW T6:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Transporter_(T6)
Here in Europe, most people with your usage pattern would actually just buy a station wagon and hitch a trailer to it when needed:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Insignia#/media/File:Opel...
There are even rooftop containers for kayaks and specific cycle holders for the rear of the car so that you can go camping with a typical European station wagon without having to use a trailer.
I'm not trying to complain about the choices you made, but rather trying to emphasize the point of the article. Pickup trucks are more of a cultural phenomenon than a practical necessity. If the emission standards are raised, other solutions will appear without much/any loss in convenience.