Of course, I get all the glamorous vehicles to review. What's that, a dump truck to road test? Give it to that guy Crash! But seriously, I actually asked to test drive Daimler/Chrysler's Dodge Sprinter van, and for a very good reason. Many moons ago, back in the U.K., I was employed in the building trade. Much of my time was spent driving around London in my white work van, so I kind of have a soft spot for them. Now I've heard that they call the truckers in their big rigs "the kings of the road", so, with that in mind, I guess van drivers must be "the little princes". Although I doubt that my fellow road users would have called me that, especially when I was flying around town running late. Van drivers over there tend to have a similar reputation to that of taxi drivers worldwide. Actually that's not strictly true, at least taxi drivers occasionally wave to you as they cut in front of you.

In some ways the Europeans look at vans in the same way that we look at pick up trucks and they seem to be just as popular. They're basically everywhere! You see, over there pick up trucks aren't exactly ideal for carrying tools and materials. They have an old saying in the U.K. "if it's not bolted to the ground, it goes missing" and that can be while you're stopped at the traffic lights or when you pop in to buy a newspaper! Vans, therefore, are much more practical and secure vehicles in which to carry your expensive equipment. Over the years, van owners have realized that they can not only carry all the tools that they need for their days work, but also everything that they might possibly need. Manufacturers are taking note and have started to produce larger vans with greater carrying capacities.