small / compact / midsize?

Random thought. While driving today a tiny older s10 was behind me. Almost looked like a car compared to the third gen. Is it me, or have the new “compact” trucks become the size of full sizes from that era? Does the small/compact truck still exist? Or are they now the Colorado’s/tacos, etc

 

You have broke the code.

 

Guess in 10 years the full sizes now will be tiny car size!

 

The cars are bigger now too. Everything is.

 

Way back in 1978 I had a choice between a new 1978 Datsun (Nissan) truck with a 2 liter 97HP and a four year old 260Z. I went with the Z with 139HP.

 

One day you’ll look back and say those 3rd gen tacos were so small. lol

 

I still remember seeing magazines dedicated to Mini Trucking. And I have thought the same thing when I have seen the older models in parking lots. I even had that shocked feeling hit when a small 1st gen parked next to me and was so "hidden" that I did not see it til I was in front of my truck!

 

Park your Tacoma next to a 1st gen Tundra.

 

I have done that! Hahahahahaa! Those still mess with me if I am tired and see one in traffic. Like, I KNOW better but still gawk at it wondering wtf it is!

 

1956 Ford F100 above- 207"l x 71"w x 77"h- 3,884 lbs curb weight

3rd gen Tacoma access cab 212″ l x 74″w x 71″h- 3,980 lbs curb weight

I always thought the 1950's and earlier pickups were small, but checked against our third gens...almost the same-access cab 6' bed vs. regular cab 8' bed.

Thought it was interesting, fwiw

 

There was a time when vehicles were personnel or goods transportation. Now they are rolling living-rooms. Look at early delivery trucks. Now look at 18 wheelers, straight trucks, smaller cube vans and down to vans and pickups. Transportation has changed. We now talk about 7 passenger seating. We complain how you can’t comfortably fit 4 in an access cab. Heck for years 3 passenger seating in a pickup meant shoulders touching the door windows and bodies pressed together like a medival orgy.

Times have changed. Peoples EXPECTATIONS have changed. My father had a couple of Chev crew cabs in the seventies and would never go back because while is seemed like a great way to get the crew to a job site rounding everyone up at the start of the day didn’t work. Fast forward and crew / double cabs are popular as a soccer mom minivan replacement. Dads last company truck was a reg cab, man trans, am radio only with power nothing. It was a work truck. When a guy backed into and caved the side of the box in he took the guys money to fix it and then told me to grab a sledgehammer and knock the dent out so we didn’t lose box capacity. Now a work truck is $80 grand leather seat, fully loaded luxury yacht. I don’t see anyone fixing dents with a sledgehammer anymore.

Look at the audio systems of the seventies. Even the early cell/car phones. We used to carry paper maps. A lot has changed. Look at the original Rav 4. The original Civic. Look at the NEW Ranger. The success of the 4 door Jeep Wranglers. Bigger seems to be better. We the marketplace want more. We got what we asked for and now complain due to size and complexity (more things to go wrong).

The manufacturers give the marketplace what they think will sell. Then we cry about what went wrong and the OEM’s have to decide if another model would sell. Think Civics getting larger and the Fit filling the old subcompact void left due to the expanding size of the Civic. My old boss bought a Ford transit Connect van. Now we are seeing the larger cousin on our shores. When will the new Transit squeeze out the smaller Connect? The cycle will continue.

 

I would love see a comeback of the compact truck. Smaller, more basic design without all the modern extras with the price tag for a 4x4 being in the low 20's. Offer it in a Regular Cab or Access Cab in the same size range as 1st gen Tacoma's or mid 90's S10's Ranger's, or Dakota's. It would great truck for the high school/college kid or low wage worker without having to break the bank to pay for it. It would be a great economical all around off road vehicle.

 

That would be kinda cool but would never sell enough to justify any manufacturer making one.

 

Yes it would.

Then add back in all the safety features, airbags, crumple zones, CAFE standards, and sprinkle in just a bit of meeting market demands........

Here you are;

 

Look at the new Tacoma vs old tundras

 

Exactly. People complain, when on reality "people" is why OEM's build what they do. The size difference for small vehicles is primarily for safety. Airbags and crumple zones.

 

/thread

 

These aren't designated as compact. They're mid-size.

 

They quit making compact trucks years ago.