Why no front wheel drive trucks?

LD1 · Dec 11, 2014

Two big reasons I can think of. Cost, and payload.

It would cost a lot to redesign everything. And towing and payload would have to be greatly reduced. Who would want to buy a half ton with 500# payload and 3000# towing cap.

wawajake · Dec 11, 2014

LD1 said:
Two big reasons I can think of. Cost, and payload.

It would cost a lot to redesign everything. And towing and payload would have to be greatly reduced. Who would want to buy a half ton with 500# payload and 3000# towing cap.

If you were a styrofoam cup salesman, it would be a good company vehicle

Diamondpilot · Dec 11, 2014

wawajake said:
If you were a styrofoam cup salesman, it would be a good company vehicle

They already have a truck for that, the Fiat Ram Ecodiesel.

Lol!

Chris

aczlan · Dec 11, 2014

LD1 said:
Two big reasons I can think of. Cost, and payload.
It would cost a lot to redesign everything. And towing and payload would have to be greatly reduced. Who would want to buy a half ton with 500# payload and 3000# towing cap.

The Ridgeline is a transverse engine AWD pickupish vehicle. It has a 1500# payload and it is rated to tow 5000#.

Aaron Z

dodge man · Dec 11, 2014

DP, you make posts like that and you wonder why people keep saying SSDD. I usually take some of your posts with a little humor but it does get old. What does the Ecodiesel have to do with front drive trucks.

rd_macgregor · Dec 11, 2014

dfkrug said:
Datsun made no front wheel drive trucks that I am aware of, so it would have to be custom-made.

In some ways, my favorite fantasy truck would be my old Datsun PL620 (73-78) but with a modern drivetrain
and brakes.
QUOTE]

My first PU was a 1970 Datsun PL521, the first year they put the 1600cc Datsun 510 engine in the PU. I drove that truck for about ten years and sold it to my brother. He still has it (along with many other deceased vehicles), though it finally stopped working at least ten years ago. It was a pretty reliable truck, if underpowered and with limited braking ability when loaded.

Diamondpilot · Dec 11, 2014

dodge man said:
DP, you make posts like that and you wonder why people keep saying SSDD. I usually take some of your posts with a little humor but it does get old. What does the Ecodiesel have to do with front drive trucks.

I was just poking back at him. Lighten up.

Chris

RAS323 · Dec 11, 2014

LD1 said:
Two big reasons I can think of. Cost, and payload.

It would cost a lot to redesign everything. And towing and payload would have to be greatly reduced. Who would want to buy a half ton with 500# payload and 3000# towing cap.

Last I looked the OP made no mention of this being a half ton truck. Is the problem with cost-it being too low? These basic vehicles are already being made, they just look like vans. Ram Promaster (payload 4400#), Chrysler minivan (payload 1360# ), Chevy City Express (payload 1500#) and Ford Transit (payload 1620#; it wouldn't be real if Ford didn't have one) all front wheel drive, all have similar payload as a midsized truck (Tacoma, Colorado/Canyon and Frontier) with much smaller engines.

Ram's Promaster does have an ecodiesel in it, but it's not the same one as the Ram 1500. It's 3.0l 4cyl diesel with 174hp and 295ft/lb of torque.

wawajake · Dec 11, 2014

My dream pickup truck to find and restore would be a late 50’s early 60’s Jeep Willys . As a kid I would get a ride to highschool with the neighbor’s boys in the bed of their Navy blue Jeep Willys .
And at times we would get to see it in action getting to fishing holes deep in the bush.
They are rare now (at least in Canada’s rust belt). It had a flat four engine and was easy to push start after we had rolled it down the street so the neighbor parents would not hear it being “borrowed” by their sons.
Besides Ecodiesel being a good choice for full size medium use pickup buyers now….
If Ram and Jeep ever put that EcoDiesel or the Pentastar in a 2015 version of Jeep Wrangler Pickup (seen only in concepts so far I think) ……It would be a great choice for many Jeep enthusiasts and the small pickup buyers. Resurrecting the Willys name would be a good marketing move ! …..Just not front wheel drive ! And it could replace the Ranger type customer that Ford abandoned.
.

bcp · Dec 11, 2014

Everyone's ideal truck is probably made somewhere in the world but not available in the US. For example, I recently ran across this Subaru pickup on the internet.