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Performance Upgrades - Maintenance - Modifications - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street Trucks. Covering the Explorer, ST, Sport, Lincoln Aviator, Sport Trac, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Aerostar. Featuring H.I. - Human Intelligence.
Those F150 sales # are valid if anyone else was wondering, when compared to national auto sales, F150 (given icecube's #s) went from 0.054% of the market in 2004 to 0.039% in 2009.
Not that I didn't trust you, I just like check numbers
Probably should check em anyway. I got them off wikipedia lol
The F150 like any truck is still successful but as gas prices stay up where they are currently, the F150, Silverado, Ram truck all seem to have a slight decline. Thats why the V6 F150 is on its way back in.
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There are people that think the Ranger is too small. I admit, roomy full sizes are nice, but RBVs are plenty big for most people. I'm very comfy at 6ft, I think even at another 4-6" I'd have plenty of room.
Thats what they said about the other explorers...
And whats wrong with a Unibody, and no V8 option? My 05 X needed the V8 (rated 1mpg better in city than the V6), the 4.0L is underpowered...
The new grand cherokee has one of them...a V8 engine.
And the Explorer Sport Trac...Its got a V8 option. It is considered an SUV, and its got the full-frame. Thats the SUV/truck i'm choosing to buy next.
True...I don't like the front wheel drive and the intellegent 4wd option. I'd personally rather have it Fwd with 4wd, but its not too big of a deal..at least for me.
Well, not sure I can say its not too big of a deal because...I was tempted to buy a honda ridgeline with 50k miles, listed at $15k...until...I found out it was fwd. Then I told the dealer no, I don't want to offer on it anymore.
But then a fwd truck is different from a fwd drive SUV.
Good point, it is being phased out, but its too popular for ford to let that kind of a truck die. So I think they'll have another 4-dr truck out in a few years.
I'll try to find one used. If not maybe a 4-dr ranger (or ranger-like truck) will be released by that time.
I do see a lot of old guys driving sport tracs. So hopefully they'll get rid of them in a few years
I think the new Ranger/F100 will be that truck, but the ST was pretty popular early on, and slid badly towards the end of the run despite getting some pretty advanced stuff compared to other crew- cab compacts...
"Demand for the Sport Trac, which is grouped together with the Explorer in the automaker’s sales figures, has dropped from about 60,000 units annually to a pace that will likely top out at around 10,000 units this year"
I've seen pathfinder's do some pretty cool stuff offroad, I'd get one, but I don't buy asian import vehicles. Sometimes being bullheaded has major downsides, but I just couldn't bring myself to ever do such a thing.
Anyway, I really can't see a 3.7L or 3.5L F150 ever existing. Wouldn't the towing capacity become a complete joke? I'm thinking more like Ford will just polarize itself and have really fuel efficient and community friendly cars and SUVs, and then trucks that are still able to meet the demands of commercial and government buyers.
Also, ranger may also get a big bigger if they go to the international version because the rest of the world gets a crew cab option for rangers.
you'll have to explain that thinking to me. SUV should fill the same role as a 4wd pickup except it's bed is part of the cabin. Great for hauling stuff that you would not throw in the bed of a pickup (like my guitar/drums). That is my definition, and I use all my vehicle hard which includes towing (just like a truck). In any situation FWD should never be mixed into a truck style environment. Which basically tells me that they are no longer marketing the explorer to be used like a truck. Maybe that is ok for most people who never tow and never go offroad. However if anyone is expecting to tow 5000lbs with a FWD car like SUV they better really do some more thinking about it. Anyone who is serious about towing and knows about cars would NEVER EVER buy anything FWD for towing. It isn't just impractical it is unsafe in certain situations, it is too much to ask of one set of wheels.
I guess I will be stocking up on parts to keep my truck going as long as I can.
Yeah I have been looking at those crew cab rangers for a long time. There are some really sweet options over seas. But they never find their way to the U.S. I don't understand how it can be practical to make all those different platforms for other countries instead of making one design for all markets. It's seems to me that what they save in design and testing to be used to provide one awesome vehicle. But maybe that's why they make the big bucks....
Here is a 3.0L Desiel Ford Ranger Crew Cab now how sweet is that....
But what do we get? the Sport Trac......
I can think of a lot of people that would buy one of those 3.0L diesel Ranger's here in the states. I think Ford would gain a huge market if they brought it here.
I would personally say that the pathfinder's closest competator in ford's line up is the Expedition. But both the Expedition and the Explorers (truck frame) have out-dated powertrains. The expedition should get the new 5.0L V8.
I will say those Nissan Pathfinders, and its little brother the Xterra have a powerhouse of an engine.
I love the old 3.3L Xterras with the superchargers...fun to drive.
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Talked to a guy today that has a Honda Ridgeline. I was asking him how he liked his "truck". He said he really liked it and that it rides like a car (cause it is... Duh!) and that he gets about 19mpg (uh so?). So then I asked him if he ever hauled anything or towed anything. He promptly answered with a big Nope.... Then I asked him how it does offroad LOL he said he never had it offroad, but that it did great in the snow last year HAHAHA then he proceded to tell me about the cool trunk in the bed, I couldn't take anymore and politely exited the scene...
This guy is why these new explorers will sell. He didn't even know it had front wheel drive. I had a good laugh over that.
