Cross-shopping midsize and full size? (Myth?)

[Fightnfire]

We're dudes on a truck forum talking about trucks. We've very clearly figured out what we need and what we want. I don't think the average truck shopper goes through that process. As I look out in my work parking lot I see six 1/2 tons of various makes and models and one super duty owned by a guy with now towing or hauling needs lol. None of those guys went to the dealership to buy that exact truck. They're not truck nerds like us lol.

 

[Dusdaddy]

We're dudes on a truck forum talking about trucks. We've very clearly figured out what we need and what we want. I don't think the average truck shopper goes through that process. As I look out in my work parking lot I see six 1/2 tons of various makes and models and one super duty owned by a guy with now towing or hauling needs lol. None of those guys went to the dealership to buy that exact truck. They're not truck nerds like us lol.

Oh, without a doubt. Most go in and buy luxo trucks. It's why they sell so well. Crew-cab, short beds, 4wd (just in case), and a huge debt to go with it.

 

[Fightnfire]

Oh, without a doubt. Most go in and buy luxo trucks. It's why they sell so well. Crew-cab, short beds, 4wd (just in case), and a huge debt to go with it.

You just described my father in law to a T.

 

[C46]

After watching the coverage and reviews of the new Ranger, I realized something…it sounds like the one I’d probably go with if I got a midsize Because it ticks more of the boxes than the others seem to ( my favorite looking is the Colorado, but the Ranger sounds like it’s got more room in the back and the 2.7 6 cylinder coming). But, the thing I realized is, having despite the rationality of having something garageable and more easily parkable, I realize my gut level urge is towards full size. It’s like that adage, if you don’t know which to choose, choose one and then assess how you feel with your choice. If I drove home from a Ford dealership in a brand new Ranger, I’d feel like I got the correct solution to a problem. But, if I turned up the Fender sound system in my zero gravity seats in a Titan or heard the burble of a TRD exhaust from a 2nd gen 5.7 I force or 6.2 liter in a High Country, or sat in the nice interior of a Ram, that would make me smile And find excuses to go for a drive.

 

[testerdahl]

After watching the coverage and reviews of the new Ranger, I realized something…it sounds like the one I’d probably go with if I got a midsize Because it ticks more of the boxes than the others seem to ( my favorite looking is the Colorado, but the Ranger sounds like it’s got more room in the back and the 2.7 6 cylinder coming). But, the thing I realized is, having despite the rationality of having something garageable and more easily parkable, I realize my gut level urge is towards full size. It’s like that adage, if you don’t know which to choose, choose one and then assess how you feel with your choice. If I drove home from a Ford dealership in a brand new Ranger, I’d feel like I got the correct solution to a problem. But, if I turned up the Fender sound system in my zero gravity seats in a Titan or heard the burble of a TRD exhaust from a 2nd gen 5.7 I force or 6.2 liter in a High Country, or sat in the nice interior of a Ram, that would make me smile And find excuses to go for a drive.

Not so easy to choose a truck is it? LOL. This comment is why it is hard when people ask me "what is my favorite truck" or "which truck would I buy for personal reasons to keep for XX years." They all have their pros and cons.

 

[Dusdaddy]

All so true. These last couple of Ranger videos have made me reconsider which direction I want to go in. It really does check many boxes and is very competitively priced. Seeing all these new models without a doubt cemented my decision to go mid-sized.

Tim, did you and Jill do your 5/5 video on the Ranger? It is always interesting to see what each of you like & dislike. Most reviewers are too positive about everything. I was a vertical screen hater since I had one in the Ram and that makes me pause the most. Ford and Ram put too many controls on there. After driving so many, both ways, do you have a preference or find it doesn't matter much?

 

[testerdahl]

All so true. These last couple of Ranger videos have made me reconsider which direction I want to go in. It really does check many boxes and is very competitively priced. Seeing all these new models without a doubt cemented my decision to go mid-sized.

Tim, did you and Jill do your 5/5 video on the Ranger? It is always interesting to see what each of you like & dislike. Most reviewers are too positive about everything. I was a vertical screen hater since I had one in the Ram and that makes me pause the most. Ford and Ram put too many controls on there. After driving so many, both ways, do you have a preference or find it doesn't matter much?

We didn't do a 5/5 video, unfortunately. Just a matter of bad timing. I like dials for things like HVAC and radio. The rest can go into the screen. I think the Ranger does it well by keeping the screen below the dash AND lowering the dash height. It really doesn't dominate the interior like other trucks have done.

 

[Fightnfire]

I noticed in someone's videos the temperature dials don't show you the number for heat/AC until you move up in trim? I know there are different screen sizes but are there also different software running those screens? This probably sounds silly but not having the number would really, really irritate me.

 

[C46]

All so true. These last couple of Ranger videos have made me reconsider which direction I want to go in. It really does check many boxes and is very competitively priced. Seeing all these new models without a doubt cemented my decision to go mid-sized.

Tim, did you and Jill do your 5/5 video on the Ranger? It is always interesting to see what each of you like & dislike. Most reviewers are too positive about everything. I was a vertical screen hater since I had one in the Ram and that makes me pause the most. Ford and Ram put too many controls on there. After driving so many, both ways, do you have a preference or find it doesn't matter much?

I definitely tend towards the idea of a midsize when it comes to those times I have to navigate city traffic and parking. I had to rent an F-150 a few months ago to move stuff out of an apartment and trying to park that thing in the underground parking garage and get in and out of Seattle traffic was not fun.

 

[chaseydog]

That's a big one people get caught up in, bed size. Some still say it ain't a truck without an 8' bed! Once again, it comes down to use. 30-40 years ago, they were only used as trucks, not daily drivers so that mattered. Not anymore. I probably fill my bed more than many non-work truck users and I know I can easily get away with a 5' bed.

Was shopping for a new truck last January. Couldn’t find any standard bed AT4’s in inventory, had been considering ordering one, but ultimately bought a short bed off the lot.

Why the change? I got to thinking about ‘why do I want the longer bed’, and came up with two reasons. I think the standard bed looks better, more proportional, and ‘I might need to haul something long like 2x4’s’.

Then I got to thinking that the last time I hauled lumber was about 20 years ago, and if I looked at the stuff I’m actually intending to haul, mulch, a mountain bike, camping gear, runs to the dump, and the occasional run to Harbor Freight, a short bed still works.

I still think the standard bed looks better, but not so much that I was willing to wait 3 to 6 months for it.

 

[Dusdaddy]

We didn't do a 5/5 video, unfortunately. Just a matter of bad timing. I like dials for things like HVAC and radio. The rest can go into the screen. I think the Ranger does it well by keeping the screen below the dash AND lowering the dash height. It really doesn't dominate the interior like other trucks have done.

True, keeping the screen lower is nice but causes you to look down more to see controls you can't "feel". Considering the bottom portion is dedicated to HVAC only, I would have preferred dedicated buttons for heated wheel and seats plus more display of temps. It kinda looks like they threw them on the screen just to be able to brag about a bigger screen size when in fact, it's a much smaller usable space for nav/cameras. Screens are great for three reasons: cameras, navigation, and main vehicle settings while stopped. At most, redundant controls for HAC are ok but these are deicated unfortunately. Controls for anything else are best as physical buttons.

 

[Dusdaddy]

I noticed in someone's videos the temperature dials don't show you the number for heat/AC until you move up in trim? I know there are different screen sizes but are there also different software running those screens? This probably sounds silly but not having the number would really, really irritate me.

Looking at their manual, the lower section of the screen is dedicated to HVAC so it'll always be displayed there with dedicated control buttons. Which seems silly considering the physical buttons are an inch away.

 

[testerdahl]

Looking at their manual, the lower section of the screen is dedicated to HVAC so it'll always be displayed there with dedicated control buttons. Which seems silly considering the physical buttons are an inch away.

Silly for sure. Automakers want to make redundant controls giving owners options and these weird placement things are just a by-product of it.

 

[Fightnfire]

Was shopping for a new truck last January. Couldn’t find any standard bed AT4’s in inventory, had been considering ordering one, but ultimately bought a short bed off the lot.

Why the change? I got to thinking about ‘why do I want the longer bed’, and came up with two reasons. I think the standard bed looks better, more proportional, and ‘I might need to haul something long like 2x4’s’.

Then I got to thinking that the last time I hauled lumber was about 20 years ago, and if I looked at the stuff I’m actually intending to haul, mulch, a mountain bike, camping gear, runs to the dump, and the occasional run to Harbor Freight, a short bed still works.

I still think the standard bed looks better, but not so much that I was willing to wait 3 to 6 months for it.

I have a standard bed AT4 and didn't care at the time of the purchase, I was coming from a 2nd gen Tacoma so any bed size would do in a full size. I do agree it looks better, as you said it's more proportional. Now that I have it, I love it.

Your comment, along with my thoughts, are why I don't beleive the manufacturers when they talk about nobody buying them. Tim talks about that a lot but the premise ignores some facts. The facts are it makes sense profitability wise for the manufacturer to limit their options if they don't think it will cost them a sale. Would a ford guy buy a GM truck if it came down to the bed option? I don't believe that.

Also, we hear numbers a lot "5% of trucks sold are other than Crew Cab short bed" (I'm making that up for an example but we hear things like that a lot from the manufacturers regurgitated by YouTube reviewers) How many trucks made are long bed, or not crew cab, do they not sell on the lots? We're not given that information.

Ford and GM always look for ways to cut costs and drive up margin. This has always seemed like a false numbers game to me, they make less and thus sell less and then use parts of that data to confirm their decision and limit choice for consumers which then drive down cost and margin up.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Silly for sure. Automakers want to make redundant controls giving owners options and these weird placement things are just a by-product of it.

Yeah, I gotta give the win to Toyota and GM for "controls" on the mid-size. More physical, less dedicated screen. Oh yeah, drop GM, I forgot about the headlight thing....lol

 

[Fightnfire]

Looking at their manual, the lower section of the screen is dedicated to HVAC so it'll always be displayed there with dedicated control buttons. Which seems silly considering the physical buttons are an inch away.

Yes, but in the videos the slider on the touch screen doesn't show the actual number, just a blue to red vertical bar. In other trims with the larger screen they give you the actual number of the setting next to the blue/red bar. That's what I noticed and was referencing.

 

[Fightnfire]

Yeah, I gotta give the win to Toyota and GM for "controls" on the mid-size. More physical, less dedicated screen. Oh yeah, drop GM, I forgot about the headlight thing....lol

I never thought that was really a thing other than to complain about. With the new trucks having auto headlights and auto high beams I've trouched my light dial maybe 3 times in the 3 years I've owned it? At that point I don't really care where it is.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Yes, but in the videos the slider on the touch screen doesn't show the actual number, just a blue to red vertical bar. In other trims with the larger screen they give you the actual number of the setting next to the blue/red bar. That's what I noticed and was referencing.

Yep you are correct but that is the same in other brands, isn't it? You only get the actual temp numbers when you have climate control on any brand? Which is standard in higher trims or optional in lower.

 

[Dusdaddy]

I never thought that was really a thing other than to complain about. With the new trucks having auto headlights and auto high beams I've trouched my light dial maybe 3 times in the 3 years I've owned it? At that point I don't really care where it is.

I agree, my comment was more sarcastic than anything. I'd touch it much less than I would my seat controls.

 

[Fightnfire]

Yep you are correct but that is the same in other brands, isn't it? You only get the actual temp numbers when you have climate control on any brand? Which is standard in higher trims or optional in lower.

lol, you may be right, I don't know. I don't think I've been in a vehicle without climate control for a loooong time.