I strongly agree. One thing to add to your list: easily being able to lift things in and out of the bed, even from the side.

It's just marketing. Australia shares a lot of American culture and we still have car based utes, though larger vehicles are also becoming popular here

I used to work with a guy who had a Tachoma that he loved and he only used it for offroading. He kept a pair of spare axles in the bed to swap out on the trail if he snapped one.

Never knew we were body-shaming people & yet here we are.

Speaking of Mini-Trucks, I actually see them in use in my area a lot (usually the 3-wheeled variety)