best small pickup 2019

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-pickup-trucks


funny how the gladiator- a vehicle not even available in most parts of the country- is 2nd on the list. someone paid someone else money to put them on the list me thinks.

check out the predicted reliability. No thanks!!

 

i think the gladiators are effing hideous looking. unless they are better in person. LOL.

 

Wonder what their definition of “Best” is.

Reliability is not everything but it is consistently a strong predictor of purchase intentions. When US News picks Gladiator as 2nd from the top and then lists Below Average Predicted Reliability as a Con, it shows it doesn’t know what it is talking about.

 

Car reviewers make their money off advertising, and access to the latest vehicles. If they want the new cars to review, they better say nice things. It’s all mostly BS.

 

And any publication showing Ridgeline as their top truck choice clearly knows little about truck buyers.

 

Reliability doesn't matter when people are leasing vehicles that they are going to dump in 3 years. Its all about the fancy tech. I saw a gladiator yesterday and well the interior is years ahead of any Toyota interior. Like way nicer in every way lol

 

Best fit for the majority of the American public, which to be real, is best served functionally by the Ridgeline. They need the occasional Home Depot run or lugging around the kids sports equipment and really don't use a mid-size pickup for truck stuff. Still doesn't change that the Ridgeline is ugly AF and literally a Pilot with a bed.

That said, I have no idea how they can state the Tacoma is better than the Gladiator in every meaningful way except for off-road prowess (applies to the 20% of the market not best served by the Ridgeline) but still come in third. Either FCA is dropping that ad money or this is basically the JD Power "this is new and therefore best" award.

 

That’s the false logic into which Honda fell, though. The majority of the American public is not the same as the truck buying population. When it comes to truck buyers, tough durability trumps everything else.

Yes Ridgeline is comfortable and maneuverable, which are desirable characteristics in a sedan, but the reason Tacoma outsells Ridgeline 6:1 is because Honda refuses to provide the tough durability truck buyers want.

In so many words, Ridgeline is a nice car. But that has little to do with a truck list.

At least Gladiator looks and acts tough...

 

yep. it's a bunch of garbage. the jeep wins "probably" on off road ability in the rubicon trim with taco right behind it. the 2nd best is tacoma. in the looks category, the taco wins, imho. in reliability, the taco and ridgeline are probably close. with the taco winning. i think your average truck buyer wants a truck to haul things, to various places, including offroad based on the design of the class.

the taco should have been 1st imho but i am biased. the honda isn't as reliable per their scoring but it's nicer inside. It also isn't as capable. Not even close. The only competition on the list is the still to be tested gladiator. and the ones for sale around here are all in the 50-60k USD range. Really? LOLOLOLOL. No thanks. And to boot, MOPAR discontinued their optional lifetime warranties. I have one on my patriot. With a jeep, you need it or deep pockets to fix the thing when it's in the shop- which i think will be a whole lot more than any others on that list.

 

I'd get the Frontier even though the Ridgeline would serve me well enough.

 

Whether we Taco fans will admit it or not, the Gladiator is going to be a home run all-star. Not a fan of one after cross-shopping Wranglers before buying my Taco. Abysmal build quality and scary reliability.

What I don't get is calling a Ridgeline a pick-up. It's a crossover with a bed.

 

I saw my first one in person and I didn't like it. I think I would with some mods, but stock it's very awkward looking.

 

Mopar dropping the lifetime warranty, was a big factor, in looking elsewhere for another vehicle. I had the lifetime warranty on my Ram 1500, but when it was totaled, I decided I need to look elsewhere, when a deal fell through. And for the most part, I had heard good things about Tacoma reliability, so here I am.

 

Never let anyone rent space in your mind for free.

 

It's whatever the El Camino was. Lots of people liked them. There just seems to be a stigma now......like 2 guys riding a motorcycle to a gas station for lawn mower gas.

Used to be legal.

 

They are not - someone in my neighborhood has one parked in their driveway and it just looks weird. Not really a truck or a jeep - looks like something that would drive into a carnaval / circus or maybe a parade ? IDK but it doesn't look like a truck but I'm sure Jeep fanatics will buy it and love it...

 

What a shock...the Ridgeline is ranked #1.

 

I think El Caminos had WAY more style than a Ridgeline. I get your point though.

 

A home run, as in what? If we're talking in terms of being a very capable truck, yes. If we're talking a home run in terms of sales, I highly doubt it.

I do agree, though, that the Ridgeline needs to stop being called a truck.

 

8.3, 8.4, 8.5 and 8.6 scores for all but the very old Frontier. This is just a reaction piece and no substance.