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War of the Compacts: Frontier, Ranger, Tacoma, S10, Dakota, B-Series, & Hombre
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Comments
Bookitty
If you're talking about the 3.9L V6 in the Dakota, that engine is a total piece of crap. I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy. I wouldn't consider purchasing anything with that engine in it. That thing can't get out of its own way and guzzles gas like there's a gaping hole in the fuel line.
The 4.7L has good power, but its economy is still mediocre, though better than that terrible 3.9L V6.
I'd opt for an engine like the 3.9L V8 in the Lincoln LS. With a proper setup (3.55 rear end and a 5-speed manual) mid to upper twenties in mpg would be possible. And, with 252hp and 267ft/lbs of torque the truck would be very quick and could easily tow moderate loads (I'd never tow 5000lbs+ with a compact/midsize). It would be the best of both worlds.
INL
I read them all and have to wonder, when did trucks become race cars? Anyone know a 4x4 with a supercharger is a joke. Most of the time when you are on a trial you are going about 5-10mph, and slower!! You may reach 20-25 on flat spots or rocked roads..
You bring the R/T into this room. lets not forget the Ford Lighting.. Nuff said..
The Dakota is a fine truck and is a niche truck. For those not needing a V8 the Toyota/Ranger/Nissan do fine. The MPG for the V8 Dakota's aren't much better than the full size V8's. Why? not just buy a full size?
Vince8,
You are a very confused BOY! You rag and rag on Toyotas and Nissans('cause your jealous)then here you rag on Dodge and then try to lump Nissan and Toyota with Ranger saying their 'fine', what's wrong with you? How come you never mention the S-10, I'm curious? There's noway you could possibly like them, you haven't owned one of those either...oh that's right you've only owned a Ranger that had no problems w/94K miles on it. How do you expect anyone to understand your view or even side with you? You've even had the Ford owners confused, I don't even see you as a Ranger Owner 'cause the REAL owners of the Rangers here are REAL people with an actual thought process and are objective thinking people.
mahimahi: Vince8 may be a pain at times, but don't let your attitude about him be the only thing you see. He made a couple of good points that are worthy of conversation not derision. About trail(trial) racing, those who enjoy that can explain how much fun it is to them. And as to why not go to a full-size truck. That is a legitimate question that many of us have asked ourselves when looking at what to buy. Isn't that one of the reasons for this forum; to discuss the merits of compact pickups and maybe help educate each other? As for spelling; go there and we are all in trouble.
I wanted the 4 doors so the whole family could ride but I also wanted cargo area. I had an SUV and was severely disappointed with the cargo capacity. Nothing seemed to fit without lowering the back seats. Then I could not take the family.
The full size extended cabs offered some back seat area but not 4 true doors. The true 4 door cabs on the full size are gigantic trucks designed for 6 large adults. A lot more truck than I need for a daily driver.
My truck is a daily driver. A family vehicle, carry supplies from the home center, road trip vehicle for family vacations. Full size was too much, the mini don't have 4 doors. SUV's don't have the cargo area.
The Dakota Quad cab offers me the 4 doors with a real back seat to carry my family and a cargo area large enough to meet my family's growing demands. Besides which, trucks are so much cooler than SUVs.
Bruce, good post.
Bookitty
First of all, you question my 4x4 ability or know how, yet you know nothing about what trucks are really about, TORQUE or the Torque vs HP charts.
You call me ignorant? You obviously don't know about he high deserts of Eastern Oregon and Washington. Most of my adventures take place in the Mountains of the Cascades I admit. In my opinion this is offroading at its best and funnest. Going 45-55MPH over open, flat terrain doesn't do it for me, nor does crawling through sand. I have done offroading in the deserts and an S/C isn't going to help you as much as you may wish it would... Mah and goob are pissed because Nissan can't put a real V6 in their trucks without bandaiding it to meet other manufactures normally aspirated V6 engines..
In my post about the Dodge, in no way did I put down the Dakota. I asked some questions that you two turned and twisted (like normal) into a conflict. I know the Dakota V8 is no joke, I know the V8 can out tow, pull or outrun anything Ford has to offer. Now, quit putting words into my mouth and get the Dodge Dakota owners pissed at me.. not going to work..
One thing is for sure. The 3.9L is very old school, just like the 5.2L (do they still offer it?) and 5.9L V8s.
The 4.7L by all accounts is a teriffic engine. Maybe the merger will help Dodge keep up with the times as far as engines go. They seem to be a step behind the other manufacturers. In my opinion, the Dakota has only a single good, all around engine offering (that being the 4.7).
On a different note, I've said in the past I don't agree with a S/C on a 4x4 either, but there's nothing wrong with it on a srteet truck. I still don't see how you can say that Nissan's is a bandaid and Ford's isn't. This is a good display of 'blocked' thinking.
I can't think of a single post that Vince8 has ever offered something informative, maybe offensive but not informative(hopefully that changes).
I don't know if that first part of your post was directed at me also, but I don't know anything about Dodge's V-6. I don't remember saying that it was piece of crap.
I have to agree with you. I just don't like Sport Stupidity Vehicles.
I prefer splitting up vehiclular duties (towing/hauling/off-roading & commuting/highway-cruising/corner-carving) into more purpose-built vehicles. I guess that's why I own a 4x4 compact truck and a sports sedan. But, to each his own...
vince8: will you never learn when to SHUTUP. I only defended you because the response was out of proportion to your remarks. If you want to participate with the adults, act like one.
An F150 SuperCrew stickers for about 26K very well equipped. A comparable Dakota Quad Cab would be roughly 24K (quick math, i'm too lazy to add it up).
But, if whichever truck is the one you want, why should price matter so much to you?
I got my fully loaded Ranger 4L 4x4 off-road pkg, power-everything, 5speed automatic (absolutely everything except ext-cab and LSD) for 18,500.
I think it stickered for something like 23K.
I'd agree with you that the Dakota is a really good looking truck, but I just wouldn't want that tranny hauling me around...
Agree. The 5.9L is a great engine for activities that need boatloads of torque.
Does the Dakota need that amount of torque? I don't believe so. It's not that big of a truck and is most likely seldom asked to pull the immense loads the 5.9L is capable of.
The 4.7L seems like the perfect compromise.
We even considered the F250 heavy duty but then you are really paying a premium. Our Quad is the perfect vehicle for "our needs" including the 4.7L V8, its the "sweetest" V8 I've ever owned. Rick ;-}
I know how you feel. I think I'm gonna head back to the manual tranny when I get my next truck a few years from now. Sometimes those slushboxes just drive me CrAzY.
'94 S-10 LS 4x2, 71K miles, original owner: metal shavings all through the transmission: it's shot. Need new torque converter too. Total bill: $2200. This truck has never been abused, no heavy hauling, no altitude issues, nada. Anyone else know of a GM trannie this "young" breaking down so hard?
BTW, that's it for me and GM trucks. At least over four years old.
You almost got me yesterday
Steve234,
I agree with you. I looked at the F-250 crew 4x4 for around $35K(order the lot didn't have any) then when I decided to look at the Supercrew 4x4 fully loaded Lariat was $34K...and they weren't dealing on either truck. They said they were doing me a favor selling them to me. Needless to say I walked. The reason I didn't buy the F-250 was I just really don't need that size of truck yet...maybe in 5 years. I don't really care for the Sport-trac plus it's based on an SUV platform. So I was left with the Dodge or Nissan. See I wanted 4 real doors. I never gave Dodge a fair shot, never even test drove it. Still wondering about their reliability...so as you know I went with the Nissan. But since I will be shopping again this time to purchase I'm watching Edmunds and using these posts as a sample of owners and their experiences. I looking at the reliability(not just Dodge but all those who make Full size) to see where it drops and increases. The next truck will be a full size, I'm hoping by that time somebody or they all come out with a 1/2 ton that can tow 10K lbs. That would make it easier for around town. Who knows, maybe!
I suspect that it is just the 'anti-rust' coating on the exhaust system that burns off when it gets hot. This would easilly explain why you smell it after hard accelleration.
Do not let it sway your purchase decesion... it is completely normal.
It really wasn't over-powering or anything like that, but just the same, I'm glad it went away quickly. I'm sure it's to be expected whenever they add the protective undercoat. I wouldn't worry about it.
From my own experience, I put 400,000 miles on my '85 Chrysler Minivan with the M/T and never spent one dollar on maintenance of the transmission or clutch. In fact, the original fluid is still in the transmission. And at this point, I'm afraid to change the fluid (that may be the only thing that is keeping the transmission together!).
Actually, I would only buy an automatic if it were the industry's "Last Choice on Earth".
question is; Is the Ford F-150 Supercrew available with a manual transmission? Thank you.
Bookitty
bookity: The Supercrew is only available with the automatic transmission. When they packaged it, it was looked at as an upscale family truck. It comes loaded with few options. The CD player is even standard. I would say that their marketing strategy is decent, but leaves little room for the people that want a bare bones unit.
Unfortunately, Ford isn't going to bring the lesser-equipped F150 Supercrew to the market until initial demand for the fully loaded ones decrease. They're selling all of the fully-equipped high margin vehicles at MSRP. It'll be a year or two for Ford to expand the line and the prices to come down.
The Dakota, while leaps and bounds over it's predecessor, is a good looking truck. I just really care for the way it looks like a baby version of the Ram. I would like to see it have it's own style. it makes me think that Dodge took the easy way out of redesigning it. I do think it looks better than the Tundra...which to me is a mid-size no matter what the press or the owners want to say.
Sorry was in hurry!
With the aggressively handsome looks and the excellent V8 of the Dodge Dakota snapping at its heels, Ford needs to further expand its line to include a more-powerful Ranger...
Hmmm. I think I'm glad I recently switched from the Mazda B3000 to the Dakota.
Plus, that new Premium Off-Road Package Ranger looks really cool.
Considering the Ranger weighs a few hundred pounds less than the Explorer... Well, I'm sure you can do the math.
The Cammer doesn't lose any torque either. It feels just like the torquey OHV 4L until about 3K rpm. Then, it races towards the redline with OHC top-end horsepower. I think it's the best of both worlds.
As far as Edmunds thinking the Ranger needs more power, I'm not sure. What gearing were they using, 3.08s 3.55s 3.73s or 4.10s? Maybe that had something to do with it.
Maybe the reviewers were just the type-set that wants V8s and nothing less. They see a V8 alternative in the Dakota.
Or, maybe they know something and want to look like geniuses when Ford releases a V8 powered Ranger. Then, they can say "We said, V8 blah, blah, blah..."
It'll probably be a manual tranny too. Did you take a look at the shifter pic on the edmunds review. Man, that looks cool.
believed me. Big mistake Steve.
Bookitty
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