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Post by downriver on Dec 12, 2021 22:55:19 GMT -8
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Dec 13, 2021 6:07:45 GMT -8
40 mpg … sits 5 and no problem parking. Sounds like they’ve gone retro yet updated. Other makers have gotten away from small pickups as they can make more profit on the same of individual more rugged looking trucks.
The Tacoma has grown in size but it’s been cautioned not to add too many aftermarket features as it’s the same engine as the Camry basically.
On the big truck front the new hybrid Toyota Tundra is supposed to get more horse than the previous pure fossil powered one.
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Travis
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Post by Travis on Dec 13, 2021 6:39:51 GMT -8
I went to the Ford website to see what I could build to my preferences and was not impressed. To get the hybrid version I had to give up the off-road package. There is no long-box available. Only the stubby box that hardly deserves the name "pickup."
Pickups used to be work vehicles. The mandatory five seats seem more suitable for soccer moms and dads. And I suspect the 2.0 liter engine could hardly pull the slopes of the Bighorn Mountains even with only two people and their backpacking gear. What's not to dislike about it? I don't think it knows what it wants to be when it grows up.
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balzaccom
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Waiting for spring...
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Post by balzaccom on Dec 13, 2021 6:44:50 GMT -8
I can see how some people would find this attractive. Cheap, good mileage, seats five. Think of it as a compact car with a square payload bed.
I am still trying to get over pickup trucks with beds that can't carry a basic 4x8 sheet of plywood, myself...
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Dec 13, 2021 13:00:25 GMT -8
I went to the Ford website to see what I could build to my preferences and was not impressed. To get the hybrid version I had to give up the off-road package. There is no long-box available. Only the stubby box that hardly deserves the name "pickup."
Pickups used to be work vehicles. The mandatory five seats seem more suitable for soccer moms and dads. And I suspect the 2.0 liter engine could hardly pull the slopes of the Bighorn Mountains even with only two people and their backpacking gear. What's not to dislike about it? I don't think it knows what it wants to be when it grows up. I've recently read dual cabs are becoming the only option as single cab's don't sell. Which, I expect, impacts bed length options to it's detriment. balzaccom And, yeah, a stubby "bed" seems a tad pointless, why expose stuff to the weather if you're not getting better capacity? Some of these won't hold a bike mounted to a fork mount the length of the bed.. OTOH if it's priced right and fits a users needs, why not?
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Travis
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Post by Travis on Dec 13, 2021 14:47:59 GMT -8
I've recently read dual cabs are becoming the only option as single cab's don't sell. Which, I expect, impacts bed length options to it's detriment. In my area of small-town dealerships, with smaller (mid-sized) pickups, dealers rarely stock anything but the 4-door, 5-seat option, though other configurations can be ordered. With the big sellers, the full-sized pickups, more variety is likely to be in stock. But all have longer boxes in proportion. And even the smaller pickups can be ordered with long boxes, which are only about 6 to 7 feet with the mid-sized vehicles. The longer box gives the vehicle a longer wheelbase, and in my experience better stability and handing at highway speeds. With tight power steering and short wheelbase I've found smaller pickups can be tough to handle and more prone to rollovers. But inevitably, dealers will stock what sells best.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Dec 13, 2021 14:59:16 GMT -8
I went to the Ford website to see what I could build to my preferences and was not impressed. To get the hybrid version I had to give up the off-road package. It's also a shame that the off road version is AWD instead of 4WD. I'm sure they'll sell like hot cakes though. Let's face it. Most people who buy a truck nowadays rarely take them off-road, and that's a lot of vehicle for $20,000.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Dec 13, 2021 16:44:20 GMT -8
I can see how some people would find this attractive. Cheap, good mileage, seats five. Think of it as a compact car with a square payload bed. I am still trying to get over pickup trucks with beds that can't carry a basic 4x8 sheet of plywood, myself... Those are pretty much my thoughts as well. That same exact vehicle would be more useful as a station wagon, with much greater interior cargo capacity. The only advantage to the pickup truck bed is loose material like soil you wouldn't want inside a wagon. I've often thought an extremely useful vehicle would have just enough room for some 4x8 sheets inside with the rear seats folded down. Make that as fuel efficient as practical, with a version that offers higher ground clearance with AWD. Of course, utility is often far down in the criteria list among new car buyers. A few months ago one of my co-workers proudly showed me his new Silverado pickup with larger wheels and ride height. I said he he most be going to some rugged places and/or hauling some payloads. No, he just likes pickup trucks, using this beast as a commuter vehicle.
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balzaccom
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Waiting for spring...
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Post by balzaccom on Dec 13, 2021 17:00:47 GMT -8
That same exact vehicle would be more useful as a station wagon, with much greater interior cargo capacity. Exactly. Except that a station wagon is a car, subject to different EPA standards than a truck. And an SUV is a truck with a lower emissions bar from the EPA. We are all just buying station wagons called SUVS these day to circumvent the EPA's mileage and pollution standards.
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Post by hikerjer on Dec 13, 2021 18:02:58 GMT -8
Before I buy a new pickup it’s got to have a six foot bed. That’s what I like about the older Rangers l’ve drive the past couple of decades.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Dec 13, 2021 18:17:45 GMT -8
Before I buy a new pickup it’s got to have a six foot bed. That’s what I like about the older Rangers l’ve drive the past couple of decades. 6 foot bed with a topper for sleeping?
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Dec 13, 2021 18:50:44 GMT -8
My thought is the new small Ford pickup may be for people getting out and putting their mountain bikes in back, .. backpacks under a tarp etc.. plus any commuter duties. Not straying too far from asphalt. It’s not really the adventure vehicle; more of a get to the adventure vehicle.
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Post by nickhowes on Dec 14, 2021 7:16:53 GMT -8
To borrow from Douglas Adams: Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-two million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think internal combustion engines are a pretty neat idea.
I'm not trying to piss anyone off (although I inevitably will) - but maybe it's time consider an electric vehicle charged from renewable energy?
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Travis
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Post by Travis on Dec 14, 2021 8:29:19 GMT -8
maybe it's time consider an electric vehicle charged from renewable energy? Exactly. And though I've been considering trading in my 2012 Colorado on a new one, lately I'm thinking the EV is worth waiting for. And hopefully I can have solar panels set up in my backyard to charge an electrically-powered pickup in my garage. I still find a high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive pickup to be in my best interests, but hopefully a suitable EV version will be available in the next few years.
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Post by bradmacmt on Dec 14, 2021 15:36:28 GMT -8
I'm a General Contractor, so probably actually use a truck more than some commenting here. I have a crew cab Tacoma with a 5' bed (and yes you can haul 4x8 sheets in it). Granted, I only pick up odds and ends for my guys. I pay other people to do the serious hauling. Having said that, and having had a 6' bed Tacoma in the past, I can say with authority the 6' really doesn't do much for you than a 5' bed except as sleeping quarters (which I don't do).
If you want a 'real" truck you need an 8' bed - but I don't want or need a "real" truck...
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