6 ms·

They are still huge compared to the original SR-5/Tacoma.

waiseristy 4y ago
You know that is never coming back right? Safety standards do not allow vehicles of that size and profile. There are multiple references to the 1st gen Tacomas in this thread and I'm having a hard time understanding why it keeps being brought up. It's a 20-25 year old vehicle
- EricE 4y ago
  It keeps being brought up because there is a pent up demand for them. Safety standards are BS. If Mazda can and does keep the Miata complaint with safety standards while preserving the bulk of the original Miata soul, then these other manufacturers could do the same with mini trucks. The real problem is they don't have to. Bigger vehicles have better profit margins, and the chicken tax limits competition. Repeal the chicken tax and you'd see plenty of entrants. Mahindra was even making serious motions of bringing the parts in and assembling here in the US to get around the obnoxious chicken tax but ended up not following through :( They had all the certifications they needed - even from the EPA, so it's far from impossible to have a modern mini truck if the government didn't have their thumb on the market. Heck Ford has had to do screwy things to try to get around that dumb tariff: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-tariff-chicken-tax-20180709-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-tariff-c...
  - waiseristy 4y ago
    I think you overestimate this pent up demand. The Santa Cruz sells like shit. The Ridgeline is right there by it New players don’t come into the US truck market with mini-trucks because they simply don’t sell
    - Ancapistani 4y ago
      Both the Santa Cruz and the Ridgeline are unibody. The 1st gen Tacoma was body-on-frame. HUGE difference.
      - waiseristy 4y ago
        What? How? They have strikingly similar towing and payload. There’s nothing wrong or different about a unibody. It’s actually preferable in a lot of ways for small trucks
        Ancapistani 4y ago
        Similar towing a payload? A quick search shows a 2017 Ridgeline as having a rated 5,000 pound towing capacity compared to 6,800 for a Toyota Tacoma and 7,700 for a Chevy Colorado. I wouldn’t call that similar. Plus, unless you get the AWD version, it’s front wheel drive! I certainly wouldn’t want to pull a heavy trailer up a hill in the snow with a front wheel drive vehicle. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a unibody - but it is absolutely different. People who buy trucks in the US typical don’t want a unibody vehicle. As a result, the Ridgeline and Santa Fe are seen more as “big cars with an open cargo area” than as trucks.
        waiseristy 4y ago
        You were talking about the 1st gen tacoma... And now you bring up the 3rd gen...

You know that is never coming back right? Safety standards do not allow vehicles of that size and profile. There are multiple references to the 1st gen Tacomas in this thread and I'm having a hard time understanding why it keeps being brought up. It's a 20-25 year old vehicle

EricE 4y ago
It keeps being brought up because there is a pent up demand for them. Safety standards are BS. If Mazda can and does keep the Miata complaint with safety standards while preserving the bulk of the original Miata soul, then these other manufacturers could do the same with mini trucks. The real problem is they don't have to. Bigger vehicles have better profit margins, and the chicken tax limits competition. Repeal the chicken tax and you'd see plenty of entrants. Mahindra was even making serious motions of bringing the parts in and assembling here in the US to get around the obnoxious chicken tax but ended up not following through :( They had all the certifications they needed - even from the EPA, so it's far from impossible to have a modern mini truck if the government didn't have their thumb on the market. Heck Ford has had to do screwy things to try to get around that dumb tariff: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-tariff-chicken-tax-20180709-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-tariff-c...
- waiseristy 4y ago
  I think you overestimate this pent up demand. The Santa Cruz sells like shit. The Ridgeline is right there by it New players don’t come into the US truck market with mini-trucks because they simply don’t sell
  - Ancapistani 4y ago
    Both the Santa Cruz and the Ridgeline are unibody. The 1st gen Tacoma was body-on-frame. HUGE difference.
    - waiseristy 4y ago
      What? How? They have strikingly similar towing and payload. There’s nothing wrong or different about a unibody. It’s actually preferable in a lot of ways for small trucks
      - Ancapistani 4y ago
        Similar towing a payload? A quick search shows a 2017 Ridgeline as having a rated 5,000 pound towing capacity compared to 6,800 for a Toyota Tacoma and 7,700 for a Chevy Colorado. I wouldn’t call that similar. Plus, unless you get the AWD version, it’s front wheel drive! I certainly wouldn’t want to pull a heavy trailer up a hill in the snow with a front wheel drive vehicle. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a unibody - but it is absolutely different. People who buy trucks in the US typical don’t want a unibody vehicle. As a result, the Ridgeline and Santa Fe are seen more as “big cars with an open cargo area” than as trucks.
        waiseristy 4y ago
        You were talking about the 1st gen tacoma... And now you bring up the 3rd gen...