Car and driver small truck rankings

The Ridgeline is for people who are comfortable looking like a dick.

 

I test drove one and almost bought one. It is fine. The interior is a bit roomier and subjectively more comfortable. It seemed expensive for what you get, however. And the MPG gains aren’t nearly what they should be:

 

80+% of 4wd Tacoma owners needs would be met with an AWD Ridgeline.

Never leave pavement, 4wd is for snow, never haul more than a few hundred lbs of stuff from HD.

Has more lux appointments, gets better MPG, has 4 wheel disc, carries passengers and car seats more comfortably. All common 3 gen whinings.

Is it better off road? No. But that's not what it's built for or marketed as.

Is it ugly? Like all things visual, eye of the beholder.

As far as C&D goes, who cares? It's just another list. We may read them, but how many major purchases or investments do you make off someone else's 'list' w/o additional research? If it's a lot, call me about a bridge that just came available in the area.

 

McDonald's sells a shit tonne of burgers that must mean they're the best burger in the world right?

Toyota might be selling a shit tonne of Tacomas, but they deserve to be lambasted for: Rear drum brakes, poor NVH, shitty carpet, shitty paint, and shitty audio. I like my Tacoma, but Toyota needs to step up their game big time for the 4th gen

Shit can the SR in all variants way too expensive for what it is. Sorry Cindy at Ecolab you'll have to look for Fleet trucks at Ford

SR5 becomes the new base model. 4 Cylinder is shit canned also

Shit can the Sport I don't know why in their right mind would select a scoop over a locker

Off Road gets the scoop and base V6

Pro gets V6 with turbos and a front locker

Manual trans is shit canned.

 

I have looked on Fuelly before to compare the MPG's between the Tacoma and Ridgeline and they are nearly identical just as the chart you show.

 

Counterpoint

SR5 becomes base model but only as 4cyl 5MT 4x4

Shit can the v6, make it a straight 6

Sport gets slightly lower suspension, brings back the mechanical LSD

Shit can the DCSB, bring back the regular cab and make it in every trim. 6' bed is standard, reg cab can have a 7' bed

Any configuration can be had with the manual transmission

Off-road has different bumpers for better clearance

Pro can be specified with a V8

 

Frontier Pro-4x is what I'd buy if I needed a new truck.

 

At the end of the day I think buyers want a truck they can rely on each and every time they need it. Other trucks may be better on paper than tacoma but with the exception of the Frontier, nothing comes close to the proven dependability of the Taco.

Rankings might be helpful for fleet purchases... companies looking for a truck that checks off certain boxes.

 

I was in a Chevy Colorado for 15 years and switched to the Tacoma this past July. First time I've ever owned anything not a Chevy.

 

Car and driver lost my respect long ago. they wouldn’t know a great vehicle if it hit them going 50mph. I worked at Honda and the ridgeline is trash, the front looks like a odyssey mini van and the back was sawed off. No true hi-lo transfer case and ground clearance is a joke.

 

Honestly I don't hate the way the Frontier looks. It looks tough and cool on the outside, and the interior has a certain coziness to it. If the Tacoma didn't exist, the Frontier would be my first choice for a small truck.

 

ALL Hondas are crap and they crash. Ugly as a dog's ass as well.

Avoid that fake truck like a dose of gonorrhea.

 

You're kiinda comparing Highlander to 4Runner here.

Really you're doing the same dumb thing the magazines do, but in reverse.

 

"My ideal version of this truck is the only one they should build!!!1!!1!!1"