At Last, A Small Pickup?

[DIXIEDOG]

Many guys don't see the see the need for a small truck, and that's OK for them. But for many others, the compact is just plain handy, similar to RTV that is street legal.

True the problem is the sales numbers never add up for them...I can see why the manufacturers are dropping them. I hadn't seen a Ranger or S10 up here in years with a temp plate. They were all the rage up here in the 80's but their popularity fell right off up here around 2000 or so.

 

[Sasquatch4100]

australian utes - Google Search

 

[DAY]

American pickup trucks are sold as macho jewelry to insecure wannabes.
Check out the ones on the highway during the commute. One or two people up front, and NOTHING in the bed.

 

[RoyJackson]

American pickup trucks are sold as macho jewelry to insecure wannabes.
Check out the ones on the highway during the commute. One or two people up front, and NOTHING in the bed.

You have no idea what those trucks are used for...do you?
All you see is one aspect of their use.

 

[KentT]

I don't see the appeal of the small truck. I've have several Toyotas and Nissans when I was younger....they all got in the 15-18 mpg range.....the 06' GMC Sierra I owned got 18+ mpg all while being more comfortable on long drives and pulling nearly twice the weight....the 10' Super Duty I own now gets 15 mpg, is comfortable with plenty of room for my stuff and can pull basically anything I hook to it....

My Nissan Frontier extended cab 4WD V6 gets between 20-21 MPG consistently on my 21 mile (each way) commute to work. In winter, if I must use 4WD that will drop to 18-19 MPG. Meanwhile, I can park it at the office or the mall without having to back up 2 or 3 times to maneuver it into a parking spot. Once parked, I can open the door and get in or out without banging a door into the vehicles beside me...

It will tow 6500lb or carry 1500lb. I routinely tow (about twice a year) my 14' tandem-axle trailer back and forth to Tennessee, 900 miles one way, loaded with a tractor and implements. I frequently tow locally (within 200 miles) with my UTV for daily/weekend excursions.

It's basically the same size as the Ford F-150s I used to drive years ago, gets better mileage, tows/hauls as much, and is very reliable. It tows much better, at freeway speeds, for long distances. Not sure how I could ask for more...

IMO, the full-size trucks now are simply too big for my needs. Add 4WD or extended cab and they are so hard to maneuver in tight spaces that they become a real PITA. Meanwhile my Nissan was built in the US, while the last two Dodges I've owned were built in Mexico and Canada, respectively...

Just some perspective on why a mid-size works for me...

 

[DAY]

"You have no idea what those trucks are used for...do you?"
Actually, Roy, I do.
They start the morning parked in the driveway of a split level house on a quarter acre lot or a townhouse with no yard at all. Well dressed men and women drive them into the city 5 days a week. On weekends the families use their minivan.
As Kent says above, they are too big and hard to maneuver. And about as practical for TSC members as the Ford Ranchero from the '60's.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

"You have no idea what those trucks are used for...do you?"
Actually, Roy, I do.
They start the morning parked in the driveway of a split level house on a quarter acre lot or a townhouse with no yard at all. Well dressed men and women drive them into the city 5 days a week. On weekends the families use their minivan.
As Kent says above, they are too big and hard to maneuver. And about as practical for TSC members as the Ford Ranchero from the '60's.

All I know is I drive a F250 to work five days a week with a suit on and on the weekend I am towing upwards of 8K pounds with it...will a Ranchero do that?

 

[TripleR]

Man, people sure do get touchy about their pickups or how/why others have what they have.:laughing:

 

[RoyJackson]

All I know is I drive a F250 to work five days a week with a suit on and on the weekend I am towing upwards of 8K pounds with it...will a Ranchero do that?

I don't tow, but quite a few weekends I have stuff that a smaller truck might not handle.

 

[Bob77064]

To each his own, you pay for the gas drive what you like. And on the occasion you need it you have it.