Opinions Solicited......Another Head Scratching Mid Size Truck Choice Thread

[spectre6000]

Have you read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" yet, or does the Bambino eat up all your free time?

We're doing a reverse Xmas thing here in Colorado. My wife has been 3cm dilated for the past week and a half, yet miraculously no baby... We've been told by the doctors to expect her "in the next week" for almost a month now!

That said, I've been compared favorably to Robert Pirsig a few times over the years... I haven't read it yet, but I guess I should add it to the stack on my bedside table... It's only a foot thick right now, so maybe I'll get there eventually. If it's light, it may float to the top. I doubt I'll have had enough sleep for a while for anything super heavy.

(Edit: Just ordered a copy off Amazon)

Very interesting, thoughtful and well written post. Thx mucho for your input.

Finding and reading this post, I felt like a tired wandering old wild boar that had been hungrily, blindly rooting in the wet dirt for sour acorns but instead had discovered a rare, sweet and tasty morel mushroom.

De nada! Thanks for the imagery as a compliment! That sort of post is why I spend more time here than the Colorado-specific forum!

I think the Walter Benjamin approach could also be helpful approach here.

I'm not familiar with Walter Benjamin. Please enlighten us!

 

[PaintRock]

Having driven all of the new mid-size trucks, I can't help but like my 17-year-old Tundra better. It's got more low end power and I still get low 14s to low 16s for mileage. I''m a Toyota guy but I had a Tacoma rental for a week and it just plain sucked. I can't even candy coat it. I know two people who had to lemon law their Colorados in the last couple of years. For both of them it was transmission issues that the dealership couldn't figure out. I wouldn't touch one. My work vehicle is a Tahoe and the room is great but I hate the way it drives. I also can't understand why the steering wheel is offset to my right. It seems unsafe to me. GM stuff always seems to come with excess baggage.

If looking for a new or slightly used rig, based on what the OP is looking for, I think the best fit is a regular cab F-150 with the 2.7 EB. It should still fit in his garage and it will walk off and leave any of the mid-size options out there. It would be different if he needed a mini crew cab for kids, but compared to a mid-size extended cab, I think it's a much better choice. You can also get it with a locker and 265/70R17s from the factory.

 

[AbleGuy]

If looking for a new or slightly used rig, based on what the OP is looking for, I think the best fit is a regular cab F-150 with the 2.7 EB. It should still fit in his garage and it will walk off and leave any of the mid-size options out there. It would be different if he needed a mini crew cab for kids, but compared to a mid-size extended cab, I think it's a much better choice. You can also get it with a locker and 265/70R17s from the factory.

Thx for the very reasonable suggestion.

I have actually thought about choosing a reg cab 150 SB...length wise it would fit in my garage. And it would have adequate room for our needs compared to an LB Ex Cab mid sized rig. Wheelbase and probably turn radius wise it might similarly be ok.

Width wise...other than forest and desert pin striping issues (which I really don’t mind), it wouldn’t give me the same narrower trail maneuverability as a mid sized. Maybe if it had higher ground clearance than the midsized choices, that extra clearance would compensate for the wider track? I guess I’ll have to check on that


But mainly, I’d need to triple check what the total height of it—with a pop up shell on it—would be. I do plan on putting a pop up shell on my truck and so I’ll still want/need to be able to park mr rig inside my garage.

I’ve checked pop up shell heights with three or four different manufacturers and so far, putting any of their shells on my K2500 would make the combo too high to fit into my garage, by any where from 4-6” too high. And no, unfortunately I cannot easily or affordably raise the entry into the garage!

 

[phsycle]

Maybe if it had higher ground clearance than the midsized choices, that extra clearance would compensate for the wider track? I guess I’ll have to check on that

You can fit 33” tires bone stock on the F150 so it would add to better trail capability in some aspects. Maybe front level kit with Bil 5100 shocks and you’d get through a ton of trails. With plenty of payload compared to a midsize as well.

 

[Dalko43]

It actually gets dinged for having a rough and bouncy ride, the competitors have a much smoother ride on the road....which makes sense, since the Ranger has better payload capacity relative to others.

Regarding power and MPG, your right, most gas engines use about the same amount of gas relative to max power.... but the other 95% of the time when your just plinking along is what matters, that's where EB shines. The reality is all trucks will get it done, the EBs just do it with a bit less fuss, especially with the 10 spd....I like the way it drives personally, which is subjective, but many folks agree.

I don’t think it’s just the payload rating affecting ride quality. The ranger, even fx4 seems have less articulation and ride compliance compared to the others. Might have something to do with only using 1 main leaf in the rear. I don’t know that the overseas ranger, which also has good payload, gets the same criticism. The hilux has similar payload and its ride (onroad and off) is just as good as the Tacoma’s, if not better.

EB is good torque engine..the 10 speed seems to add too many shifts with a marginal improvement, if any, on mpg. Not sure that this multi gear transmission strategy is really adding much value to the consumer, and I do know that many have complained about bad shifting strategies from the auto’s computer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have actually thought about choosing a reg cab 150 SB...length wise it would fit in my garage. And it would have adequate room for our needs compared to an LB Ex Cab mid sized rig. Wheelbase and probably turn radius wise it might similarly be ok.

A regular cab F150 with the 2.7 would be a fun rig!!! Tons of power that's instantly available. The 2.7 is a bullet proof little motor and its ridiculously easy to get more power out of. It has a damn near indestructible block, forged crank/pistons/rods and can take a massive amount of abuse.

It has the same 10 speed that the Raptor and Max Tow trucks have, so you'll never hurt it. It also has the same brakes...so stopping with larger tires and a bed full of stuff won't be an issue.

Plus, it will get better fuel economy than a mid sized on the HW (except for the Ranger....maybe)...lol.

If you shop around you can find one with the STX package and it will be cheaper than a similarly equipped Tacoma.

Test drive the NA V6, the 5.0...and then the 2.7. I promise you that you won't want any other motor.

 

[plumber mike]

A regular cab F150 with the 2.7 would be a fun rig!!! Tons of power that's instantly available. The 2.7 is a bullet proof little motor and its ridiculously easy to get more power out of. It has a damn near indestructible block, forged crank/pistons/rods and can take a massive amount of abuse.

It has the same 10 speed that the Raptor and Max Tow trucks have, so you'll never hurt it. It also has the same brakes...so stopping with larger tires and a bed full of stuff won't be an issue.

Plus, it will get better fuel economy than a mid sized on the HW (except for the Ranger....maybe)...lol.

If you shop around you can find one with the STX package and it will be cheaper than a similarly equipped Tacoma.

Test drive the NA V6, the 5.0...and then the 2.7. I promise you that you won't want any other motor.

I noticed you didn’t mention the 3.5EB. Is that not an option?

 

[phsycle]

I noticed you didn’t mention the 3.5EB. Is that not an option?

Not in the regular cab

I will say, though, as much as I like the ecoboost, there’s something about a V8 mated to a regular cab. Performance wise, no comparison—EB wins. But the nostalgic side of me has me looking at a 5.0. (Talking strictly about a regular cab).

 

[plumber mike]

Not in the regular cab

Weird. Thanks

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I noticed you didn’t mention the 3.5EB. Is that not an option?

Unfortunately, not in the regular cab. You can get it in a used "Tremor."

Honestly, unless you need the tow rating that comes with the 3.5, the 2.7 will do the same job, on less fuel. There is very little difference between the two when it comes to performance.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Not in the regular cab

I will say, though, as much as I like the ecoboost, there’s something about a V8 mated to a regular cab. Performance wise, no comparison—EB wins. But the nostalgic side of me has me looking at a 5.0. (Talking strictly about a regular cab).

Nostalgia = more fuel to go slower.... But it sounds good....lol.

I ran across a guy with the 5.0 in a regular cab that was supercharged, had long tube headers, and a host of other goodies. It was an absolute beast.

 

[plumber mike]

Unfortunately, not in the regular cab. You can get it in a used "Tremor."

Honestly, unless you need the tow rating that comes with the 3.5, the 2.7 will do the same job, on less fuel. There is very little difference between the two when it comes to performance.

Still seems odd, especially given that you mentioned the 5.0 V8 as being an option. Considering the 3.5 and 2.7 are so similar and available in other cab configurations, I’m just a little surprised....but not really. The manufacturers do a ton of odd stuff that I don’t relate to.
I’ve had enough vehicles to have created a rule for myself. Get the biggest motor they offer. I think the 5.0 would be a hoot with those twin turbos. Fuel mileage be damned.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Still seems odd, especially given that you mentioned the 5.0 V8 as being an option. Considering the 3.5 and 2.7 are so similar and available in other cab configurations, I’m just a little surprised....but not really. The manufacturers do a ton of odd stuff that I don’t relate to.
I’ve had enough vehicles to have created a rule for myself. Get the biggest motor they offer. I think the 5.0 would be a hoot with those twin turbos. Fuel mileage be damned.

Dude... There are plenty of 600+ HP 5.0s running around... Its definitely capable of providing ear to ear smiles.

While the 3.5 is a good motor, the 2.7 is a great motor. It was designed specifically for the F150 and created to handle two turbos whaling on it. The 3.5 EcoBoost is based off the old 3.5 NA and is not nearly as robust.

 

[nickw]

Dude... There are plenty of 600+ HP 5.0s running around... Its definitely capable of providing ear to ear smiles.

While the 3.5 is a good motor, the 2.7 is a great motor. It was designed specifically for the F150 and created to handle two turbos whaling on it. The 3.5 EcoBoost is based off the old 3.5 NA and is not nearly as robust.

Seriously, 2.7 is more robust than 3.5?

 

[plumber mike]

Seriously, 2.7 is more robust than 3.5?

The build characteristics of a motor designed to pack air under pressure.

Makes sense to me that the additional turbos bolted up to the 3.5 was such a success that they built the 2.7 knowing they be packing boost.