Why can't we get these in the states? (Ford content)

[mrsleeve]

lol @ sleeve's toy comment. Do you measure truck bed length and capacity in Imperial Dicks?

Many people do not want a full size, and even more do not need one. My Frontier king cab was plenty large to carry or pull anything I threw at it the odd time, and it was small enough that it wasn't a chore to drive/fuel the rest of the time. Only reason I got rid of it was even as one of the smallest trucks available, it still had laughable fuel economy, something which should be priority #1 when it comes to a utility vehicle. Give me a Frontier with the Navara diesel engine and I'll go back to a daily truck/weekend car in a heart beat.

Sorry I grew up on a farm and have worked in heavy construction my whole life, A frontier or taco might last 3 average work days for what I consider truck usage. Sure it might be fine for a suburbanite's occasional trip to the home improvement emporium to procure 3 2x4's a box of screws, 2 sheets of ply (that you have the store cut for you) and 1/2 sheet of 3/8 thick dry wall. Hell would work well for heading to the local appliance reseller and picking a up a new TV or dishwasher or a clothes dryer, hell I am sure they can pull a 12 foot row-able dingy or paddle board, one of those collapsible "utility" trailers you can find at Harbor Freight just fine. I bet you can even put a nice ATV on small wagon and pull them fine......

My 1st 3 vehicles I owed were small trucks s-10's and while they put up with a lot of farm and construction abuse a s10 will pull a hay wagon around (there is NO tongue weight) but they are PIA MF to get stopped and they dont like it one bit.... I even pulled a couple of e30's around with both s-10 and Colorado those are NOT experiences I would want to repeat in and around traffic again........

Sure not everyone NEEDs a full size or a HD full size and thats fine I totally get that different strokes for different needs, I used to have both for a long time, a pulling/farm truck and a Work beater for fuel economy (454's w/ 4:10 gear sets are THIRSTY yet very consistent loaded down heavy or empty was the same 7ish mpg ) that could haul some little shit. But dont fool your self that because you have a open cargo space behind a small occupant compartment that you have something that is capable of much more than what you can do with a E30 IX or Subaru, off improved roads or a Camry or civic on the pavement in a pinch as well.

[rturbo 930]

lol @ sleeve's toy comment. Do you measure truck bed length and capacity in Imperial Dicks?

Many people do not want a full size, and even more do not need one. My Frontier king cab was plenty large to carry or pull anything I threw at it the odd time, and it was small enough that it wasn't a chore to drive/fuel the rest of the time. Only reason I got rid of it was even as one of the smallest trucks available, it still had laughable fuel economy, something which should be priority #1 when it comes to a utility vehicle. Give me a Frontier with the Navara diesel engine and I'll go back to a daily truck/weekend car in a heart beat.

+1

I don't want or need a 18+ft long truck. I don't work in construction, and I simply don't need that much truck. What I would use it for is light duty at the most. Just because you need a truck that will stand up to a huge amount of abuse doesn't mean that I do.

I would love it if someone was making something like this. Everything made today is huge though (including compact cars), so I won't get my hopes up.

[mrsleeve]

^

But when you move to a new place of residence you ask the guy you know that does have something like that to barrow it right..... ;)

[ravenlord89]

Mrsleeve, I think the issue that most people have with this large truck mentality you obviously have is that it seems to filter down to us little guys who happen to like smaller trucks.

Yes, a small truck isn't as good for towing 15 tons of hay to market. Yes a 1/4 ton truck is worthless when it comes to building 25 houses a week. Yes when I want to go mall crawling a full sized is a much better choice. Yes a stripped down full sized truck costs less than a compact truck. That being said I don't own a construction company. I moved out of farm country for a reason. I offroad, not mall crawl. When it comes to the argument of buying a full sized when I don't need or want it, just because a stripped down one is cheaper doesn't mean it is better.

Telling someone like myself to buy an F150 because it is cheaper that the Tacoma (Bad example, because the taco is still too big) is like telling you to buy an E60 M5 because it is faster than an E30. Both may be true statements, but you own an E30 because you enjoy the car. Not because it is the fastest.

TLDR "Because full sized" is not a valid statement for why I cannot have a diesel HiLux with a manual tranny in North America.

[rturbo 930]

^

But when you move to a new place of residence you ask the guy you know that does have something like that to barrow it right..... ;)

I don't move often enough to justify keeping a full size truck on hand. That's what U-Haul is for.

[cale]

My Frontier was great in the mud, I never had an issue getting down skinny trails to good spots with it, got me to/from mtn biking spots which required a lot of off camber 4x through less than ideal terrain. And yes, it fulfilled the requirement to make the occasional trip to Home Depot to pick up a fridge. Your implication that it is a toy and provides laughable functionality is also that, laughable. It was a tool for a different job, and it did said job superbly.

Your mentality is bigger is better very may be true when you actually use it for it's intended purpose, but most owners do not. Most truck buys are F-150's or 1500 Dodge's with emphasis on comfort rather than utility. They include tires which are suited to zero offroad use because they are cheap, and cheap tires means they can add more to include rear passenger entertainment and auto dimming mirrors.

This small dick mentality has killed the small truck market in North America, a market which dominates in the rest of the world.

^

But when you move to a new place of residence you ask the guy you know that does have something like that to barrow it right..... ;)

No, I go rent a Uhaul and do it in 1 trip vs. 5 small trips in a truck with a bed barely larger than a medium sized truck.

[mrsleeve]

I think we have a slight difference in personal definition is all,

A truck for me = WORK and large amounts of it doing shit that needs to be done to make a living or build a job. Yes you can have your leather, DVD/NAV/Super raido and may luxo sedan appointments inside as for many of us our truck is our office and we spend more time in it than in our beds. So its kind of nice to have some level of comfort in there, though I will say GMC with its Denail package and fords King Ranch is a bit over the top for someone who uses it like it should be unless your just hauling show ponies, or hobby racer all over the place with it. But this is also because it become popular to have a truck, but you guys like to point out most people who own them dont use them. So those of us that do are now in the minority and why we have to pay so fucking much to get a new one when we actually wear them out, as they are not aimed at us but at more "up market" buyers which is both good and bad . As we get the better optioning for creture comforts, but it also adds a lot to the cost of ownership......

Getting to a MT biking spot or going wheelin down a narrow trail is normally Leisure stuff there for more of TOY is needed application. Yes the mid sized work well for this no arguments.... Been on the fence on getting a Mid sized SUV like a 4runner or Disco for a long while now JUST for this kind of application for back country exploring with a little better economy and a little breathing room in narrow spots....

I dont think I have ever said they dont have a purpose, just that most people that are here in the states dont want littler trucks most want 1/2 tons hence the huge market for them, traditionally US buyers want bigger cars in general. Smaller little cars and truck have a place no doubt and work very well for many, but I could not fit an average weeks CostCo/grocery run into a E30, or other small car we have had times when we have thought about buying a burb just for town runs for previsions and her dd is a Tahoe..... For some the corner store is 10-30 miles away and jaunt to buy food for the week is a couple hour ordeal. I dont live that far out at the moment but its a solid 20min 1 way to get someplace, you dont just go out to get a soda,
.
Hasn't the F150 and GM 1/2's been the best selling new vehicles not all that long ago.... GM droped the mid sized in what 2012 and ford the ranger last year and Dodge the Dakota what 2008ish???? Why because they didnt sell well, and most anyone in the Mid sized market would go buy a taco anyway. That said GM is bringing the mid sized back with some wanted promising options, only time will tell if this was a good move here or not.

[marshallnoise]

I have a 97 4Runner and between the huge space inside and the ability to tow a trailer, I have my moving needs covered.

But, I would love a 97 F-350 Powerstroke.

[Massimo]

Australians can not get enough of there utes.

I can't believe you don't have more of them in the states

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/results.aspx?silo=stock&vertical=car&q=((((((((SiloType%3d%5bBrand+new+cars+in+stock%5d%7cSiloType%3d%5bBrand+new+cars+available%5d)%7cSiloType%3d%5bDemo+and+near+new+cars%5d)%7cSiloType%3d%5bDealer+used+cars%5d)%7cSiloType%3d%5bDemo+and+near+new+cars%5d)%7cSiloType%3d%5bPrivate+seller+cars%5d)%26Make%7b%3d%7d%5bHolden+Special+Vehicles%5d)%26Service%3d%5bCarsales%5d)%26BodyStyle%7b%3d%7d%5bUte%5d)&WT.z_srchsrcx=makemodel&sortby=TopDeal

[SubDad]

I have no objection to Mr. Sleeve and his work truck. There are people who need a full size pickup and those who only think they need a full size+ 4-door 4x4 Grande Luxe SubDivision mover. About once a year I need a 4x8 bed to haul wood, but I can rent a truck or van for $40. Unlike my neighbours, I don't need to commute in a truck I need once a year and I find it annoying to be driving my E30 while surrounded by big-ass trucks that have a tonneau cover permanently installed.
It's strange how in Europe tradesmen don't feel they need a full size truck and a 30 foot trailer to get their work done.

[mrsleeve]

Yet many of the those European tradesmen do have 1 ton sprinter vans though.....

[E30NJ]

They got rid of the ranger, right? they replaced it with that van thing...

[cale]

And they likely have a small commuter car to use when they get off work because they realize a work vehicle makes a piss poor daily driver.

[mrsleeve]

Mine makes a great DD ;)


once you get used to something of that size its not as bad as you have in your head... Not to mention when you have that much invested in the work truck you some times have little left over for a commuter....

[cwatt]

@ MrSleeve,

We rag on GM build quality, or at least I do, becasue you said it yourself - low end car. You've just come to expect less, so when it delivers low standards you're not disappointed. Take a look at what Ford has done for it's affordable (not 'low end') cars. The Fiesta is not only exceptionally well built, but is an incredibly good vehicle to drive. Compare the Silverados. For years they were still being made with drum rear brakes while the competition switched to disc, the new Ford has gone all aluminum, Dodge 1500 and 2500 both have air-ride options with 5-link suspension and REAL WOOD interiors, while Chevrolet is trying to pass off an aesthetics update and the same plastic-wood picture accents and leaf springs. It's a joke. Even the used car prices agree with me. I can get a 2010 Silverado for about $4k less than the equivilant Dodge (I should know, I'm in the market for an oil-field truck).

All I'll say is this - I wish our governments didn't bail out GM because we might have seen an increase in foreign competition. I know you 'Mericans like your home-grown Chevrolets, and so do I ('69 C10 is high on the want list), but they just don't build 'em like they used to. And that's a damn shame.


UPDATE:

@MrSleeve again (lol),

The big 3 dropped their mid-size trucks due to low sales yes, but that was during peak oil prices and the fuel economy savings wasn't worth the compromise in utility. At the time, the Ranger with the 4.0L V6 got 1mpg better than the F150 with the 5.4L Triton, the Dakota actually had a V8 option (can't remember if it was the 4.7 or 5.7 though), and so too did the Canyon/Colorado later in it's production life. So buying a quarter ton didn't make much sense. Even less now with the V6 diesel from Dodge and V6 Ecoboost from Ford.