Hyundai may bring back a vehicle type we feel has been sorely missed from the American market. The only question is will it have bed-mounted danger seats? Looking Forward and Back At Small Pickup Trucks - Car Talk
Those seats were to get around the Chicken Tax, although apparently they were added to a few Subaru Baja’s by owners with a sense of humor.
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Like a Ranchero that has been washed and shrunk. Payload is one thing but I think where they miss the mark a little is towing capacity. A small unit like that with a reasonable frame and drive train to pull a boat etc. would be a winner.
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There is a rumor that Ford is also about to launch a small truck in this size and price (<$20k). Makes me wonder???
Didn’t they already use that name about 1970? Do they think we are all dead now and don’t remember?
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When GM appropriated the Citation name for the Chevy version of the disastrous X-car, did they think everyone had forgotten that Citation was one of the more expensive Edsel models? I know that I remembered it.
Fewer years elapsed between the Edsel Citation and the Chevy Citation than between these two Ford Maverick vehicles.
These small trucks seem to be only four passenger vehicles which means a 5 foot bed at the most . Not what I want . I guess I am just going to have to find a 2011 or older Ford Ranger in good shape and priced higher than I think it should be .
I don’t think they care if we remember or not. Ford seems to have a thang for pony names, and this is another step in that direction. Mustang, Mustang Mach-E, Bronco, and now Maverick. If the F series trucks didn’t sell well, Ford would probably rebrand them with a horse name too.
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They did, Replaced the Falcon in 1970… Think they’re just trying to use all the names they already have the rights to.
That plus there isn’t too much “original “ thinking going on any more.
The trend in more recent times has been to select names that are essentially meaningless, and as a result, can be used in every country’s market. Think of model names such as Camry, Impreza, Elantra, etc.
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+1
And, if you think about it, every Edsel trim line/model name was later used for other vehicles.
The Edsel trim lines included the Pacer (later appropriated by AMC), the aforementioned Citation, the Corsair (now a Lincoln model), and–of course–the Ranger!
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When interest returns to 12%+ and gasoline goes up $1/gal there will be a significant alteration in the public’s choice of pickups. Of course that’s what put small Japanese pickups on the road to begin with.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is expected to start at $25,000, equipped with common features it will likely be priced at $35,000.
Fuel economy should be similar to the Santa Fe which has an EPA combined rating of 24 MPG, inline with other SUVs and pickups on the market today.
On occasion I see a Ford Explorer Sport Trac on the road, very rarely see a Subaru Baja, trucks in this category are odd balls and never sold in great numbers.
There’s a couple of sport track’s around town, including one owned by a co-worker Also a fair number of Subaru Baja’s as well.
When, I replaced my 91 Tacoma with a 2013, I was shocked by the size difference. In terms of overall dimensions, the 2013 Access-cab Tacoma is about the same as the 1965 F-250 I learned to drive in.
Yep, the crew-cab Pick-up market surprises me. But, the aerodynamics of a pick-up never fail to provide truly horrendous gas mileage…
A lot of vehicles grew over the years. In the 1970s, the Accord curb weight was about 2000 lbs. by 1990, it had grown to 2700 lbs, and by 2012 to 3000 lbs. the newest generation can weigh as much as 3400 lbs. the Camry shows similar growth.
I see these all the time. Of course, a lot of them have been lost due to attrition, as people don’t like to pay for super-expensive repairs, such as replacement of the multiple timing chains in this engine on an old truck.
Those were very rare when new. I can’t remember the last time I saw one. I believe this model was very overpriced when new, compared to say a Chevrolet S10 or Ford Ranger, which explains its rarity then and now.
IIRC, in the 1980’s the Nissan small pickup which may have only been available in a standard cab was a reliable workhorse used in many commercial applications, contractors, plumbers, landscapers, etc.
Of course folks not needing it for business usually wouldn’t buy these things as there were really only 2 seats in the cab (3 was a real squeeze) and it didn’t have much in the way of options available.