Small trucks

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch) 03/09/2020 at 18:25 • Filed to: opinions are like armpits

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What people claim they want

A literal 99 Ford Ranger, but you know...get mid 30's mpg, be not terrible to be in and cost a song all while being “all truck”...somehow.

What tradesman and the bulk of the small truck market actually want.

Something with a big tray, costs little to own and run. Basically a transit connect trayback.

I’m not against small trucks or the people that want them, but I think the numbers of people who would buy them aren’t enough to justify their return...not as they were.

you can’t make a truck as physically small on the outside as a ranger and big enough on the inside to satisfy consumer and regulatory demands anymore and the only way it works is with space saving design like a unibody and transverse engine.

Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong...but im not.

UPDATE: Case in point

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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:29

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Can confirm: The good thing about small trucks cannot be achieved with modern regulatory standards and consumer expectations , since this was already pushing it.

Have you ever ridden in the sideways back seat of a small truck? Not for long trips or adults. Double whoopsie.

For Sweden > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:30

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HammerheadFistpunch > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 18:31

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hell, being in the front seats wasn’t what I’d call roomy.

slipperysallylikespenguins > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:39

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I just want to be able to reach over the side, but that will probably never happen again on a new truck. Best part about the little trucks is how easy they are to load/unload.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:41

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Especially if you were sitting three across. So this is technically a 5 seater.

Future next gen S2000 owner > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:45

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The rabble will not listen to logic.

EL_ULY > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:47

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et tu Mazda ?

Ssfancyfresh > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:54

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Finally, A voice of reason.

I had a few s-10’s.  I had friends with rangers and toyota pickups (pre Tacoma). They were (and still are) awful. All of them

AestheticsInMotion > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:56

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I'll take either of those two plz

AestheticsInMotion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 18:56

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It's great for a young kid and a big husky! 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > AestheticsInMotion 03/09/2020 at 18:58

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Only if the big husky can hold on in the bed

TheRealBicycleBuck > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 18:58

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I’m fairly chunky, but t he buckets in my Mazda were just about perfect.

Not mine, but the same seats:

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 18:58

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I think that’s where you may be wrong. I think with an EV platform, an no engine block in front, a person could lop off at least 12" off the front of a truck and still have good if not better crash tests.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BaconSandwich is tasty. 03/09/2020 at 19:00

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True, but who would invest in an extinct market when crossovers are so hot?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 19:04

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Crossovers are hot now, but I bet a small electric truck (at the right price) would sell like hotcakes in Europe, and possibly parts of Asia.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BaconSandwich is tasty. 03/09/2020 at 19:09

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But it would never make it to the good ol’ US of A because we are afraid to be seen in a truck that doesn’t look hopped up on steroids.

AestheticsInMotion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 19:11

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I have many fond memories of riding in the sideways seat in back of my aunt's little truck, while playing with her husky. Good times... 

Urambo Tauro > slipperysallylikespenguins 03/09/2020 at 19:13

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When I worked construction, we drove fullsize trucks not just for their payload capacity, but because it was important to be able to haul 48" wide sheets of building materials between the wheel wells.

But I’m now working in a field where reaching over the sides of an open bed is definitely a more important factor for daily use. If Ford brought back a compact Ranger, I’m feeling pretty  certain that my employer would start phasing them into the fleet to replace our midsize trucks (Colorados, Frontiers).

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > AestheticsInMotion 03/09/2020 at 19:16

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I guess I just have more recent memories of fitting 4 people in it for longer trips than ideal. Being in such close proximity to a husky actually sounds great though!

AestheticsInMotion > slipperysallylikespenguins 03/09/2020 at 19:17

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This is the biggest thing for me, too. I remember when I borrowed a 2014 F-150 for a month to replace my work Ranger, and I had to keep a step stool in the back just so my team and I could safely unrack ladders.

jimz > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:19

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I have a 2011 Ranger, hardly different than the one you posted.  It ain’t that small.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:30

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I drove my Isuzu on Saturday and felt like I was driving a toy. I’m sure a side by side has more passenger room.

HammerheadFistpunch > jimz 03/09/2020 at 19:38

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They were fine, not roomy, not tiny. You couldn't pull off the interior to exterior volume ratio today

jimz > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:45

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very true.  though I’d much rather be in a 2019 or 2020 Ranger in a wreck. 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:48

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I used to have a Mitsu-Dodge Ram 50 (tiny) pickup, which I loved. When that vehicle was new the category had offerings from Nissan (ex-Datsun), Toyota, Isuzu— even VW.

Apparently the category is dead.  nobody offers anything remotely that small anymore.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 19:50

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Oh, you Brat!

slipperysallylikespenguins > AestheticsInMotion 03/09/2020 at 19:50

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A few years ago my field supervisors all got trucks with the built in tailgate ladders. We gave them so much shit at the time, but it’s pretty essential for anyone over the age of 25 to get in and out of the beds anymore. Pretty sad.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:52

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I’m thinking fired now compact truck will end up a FWD based little CUV with a 4 ft bed. And honestly I’m okay with that.

Or it will be a transit connect pickup focused squarely on fleet sales. Which I agree makes way more sense. 

AestheticsInMotion > slipperysallylikespenguins 03/09/2020 at 19:54

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Honestly I’m surprised that Tesla of all manufacturers is the first to think of a loading ramp tailgate design. That seems like the single most useful change in the truck world since.... I don't even know. 

Brickman > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 19:59

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Little trucks are the best. Im never getting rid of my S-10. Cheap and easy to work on, and LS swap compatible ;D

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 03/09/2020 at 20:02

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But those (presumably) had legroom! And shoulder room! And headroom! 

Kat Callahan > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 20:42

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May I suggest Mazda B-series? One of my high school friends had one, and I loved it:

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 21:33

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I'm sure some Chevy/GM owner out there has a bumper sticker that says "Grills get girls".

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/09/2020 at 21:37

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I call bullshit on that. Current Toyota Hilux, Mi ts ubishi Triton and indeed the current Ford Ranger are all available in 4x2 single cab tray back and all meet current European and Australian design and safety standards, often to the 5 star maximum level. There are a few more models from China and India that one could add to the options list. And they barely sell here...

They don’t sell in North America because the chicken tax means they can’t be imported and no-one is going to tool up to build them there since no-one will buy them.

The Ranger is all you are going to get and even that only in limited body styles. Plus it is very nearly out of date - the new RoW version for VW and Ford is due in 2022. But you guys will see the current version for some time to come because that’s what America does...and because Bronco.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 21:41

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We are offered them (4x2 single cab pickup or cab chassis) in a range of different species here in Oz, generally made in Thailand by a range of Japanese brands plus Ford or in China by a couple of Chinese brands, though the Koreans are coming.

Can confirm that (comparatively) no-one buys them...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/09/2020 at 21:45

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Well, I can agree on the crash safety, but most Americans cannot believe that it could be safe, and also demand leather and luxury features that don’t make the small work  oriented trucks practicable here. I am well a ssured that they aren’t coming back anytime soon, even if there is a market niche for them.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BaconSandwich is tasty. 03/09/2020 at 21:46

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Maybe a good grill,  but grilles don’t get girls, especially no frills grilles.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 22:33

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I literally gave away my 2006 Ram when I bought a 2003 Dakota.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > HammerheadFistpunch 03/09/2020 at 23:07

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I'm more morbidly curious at this point at what this sub ranger truck is going to be. I've had a couple of dealership guys compare it more to an explorer sport Trac than anything else. Not exactly what the small truck crowd wants

Mercedes Streeter > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/10/2020 at 09:26

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Th e buckets in my old Ranger also had miles of room. So much that I needed a pillow to see better. I'm 5'6" with weight starting with a 2. lol

Mercedes Streeter > HammerheadFistpunch 03/10/2020 at 09:45

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I’m one of those people. I love small trucks. I loved all but two things about my old Ranger: Fuel economy (it got 13 on a good day) and the automatic transmission.

Otherwise, I would have kept it as a motorcycle hauler. Even the current crop of small trucks have bed heights that suck for weaker and shorter people like myself.

T his Nissan saved my 600 pound Suzuki a few nights ago. Got it in there without ramps. Oddly, this truck isn’t lowered, it just has the wheels and tires from someone who stanced their car. This little thing is brilliant!

But sadly I think you’re right, unless Ford has a trick up its sleeve, a modern small truck that actually sells will remain stuff like the current Ranger. If this new thing IS a hit, wouldn’t it just cannibalize Ranger sales?

I actually think I found my  unicorn small truck somewhat recently. It was a manual Ranger that had a VW TDI engine swapped into it. More than stock power and more than twice the mpg. It even had the stepside!

Oh man, if only I had the cash...