Will Chrysler Break The Compact Pickup Drought?
For years now, the compact pickup market has withered away due to the chicken-and-egg dynamic of poor sales and little investment in new models. Ford’s Ranger and Chevy’s Colorado are scheduled to die off this year, and with the new global Ranger not coming to America, Mahindra’s endless delays and weak mileage ratings, and no signs of other small truck investment, the segment looks ready to die. But, as it turns out, 2011 might not be the year that kills the compact pickup: tflcar.com reports from the Chicago Auto Show that
a well placed source within the company is that Chrysler will announce a new entry-level light pickup this year.
Since Fiat took over at Chrysler, there have been rumors of a Ram-branded unibody pickup… but rumors of a Jeep Wrangler-based pickup have been rampant as well. Whatever format a new Chrysler compact pickup comes in, here’s hoping it inspires other companies to bring out a rugged, fuel-efficient, compact pickup for the US market. You paying attention GM?
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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As a current '02 V8 Dakota Quadcab owner I'll be keeping my eye on this, but doubt anything will come of it. I don't want anything bigger, in fact I could go back down to Ranger size. What I do want: good mileage, is 20 city / 25 highway too much to ask? Tons of torque for towing, this is easy just drop a turbo diesel in. Basic interior, no leather, no GPS (got an iPhone for that), no power seats or other "fluff". However paddle shifters would be nice on a "sport" model, think Ranger Splash. Extra cab and/or quad cab configuration. 2WD model with "normal" ground clearance for easy entry / exit and bed loading. Unibody is fine as long as the towing isn't compromised too badly, needs to haul 7,000lbs which should not be an issue if they give it diesel power and big 4 wheel disc brakes.
I had a S10 back in 1983 -it was a king cab with a 2.8 v6, 120 hp and 4x4. I remember getting 20 mpg with it and it was a good little truck. You can't tell me that they can't build something about that size with better engine/trans/etc now. Would it sell? I think so, with the Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota boys all trying to have the biggest 1/2 ton, it gets to - where the hell do you park these damn things! I had a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 w/hemi and I had the worst time parking that big bitch - and don't get me started on "modern" parking decks. People that need a truck for some weekend work or light stuff would welcome a smaller truck if it had the newest technolgy added in. Think of a Ranger with the 300 hp v6 out of the Mustang!
OK, but none possibilities for the compact truck are any good. Or to put it another way, none of the possibilities save one are really fuel-efficient or compact. The first possibility I've heard is a minivan-based unibody, possibly like the crewcab Rampage. Now, this means it will have no off-road ability, reasonable hauling, some towing, good ride, but would be fairly expensive, just like the midsizers we have right now and just like the Ridgeline. Oh yeah, and it wouldn't be much smaller than the midsizers, either. Mileage would be about 17/25, just above the F-150's 17/23 with a 3.7 V6. Now, if somebody's looking at trucks and the fullsize gets just 2 mpg less than a "midsize", why would I buy the midsize? Second possibility is the Jeep truck, and this one is even worse. Sure you get the off-road ability and it would be cool. But you get a bad ride, mediocre hauling and towing, and atrocious fuel economy. Forget Ranger mileage with this one. The third possibility, which seems less and less likely by the day, is to import the Fiat Strada Adventure Locker. This is probably the best possibility, but also has the most compromises. You'll get great mileage, all-wheel-drive with limited-slip diff, low-slung stance, with a mediocre ride but nothing as bad as the Jeep truck. I don't see potential in any of these. If I wanted a Jeep, I'd just go with the Wrangler, and if I wanted a pickup I'd go with the Ram, or Tacoma, which already has the off-road cred and the mileage. The minivan truck would be expensive, and the Fiat Adventure Locker would have third-world syndrome like the Colorado, where third-world design meets first-world expectations. It'll be the Jeep though. The easiest way to build a compact truck is to take a small body-on-frame platform, chop out the last two seats and add a bed. It'll just be another branch of the Wrangler genes, like the Unlimited.
It may be a rebadged Fiat, as according to several South American websites, Fiat's Brazilian division is currently developing a compact pickup, known as "Stradao" (or Big Strada).