Midsize Pickup Comparo - READ ONLY

751 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2007 at 10:44 AM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Car Comparisons, Truck

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#721 of 751 Dodge Dakota by poncho167 Oct 21, 2007 (4:01 am)
Auto rumor has it that Chrysler will drop 5 models in the next year possibly including the Dakota p/u. Though I wouldn't buy one, I think overall the Dakota offers the most options for the money. You can get 4-6 and 8 cylinder offerings. I am still not too crazy about the grills on the Dodge trucks, and the newly styled Dakota front end isn't still to big. The Dakota & Ram p/u's are pretty close in size so they is probably the main reason for it's probably dismissal. Ford's Ranger is also supposed to be history. I wonder if anyone other than some foreign import from India or elsewhere will have a compact truck again. Replies to this message: xscout (Oct 27, 2007 2:49 pm) thegraduate (Oct 27, 2007 3:31 pm) kipk (Oct 28, 2007 2:43 am) poncho167 (Oct 28, 2007 4:50 am) kipk (Oct 29, 2007 5:22 am) xscout (Oct 30, 2007 12:30 pm) and 1 more...
#722 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [poncho167] by xscout Oct 27, 2007 (2:49 pm)
Replying to: poncho167 (Oct 21, 2007 4:01 am) The Dakota pickup is not going anywhere in the near future. Chrysler just did a redesign for 2008 and a big horsepower jump for the available 4.7 V8 engine. What is Ford doing with the Ranger though? They have been running redesigns on that truck for 24 years now! Time for an all new Ranger. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Oct 27, 2007 3:31 pm) kipk (Oct 28, 2007 2:43 am) poncho167 (Oct 28, 2007 4:50 am) kipk (Oct 29, 2007 5:22 am) xscout (Oct 30, 2007 12:30 pm) jfritsch (Oct 30, 2007 6:03 pm)
#723 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [xscout] by thegraduate Oct 27, 2007 (3:31 pm)
Replying to: xscout (Oct 27, 2007 2:49 pm) To me the Ranger is kind of a special case being the only "compact" truck left. One has to look at how many more sales would be gained by putting millions into a new Ranger. It becomes a matter of investment and output. Replies to this message: kipk (Oct 28, 2007 2:43 am)
#724 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [thegraduate] by kipk Oct 28, 2007 (2:43 am)
Replying to: thegraduate (Oct 27, 2007 3:31 pm) I agree! The ranger is in a nitch all it's own. I don't personally own one, but believe the small size still has great appeal to people that want a pickup with a lot less size than the F150, Ram, and Silverado. The smaller size offers more room in the garage, better fuel economy, tighter turning, and lower initial cost than it's bigger brothers. Kip
#725 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [xscout] by poncho167 Oct 28, 2007 (4:50 am)
Replying to: xscout (Oct 27, 2007 2:49 pm) "The Dakota pickup is not going anywhere in the near future. Chrysler just did a redesign for 2008 and a big horsepower jump for the available 4.7 V8 engine. What is Ford doing with the Ranger though? They have been running redesigns on that truck for 24 years now! Time for an all new Ranger." Yes, as I mentioned the Dakota was restyled with still an over-sized grill, in my opinion, for 2008. At the same time it is rumored to be one of the vehicles dumped by Chrysler in the next couple years according to autob--g. Chrysler simply doesn't sell that many of them and as I mentioned they are too big now. The Ford will definately be gone soon according to many sources, but the question is will they eventually bring back a replacement? It is only wishful thinking that they will have a replacement at this point. Automakers need to bring back compact trucks again because they are too big now, and the buyers generally only use them for commuters anyways. A Chevy Luv, Ford Courier, Dodge D50, or old Datsun p/u would be perfect sized for the majority of buyers. Replies to this message: kipk (Oct 29, 2007 5:22 am) xscout (Oct 30, 2007 12:30 pm) jfritsch (Oct 30, 2007 6:03 pm)
#726 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [poncho167] by kipk Oct 29, 2007 (5:22 am)
Replying to: poncho167 (Oct 28, 2007 4:50 am) "... Automakers need to bring back compact trucks again because they are too big now, and the buyers generally only use them for commuters anyways. A Chevy Luv, Ford Courier, Dodge D50, or old Datsun p/u would be perfect sized for the majority of buyers." Exactly! I don't own and never have owned a Ranger or any other model of Ford Pickup. However, the Ranger is still fairly close to the size of the original "MINI" pickups. Therefore in a pretty good position. What it needs is High MPG engines. Possibly small diesels. I had a "Datsun" stick shift and the mileage wasn't a lot better than the Chevy Cheyenne 350 Auto that was traded for it. A couple of trades later netted a Dodge D50. Seems it had a 2.6 I4 engine. With the AT it got 18+/- mpg on the road and 14+/- mpg commuting. The last 2 small trucks with carburetors were an old Toyota I4 MT and Mitsubishi Montero. Both 4WD MT and both averaged 14-15 commuting. Last Pickup was a 98 Ram Sport AT, 5.9 V8. Commuting 13-15 Mpg. Highway 17-18 mpg. Point is that the old "small" Pickups didn't get any better mileage for me than the larger. Today, the mfg have the opportunity to build a small pickup from composites and other light weight materials that could weigh in at 1500-2000 pounds less than their full size big brothers. Install a variable valve, small engine that will shut off half the cylinders when not needed. Maybe with an efficient turbo to kick in, when power is needed. Right now we, the American public, have gotten use to the idea of $2.75 - $3 gas. The mfg are constantly raising the Horse power but not doing much for mileage. When, and I believe it will, gas goes to $4 or $5 a gallon, we will be crying the blues again. Maybe Dodge would have been better off making the 4.7 more efficient than more powerful. There is and will most always be a place for large, heavy, powerful pick up trucks for heavy towing and hauling. However, most of the Pickups on the road have a driver only, nothing in the bed, and the 4WD models never go off the road. I believe the day will come that the Ford Ranger or maybe even a Honda CR-V pickup thingy, or Subaru Baja will be sitting in the "Cat Bird" seat. Instead of the present day thinking of "MY small pickup is bigger than yours and burns more gas", we will be thinking, "My small Pickup is all I need and gets great mileage". Just some thoughts. Kip
#727 of 751 mid size guy by driver56 Oct 29, 2007 (4:03 pm)
My 07 Frontier Crew Nismo optioned out, gets pretty much the same mileage that my Nephew's Mazda B-Series 2 wheel drive 3 Litre motor gets. Quite frankly, I never seriously wanted to own a true "compact" truck. I've always kind'a liked them, but just not quite enough elbow room for me. I patiently waited for the mid-sized trucks to arrive on the scene (the Dakota wasn't on my list) and then purchase one. Finally in 05, they rolled in, thankfully.
#728 of 751 pick-up comparisons by 2005lekc Oct 29, 2007 (7:16 pm)
I think Kip has it right. I had a 1977 Datsun KC 5 speed with no a/c, a 2000 Nissan XE KC auto with a/c, and now an'05 Nissan LE KC auto with a/c. I got about 20 mpg on the two 4 cylinder trucks no matter how I drove them even the a/c on the 2000 did not seem to matter. The '05 V-6 gets about 18 to 19 around town and 21-24 mpg on the road depending on what speed I drive at. This is using a light foot and looking ahead to avoid having to stop for lights when possible. If I drove the '05 like I did the other two it would probably get about 14 or 15 mpg. With age you gain wisdom and patience thus the better mpg. OkieScot
#729 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [poncho167] by xscout Oct 30, 2007 (12:30 pm)
Replying to: poncho167 (Oct 28, 2007 4:50 am) I agree the Dakota and Ram are a bit to close in size. I saw two sitting side by side the other day and other than the Dakota's cab being narrower they were pretty close in size. You may be right about the Dakota leaving in three years or so but it won't be right now. I owned one of the first Rangers back in 1982 and thought it was a nice size. A redesign that keeps it about the same size would be a good move in my opinion because there are still a lot of customers out there that don't need the bigger size. The Ranger is still selling because of this despite it's dated design. Replies to this message: jfritsch (Oct 30, 2007 6:03 pm)
#730 of 751 Re: Dodge Dakota [xscout] by jfritsch Oct 30, 2007 (6:03 pm)
Replying to: xscout (Oct 30, 2007 12:30 pm) Ranger and the Colorado have the compact market covered. The colorado even has a quad and regular cab option. The world has moved on. --jjf