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

[norcaltoy]

Personally own a 19 colorado with the diesel engine in it. So take that bias as you will.

Had an early 2000s rangers and loved that truck. Left it stock and had very few issues. The new rangers remind me of a Holden or some other Australian truck. Not sure why but they never grew on me.


I second (third, fourth?) the comment about Toyota getting lazy and complacent. They don't feel like the same truck toyota built its reputation on in my opinion.

Our 19 colorado has been great so far with 14k on the odo. It isnt a zr2 or z71 truck but is 4 door long bed 4wd. It seems to sit very low in stock form. 4wd seems on par with any other stock mid size truck and for me ( 5'11" 230lbs) remains comfortable even during extended drives. Back seat room is ok, not great especially if you have adult passengers. No complaints about mileage or power with the diesel engine. Having a steel bed is nice vs taco plastic bed and gm has places for an additional 13 tie down points which is very handy. We use truck as a daily driver, dirtbike hauler, occasional tow rig, and weekend camp rig. Any specific questions I'll do my best to answer.

Also for what it's worth I dont think the zr2 is available with a full 6' bed.


And out of curiosity, why not consider a diesel?

 

[AbleGuy]

And out of curiosity, why not consider a diesel?

That’s a reasonable inquiry.

For the most part, I don’t drive my current truck frequently enough on a weekly basis to consider owning a diesel. And when I do use it, it’s for going out on very short errands which barely gives time for the engine to warm up.

In fact my ‘03 Chevy K2500 HD has only 89k miles on it, and 4/5 of that was put on by the prior owner. And I put only 19,000 miles on my ‘07 Chevy in about 8 years, so...,

My several times a year very long trips are taken using my F350 4WD Tiger. Planning ahead though, I am hoping that the new truck will get a popup shell and then that we’ll eventually start to use it for local 3-5 day getaways.

But again, the main reason I’m skipping the diesel option is I’ve been told and have read that my driving pattern of mostly taking infrequent short drives would not be good for the health of the diesel motor.

 

[rkj__]

Also for what it's worth I dont think the zr2 is available with a full 6' bed.

It is.

 

[phsycle]

It is.

I'm assuming he's talking about crew cab, long bed (like the one he bought).

 

[phsycle]

Personally own a 19 colorado with the diesel engine in it. So take that bias as you will.

Had an early 2000s rangers and loved that truck. Left it stock and had very few issues. The new rangers remind me of a Holden or some other Australian truck. Not sure why but they never grew on me.


I second (third, fourth?) the comment about Toyota getting lazy and complacent. They don't feel like the same truck toyota built its reputation on in my opinion.

Our 19 colorado has been great so far with 14k on the odo. It isnt a zr2 or z71 truck but is 4 door long bed 4wd. It seems to sit very low in stock form. 4wd seems on par with any other stock mid size truck and for me ( 5'11" 230lbs) remains comfortable even during extended drives. Back seat room is ok, not great especially if you have adult passengers. No complaints about mileage or power with the diesel engine. Having a steel bed is nice vs taco plastic bed and gm has places for an additional 13 tie down points which is very handy. We use truck as a daily driver, dirtbike hauler, occasional tow rig, and weekend camp rig. Any specific questions I'll do my best to answer.

Also for what it's worth I dont think the zr2 is available with a full 6' bed.


And out of curiosity, why not consider a diesel?

What MPG are you getting on the freeway?

 

[rkj__]

I'm assuming he's talking about crew cab, long bed (like the one he bought).

The OP clearly stated "I want to get preferably an ex cab/king cab, 6 foot bed, 4wd, gasser with auto tranny" and that even the Gladiator is too long to fit in his garage. Crew cab long beds are not what the OP is looking for.

 

[calicamper]

I really wanted one of the new midsized rigs. One thing talking to dads with them was how they all found the short beds to be smaller than they imagined. Once they started packing their stuff/toys etc the short beds were not as roomy as they had figured. This was one of the things I ran into nearly every time I asked someone how they liked their truck. A couple of friends bought rare 6ft bed trucks not one of them complained about the bed length. All of them though said they were very happy they got the 6ft bed.

The New Ranger I actually really liked it, seems to really be targeting the Anti SUV crowd city slicker. With what’s basically just a open bed beefier version of what doesn’t really exist anymore On frame midsized SUV. Course the Bronco hopefully gets back to those true SUV roots.

 

[rkj__]

I really wanted one of the new midsized rigs. One thing talking to dads with them was how they all found the short beds to be smaller than they imagined. Once they started packing their stuff/toys etc the short beds were not as roomy as they had figured. This was one of the things I ran into nearly every time I asked someone how they liked their truck. A couple of friends bought rare 6ft bed trucks not one of them complained about the bed length. All of them though said they were very happy they got the 6ft bed.

I had a 2008 Colorado with a 6ft bed for 6 years. The extended cab worked very well for me the years I owned it. There were numerous times I filled the bed up, but almost never ran out of room. I had to take two trips to pick up a face cord of firewood, but that's about it. I carried people in the back a few times, and they never complained. They were happy to get a ride.

 

[phsycle]

I really wanted one of the new midsized rigs. One thing talking to dads with them was how they all found the short beds to be smaller than they imagined. Once they started packing their stuff/toys etc the short beds were not as roomy as they had figured. This was one of the things I ran into nearly every time I asked someone how they liked their truck. A couple of friends bought rare 6ft bed trucks not one of them complained about the bed length. All of them though said they were very happy they got the 6ft bed.

Cargo space wise, the short 5ft bed in midsize trucks was plenty big. Especially if you put on a shell. 3 kids and camping for a week. No problem. Big issue is the passenger space. Too tight.
But the bed was great for camping, biking, weekend duties. I rarely, if ever, wished I had a longer bed.

 

[phsycle]

The OP clearly stated "I want to get preferably an ex cab/king cab, 6 foot bed, 4wd, gasser with auto tranny" and that even the Gladiator is too long to fit in his garage. Crew cab long beds are not what the OP is looking for.

I was merely clarifying the poster's comment.

 

[rkj__]

Cargo space wise, the short 5ft bed in midsize trucks was plenty big.

It's good that there are different options available, because not everyone shares the same opinion on that.

 

[norcaltoy]

What MPG are you getting on the freeway?

Highest I've seen was 31.5, regularly average 28-30.

It is.

Ahh you're right. I dont see many of the ex cab zr2 around here. Primarily the full 4 door. Thanks for the correction.

That’s a reasonable inquiry.


But again, the main reason I’m skipping the diesel option is I’ve been told and have read that my driving pattern of mostly taking infrequent short drives would not be good for the health of the diesel motor.

Yea that makes sense. The modern emissions system dont do very well if they don't get up to temp. And if you're not driving many miles the diesel doesn't have as many advantages.

 

[AbleGuy]

Cargo space wise, the short 5ft bed in midsize trucks was plenty big. Especially if you put on a shell. 3 kids and camping for a week. No problem. Big issue is the passenger space. Too tight.
But the bed was great for camping, biking, weekend duties. I rarely, if ever, wished I had a longer bed.

It’s this simple....I’m 6 feet tall....I cannot sleep with my wife next to me in a SB. But it’s a sucky trade off.

The crew cab would be nice for the edtra interior storage room for our gear,,,,but then it’s either a CCSB (no, I don’t want the SB), or a CCLB with the much longer wheelbase that I don’t want due to maneuverability issues on narrow, mountain side dirt roads.

 

[nickw]

I bought a 2019 Ranger in March and have 12,000+ miles on it so can offer some opinions...I've also owned a mid a mid 90's Z71, several Toyota pickups/SUVs/Landcruiers and a few Audi's, to give you perspective.

Ranger's ride....well it rides like a truck and the rear end sits really high. I think with a camper it will smooth things out quite a bit and settle the ride down. It has a higher payload than all (as far as I am aware!) of the other midsize trucks. Suspension is on it's way from OME, I've been bugging ARB for a while and they keep saying it's coming.

I think all the midsize trucks compare pretty close as far as capability and robustness, they are all running very similar suspension/chassis designs and layouts, besides the Gladiator of course with it's SFA.

I'll be honest, I bought the truck mostly based on it's looks and numbers on paper but more importantly the seating position, I can't stand the seating position in the Tacoma and the hood impedes visibility, doesn't bother many folks, but it drives me nuts. I didn't particularly care for the Chev either.

I trusted Ford would get it right since it's based on the Global Ranger which is really well liked in Aus AND the engine/trans have been around for a while in the states. It also uses the same rear locking axle in the Rubicon, so you know it's stout.

I've been VERY happy with the power so far, this is coming from a 2018 Audi SQ5...while I don't need a race car, I certainly don't want to be limited by power. The Ranger really blows me away to be honest. I have a good friend with a 18' Tacoma, chipped, and it's still night and day. It's less about capability, the Tacoma can certainly get the job done, but how the power comes on and mates with the trans, it's exceptional....which pretty much lines up with most reviewers. Two dirtbikes, two dudes, camping + moto gear, no problems pulling hills at comfortable power.....none of that in/out/in/out of gear, 5k redline BS.

I'm really happy personally. Time and reliability will tell of course, but it uses proven parts, so while it's a risk, I think it's a pretty low risk.

I bought this knowing it was going to replaced....I'd be concerned that the replacement will be softened up, too many gadgets and may lose some of it's truck-worthiness, but who knows. It's rare we get a model that looks fundamentally the same as the rest of the world....which is obviously going away once the new one is released.

 

[jadmt]

I always thought a new tacoma would be nice until I spent a couple hundred miles in one. I am average American size ie 5'10ish 180lb. too cramped for my tastes. I want to like the rangers as I am a ford first guy. Just am not loving the look and they have been out long enough to be getting used to them but not happening. I would rather walk than drive the Frontier even if it were a great truck, just don't like the looks (looks are a personal taste no doubt). that leaves the ZR2 and that to me looked really good when it first came out but I am already over it and does not even turn my head. I guess bottom line is there really is no smaller trucks that look worth a damn to me. I have owned a Jeep Wrangler since 2012 and still never get tired of looking at them. So for me if I were going truck in this class it would be a Gladiator altho that is not what the OP wants.