Comparison shopping: Colorado, Gladiator, Tacoma

[AbleGuy]

Wonderful thread, lots of strong opinions and advice, keep it running y’all.

....and the beat goes on...doodoodoododah, and the beat goes on...


And BTW, as anyone continues to mull over the “Jeep vs. Colorado” choice, consider what this thread shows about how tough and protective the Jeep roll cages are. It looks like it saved the lives of these two folks:

Jeep plunges 450 feet off Colorado mountainside

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/rollover-crash-off-colorado-mountain-pass-sparks-major-rescue-effort/?fbclid=IwAR0r_dDChpfxvyFsXlnmkIuQfzxqgsyj1DNlxuvvZ2hgEbxL09eOk62GmYs Just another reason to be extra careful on the trails.

expeditionportal.com

Jeep plunges 450 feet off Colorado mountainside | OutThere Colorado

A jeep plunged 450-feet off a steep mountainside in Western Colorado Saturday afternoon, August 17, 2019, critically injuring two people. According to the

www.outtherecolorado.com

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Wonderful thread, lots of strong opinions and advice, keep it running y’all.

....and the beat goes on...doodoodoododah, and the beat goes on...


And BTW, as anyone continues to mull over the “Jeep vs. Colorado” choice, consider what this thread shows about how tough and protective the Jeep roll cages are. It looks like it saved the lives of these two folks:

Jeep plunges 450 feet off Colorado mountainside

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/rollover-crash-off-colorado-mountain-pass-sparks-major-rescue-effort/?fbclid=IwAR0r_dDChpfxvyFsXlnmkIuQfzxqgsyj1DNlxuvvZ2hgEbxL09eOk62GmYs Just another reason to be extra careful on the trails.

expeditionportal.com

View attachment 533931

Jeep plunges 450 feet off Colorado mountainside | OutThere Colorado

A jeep plunged 450-feet off a steep mountainside in Western Colorado Saturday afternoon, August 17, 2019, critically injuring two people. According to the

www.outtherecolorado.com

There was a lot of dumb luck involved there too. A branch like the one laying on the fender could have changed the ending a lot.

 

[spectre6000]

Driver's headrest doesn't look like it was without incident either... They made it, which is far more than would have been uttered just a few short years ago, and that's a testament to modern vehicle safety standards.

 

[Jc1986.carter]

I honestly think the frontier is a solid contender for these purposes. Tested platform, actual motor that produces more than enough torque below 1700rpms and not pulled from a minivan, plenty of repair parts, fully boxed frame and disc brakes (Toyota doesn’t provide either of these), won’t be competing with all the brodozers out there, oh and also won’t cost you 40k to get into.

 

[spectre6000]

Big ol' check on the tested platform. That is a major consideration.

Also correct on the advantages over the Tacoma (and the Tacoma's disadvantages compared to everything else). Toyota is fat and happy, and the market is taking notice. Consumer Reports ranks the Tacoma DEAD LAST among mid-size trucks in the 2019 New Car Buyers Guide... That said, the Frontier didn't even make the chart...

I don't know that I agree on the engine characterization. V6es are all car based; I'm fairly certain no V6 has ever been designed for a truck first, car second (I'm ready to be proven wrong).

Not sure what you're on about with the 'brodozer' comment. I learned to get over my perception of others' perception of me a long time ago though, so I don't think it applies.

$40K may be more than some peoples' budget. Maybe more than some can justify. For them, maybe the Frontier is more attractive. I'm fine with the price on both fronts. That said, I feel the Jeep is fetching a premium for things I can't justify because they're beyond my use case (the same can be said for full size and larger trucks), but that's part of why it's not as strong a contender in my calculus.

None of this gets past the ca 2020 Nissan/ca 1991 Peugeot parallel. To me, that's a much bigger risk than a brand new, unproven platform. Even if it checked all the other boxes and was the cheapest, I'd have a hard time pulling the trigger. 99.X% decrease is __HUGE__. It's not a red flag. It's not even a flashing neon sign with sirens. It's a full blown pride parade of the brand being done in the US.

 

[Todd780]

I don't know that I agree on the engine characterization. V6es are all car based; I'm fairly certain no V6 has ever been designed for a truck first, car second (I'm ready to be proven wrong).

I believe the V6 used in the 60's GMC was. As far as I know, most GM cars in the 60's that had a 6 cylinder were straight 6's.

1960s-Era GMC 5.0 Liter Was The First V6 Engine In Pickup Trucks: History Alley

The 5.0 was the smallest V6 in the family. The biggest was 7.8 liters (478 cubic inches).

gmauthority.com

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

6V-71 Detroit diesel was a a 426CI V6 too.

Non car based V6's are out there but not really common.

 

[NitroExpress]

The Colorado ZR2/Bison is a really intriguing pickup that seems to check all the boxes for me. I think it's great that GM is offering a midsize turbo diesel with Lockers, tires, suspension etc. What I can't get past (and I want to), is the bilking that U.S taxpayers took on the TARP deal with GM. Especially after advertising heavily about repaying their debt. I understand they technically did repay the loan, however the multi-billion dollar unrealized loss in the form of stock ownership by our government just rubs me the wrong way. I'm glad that GM didn't go under, but I do feel like they can re-pay us now. I guess I need to learn to get over it. Your thoughts?

For me, a truck has to earn it's 'soul' by way of being a capable and trustworthy over a reasonable period of time/mileage. What "sucks the soul" from vehicles for me is the dealership experience. I don't mind if a vehicle needs something repaired every so often, but when my time is stolen by way of frustrating dealers that "can't duplicate the problem", deny warranty claims (or wreck my truck in the parking lot....)or whatever level of ineptitude they always seem to heap on me. Ford, Chevy, Toyota doesn't matter, I'm sick of all the dealers.

I think you'd be happy with either of your two short list trucks, they are both really cool and certainly capable. I'm dubious on you racking up 500k miles on anything. I hope you prove me wrong, because I love those high mileage stories! This thread has been a fun read. Make sure to keep us posted on your decision.

 

[spectre6000]

6V-71 Detroit diesel was a a 426CI V6 too.

Non car based V6's are out there but not really common.

A V6 Diesel... Two stroke AND could be had NA... Now that's an odd duck... Any known applications? All I can find is "industrial applications".

 

[spectre6000]

I believe the V6 used in the 60's GMC was. As far as I know, most GM cars in the 60's that had a 6 cylinder were straight 6's.

1960s-Era GMC 5.0 Liter Was The First V6 Engine In Pickup Trucks: History Alley

The 5.0 was the smallest V6 in the family. The biggest was 7.8 liters (478 cubic inches).

gmauthority.com

Read up on this a little. Interesting. Never heard of it before.

 

[vargsmetal]

The GM 4.3 is definitely a truck V6. It is derived from the 350 and although it was used in some cars, bore and stroke are identical to the V8. I'd argue Fords 4.2L V6 is also pretty much a truck motor even though its derived from the 3.8L which was used in cars throughout the 80s.

The 4.3L is not a power house but it could've been with modern heads and a turbo. GM never bothered really upgrading it because it just worked. There are probably more 4.3L powered work trucks out there than any other engine in a half ton platform. The 2014+ LV3 4.3L is a different beast altogether, but still a "truck engine" in my mind.

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[spectre6000]

The 4.3 was used IN trucks, but was not designed FOR trucks; and that goes back a ways. The GM 4.3L V6 was initially designed for the Chevy Malibu by way of unceremoniously lopping two cylinders off the Chevy Small Block (SBC) V8 which was IN TURN initially designed for the Corvette and Bel Air. So it's not a truck engine by design going back two full generations. So the SBC isn't a truck engine either, but no one is going to argue the SBC isn't a good truck engine... That warrants unpacking a bit...

Engine balance - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I haven't read this fully myself yet (that's the next thing I'll be doing this morning), but I'm pretty confident it'll explain why the V8 works and the V6 doesn't in trucks, why the V6 doesn't totally suck in cars, and so on.

 

[vargsmetal]

Decades of 4.3L powered work trucks and vans shows that it works just fine in trucks and is a "truck engine". I am not defending Toyotas decision to put a Camry engine in a truck, just saying that the V6 arrangement is usable in a truck.

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[rkj__]

When the 2nd gen Canyon and Colorado were released for the 2015 model year, a lot of comments on the internet suggested the 4.3L would have been a better choice for dropping under the hood of a (midsize) pickup truck than the 3.6L. The 4.3L is perceived as a much more "truck worthy" engine by many.

Each engine definitely has it's pros and cons, and neither would make every buyer and journalist happy.

I have also seen, than it is very difficult, and often impossible to change somebody's mind on these kinds of subjects. If somebody feels that all V6 engines are car based, and don't belong in trucks, you are probably not going to change their mind by typing words in a text box on an internet forum.

 

[LimaMikeMike]

The GM 4.3 is definitely a truck V6. It is derived from the 350 and although it was used in some cars, bore and stroke are identical to the V8. I'd argue Fords 4.2L V6 is also pretty much a truck motor even though its derived from the 3.8L which was used in cars throughout the 80s.

The 4.3L is not a power house but it could've been with modern heads and a turbo. GM never bothered really upgrading it because it just worked. There are probably more 4.3L powered work trucks out there than any other engine in a half ton platform. The 2014+ LV3 4.3L is a different beast altogether, but still a "truck engine" in my mind.

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The turbo’d 4.3 in the syclone and typhoon made 280 understated hp. I recall they were pretty impressive for the early 90’s, mid 4s 0-60 and 13sec quarters.

They’re pretty collectable today, both the syclone and the typhoon came from pedestrian roots and I’d imagine their owners today would say those vehicles have some soul.