At Last, A Small Pickup?

[troutsqueezer]

It looks like before long, Mahindra will start making and selling a small pickup here in the states. Mahindra pickups to be assembled in Alabama beginning next year

I hope it turns out to be something worth owning because I have been lamenting the demise of the small truck ever since the early 2000's. I've always been attracted to diminutive pickup trucks ever since my early twenties when the Toyota's and Datsun's first came out. I bought a Ford Courier in the early seventies and loved it. It would take a lot of weight, get in and out of traffic like nobody's business and got good mileage. Bumpy ride for sure, but that was part of the fun.

The trend with cars and trucks always seems to be that they get larger with each passing model year. Look at the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier for example. They are as large as the full size trucks were back in the nineties. I don't consider them to be small anymore and I think in this day and age with the price of gas and cost of upkeep, that is a shame. The small stature is what got Toyota and Nissan pickup trucks off the ground in the first place. I've always felt that if someone came out with a pickup truck that is truly small and functional, they could make a killing. So I hope the Mahindra fits that bill. I'll buy one as long as it's not a piece of junk and I wouldn't expect it to be if they apply the same quality to it as they do their tractors.

 

[Scooby074]

Ill believe it when i see it.

I had a lot of faith in Mahindra, but excuse after excuse has ruined whatever trust i had in them.

 

[nybirdman]

Timing is right;Ford announced that the Ranger is no longer going to be built and the Chevy Colorado not far behind.

 

[TripleR]

My first small pickup was a Datsun and fit really well in tight places and with a set of snow tires got around pretty well. A few years later, I bought a Toyota and had two of them until I got close to retirement and needed something big enough to pull trailers and such.

I won't buy another one, but I think there is a market for them, I love my "full size" truck, 06 Tundra, but it won't go the places my little truck would.

 

[bp fick]

I've had 4 Ford Rangers, from the earliest to the latest. (and a Ford Courier (Mazda) before that) I still drive an '05. It's a baby, with only 60K miles on it. I hope to have it or at least have it in the family, forever. I love compact trucks, always have.

Frankly? There is no true compact truck on the market right now. Sad, really.

 

[CHDinCT]

My last truck was a '99 Tacoma. Toyota bought it back due to the frame rust issue. I started out looking at the new Tacoma's which do appear bigger, but to my eyes, were no bigger inside. I was hoping for a little more rear seat room for the occasional rear passenger or two. Ford hadn't updated the Ranger in years it seemed and I had no interest in the Nissan Frontier, so that left me fully size trucks only. Ended up getting a F150 XLT that I'm very happy with so far. But, had the Mahindra small diesel pickup been on the market, I sure would have looked hard at it. Just seems like it's been coming to market for years now, but never does.

By the way, why is Ford giving up on the Ranger? I'm sure sales were off partially due to it not being updated in a decade. I looked at them in '99 when I bought the Taco and the truck looks the same today. It's no wonder it didn't sell.

 

[bp fick]

My last truck was a '99 Tacoma. Toyota bought it back due to the frame rust issue. I started out looking at the new Tacoma's which do appear bigger, but to my eyes, were no bigger inside. I was hoping for a little more rear seat room for the occasional rear passenger or two. Ford hadn't updated the Ranger in years it seemed and I had no interest in the Nissan Frontier, so that left me fully size trucks only. Ended up getting a F150 XLT that I'm very happy with so far. But, had the Mahindra small diesel pickup been on the market, I sure would have looked hard at it. Just seems like it's been coming to market for years now, but never does.

By the way, why is Ford giving up on the Ranger? I'm sure sales were off partially due to it not being updated in a decade. I looked at them in '99 when I bought the Taco and the truck looks the same today. It's no wonder it didn't sell.

According to what Ford has said many times, they did not want to steal sales from the F-150. The whole "we're #1 in sales" thing. OK, but for many years, the Ranger was something like #3 or #4!!!

Yes, they stopped doing anything, in terms of upgrading, the Ranger for 10 years. They've wanted to stop building it as long ago as '04, but the fleet sales and actual retail sales held very strong. As late as a few years ago, the Ranger just refused to die in sales, even though it hadn't been touched virtually at all in many years.

Finally, unless you bought a plain Ranger, the price was sky-high and the customer was in F-150 territory.

The shame of it all is that Ford has sold the T-5 and T-6 (modern Rangers) around the world, but will not bring them here. So, what else is new? Europe had the new Focus and Fiesta long before we got them.

"North Americans don't buy small vehicles" is the mantra. OK. Whatever.

 

[KentT]

I've owned a couple Rangers, a Dakota, and now drive a Frontier. I've also owned F-150s and Dodge Rams. IMO, the new full size trucks are huge and a PITA to drive in city traffic or to park in parking lots, especially if 4WD...

The one I've been watching is the Jeep Gladiator. Originally on the concept car show circuit several years ago, it looks like it has finally been approved for production and should be here sometime next year, likely as a 2013 model. It's based on the Jeep Unlimited chassis. I'm interested in seeing what the engine choices really are when it comes to production -- the concept car was a 4cyl diesel with a 6 speed manual...

Jeep Gladiator 4-Door Pickup "Truck" Coming in 2013 | Motor City Muscle Cars

 

[Willl]

"Small Pickup"

That's a 'oxymoron', ain't it ? :laughing:

 

[Redneck in training]

I see advertise and in trafic as well Chinesse made Great Wall PU. They look OK to me and cost about 45% less than comparable truck from in ex Nissan. I am in Australia.
Great Wall | Paceway Great Wall dealer Perth, Western Australia