Smaller Trucks - I Know, I Know

[Seahawk]

It looks like my son will be taking over the farm later next year...we'll do summers here (the breeze off the Potomac is a blessing) and winters in South Carolina.

I had planned on getting a weekend fun car, but now I'll be in the market for sub 1/2 ton trucks for the SC place. The 2015 Tundra will stay here on the farm. My wife's 4Runner is five years old, runs great, but my DD is the '96 LC so I'll be looking for something new. Once the LC gets to SC, it will stay.

So.

Crusty ad OWP have been very helpful to me on their impressions of the Jeep Gladiator. It is in the mix.

A friend of mine has a newer Ford Maverick I drove 6 weeks ago. I liked it and, while he thinks the interior could be a little higher end, he likes the truck.

Ford Ranger. Anyone here have a newer one? Impressions?

I have time to wait on the Stout.

Honda Ridgeline. I have no familiarity...anyone here have one?

I have no issues with the smaller Chevrolet trucks, just that the dealer here has been a mess for the folks I know that have one.

Willing to look at a Hybrid and I don't think I'll need 4x4.

TIA.

[vash]

you know I am a Toyota Tacoma Fanboi.

however, my bud has the last generation of Honda Ridgeline (the wonky looking one that is like a mini Chevy Avalanche - that one), and he takes it everywhere. it is AWD. it gets tacoma mpg, so there is that. I should ask him how many miles he has on it..I bet it I LOTS.

I know nothing, but I heard really good things about the Hyundai Santa Cruz. my coworker loves his, and this dude drives them until they are unsellable. he goes and goes.

[dad911]

I like my Hyundai Santa Cruz so much I bought a second one.....

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by vash

you know I am a Toyota Tacoma Fanboi.

I am as well...I just know 15 Bubbas that own them so I'm covered

Originally Posted by vash

I know nothing, but I heard really good things about the Hyundai Santa Cruz. my coworker loves his, and this dude drives them until they are unsellable. he goes and goes.

I should have mentioned that. I know the local Toy/Hun dealer and I will try and get an extended test drive.

I plan on surf kayaking a bunch again so I'll need some bed space, but I can make it work. As much as I love the Tundra (we are taking it to SC tomorrow) after DD'ing the smaller LC around town the past 8 years, I prefer smaller.

Thanks!

[Rot 911]

I bought a Honda Ridgeline in 2023 and when I get back in the market for another truck, I’m going to buy another Honda Ridgeline. It does everything I want it to do. From the back of the cab forward it is a Honda Pilot, very comfortable and very well thought out. Comfort of an SUV in the front and a truck in the back. Still has a V6 engine. I like that the rear seats fold up and you have a flat floor in the back when you need it. And if you’re not hauling a ton of construction materials, the truck bed is perfect for hauling any materials you might need around the farm or the cabin. Having a tailgate that both folds down and swings out is a plus. Not to mention a huge, weatherproof, trunk. And, unlike, most new, bigger trucks, it is wide enough to actually let you put a sheet of plywood flat on the floor.

It is all wheel drive, already comes with a trailer hitch, and will tow up to 5000 pounds. I have used it to pull my 18 foot Searay bowrider boat back-and-forth from Lincoln, Nebraska to our cabin down at Lake of the Ozarks. 350 miles each way. And if I’m not towing anything, I get between 23–25 mpg on regular gas.

I would suggest you put it on your list to test drive.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

I would suggest you put it on your list to test drive.

100%.

Thanks!

[Evans, Marv]

I'm a van guy. I had one from '89 to '05 and replaced my F350 with one in '20. I get the passenger van and take out the seats except for the passenger seats behind the front seats. This way I can haul things like 4x8 sheets of plywood and lumber up to ten feet long. I sendom have the need for something taller than the rear doors and can use it for towing. It's enclosed rather than open like a pickup and serves most purposes better than a pickup - at least for me.

[GH85Carrera]

Paul, you need a 1986 El Camino!

Perfect vehicle for light duty hauling work. I might possibly, just maybe, be just a tad, slightly prejudiced in that view however.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

.....
I should have mentioned that. I know the local Toy/Hun dealer and I will try and get an extended test drive.

I plan on surf kayaking a bunch again.....

Paddle board on mine:



On the other one I have a bed extender and tie from that to the roof rack.
Wide enough for 4x8 sheets but they ride angled over the tailgate or with the gate open.

[cabmandone]

I drove a Maverick before I opted to go with my Rav4. I liked everything about it but couldn't get one in the timeframe I wanted. I wonder what trim package your friend had? You can option them up to Lariat trim level which. I'm not sure if they've changed this, but when I was looking at buying one, if you went 4x4 that automatically removed the hybrid system. Since you're not thinking you'll go 4wd that won't be an issue.

I considered a Ranger but it gets about the same mileage as a F150 with the ecoboost so that ruled out the Ranger for me.

[bob deluke]

Had this for about a year, and sold it for stupid money. Great car/truck, but not my style.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Test drove a Colorado ZR2 before buying my Gladiator, the suspension was great but the interior was crap, the seats were terrible, the engine was agricultural, and it’s really not adult sized in the back. My in-laws have a Ranger that’s been reliable but also unremarkable, again the back seats are small-ish. Ranger Raptor would be fun though. You know my opinion on the Gladiator, for around town fun they’re tough to beat. If you want something interesting you could go older, get an old square body or something cool like that?

[Scott Douglas]

I helped a friend of ours buy a Ridgeline.
He's since put roof rails on it and carries his kayaks on it, has a bike rack for the hitch and a retracting tonneau on the bed.
It's a FWD, not 4x4, rides very nicely.

If I could I'd have one for taking my bike to the beach.
More than worth your while to look into if you're going to use it to go back and forth to the farm, IMO.

[wdfifteen]

An American coupe-pickup or maybe a UTE?
A man like you needs something special.

[ErVikingo]

I traded my Avalanche for a Ridgeline in 2023 (HPD RTL-E). I absolutely love it.

Reasonable MPG, quiet, drives like a car and pretends to be a small truck when needed. In bed trunk is a game changer and I really enjoy the in bed audio.

Negatives, hardly any accesories are made for them (different than Ford o Toyota).

[ErVikingo]

ps, in bed audio was discontinued in 24 or 25 model year

[Ralph3.]

I’m a Nissan Frontier guy myself, but mine is on the older side 2006. I have been very happy with it 210k, crewcab 4X4 and 4.0 v6.

[javadog]

I'm pretty sure the latest Ridgelines have engines with the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system, a system that I do not like. Not only do I dislike the concept behind these systems (all of them, not just Honda) Honda has had numerous problems with theirs, resulting in lawsuits and unhappy owners.

A good friend of mine had an earlier Ridgeline, hauled his kayak on it daily and loved it. Great guy but was a little odd when it cam to cars. Nothing but Hondas, for decades.

Caveat emptor...

[aschen]

Originally Posted by dad911

I like my Hyundai Santa Cruz so much I bought a second one.....

Cheers me up a bit every time I see one on the road, I am there are still some new cars with a bit of whimsey.

Im not a truck guy, and its not really a truck, but I think a hybrid maverick makes a pretty compelling case for a daily or general use vehicle.

Ive only had one ford product, my current daily driver focus ST. It has been trouble free in 62k miles as one might expect for a newish car. I have been very impressed how easy maintenance items are. Spark plugs 5 min, oil change 15 min, cabin air filter 5 min, etc. I think I have been abused too much by foreign cars though.

[Arizona_928]

The new (25 year rule) kei trucks out of Japan have fuel injection and AC.