2015 nissan frontier

[VincentVega]

Good info, I didnt realize the Honda had such poor MPG.

My 'old' 5.3 Chebby does ~16 but it's a truck and I used it as one. I would much rather have more hauling capacity than another mpg or 2.

[gacook]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

Plus it's a Nissan. No thanks.....G.

Hey, I drive a Nissan...it's my favorite car.

[Dantilla]

I never buy a truck that doesn't have a full 8-foot bed. I use all 8 feet on a regular basis.

Current Chevy has 240,000 miles, and still has the original starter and alternator.
Gas mileage sucks, but it gets the job done.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by gacook

Hey, I drive a Nissan...it's my favorite car.

I still remember my 2005 Nissan suv- no respect for the rust warranty. Both wheel wells were rusted before warranty expired. I guess I did not make enough of an issue over it.
G.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I never buy a truck that doesn't have a full 8-foot bed. I use all 8 feet on a regular basis.

Current Chevy has 240,000 miles, and still has the original starter and alternator.
Gas mileage sucks, but it gets the job done.

You're probably not the target market of these compact pickups.

[vash]

K I'm glad you came back. I feel better informed already.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I guess I like my truck to look like a truck, so I have an F-150.

I like mine to be convenient and easy to use, with great visibility. I'd like a lower cowl line with more windshield and less grille. A 1/2 ton version of the front of a school bus.

[kaisen]

Here's your truck Patrick:

[gacook]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Here's your truck Patrick:

Gods, that's ugly!

[gacook]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

I still remember my 2005 Nissan suv- no respect for the rust warranty. Both wheel wells were rusted before warranty expired. I guess I did not make enough of an issue over it.
G.

I live in Arizona; rust is a non-issue. I've owned several Nissans over the years (starting with a Datsun as my first car), and every one of them has been reliable. Couple Sentras, an Altima...boring for the most part, but reliable. The Z is just fun as hell--and reliable

[70SATMan]

Leather doesn't belong in a truck unless one is hauling a hide in the back.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Here's your truck Patrick:

There ya go. Make that in a 140" wheelbase, shorter cab, 10k GVW and I'm on it!

[onewhippedpuppy]

E, I believe their claim is "leather trimmed". So they probably use a square of the real stuff somewhere.

The only advantage of my in-law's new Tacoma is that I find it to be more maneuverable and easier to park than my F-150. MPG is mediocre, I think they struggle to get low 20s on the highway. It's also smaller inside, can't tow or haul nearly as much, and was more expensive. I can and do frequently haul six adults and a 23' boat to the lake, so the Taco is a non-option for me.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

E, I believe their claim is "leather trimmed". So they probably use a square of the real stuff somewhere.

Toyota calls it SofTex...... just a good synthetic that mimics the look and feel of leather.
Although they do point out the leather-trimmed steering wheel

[tedg04]

Originally Posted by kaisen

There are three reasons to buy a small-ish truck: Size, Price, and Fuel economy.

The size of this segment has grown, and grown to the point where a crew cab 4x4 isn't all that far off what a half ton truck used to be. A Double Cab Tacoma is over 18.5 ft long, where a full-size is barely over 19.0 ft, and they are within 5 inches in width. So the more manageable size isn't really much of an attraction these days as they're simply not that much smaller.

Prices of everything have gone up. A typical half-ton crew cab 4x4 is $45K MSRP. So the smaller trucks need to have enough gap in price to make them attractive. But when you sell nearly a million full size trucks it makes it difficult to position the little ones for much less when you only sell 150K. So de-contenting and cheaper materials are required.

Fuel economy of smaller trucks is a joke. A new GM or Ford half-ton Crew Cab 4x4 with 350+ horsepower and 380+ lb-ft gets 21-22 mpg on the freeway. A new Toyota Tacoma 4x4 with either the 236 hp 4.0L V6 or the 159 hp 2.7L I4 get 21 mpg freeway. So there is ZERO benefit in fuel economy. None.

So, that's why the Ford Ranger disappeared. That's why the GM small trucks took a hiatus. That's why Dodge cancelled the Dakota. The fact that the Tacoma still sells at all is because the competitors have disappeared, and remaining buyers are blindly loyal.

As they re-emerge in the US market, they need to be smaller, less expensive, and more fuel efficient or they likely won't make it. Diesels are a good step in that direction, esp if they can return better than 30 mpg freeway.

Exactly. As drivers we often bemoan the average truck driver's 'need' for a full-size pickup, but with the given options it is generally the best solution. My F250 gets better mileage than my freaking blazer. (Granted, diesel fuel costs me about 25% more, and the mileage isn't 25% better.)

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Toyota calls it SofTex...... just a good synthetic that mimics the look and feel of leather.
Although they do point out the leather-trimmed steering wheel

There you go, one thing that's actually leather.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by kaisen

The size of this segment has grown, and grown to the point where a crew cab 4x4 isn't all that far off what a half ton truck used to be. A Double Cab Tacoma is over 18.5 ft long, where a full-size is barely over 19.0 ft, and they are within 5 inches in width. So the more manageable size isn't really much of an attraction these days as they're simply not that much smaller.

Here's a length comparison I made today:

2015 Chevy Colorado Crew cab short box: 212 inches long / long box 224
2015 Chevy Silverado Crew cab short box: 230 inches long / long box 239

Doesn't seem like much of a difference.

Weight savings results in better fuel economy for compact pickups, but when the new aluminum 2015 F150 comes out (and the Silverado to follow in aluminum in 2017 or 18) this may be a major blow to the compact segment since the sizes have become so similar as what we define as "compact" keeps getting bigger while "standard" trucks are getting somewhat smaller...

[gacook]

Should I be flattered that a spam bot quoted me, or pissed that he didn't attribute the quote to me?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

Weight savings results in better fuel economy for compact pickups, but when the new aluminum 2015 F150 comes out (and the Silverado to follow in aluminum in 2017 or 18) this may be a major blow to the compact segment since the sizes have become so similar as what we define as "compact" keeps getting bigger while "standard" trucks are getting somewhat smaller...

A half ton Crew Cab 4x4 Silverado/Sierra is already 250-350 pounds lighter than a similarly configured/equipped F150, and 400-500 pounds lighter than a Tundra.

When the aluminum F150 debuts, the industry insiders suggest that the F150 will be about 200 pounds lighter than the current GM truck (about 450 pounds lighter than it is now).

The newest generation of 'small' trucks weigh about 1,000 pounds less than the current GM trucks, or 1,300 pounds lighter than a current F150, or up to 1,500 pounds lighter than a current Tundra (apples to apples config).

There are smarter engineers on this board that could probably tell us how a 15-20% decrease in weight and 10-15% decrease in drag (aero and road combined) would impact fuel economy, along with smaller more efficient engines.

The freeway mileage for diesel better start with a "3" or it won't be a homerun.

[Reddog2]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

E, I believe their claim is "leather trimmed". So they probably use a square of the real stuff somewhere.

The only advantage of my in-law's new Tacoma is that I find it to be more maneuverable and easier to park than my F-150. MPG is mediocre, I think they struggle to get low 20s on the highway. It's also smaller inside, can't tow or haul nearly as much, and was more expensive. I can and do frequently haul six adults and a 23' boat to the lake, so the Taco is a non-option for me.

Agree - I am looking for a truck now and maneuvering/parking is one of the only advantages in my mind with Frontier or Tacoma (aside from resale value). Not looking at them anymore - looking at full size. Fuel economy is not much of advantage, tow capacity less than my ML-350, still has part time 4x4, and not any less money.

I think Frontier and Tacoma are 'lifestyle' trucks for certain younger folks.