How come Honda never entered the compact truck market? Their vehicles are supposedly so good. I would think they could have produced a pretty good compact truck. Even if they had done a uni-body pickup like the Volkswagen Caddy/Rabbit, Surely they could have brung something to the table (?).
Honda compact truck
- Thread starter otis24
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Don't you hate it when these companies want to decide for us buyers? Internationlly the new Ranger is doing great in numbers and reviews. Ford has one reason to make a replacement Ranger : They are paranoid that it will eat into F-series sales.
Ford losing the "#1 selling vehicle last 500 years running" title would cause VP heads to role.
The sad reality is that the popularity of monster pickup trucks in this country has to do with the obesity epidemic; many Americans don't fit into a compact anything.
Ford losing the "#1 selling vehicle last 500 years running" title would cause VP heads to role.
The sad reality is that the popularity of monster pickup trucks in this country has to do with the obesity epidemic; many Americans don't fit into a compact anything.
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Originally Posted By: zach1900
Honda is a lean and mean automaker. They have a few vehicles that are traditional best sellers and there's nothing wrong with that.
If you look at Honda internationally and in Japan that is not true.
Honda is a lean and mean automaker. They have a few vehicles that are traditional best sellers and there's nothing wrong with that.
If you look at Honda internationally and in Japan that is not true.
Originally Posted By: otis24
………...Even if they had done a uni-body pickup like the Volkswagen Caddy/Rabbit, Surely they could have brung something to the table (?).
A new version of the unibody Honda Ridgeline will arrive in 2016, after being discontinued in 2013 with the 2014 model. It will be based on the 2016 Honda Pilot.
………...Even if they had done a uni-body pickup like the Volkswagen Caddy/Rabbit, Surely they could have brung something to the table (?).
A new version of the unibody Honda Ridgeline will arrive in 2016, after being discontinued in 2013 with the 2014 model. It will be based on the 2016 Honda Pilot.
Well they did, they just deviated from the standard compact pickup formula that everyone had been using. Probably because they saw that the market was changing, and they couldn't just follow the footsteps of automakers who got into small pickups as much as 20 to 40 years before they did.
While the Ridgeline isn't for me, I see what Honda wanted to do, and it makes sense. They were able to use a lot of things they had already developed (Ody/Pilot platform) to build a vehicle that would fit the needs of people who might want something more utilitarian and flexible than an SUV, but who would be compromising a lot with a traditional pickup, especially a small one. My daily driver Ranger works perfect for me, but would be a nightmare for someone with two kids who didn't have an alternate vehicle. Honda saw a niche to fill, and that was probably a smarter plan than following footsteps into a market going into a decline.
Honda probably could build a great body on frame, RWD configured small pickup, but they would have to invest in a completely new platform that wouldn't be shared with anything else in their lineup, that would also have low production volume. Try running that by accounting.
While the Ridgeline isn't for me, I see what Honda wanted to do, and it makes sense. They were able to use a lot of things they had already developed (Ody/Pilot platform) to build a vehicle that would fit the needs of people who might want something more utilitarian and flexible than an SUV, but who would be compromising a lot with a traditional pickup, especially a small one. My daily driver Ranger works perfect for me, but would be a nightmare for someone with two kids who didn't have an alternate vehicle. Honda saw a niche to fill, and that was probably a smarter plan than following footsteps into a market going into a decline.
Honda probably could build a great body on frame, RWD configured small pickup, but they would have to invest in a completely new platform that wouldn't be shared with anything else in their lineup, that would also have low production volume. Try running that by accounting.
Honda of North America didn't want to import one.
Same reason BMW doesn't import (some) wagons, it dims their perceived halo.
I'd like to see Hyundai make a runabout pickup.
There's an EPA "footprint" issue with CAFE, where big trucks that shade a lot of ground have an easier time passing. Hence, the ecoboost F150. An S10 size truck would have to get around mid 40s MPG by now.
Same reason BMW doesn't import (some) wagons, it dims their perceived halo.
I'd like to see Hyundai make a runabout pickup.
There's an EPA "footprint" issue with CAFE, where big trucks that shade a lot of ground have an easier time passing. Hence, the ecoboost F150. An S10 size truck would have to get around mid 40s MPG by now.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Honda of North America didn't want to import one.
So they just designed one in-house instead (Ridgeline). The Pilot/Odyssey/Ridgeline/MDX platform was engineered in these United States. Problem for some...it's not really compact. It's 207" long and 78" wide. That's about the length of a current Tacoma, with the width of a fullsize truck.
I agree with 01rangerxl's post. I've owned two pickup trucks in my lifetime, and have driven many more. The traditional concept of a truck doesn't appeal to me because I end up taking too much of a compromise in ride quality and handling for capacity that I don't use. I've tried it twice, and just couldn't make it work for me. The '97 Dakota I had was certainly better than than '95 Nissan Hardbody -- the Dodge drove much more like a car than the Nissan did. But that was the Dakota's mission in life to begin with, and how it was marketed -- it was a midsize truck that drove like a car. And it did that for the most part. Mine was a 2-door extended cab model, so it didn't really fit our needs as far as people carrying goes.
I've recently caught the itch to trade for something larger than our CR-V. The CR-V carries people great, but its "small car" ride is starting to wear on me. So I went back to the Dakota. Unfortunately, the generation I owned ended in 2004, and those are usually beat up and/or way up there in miles by now. I drove one example of the next generation (2005+) and it didn't appeal to me, so the Dakota's out. In a sort of chance encounter, I drove my brother's 2009 Ridgeline in Arizona when we were there for his wedding last year. I remarked how comfortable it was the second I slid into the seat. It just fit. And the drive didn't disappoint. It rides like no truck I've driven, and handles superb. It can tow only 5,000 pounds, but acknowledging that our CR-V handles the heaviest thing I tow with ease, I don't need something that tows 10,000 pounds, nor do I need something that can carry 3,000 pounds in the bed. So I'm going to try this truck thing for a third time, but not with a "truck" this time...with a Ridgeline instead.
Honda of North America didn't want to import one.
So they just designed one in-house instead (Ridgeline). The Pilot/Odyssey/Ridgeline/MDX platform was engineered in these United States. Problem for some...it's not really compact. It's 207" long and 78" wide. That's about the length of a current Tacoma, with the width of a fullsize truck.
I agree with 01rangerxl's post. I've owned two pickup trucks in my lifetime, and have driven many more. The traditional concept of a truck doesn't appeal to me because I end up taking too much of a compromise in ride quality and handling for capacity that I don't use. I've tried it twice, and just couldn't make it work for me. The '97 Dakota I had was certainly better than than '95 Nissan Hardbody -- the Dodge drove much more like a car than the Nissan did. But that was the Dakota's mission in life to begin with, and how it was marketed -- it was a midsize truck that drove like a car. And it did that for the most part. Mine was a 2-door extended cab model, so it didn't really fit our needs as far as people carrying goes.
I've recently caught the itch to trade for something larger than our CR-V. The CR-V carries people great, but its "small car" ride is starting to wear on me. So I went back to the Dakota. Unfortunately, the generation I owned ended in 2004, and those are usually beat up and/or way up there in miles by now. I drove one example of the next generation (2005+) and it didn't appeal to me, so the Dakota's out. In a sort of chance encounter, I drove my brother's 2009 Ridgeline in Arizona when we were there for his wedding last year. I remarked how comfortable it was the second I slid into the seat. It just fit. And the drive didn't disappoint. It rides like no truck I've driven, and handles superb. It can tow only 5,000 pounds, but acknowledging that our CR-V handles the heaviest thing I tow with ease, I don't need something that tows 10,000 pounds, nor do I need something that can carry 3,000 pounds in the bed. So I'm going to try this truck thing for a third time, but not with a "truck" this time...with a Ridgeline instead.
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