26th Nov 2010, 12:42
What is so enormous on a half ton full size. Many people have families and my wife and 2 teens fit nicely. The ride is very good in my Silverado. I have mine loaded, and it's great on trips. It does not make sense to leave on weekends and drive 2 vehicles to fit a family. I have a cap, and we put everything we need in the back. If you use yours like a car, driving solo to work daily, or just picking up something small or messy at a home center, then smaller is fine. I have too many applications for a full size truck, and have a family to consider. I use to have a 3/4 ton, but cannot squeeze any smaller as we tow as well.
26th Nov 2010, 13:44
Um, so what are the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado if they aren't small trucks??
27th Nov 2010, 12:08
"What is so enormous on a half ton full size."
Everything! They have made full size trucks so much bigger than they used to be years ago. The RAM bed comes up to my chest nowadays, and I am 6'3". The F-150 is also so huge. It is nice to have the room, but I don't think I would want to drive around such a cumbersome vehicle as a daily driver. I would love to have one as a third vehicle for boat hauling and trips though!
27th Nov 2010, 12:47
"Um, so what are the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado if they aren't small trucks??"
They are EXTINCT trucks. They are no longer built.
28th Nov 2010, 10:58
Well you better tell Ford and Chevy that since the 2011 Ranger and 2011 Canyon are still on their sites. Seems they are both alive and well to me!
15th Dec 2010, 20:40
The Colorado and the Canyon are such a joke next to any Toyota truck, it's almost sad how pathetic they are. Those are just the epitome of disposable GM junk. NOBODY, in all my years of off-roading, amongst Toyota trucks, and even some domestics, was ever dumb enough to take those things anywhere they couldn't be pushed out. Just laughable attempts at small trucks. The Ranger is a little better than that, but isn't and never was even close to a match for any Toyota truck.
16th Dec 2010, 14:22
Again sloshing in the mud. Buy a full size truck if you are insuring a vehicle. We could buy dune buggies, and not tag or register them for off road. Or buy a trail bike.
16th Dec 2010, 18:20
"The Colorado and the Canyon are such a joke next to any Toyota truck, it's almost sad how pathetic they are."
I wouldn't argue that point. I was merely stating that they weren't "extinct" like the previous commenter seems to think they are. Both are still going strong into the '11 model year.
17th Dec 2010, 16:53
"Both are still going strong into the '11 model year."
Actually, these are the last models that will be made of the Colorado and Canyon. GM is introducing a really gorgeous new small truck in 2011, but sadly it won't be sold in the U.S. market. Like Ford, GM is switching to only full-size trucks in the U.S. due to the fact that they can be sold for nearly the same price as the smaller trucks, the fuel mileage is now close to the same, and more people prefer the full-size trucks.
18th Dec 2010, 09:46
This is just further proof that the domestic auto industry has learned nothing from their near collapse. When gas exceeds $4 per gallon next summer, which it surely will now that we have Republican control again, we'll see the full sized trucks sit and rot on dealer lots once again like they did in 2008. Once again, the domestic companies will be playing catch up to the imports, and once again it will be too little too late, and they will be asking for more money to bail them out. This is why bail outs are a bad idea. When you have a safety net, you can make stupid decisions that may or may not pay off. Larger vehicles have a much better profit margin, so it is once again all about the bottom line for GM, and not really about doing the right thing.
Why American companies continue to go for larger less economical vehicles is beyond me. Full size trucks are good for work. Maybe 10% of consumers need a full size pickup for anything. And that 10% should think about scaling back their excess a bit, and living without so much, in order to maybe save a few gallons of gas per week. There are much better, more economical alternatives out there that decrease the need for so much fuel. It always amazes me how short our memory span is. 2008 was only two short years ago, and you couldn't give a full size truck away! Hummer failed because of that summer. And here we are now, going right back down the same road. I hope the government lets them fail this time around.
19th Dec 2010, 19:51
Please, give it a break with the domestic vs imports argument. All companies make some lemons; Ford, Toyota, even BMW.
Some of us will always buy imports, and some of us will always buy domestics, that is never going to change.
If the imports really were superior, they would sell themselves without million dollar advertising campaigns necessary, and the big 3 would have been out of business 20 years ago.
20th Dec 2010, 11:33
I'm a lifelong Toyota fan... but I don't agree with you that the domestic automakers are necessarily going for larger, less economical vehicles. GM has the Cruze, which gets 42MPG for the manual transmission model. Ford has the Fiesta, which has been sold in Europe for decades. It too gets around 40MPG. Both cars are selling well. GM also introduced the Volt. It's the only car of its kind on the road. It's about the most fuel efficient car you can buy. I've owned a smaller Tacoma for 15 years. The truck has been flawless and I'll probably buy another. But last time I looked at maybe getting a larger V6 version of the Tacoma, the fuel economy rating was disappointing: as in 15-18MPG, which is ridiculous considering some V8 model trucks are now getting better than 20MPG.
Americans still love their giant trucks and SUVs. But if fuel prices rise, I believe GM and Ford to be well-positioned.
20th Dec 2010, 12:02
"When gas exceeds $4 per gallon next summer, which it surely will now that we have Republican control again, we'll see the full sized trucks sit and rot on dealer lots once again like they did in 2008"
A good point, because, yes, the Republicans will allow big businesses to run wild as they did under W. The common man will be fleeced to pay for the yachts and private jets of the Republican base. However, the fact is that newer full-size trucks get nearly the same fuel mileage with the smaller engines as the compact trucks did, and can be bought for close to what the small trucks could be bought for. That is really the rationale for dropping the smaller trucks. A V-6 F-150 gets about the same mileage as the now-defunct V-6 Ranger did. Even though I have absolutely no practical need for a big truck (I have owned 4 Rangers), if I were buying a new truck now, I too would opt for a base V-6 F-150 over the less reliable and just as fuel hungry small imported trucks, now that the Ranger is no longer made.
25th Nov 2010, 21:44
Ford and GM stopped building small trucks because the full-size models now get nearly as good fuel mileage, and can be bought almost as cheaply (in base trim). Also, many people in America have the "bigger is better" attitude regardless of their needs. This is why many people who never haul much, buy monster trucks, and Mustang buyers want V-8's, just so they can say they have one, whether they ever use the power or not.