1973 Ford Courier Gets a Regular Car Review Because Compact Trucks Are the Rage

So, while most fans of the RegularCars YouTube channel are patiently waiting for the 2022 Maverick review (we have a feeling the Santa Cruz will get one faster since it’s also coming to the market sooner), the host has decided to play a historic trick on everyone. With help from something you don’t see too often on American roads – a 1972 or 1973 Ford Courier. He’s undecided about the model year, just like he’s undecided with many things during this regular car review.

For starters, the host mentions a little bit about the history of this particular model. It was first a sedan delivery model (aka a panel van) and during the early 1970s, the Blue Oval decided to take advantage of its partnership with Mazda. So, the B-Series was turned into the Courier pickup truck, a model “designed in Japan, built in the UK, and sold to Americans. It’s a fine pickup... for the Japanese and our Atlantic cousins.”

The major problem isn’t with the size – one can see the difference easily, as the Courier owner keeps it inside his trailer and tows it around with help from a modern F-Series. The Courier is so little compared to a modern American pickup truck that everyone basically feels protective about it... and allows it to hog traffic with its slow-as-a-snail pace. Which is owed to the fact that it only has 74 horsepower under the hood. And that it’s equipped with a rare three-speed automatic transmission unit doesn’t help either.

Do you need a demonstration of the lack of power, with just two people inside and nothing to haul in the bed? Well, you’re in luck, because there’s a hilarious one at the 2:35 mark. Then we can take a peek at the little engine that couldn’t from the 3:33 mark. Which could be great for cruising... below 30 mph (48 kph), or let’s even check out the lackluster interior from the 9:40 mark. It’s a pure vehicle, and one in total opposition to a modern American truck: “it’s not big, it’s not fast, it’s not heavy duty!”