Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I saw two what used to be small trucks and had to do a double take. One was a 2000 era Ranger and the second one was an 80s Dodge Dakota. They looked like what they drive in Asia today. Dakota hasn't come back yet but if parked side by side, the new Ranger looks like an F-350. I personally think the so-called "compact " trucks are anything but. This growth isn't limited to trucks. The new RAV4 is looking like the Highlander.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,610 posts, read 81,297,702 times
Reputation: 57869
You should have seen my first truck, a 1973 Ford Courier, made by Mazda. I loved that little truck, my wife and I had many adventures in it early in our marriage, going to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and many Sierra campgrounds. It was $2,500 brand new. Now I have an F150 4.0 Coyote V8 with 385 horsepower that cost 15 times that much.
I personally think the so-called "compact " trucks are anything but.
No one sells a compact truck in the U.S. today. The smallest trucks you can buy -- Tacoma, Frontier, Ranger, Colorado, etc. are all mid-size trucks. The true compacts of say, 1990's and earlier, were well under 200 inches in length and would fit in a suburban garage. Today's midsize trucks are wider and typically over 210 inches, and won't fit in a typical home garage.
Ford blew it with the new Ranger. Sales are slow. By making it a midsize it competes head to head with Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado, etc. If they had made it a true compact, it would have had no competition at all. It would have been the only compact on the market.
I dont understand why GM/ Chevy did away with the compact S series trucks, even today, I see plenty of the old 80s and 90s S-10s running around, even more of the S-10 SUV version. This seemed to be a great selling truck for them. and it was truly a compact truck.
What happened to the rumors that the Dakota is coming back? I owned two of them and always thought they were just the right size.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
