Fuck trucks. I remember the Ranger it was barely bigger than a minivan. These things are obscene. People who own them don’t need them. Most people don’t even need trucks. People like to cosplay that they live up a 25 degree incline of muddy, rocky road. But a subaru would be just fine and IS in most of the world.
I drive a B2300 (the Mazda rebrand of the Ranger) and it kicks ass. I get 7-8L per 100km, when commuting, I’ve filled it to the tits with dirt, flooring and lumber, and it doesn’t take up 2 parking spaces. I would pay an obscene amount to get the same truck but as an EV today. Why the fuck is that not a thing?!?
This is actually a good point, why are there no small EV trucks?
I bet they exist in China.
Ever heard of a Ford Maverick? It’s not a “real” truck since it’s unibody instead of body-on-frame, but otherwise it’s the next best thing to the old Ranger.
I remember the Ranger it was barely bigger than a minivan.
I own a Ranger and used to own a Ford Aerostar. I’m pretty sure they were literally built on the same platform. Also, my Ranger is a regular cab short bed, while my Aerostar was the long wheelbase version, so the van was definitely bigger.
My dad used to have an Aerostar, loved that goofy looking little minivan. Ended up getting a Plymouth Voyager that looked very similar.
I used to have a ~'99 ranger. Loved that thing. Now the closest thing Ford has is the maverick which is not only bigger overall but it has a smaller bed so it’s less useful.
'10 B2300 driver. Why will no one make a real compact pickup instead of a movie theater with a 4 foot box?!?
A gmc sierra 5.3L full sized truck of the same age gets the same fuel economy and is just as reliable
I love Ford rangers but they are surprisingly not as efficient as people think
I would love an old Ranger with the extended cab and suicide doors…I hate the new ones are f150 sized. Also the Tacoma structurally is no larger than the original tiny version…it’s all puffy body panels. Why can’t we ha have small trucks?
I probably don’t represent most people very well. But my wife and I have a single vehicle, a gmc sierra 1500. We probably use the bed twice a week. Trash/recycling. Moving heavy things around our property. Makes for a great mobile workbench for projects outside. And most often of all, we buy hay and grain for horses. A smaller truck would be a problem for us. We would actually benefit from a larger truck! But I don’t want a bigger gas guzzler. We get great fuel efficiency given the size of the truck.
Edit: I also don’t live in a city. It’s quite rural here
That, seems like a proper use.
I see many trucks with huge mud tires that they use as a main vehicle to commute to and from work and to run errands. I think these are the target for most people.
Obviously not (yet?) available in the US but other countries have much smaller trucks with larger beds. https://www.kia.com/dm/showroom/K2700-2022/specification.html
That plus a 2200 lb hauling capacity make them a very capable, efficient, and reasonably safe truck.
Kinda funny how much the styles differ between USA and Europe 🙂. Looks like a great work truck. No space for a car seat in the back though so you would need a separate family vehicle. Which might be practical anyway!
This would satisfy my regular truck needs. But a 2200lb hauling capacity doesn’t work well with horses. A single horse can easily weighs 1200 pounds.
I could see this being great for many people here. But it’s also not a universal fit.
won’t be. There’s federal legislation that basically says a vehicle has to be large to burn fuel like that, so you can’t make a small truck unless it makes small car mileage. The idea was that the auto manufacturers would improve mileage if forced, but you know how it usually goes when politicians try to direct engineers to make bullshit physics reality.
? I’m sure you’re aware GM used the exact same gasoline motors in the half tons as it did in the 3500s. You can have pretty much the same gas mileage as the half ton as long as you make sure to find a 2500 or 3500 with the 3:73 or 4:10 rear axle ratio, not the 4:88 that shows up fairly often, but way more carrying capacity. If it’s throttle body era, the 3500s did have bigger injectors, just change them to the 1500 injectors.
I wasn’t aware but I’m also not surprised. I think there’s two things that give my truck decent fuel efficiency. First is it’s much lighter than a 2500 or 3500. Which means I can’t haul as much but oh well. Second is the feature where the engine only runs on 4 cylinders most of the time. I notice a big difference when it’s running all 8. This isn’t available on the larger trucks. Oh and I think mine has a 4:32 axel ratio but it’s been a while. If that’s the same engine, then the larger trucks should be able to run on 4 cylinders as well. Super lame if the just don’t enable it. Maybe it’s not effective with a heavier truck?
My first car was a '92 Ranger and it was a great little thing to have at that point in my life. It’s really nice to be able to move without needing to worry about how to transport all your stuff to the new place and it was small enough that it still felt like a regular sized car.
The new rangers are pretty ridiculous in comparison.
Rent a truck the few times a year you actually need it instead of having it for your ego.
Pretty arrogant to claim people that own them don’t need them. I know welders that do on site welding and have heavy welding equipment mounted in the back.
You also wouldn’t want to have a civic flying down a steep hill behind you towing a 6,000lb travel trailer.
Edit:
Today I learned a bunch of people like to drive slow behind a rolling death trap that is a civic with a 6K lb trailer. Cool.
I think we’re not talking company trucks (which should park in a depot anyway).
It’s about personal garage-queen road-manatees. Because of course it is.
Just abolish and amnesty the Dodge ram. Given the inordinate DUI numbers, roads would just be safer.
Yes this is different. But still, how do you go RVing. You can’t, legally, without something that has the braking and towing capacities.
So weird that contractors in every single other country on earth don’t need them
How strange!
Except they do. Or they use vans which are similarly sized, maybe a bit more narrow. Or they just have older trucks.
Can you explain to me how you can tow 10k lbs of gravel in a trailer with a Toyota pickup?
You’re ignorant. You’re probably picturing some plumber.
9 out of 10 non-company pickups on the road are hauling huge dicks with tiny penises.
Love bashing those kinds of truck people but it’s weird to me that this is about the only topic where lemmy will let body shaming slide
