Toyota Tabloata

I agree. The trend towards physically bigger trucks with larger power plants ( along with larger sticker prices and increased fuel consumption ) is a bit ironic in these times. Hooray for those folks who require these bigger beasts for work out of genuine hauling/towing need.

And it's not just Toyota. Subaru dropped FWD versions of their Legacy models somewhere around 1994, choosing to go AWD with all models as well as offering 6 cyl. powerplants (though they did leave the 4-bangers on the entry level models).

As with the Tacoma, the point is that for some of us (apparently in a small minority), less is more. We appreciate function with fuel economay and reliability, and don't need nor desire bigger vehicles that cost more initially as well as annually to operate. With regard to Subaru, my '90 wagon consistently recorded mileage in the mid-20's (mpg) in city driving and damned near 30mpg highway. I didn't need nor want AWD, but the choice was taken away for me to do otherwise. I watched that newsgroup be filled with long-time Soob buyers bemoaning what fuel-pigs the new models had become.

While even my 1980 Toyota SR5 pickup (22R?) with a stick didn't get "lights-out" fuel mileage, it was solid, reliable, nice-looking, and got decent to good mileage.

When I bought my '00 Prerunner, I sadly found out that I couldn't even get it with a STICK. So if I wanted a stick and a 4-banger, I'd have to get a

WTF are the automakers thinking? Perhaps they're rightfully thinking that they're making "the masses" happy. So those of us who've been with these companies since the late-70's now have lost what drew us to them in the first place.

Where are you going to go now? To a Nissan Frontier? If they've not already "biggie-sized" it, they will soon to follow Toyota's lead....

Stew

Bigger is NOT necessarily better...

Digression on: I liked the normal sized Tacoma's when 'I' was about 40 lbs lighter - I drive a new Tundra today. The new Tacoma's fender well shape bugs me, and other than that looks great. I think the concept of being wasteful is very subjective. Everything is renewable and it's the degree of complexity and efficiency (or lack of) that seems like the rub (IMO).

Maybe Scion just make a mini-pickup based on the Xb for those who want a smaller vehicle???

Okay, how about not driving for one day? Like a Sunday when you can sleep late, leisurely read the paper and sip coffee, nap and try to finish a book you're reading and maybe make a home cooked meal and spend some home time with the family. In that same thinking a person could also trying using mass transit for a certain task or event.

I vote to keep the larger vehicles and find a replacement for the combustion engine. Gas/elec hybrids are not the answer, but it's a step in the process in the right direction and is slow enough the gas/oil economy should be able to not feel much pain on their bottom line as overall production will continue to increase as people continue to make more people - 7 billion and counting, oh joy...

Then we could all join hands and sing kumbyah... :>))

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 09:50:14 -0800, "Jonnie Santos" found these unused words floating about:

Could you please explain how gasoline (petrol) is 'renewable' in any practical timeframe?

I'll buy a Ford 350 mega-truck when fuel cell technology matures. But until then, my '01 Tacoma will do a great job.

It's not if you are using the word 'practical' as something relational to a human lifespan. If we weren't talking apples to apples, how 'bout replacing the crude that gas is refined from with something bio engineered. That might get it faster, assuming that technology is available (I want to say it is because of the talk about bio diesel). But I don't know - I have no science background.

And just to clarify, I don't have a problem with bigger and more powerful vehicles being offered (or purchased).

I just dislike the fact that if I want to buy a smaller and more efficient (and basic) vehicle, my choices are being really limited.

If someone will just reproduce a new version of my '77 SR5 liftback (with the 1.6L) 5-speed, I'd buy it right now :)

Stew

They build what "we" want. If Americans would pressure them (through sales, not online bitching and letter-writing), they would still distribute small trucks in the US.

You do know that the standard HiLux is still produced and sold overseas, right?

--- Rich

To be fair, the new Tacomas have managed (using VVT engine technology) to maintain almost the same MPG, with a minor improvement in the 4-cyl models. My beef is that they could have kept them compact and done even better with the new variable valve timing.

Subarus seem to be rated at decent MPG these days but their EPA figures are surely misleading. There's now a bill in Congress by Rep. Nancy Johnson to make them a lot more realistic. They've been using

Yes, they've already mid-sized the Frontier and its MPG has suffered. Their 4.0L 265 HP V6 is the big selling point. It seems the only compact trucks you can get nowadays are American-made or the Ford/Mazda clones. None of their MPG figures are stellar.

Ron

Since when are fossil fuels renewable? Even the biggest deniers of global warming are starting to admit that it's man-made (thanks to Alaska's predicament), so we've got to take CO2 seriously. Gas hogs put out more carbon dioxide even if they're certified as LEV.

Ron

I see the diesel Hilux manages 30 or more MPG.

Ron

Maybe the problem is that this whole country needs to downsize! ;-]

Ron

I'm also seeing diesel at $2.75/gallon in SoCal now.

At that price, the negatives outweigh the positives. It's dirtier, and even at 30mpg, more costly.

--- Rich

That would take a long term commitment by both industry and consumer. It has been said that we will buy whatever the manufacturers put out there, but in the early to middle 1960's, we had Falcons, Tempests, Corvairs, Buick Specials, etc., on the market and American buyers stayed away from them in droves. Detroit saw the writing on the wall and went back to full size cars, after the loss of profits from producing the compacts that "everyone" wanted.

If someone wants a smaller car, that's fine with me. If someone wants a larger car, that's fine with me too. Just don't tell me I'm wrong because the car I choose isn't the one you would have chosen for yourself.

The way I look at it, when you go out and buy me a car with your money and give it to me with no strings attached, then you can choose what I drive, but until then, to each his own... :>))

I am so sick of this junk science about global warming. Just look at the back of the signs these long-haired, sandal wearing, over-age hippies are carrying. You'll probably find warnings about the coming ice-age, which was one of junk science's facts from the early 1970's...

Warning, you must have an open mind to look at the following links, as well as a willingness to change your way of thinking:

As I mentioned in another post, we need to pressure them like we did in the 1960's to stop them from building Falcons, Pintos, Tempest's, and other compact cars... :>))

Exactly, the choice thing is missing. There is an article in today's paper about people trying to prevent GM from sending their electric cars to the crusher because GM said there's not enough spare parts to support them and they don't want to risk safety related issue (lawsuits?). Again, there is a market for non mainstream vehicles, however it seems like manufacturing can't support them (small numbers) and still make a profit.

...when more fossils are produced, no?