Where is the modern mini-truck?

This is the very reason that I hang on to my 1990 Ranger XLT. It is easy to get into it. The doors are big the Bed is 6 and a half foot long and with the tailgate down you can haul 8 foot stuff. It has working AC and heat and you don't need to look at a screen to set it or the radio. It has the optional alloy rims and 205/70R14 tires.
 
I dunno. While I have a fondness for these, I'm not sure I'd buy another one. I live in the sticks and a regular sedan plus a utility trailer gets close enough, while retaining the creature comforts of the sedan with the utility of an open bed. If it was something I needed on a daily basis, like routinely hauling lumber or stuff, then I'm guessing bigger is better, simply holds more. Not every job needs a 1T but you get the idea, a bigger bed is better, if that open space is required. Assuming you don't need it 4 feet off the ground, like modern trucks have it.
 
Id be right there with you. Even Rangers and Tacomas are way too big nowadays, Id love to see someone make a modern true compact truck.
Im looking at selling my Accord and getting a truck in the next year or 2 and Im probably going to just buy a 10 or 20 year old Ranger, preferably a regular cab because I dont want or need a midsize truck. Id love to have a Tacoma but Tacomas are just waaaaaay overpriced for what they are.
 
I suspect that if the foreign economies had the individual wealth that some in the US enjoy, they would buy just as big and fancy as we do. These are different economies. Note, that hilux has aftermarket rims up front…
 
Honestly I enjoyed the 50mpg Rabbit diesel pickup.

Sadly they are all so ancient now that finding a good example is rather difficult
About 20 years ago I really wanted one. I had a TDI wagon and it just seemed like it'd be cool to own a predecessor to it.

I got a chance to drive one of the diesel Rabbits, back around '94 or so. It was slow even then--I can't imagine now!
 
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About 20 years ago I really wanted one. I had a TDI wagon and it just seemed like it'd be cool to own a predecessor to it.

I got a chance to drive one of the diesel Rabbits, back around '94 or so. It was slow even then--I can't imagine now!

I knew a guy with a diesel rabbit 4MT. He used to pull over ask spray people with water as a prank while asking for directions. (Loooong time ago). It wasn’t a good getaway car. One particular day the angry passerby put several dents in it before he could pull away, he told me.
 
Honestly I enjoyed the 50mpg Rabbit diesel pickup.

Sadly they are all so ancient now that finding a good example is rather difficult
They were tough to fit in if you weren't a midget.

The dodge rampage however, was nice and roomy, but never got the diesel...just the 8V gasser and maybe some mitsubishi 2.2L garbage later in production.
 
I suspect that if the foreign economies had the individual wealth that some in the US enjoy, they would buy just as big and fancy as we do. These are different economies. Note, that hilux has aftermarket rims up front…
This is precisely the case. But for some reason people that yearn for the good old days, look to the third world countries and ask “why can’t we have that?” Well, do you really want what they have?
 
My grandad had many of those, including a Courier, A Mazda Rotary, and a Nissan.

A friend of mine had a Datsun like the one pictured. It was amazingly slow...

The last truck he bought was a super cab 4 door ranger (mine now) so even he (he was actually pretty frugal) realized a star cab mini pickup wasn't as useful as it could be.

Even the ranger is short on storage and the jumpsuit area of mine is full to tie downs, a via air, and a jump box and a smack toolkit. normal stuff you'd carry in a truck that wouldn't fit in standard cab.

I think any modern "mini truck" is going to be something like the maverick or it wont sell.
 
Ford is making a "superduty" dually version of their little ranger for in Australia. Basically competes (spec wise) with half tons but in a smaller form. Americans would have to make some noise if they want this, as of now Ford has said it won't come to North America.

 
Ford is making a "superduty" dually version of their little ranger for in Australia. Basically competes (spec wise) with half tons but in a smaller form. Americans would have to make some noise if they want this, as of now Ford has said it won't come to North America.


Wow, he's really good at talking. At a microphone. With a blue background. For a long time.
 
Normally i like him, but i lasted like 2 minutes. i think the shirt pushes it really over the blue edge...
I kept skipping 10 seconds at a time but never saw any actual IMAGES or PHOTOS. So, if they were there they were flashed for less than 10 seconds.

I refuse to reward BLAH BLAH BLAH and they get paid more if they can waste over 10 minutes of my time, which I rarely allow to happen unless it's tech-heavy like timing set repair or auto transmission rebuild.
 
Wow, he's really good at talking. At a microphone. With a blue background. For a long time.

To be honest I didn't watch this video at all, I read the news somewhere else but I just grabbed this specific video here for the thumbnail of the dually ranger
 
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I couldn't actually find any pictures of a new dually ranger, there's just a tease of a grill and lights on ford australias site. Ford Authority has some pictures that look more like heavy suspension and a flat bed... so i'm not sure what it is going to be.

Pretty sure the thumbnail is an actual super duty with a "ranger" tag and styling photoshopped on, that or that's a honest trailer for shetland ponys.
 
I couldn't actually find any pictures of a new dually ranger, there's just a tease of a grill and lights on ford australias site. Ford Authority has some pictures that look more like heavy suspension and a flat bed... so i'm not sure what it is going to be.

Pretty sure the thumbnail is an actual super duty with a "ranger" tag and styling photoshopped on, that or that's a honest trailer for shetland ponys.
I thought that, too, because that "Ranger" looked like a full-fledged F350. Or it's the intercontinental thing where they call it a Ranger but it's an F350 here. Think Hilux/Taco
 
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