I am just saying . . . / rant

[Rodger Tellefson]

What is Ford thinking by not building a quality smaller truck that will beat the pants off Toyota & Nissan? My thoughts are that if Toyota is still building the Tacoma and Nissan is still building the Frontier, then Ford needs to not up to the competition. I do not like either of those trucks. Unless Ford has something in the works that we do not know about, I feel that Ford is letting us down - Big time. Heck, even GM is building a 1500 hybrid truck. I know that the F-150 is Ford's bread & butter, and that it is aimed at the contruction market, but I sure hope that when we are ready to purchase a new vehicle / truck Ford will not let us down.

 

[Daniel Butler]

I can agree. The only time I ever liked Toyota was their 1999 Tacoma with the offroad package. Unfortunately they forgot to dip the frames and had a recall. But it too disappoints me that ford is letting go of the smaller vehicles. What I'm thinking or hoping for is that in the future, there is some sort of a smaller truck in design so that they take a break and save a little money to brain storm. Im thinking yea, they lose money because they dont produce the smaller trucks, but they have the Edge, Freestyle, Expedition, Focus, Five Hundred, and a few more to keep the money rolling. They better have something up their sleeves though for a better truck! :fire:

 

[Sandy Curry]

I agree too! As posted in another link here - the ST is the best size and has the best capabilities for people like me. My experience is 176k miles in 10 years with my '01. In that time I know that I need 4x4, sometimes, and drive a mix of pavement and gravel every day. I carry more than two people occasionally and groceries every week. I haul hay, potting soil, gas cans, concrete blocks - sometimes. I pull a trailer on occasion. So the way I see it Ford needs to realize we need another vehicle that is part car, part truck, and full comfort at all times. F-150 doesn't give the comfort. Edge doesn't give the open bed. Focus doesn't give the towing package. Five Hundred doesn't drive on gravel especially while the bumper is pushing snow uphill. :banghead: Sorry, ranting away with your subject.

 

[scott degroot]

IMO if Ford is going to come out with another mid size truck then they better put everything they got into it because it is going to be extremely hard to beat the Tacoma. While there are alot of peole on here who don't care for Toyota you have to give credit where credit is due and I personally think the Tacoma was the demise for the Ranger and also for the S10. As far as Nissan goes their midsize trucks have never impressed me and their full size truck isn't that great either.

 

[Tom Schindler]

The ultimate demise for the Ranger was Ford never updating it any more than new grills and larger emblems for 15+ years. As for the S-10, drive one and you understand why it sucked. The Colorado is no better.



My neice had a Tacoma. If that is the benchmark for quality, I will pass.





Tom

 

[scott degroot]

^^^^



What year Tacoma? The Tacos didn't get good until 2005 when the 4.0 was introduced...it was really hard for me to pass up the 4.0 in the Taco for the 4.0 in the ST and I have to say that ultimately it was price that pushed me in the direction of the ST.



I agree somewhat with your opinion of the Ranger not getting updated, another thing I can think of is that Ford had 2 very similiar vehicles competing against each other..the Range and the ST.



The S10 is a fantastic small truck IMO as long as you had the 4.3...I had to borrow an S10 to get my quad back home when I bought it becasue it wouldn't fit in the back of my ST...ain't that some shit.

 

[blksn8k]

Ford had plans to build an all new mid size truck for the US market called the F100 but scrapped the idea apparently in favor of offering a V6 option in the 2011 F150. Bad choice in my opinion as not everyone wants or needs a truck as big as the F150. They also just released the T6 Ranger for markets outside the US and it looks kind of similar to the second gen Sport Trac. It was never intended to be sold in the US and does not meet our gov mandated requirements for safety, etc. Sort of flies in the face of Ford's latest global strategy of build it anywhere, sell it everywhere (2011 Fiesta, 2012 Focus). I agree that it is a huge mistake to abandon the small/mid size truck market especially at a time when fuel economy standards are being increased. This whole thing seems really strange given Ford's recent marketing successes. I also find it hard to believe that they can offer every possible iteration of an SUV/CUV but they can't justify two different size trucks especially since the Ranger still outsells most of those even though it has not had a serious redesign since 1993. The two biggest factors working against a smaller truck seem to be that the current Ranger (and any future replacement) does not share a platform with any other model and that there is apparently a smaller profit margin on a Ranger than even a stripper F150. If Ford would have updated the Ranger with more efficient drivetrains (I-4 EcoBoost, 3.5L or 3.7L TiVCT V6), a true crew cab with a decent length bed, more modern sheetmetal and interior, modern electronics like SYNC and maybe even offered a short wheelbase off-road vehicle that shared the chassis (Bronco anyone?) I think it would still be outselling the competition and making a good profit. Instead Ford seems hell bent on abandoning the market to the Asians just like they did with passenger cars not that long ago.

 

[Johnny O]

Ford will build what makes money for them. IMO, small trucks do not. Couple years ago I read a business article on Ford where they said they were going to change their philosophy of pumping as many vehicles out the door as possible, often at low margins, to making a smaller number of cars and trucks while making more profit on each unit.

 

[Tom Schindler]

That Tacoma was a 1996. Pile of crap to the 10th degree. Cheap knobs with the ability to twist off at any time. The ONLY thing I felt was impressive about that Tacoma was the front brake design. It was a 4 pot non-floating caliper. Of course, the rotor was really small. Actually small enough to warp really, really, really easy.



She ended up totaling it hitting a street sign. Yes, she hit a street sign at 35 MPH and totaled that Tacoma.



If that is quality, I want no part of it.

The S10 is a fantastic small truck IMO as long as you had the 4.3...I had to borrow an S10 to get my quad back home when I bought it becasue it wouldn't fit in the back of my ST...ain't that some shit.

I regularly drove a 4.3L V6 in both an S-10 and a Chevy full size van. The 4.3L is not a smooth running engine, IMO. It has an odd idle. As for the S-10, I did not think it was that nice of a vehicle. Maybe because it was a 1992 model, I don't know. It did last a long time, but needed MANY repairs. When the company sold it, it had 230,000 miles on it. It took 3 times as many repairs than it did in any of the vehicles I have owned all put together. I also feel it had a very uncomfortable seating position. The steering wheel was off center to the drivers seat.



To me, it was far from impressive.





Tom

 

[gary s]

what else would we expect. if it's not a ford whatever it is, will be "far from impressive." :banghead:

 

[Tom Schindler]

what else would we expect. if it's not a ford whatever it is, will be "far from impressive."

Of course, to Gary if it is a Toyotoa, it will ALWAYS be impressive. I am sure he feels hitting a street sign at 35 MPH and getting a vehicle totaled is prefectly normal and completly the benchmark of quality.



As long as the "residule" is high, that is all that matters. Money is always first.





Tom

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Doesn't matter to me if Ford puts a V6 in the F-150 because it is just too big of a truck for me. I won't even consider a Japanese small truck because they do not fit my 6'-1" frame; let alone they do not hold up well in accidents. Heard on the news tonight the a Toyota Tacoma (tin can) rolled 5 times and competely broke apart. I do not know what year it was though.

 

[Dreman]

The 4.3L is not a smooth running engine, IMO. It has an odd idle. As for the S-10, I did not think it was that nice of a vehicle. Maybe because it was a 1992 model, I don't know. It did last a long time, but needed MANY repairs. When the company sold it, it had 230,000 miles on it. It took 3 times as many repairs than it did in any of the vehicles I have owned all put together.

I had a 4.3 in a GMC Sierra. I agree, it's more industrial or agricultural feeling than most. Not anywhere near as smooth as our v6. Mine lasted a long time, though, without needing more than normal maintenance, a water pump, and a fuel pump. I sold it to a coworker at 287,000 miles, and he recently sold it, still running fine, with over 300k.



We'll probably wind up with an F150 or a Dodge when the ST is done. My wife loves her current Dodge Ram. She loves how high she sits. It'll be mine when the ST is done and we buy her a new one. The ST better last a long time! 247k and counting!

 

[gary s]

"Of course, to Gary if it is a Toyotoa, it will ALWAYS be impressive. I am sure he feels hitting a street sign at 35 MPH and getting a vehicle totaled is prefectly normal and completly the benchmark of quality."



"let alone they do not hold up well in accidents. Heard on the news tonight the a Toyota Tacoma (tin can) rolled 5 times and competely broke apart. I do not know what year it was though"



** please provide valid info that states the tacoma is less safe then any other vehicle in its class **



"As long as the "residule" is high, that is all that matters. Money is always first."

why is the residual higher then others? :grin:









"

 

[gary s]

i will help you out:



nhta safety ratings:



2010 toyota tacoma. 5 star frontal collision both driver&passenger/rollover resistance 4/5

2010 ford sport trac. 5 star frontal collision both driver&passenger/rollover resistance 3/5

2010 ford ranger. 5 star frontal driver,4star passenger/rollover resistance 3/5

 

[RJ]

This is all on the downlow ... but here goes ...



Prior to the new unibody Explorer, Ford planned on doing a global Explorer/Sport Trac/SUT type platform developed in Australia, but was obviously scrapped.



Another program was kicked off to develop the 'F150 Lite' (aka F100), less weight , same wheelbase as F150, off Michigan Truck plant production line. Again, scrapped.



No program was kicked off, but business cases were done to bring the all-new global T6 Ranger to N. America ... still in limbo.



In a word, yes the compact pickup pipeline is nil at Ford PD. Lucky u live, Sport Trac.

 

[scott degroot]

Caymen,12/5/2010 09:58 MT





She ended up totaling it hitting a street sign. Yes, she hit a street sign at 35 MPH and totaled that Tacoma.

Depending what year the accident happened it only takes about $1500-$1700 for a 96 Tacoma to be considered totalled. Someone could have keyed the entire vehicle and the repaint cost alone would total the vehicle...FWIW a Ranger of that year if it were to incur the same amount of monetary damage would also be considered totalled...just saying

 

[Tom Schindler]

This was not a bumper thumper. That was a vehicle, if brand new, would have been totaled. The bumper was bent in half, the radiator and condensor was broken in two, and the sign pole (for lack of a better word because it was that formed slotted hole channel) smashed into the front of the engine.



It looked worse then when our friends Land Rover Discovery Series II hit a light pole head on at 65 MPH. Honestly, I would have sworn she hit a pole doing 70 MPH. It was that bad.



I would expect it to hold up better than that.



Sad thing is that my brother and I did alot of work on it shortly before the accident.





Tom

 

[Gavin Allan]

Sad thing is that my brother and I did alot of work on it shortly before the accident.

Brake job? :bwahaha::bwahaha::bwahaha::bwahaha:

 

[Tom Schindler]

I knew someone was going to say something like that. No, brakes were 6 months before that.





Tom