Midsize (or compact?) Trucks

The new Ridgeline pickup is 90% Honda Pilot with a bed on the back.

I am really not a fan of the new Ridgelines..... They might grow on me but I'll take my 2008 over the new ones. Of course I say that without driving one yet and that might be a game changer.
 
Had a 2008 Tacoma, bought a Nissan Frontier in 2013.

That was before the new Colorado was available, which looks like a great pickup.

But, between the Toyota & Nissan, I would not go back to the Tacoma. The Nissan is nicer (fit & finish) in almost every way, I've had no repairs on the Nissan (60K miles already), which was not the case with the Toyota.

I really like the Frontier & will probably buy another one next time (but will also check out the Colorado).
 
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To hijack the thread slightly, what does everyone think of Dodge Dakota's? I'm thinking of getting a truck for around $2500 to have as an extra vehicle and to have to haul stuff when needed, so early 2000's with mileage over 130k is what I'll probably get for that. I'm seeing a lot of Dakota's for around this, and the consumer reports seem pretty good on them.
 
You need a Holden Ute. Steering wheel will be on the wrong side but the Aussies got this one right.

holden-ute-front-three-quarter.jpg
 
New Ranger looks like the Subaru truck from 10 years ago. Pass.

just googled the new ranger and new ridgeline. pass on both. the Ranger looks like a wimpier version of the original Ridgeline, and the Ridgeline....I don't know, just doesn't do it for me. Front end doesn't scream "Truck" to me; looks like something I'd find on a more recent SUV or sedan.

That said, my late 90s Ranger is still kickin' ass and getting about 20mpg highway. Sucks in town, driving to/from home, campus, and grocery store. Still hoping to get a newer SUV in a few years.
 
just googled the new ranger and new ridgeline. pass on both. the Ranger looks like a wimpier version of the original Ridgeline, and the Ridgeline....I don't know, just doesn't do it for me. Front end doesn't scream "Truck" to me; looks like something I'd find on a more recent SUV or sedan.

That said, my late 90s Ranger is still kickin' ass and getting about 20mpg highway. Sucks in town, driving to/from home, campus, and grocery store. Still hoping to get a newer SUV in a few years.

I have already said that I love Ridgelines, but I think you nailed it on the front body styling. I also wish it was lifted a little bit higher off the ground.
 
Can't go wrong on the Tacoma. I bought a 2013 Tundra and was looking at the Tacomas. Really liked them, but needed a little more cab room. The new ones are now the size of the older Tundras, so they are definately mid-sized. I'm on my second Toyota truck and drive them until the wheels come off. Last one I sold when it hit 249K miles. I'll keep this one for a long time. Have fun. Some good stuff out there.
 
I never understood why people don't consider the Ridgeline a truck. I've owned a Ram 4wd V8 and drove a Ridgeline. Yes they are a lot different but I consider them both trucks. Is it pulling power or something?

Crawl underneath it and take a picture of the frame and post it here.

....actually don't, you'll be there a long time.

Trucks have actual frames, sedans and crossover have unibody "frame" construction. Which is lighter, rides nicer, and has far less capacity, as far as tow/haul is consider. The difference between a Chevy Traverse and a Chevy Tahoe.

It's not a really bad thing and manufacturers will move more towards that, especially in this sector. And probably more so in the future as technology and engineering allows.
 
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I don't have a Tacoma, but it will be my next truck. I have an 07 FJ Cruiser and I offroad the crap out of it. 170K later and it is still going strong. The only things that have broke on it are because I got myself into situations in the desert I shouldn't have been in. Toyota's quality is top notch.
 
I bought a new Tacoma Limited back in February. Overall I really like it, the only complaint is that sometimes when I'm driving around town if feels like it's having a hard time picking what gear to be in. Other than that I'm glad I bought it. I did cross shop with a Tundra and an F-150 when I got it. The Taco gets better mileage than a Tundra and it's about even with the F-150. It was also about $15k less than a similarly equipped F-150.
 
Crawl underneath it and take a picture of the frame and post it here.

....actually don't, you'll be there a long time.

Trucks have actual frames, sedans and crossover have unibody "frame" construction. Which is lighter, rides nicer, and has far less capacity, as far as tow/haul is consider. The difference between a Chevy Traverse and a Chevy Tahoe.

It's not a really bad thing and manufacturers will move more towards that, especially in this sector. And probably more so in the future as technology and engineering allows.

That makes sense. I just assumed that someone looking for a midsize truck were not really concerned about pulling an 8,000lb RV or they'd be considering a full size truck. I know when I bought the Ram I was planning on pulling a pontoon with it otherwise I would have bought something like the Ridgeline.

To me it's a truck if it has a bed. I consider a Chevy Luv a truck and it can barely pull itself. I'm sure there are people that don't consider a 1/2 ton truck to be a truck because it can't pull as much or as well as a 3/4 and 1 ton.
 
Well it has only been a half-day since driving my Colorado diesel off the lot, but we put some miles on it last night and everyone loves it. Took it up into the mountains on some really gnarly roads and the ride is just amazing...at least compared to my 2002 Frontier. The exhaust break is nice for going down steep inclines. Runs really quiet for a diesel, but has just enough sound so you can hear it. Road noise is minimal.

One of the biggest complaints i've read regarding the diesel is that the 0-60 is something like 0 seconds (or something like that). My first thought was, who cares?? After driving it, i care even less. The thing gets up and goes just fine. The pull is super smooth.

The bed is 6'2" long but super deep. The wheel-wells have minimal intrusion into the bed. My buddy who is a gear head commented about how big the bed is.

So far i've found nothing to complain about, other than that the sound system is nothing special. I would have paid extra for the bose, but this particular truck was hard enough to find with the features that i really wanted, so figured i could live without it.

Cloned - PM me if you want more details.
 
Well it has only been a half-day since driving my Colorado diesel off the lot, but we put some miles on it last night and everyone loves it. Took it up into the mountains on some really gnarly roads and the ride is just amazing...at least compared to my 2002 Frontier. The exhaust break is nice for going down steep inclines. Runs really quiet for a diesel, but has just enough sound so you can hear it. Road noise is minimal.

One of the biggest complaints i've read regarding the diesel is that the 0-60 is something like 0 seconds (or something like that). My first thought was, who cares?? After driving it, i care even less. The thing gets up and goes just fine. The pull is super smooth.

The bed is 6'2" long but super deep. The wheel-wells have minimal intrusion into the bed. My buddy who is a gear head commented about how big the bed is.

So far i've found nothing to complain about, other than that the sound system is nothing special. I would have paid extra for the bose, but this particular truck was hard enough to find with the features that i really wanted, so figured i could live without it.

Cloned - PM me if you want more details.

That's great that they are putting diesels in their midsize. My dad had a diesel Chevy in the 80's and put nearly 300k miles on it. Dumb question alert....I assume you no longer have to wait a few seconds for the glow plugs like you did back then?
 
If you're going to buy a truck, buy a real truck. Otherwise Id rather spend money on an SUV that can haul as much as a small truck and is much more usable the rest of the time.
 
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That's great that they are putting diesels in their midsize. My dad had a diesel Chevy in the 80's and put nearly 300k miles on it. Dumb question alert....I assume you no longer have to wait a few seconds for the glow plugs like you did back then?

No glow plugs.
 
That makes sense. I just assumed that someone looking for a midsize truck were not really concerned about pulling an 8,000lb RV or they'd be considering a full size truck. I know when I bought the Ram I was planning on pulling a pontoon with it otherwise I would have bought something like the Ridgeline.

To me it's a truck if it has a bed. I consider a Chevy Luv a truck and it can barely pull itself. I'm sure there are people that don't consider a 1/2 ton truck to be a truck because it can't pull as much or as well as a 3/4 and 1 ton.

Oh absolutely. If it makes you feel better, I use my V8, 4x4, 1/2 ton truck to haul myself to and from work 99% of the time. :D
 
Absolutely love my Ridgeline... 2006 model with 135,000 miles and only replaced tires and brakes on it. Hauls what I need. Fun to tailgate with. Drives like a car for the most part. I traded in a 2003 Chevy Silverado Ext cab for it and haven't missed the Chevy one bit. Too many mechanical issues.

The new ones... Well I love the options. The speakers and power converter in the back would be great for tailgating. The interior is nice. Engine is solid. Just can't get past the looks. Then again when the Ridgeline first came out people thought the same thing about them. Then the Avalanche came out as a bigger copy of them and never fully caught on.

I've made up my mind when this one dies sometime in the future I will probably get another one. Although its sad they don't come out with their cardinal looking color anymore.