My Nissan Pick-Ups, were 4 cylinder small pick-ups, and I never wanted for power. Seriously, they worked for nearly every application I found myself needing from camping to hauling stuff from a store.
Oddly, I found the times I needed to pull a redwood forest tree stump from the ground, OR haul an industrial size load of solid metal were non-existent.

I think they would sell. BUT...I think their sales would cut into the more profitable mid-size, full-size pick-up market. I don't think there is much incentive for manufacturers to build a product that might siphon sells away from their own more profitable version.
Also, you couldn't sell them as cheaply as in the 90's and earlier. I loved my pick-ups, but they had nearly ZERO safety equipment. My first one didn't even have airbags. Mechanically they were just about Model T's. Very much just the machine. They weren't by any standards today very safe.
I don't think they could sell the pick-ups I'm thinking of, which were the now non-existent utilitarian small pick up.
Maybe unfortunately, I can only be in the pick-up market on the used end. I was amazed at the prices for a pick-up today. They are as nice as any modern luxury vehicle, with the comfort and amenities they offer, and you can haul industrial size loads of solid metal and pull tree stumps from the ground. But they also are going to cost you a lot of money.

 

Small pickup trucks are useless.

I had a short bed RWD 1993 F150 with a straight 6 and 5 speed. (actually two, first was totaled) Would routinely get between 20-25mpg. It would pull my open trailer and race car with ease, went to Bike week with two Harley Davidson in the bed plus gear and made about 20mpg. Would easily haul 4X8" plywood. Hauled 4X12" drywall. It was an actual truck, not a toy. Drove it 262K miles before selling it. During that time, I replaced the U-Joints, shocks, tires, brakes, one air pump because the bearing was going bad and one ignition switch that wore out. That's it. One of the most trouble free low maintenance vehicles I've ever owned. Unfortunately engines like the straight 6 went the way of the dinosaur. Consumed too much oil, leaked too much, wouldn't make emissions for modern standards.

Prior to that in the late 80's I had bought a small Toyota pickup. Wouldn't tow crap, struggled with my motorcycle and found it generally useless for anything other than a passenger car. Landed up buying a convertible conversion, slamming it to the ground and using it for my college vehicle. Sure it would haul all my junk to and from college, but so did my Mustang 5.0 before being turned into a race car.

That being said, I find the mid-sized pickup also useless. Never understood the Dodge Dakota or similar from GM? Had the same V8 engines so they would get the same bad gas millage, but didn't have the payload or towing capacity. Was like the worst of all worlds.

I guess, if you don't like driving or are uncomfortable driving big vehicles than maybe a small truck is the answer? Myself I would think you'd be better off with a SUV and a trailer hitch?

 

I disagree.
I owned two 4 cylinder small pick-ups for about 6 years, and for my applications never wanted for power and found them to be very useful.

I think people tend to buy vehicles for image or personal psychological reasons, which is why you see 1 person, driving in the paved suburbs in a huge SUV marketed to take them to unpaved mountain tops, that they will only see in the commercials or on postcards.

I'm not saying a 4 cylinder small truck would work for everyone all the time. But for most people? The big haul is Costco or Home Depot, or a find at a Garage Sale.
Sure if you are routinely hauling very heavy equipment or wish to tow heavy items a bigger more powerful machine is the right tool.
But to say small pick-ups are useless?
That's not a fair description.
I think the primary reason you've seen the death of the small affordable, even economical pick-up, is that manufacturers can make so much more money off high end mid-size and large pick-ups. They don't really want people walking on the lot and thinking..."You know? Maybe a Small Pick-Up is all we need?".

I'm just saying right tool for the job. I have a friend who owns a huge Dodge Diesel pick-up. But they live on the outskirts, in a forested area. With some land. For them? It's arguable they need the power, and size.
But for most?
I think a small pick up would work, and did work for me.

 

yah but does it use military grade aluminum? i didn't think so..!




;)

 

I'm sure people buy for that reason, people buy for many reasons.

My wife drives a large 3 row seat SUV. She would routinely have my son and his friends in the vehicle and used all the seating capacity. Now that my son and his friends are of the age where they're in drivers ed or getting their drivers license that's probably won't be needed anymore? Neither my wife or I like minivans which was part of the SUV decision. She also works 4 miles from our house so fuel economy wasn't an issue. I work about 50 miles from home with a country road commute in the snow belt. When weather is bad, I drive her SUV for the AWD. The SUV will also handle just about all I want to haul from Home Depot. It will also tow my race car if needed.


What you're describing can probably be hauled in a small SUV or minivan which is why they're popular. More seating capacity the a two passenger small pickup and it's covered in the hauling area to protect from the elements. Any larger purchase could be put on a small trailer or rented bigger trailer. Besides if you're buying a larger appliance you can get delivery from the store or places like Home Depot have trucks that you can rent cheap for something like 75 minutes.

 

Since buying a house I wouldn't want to live without a small truck. I'm not really a large market segment, though, all I want is a beater to make runs to the dump and the hardware store, and I do a lot of oddball projects most people would hire a contractor for.

Last month I hauled enough lumber to build a decent sized deck, and the debris from the old deck to the dump. Yesterday it was 52 bags of concrete, not all at once but I would hate to do it with an SUV, and have to clean all the dust out. I've made trips to pick up a lathe and a mill, and saved quite a bit on delivery- the company wanted to use a big cargo truck with a lift gate on it.

A V6 S10 has been plenty of room and power for everything I need, and there's no way I'm paying full size truck prices.

 

Another small pickup fan! I used to have my Taliban Tacoma as I called her. She was beat up, chipped paint, dented bumpers but she ran like a champ and would haul more stuff in the bed than what was probably safe. Overflowing with compost or 10 people with guns, she didn't care. I wish I still had her, but my brother-in-law was in a bind so I gifted her to him. He still has her so still in the family so to speak.

Heck I remember when I was little, my Dad fit our entire family in a Toyota pickup (before they were Tacoma). My Dad, sister and Mom would be on the bench seat, pulled forward. My two brothers and I would be standing (me tip toeing since I was the youngest) behind the bench seat! That was in the 80s and in Guam so probably not advisable these days.

I'd like to buy another, but like others have said the new pickups are asking for crazy money. Word has got around and people want stupid money for a used Taco. I was perusing craigslist and saw one ad that wanted 6k for a 15yr old example with 200k miles on it. Uhh no thanks...

 

That's what I have presently and need to replace it.

 

Well at least Honda must have listened and took the plunge with the new model....https://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline

 

 

not sure but the thing reminds me of a subaru baja..

 

I want a Subaru Brat made by Honda. Must include rear jump seats that are road legal.

 

oh yah, i saw the new ridgeline. it didnt look as pansy in real life as they do in the picts.

 

 

They make them. We in the USA just can't get them till they are 25 years old and worn out. The Honda ACTY. I almost bought on. Right hand drive with AWD and 5M. The motor is mounted in the rear just in front of the axle.
It road great and would get up to around 60 MPH.