Car and driver small truck rankings

Or, now stay with me here, they are compensated to prop up certain makes/models.

 

JD Power of sorts huh.
I mean I've driven RAV4's and compared them to other small SUV's, and I'd take the RAV any day of the week. Any complaint you could have about it applies to the others, and then when you talk about reliability it pulls away.

 

LOL ... car and driver.

 

Exactly. It's just like reviews for movies, games, music, whatever it's all part of the "marketing budget" to pay the reviewers. Chevy sure loves touting those jd power awards they paid for don't they.

 

Well yeah lol

 

Millennial Fake News

 

That guy looks like he'd start a MPG thread on here....

 

The reasons Car and Driver dislike the Tacoma are all the reasons I like it.

Rough truck ride = suspension is catered to off-road not a good street ride. Solid axle rear with leaf springs are easy to maintain and cheap to upgrade. Simple coil over fronts for the same reason.

Few interior amenities = less shit to break

Crap gas mileage = probably because the front bumper isn’t 1” off the ground and it has good ground clearance and approach/departure angles.

If you buy a Tacoma expecting a plush ride and a lot of horsepower then that’s your fault. I bought it because it’s reliable and capable off road and I can take it into remote areas and feel confident it will get me back.

 

Most posts here is what I would expect for a Tacoma forum.

My take is the Ridgeline is not trying to lure away devoted Tacoma owners. It was designed for what many here call "mall crawlers". It is for those who want a bed for weekend projects at home, drive 95%+ on the highway and may occasionally take a trip down a FS dirt road that has been maintained. It is for those who want a more SUV ride with a bed.

Over the years on this forum I see there are some that lift their Tacoma's, regear, put on larger tires, and set it up for serious off road adventures. Then they use it for trips where the mods were necessary. I also see posters who lift and put on bigger tires because they like the look. Then they never really use the Tacoma for how they set it up. That is fine. One should purchase the vehicle they want and use it how ever they want.

Is the Ridgeline better than a Tacoma? Depends on what the use is. Tacoma is the leader in the midsize market for many reasons. I personally would not put down someone for owning a Ridgeline, Frontier, Canyon or Colorado. They had their reason for getting one. For some only a Tacoma will do.

 

Frontier is my second choice for a midsize.

 

In 2016 it became my first choice. In other posts I have stated why. Mostly price and it reminded me of my 06 Tacoma more than the 3Gen.

 

I'm fine with however any publication wants to "rank" trucks, no skin off my back and I'll continue to enjoy my Tacoma regardless.

But... the funny thing about this article, and others like it I've read, is that they ding the Tacoma for things like "rough pavement ride" and "bad gas mileage" and then have the Gladiator ranked a couple spots higher. Having your personal favorites is fine, but when comparing similar trucks I think you need to be more consistent in what you're actually ranking....

 

In order to have a ranking, you have to have some sort of criteria and a value you place on each criteria. People buy each of these vehicles, so I'm sure each one is ranked #1 based on some arbitrary criteria.

I guess that's a long way of saying that rankings are meaninglessly subjective.

 

Im not sure if the components are as good as the tacomas tho, but every other mid size is ridiculously priced now

 

Time will tell. So far so good for me. The way I drive I will be lucky to have 75,000 on the vehicle after 10 years. Most vehicles will make it that far without major issues. lol.

 

Has anyone other than Chevy ever even won a JD Power award?

 

jd power and chevy name a more iconic duo

 

Doesn't gm own jd power to some extent?

 

Well when ride and MPG are relative constants between the two, the Gladiator tows almost 1000 pounds more, has more power (marginally) in the V6 model / offers a TD option, and you can fit 35s easy and even go 37s without much hassle. I get your points, but I do see *some* basis for the ranking. (although maintenance needs is clearly overlooked)

 

I loved my Ridgeline! But I love my Taco more.......