Tacoma vs. new Ranger

I had a 1968 F250 4 wd with the 390 V8 4 speed and manual transfer case and manual hubs of course. I bought it use with 36K on it. Put tires, hoses and brakes on the truck and ran the chitt out of it for the next 90K miles. The tires were an off brand off road tread and were 6 ply. Needless to say the truck rode like, well, a truck. It had a heater, two speed windshield wipers and a blank plate where the optional radio would go.

The heater, if left on high, would allow you to broil steaks on the seat. Vent windows kept you coolThe bench seat was large enough to start and raise a family on. Plenty of spring and padding on the seat made it possible to use the truck for what it was intended, off road. And it did that well, very very well. Brakes would hold so well that the paint on the hood would wrinkle.

The oil pan was tucked up and defendend by the front axle, so no skid plate was needed. The transfer case and transmission were cast iron and kept in a similar high position. It was a truck, looked like a truck and behaved like a truck. It was the only Ford that ever impressed me. Easy to work on and maintian. As close to bulletproof as is humanly possible. Horsepower and torque started at idle and never gave up. If I kept my foot out of it, I got 18 mpg highway. A leather mat adorned the floor. Get it covered with mud and hose it out. No padding underneath to hold water.

Now we have stereo with an amp, leather interior, aluminum wheels, tinted windows and every option that you can get in a high end pleasure car. And **** breaks down with a boring regularity. And gets stuck. Or won't start. Or lacks horsepower and or torque.

We, the consumers,have neutered and killed the truck.
Dont forget, 500lbs pretty much is the limit in the bed now too (realistically).
Atleast for US made tacomas
 
By comparison, my 1990 F150 4wd, 302 V8, 5 speed stick got 15 highway maximum. I had to downshift to go up steep hills on my trip to WV. My 3.5 liter V6 2008 Tacoma spent most of it's time between third and fourth gear on the trip to WV, returning 13 mpg, tops, with rpms running as high as 4200. My 1968 F250 stick with the 390 gave me 18 highway

The 1968 F250 with the 390 put out 255 hp @ 4400 rpm and 376 ft pounds @ 2600 rpm. and weighed 5000 pounds. 18 mpg to WV
The 90 Ford F150 with the 302 put out 145 hp @ 3200 rpm and 265 ft pounds of torque @ 2000 rpm and weighed 4887 pounds. 15 mpg to WV. That truck couldn't pass another vehicle if it were standing still. It was truly a gutless wonder.

My 2018 Toyota is 213.5 cubing inches, and puts out 278 hp@ 6000 rpm and 265 ft pounds of torque @ 4600 rpm.and weighs 4196 pounds. 13 mpg to WV.

The 1968 F250 was as aerodynamic as a house, had an engine that was 29% more cubic inches than the 1990 pickup, but got 17% better gas mileage and was not equipped with an overdrive transmission like the 1990 Ford, while outweighing it by 13 pounds and had no radial tires on it, which roll easier.

The 1968 F250 has an engine that has 54% more cubic inches than the Toyota, weighs 400 pounds more, is less aerodynamic, has no radial tires or overdrive, but gets 28% better fuel mileage. You don't even want to compare performance. Or total lack in need of downshift to top a steep hill in order to keep up with traffic.

So, where has all the 9000 sensors and all of the supposed 'technological advancement' gotten us?
 
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By comparison, my 1990 F150 4wd, 302 V8, 5 speed stick got 15 highway maximum. I had to downshift to go up steep hills on my trip to WV. My 3.5 liter V6 2008 Tacoma spent most of it's time between third and fourth gear on the trip to WV, returning 13 mpg, tops, with rpms running as high as 4200. My 1968 F250 stick with the 390 gave me 18 highway

The 1968 F250 with the 390 put out 255 hp @ 4400 rpm and 376 ft pounds @ 2600 rpm. and weighed 5000 pounds. 18 mpg to WV
The 90 Ford F150 with the 302 put out 145 hp @ 3200 rpm and 265 ft pounds of torque @ 2000 rpm and weighed 4887 pounds. 15 mpg to WV. That truck couldn't pass another vehicle if it were standing still. It was truly a gutless wonder.

My 2018 Toyota is 213.5 cubing inches, and puts out 278 hp@ 6000 rpm and 265 ft pounds of torque @ 4600 rpm.and weighs 4196 pounds. 13 mpg to WV.

The 1968 F250 was as aerodynamic as a house, had an engine that was 29% more cubic inches than the 1990 pickup, but got 17% better gas mileage and was not equipped with an overdrive transmission like the 1990 Ford, while outweighing it by 13 pounds and had no radial tires on it, which roll easier.

The 1968 F250 has an engine that has 54% more cubic inches than the Toyota, weighs 400 pounds more, is less aerodynamic, has no radial tires or overdrive, but gets 28% better fuel mileage. You don't even want to compare performance.

So, where has all the 9000 sensors and all of the supposed 'technological advancement gotten us?


are u sure your tacoma weighs 4200lbs?

my 06 prerunner weighs more than that on an actual scale
 
I had a 1968 F250 4 wd with the 390 V8 4 speed and manual transfer case and manual hubs of course. I bought it use with 36K on it. Put tires, hoses and brakes on the truck and ran the chitt out of it for the next 90K miles. The tires were an off brand off road tread and were 6 ply. Needless to say the truck rode like, well, a truck. It had a heater, two speed windshield wipers and a blank plate where the optional radio would go.

The heater, if left on high, would allow you to broil steaks on the seat. Vent windows kept you cool. The bench seat was large enough to start and raise a family on. Plenty of spring and padding on the seat made it possible to use the truck for what it was intended, off road. And it did that well, very very well. Brakes would hold so well that the paint on the hood would wrinkle.

The oil pan was tucked up and defendend by the front axle, so no skid plate was needed. The transfer case and transmission were cast iron and kept in a similar high position. It was a truck, looked like a truck and behaved like a truck. It was the only Ford that ever impressed me. Easy to work on and maintian. As close to bulletproof as is humanly possible. Horsepower and torque started at idle and never gave up. If I kept my foot out of it, I got 18 mpg highway. A rubber mat adorned the floor. Get it covered with mud and hose it out. No padding underneath to hold water.

Now we have stereo with an amp, leather interior, aluminum wheels, tinted windows and every option that you can get in a high end pleasure car. And chitt breaks down with a boring regularity. And gets stuck. Or won't start. Or lacks horsepower and or torque.

We, the consumers,have neutered and killed the truck.

Man. I love that write up. You explained that to perfection. It is 100% without a doubt true.

When I look back at the original off roader trucks I grew up in and drove it’s amazing how different they are from the new OffRoad Tacoma with the premium and tech packages sitting in my driveway.
I love all my creature comforts in my truck: leather, heated seats, nav, crawl control, etc.
But there is something inside that knows it’s so different from what used to be. What made a truck a truck and gave them the gridiron reputation that the American Big 3 had for so many decades....
I do miss the utilitarian, indestructible nature of the old 4x4. You could fix almost anything with a ball peen hammer, screw driver, crescent wrench, and decent tape (long enough to get it correctly repaired anyway). If it wasn’t leaking a fluid it was because it was out of it. Lol.
I’ve spent many a day on the side of the road working on an old Ford or Mopar. While I do miss the nostalgia I don’t miss the uncertain regularity of breakdown that comes with owning an older vehicle.
There’s many days I think about how much I’d love to adjust a manual choke, hear the air and gas whirl on a 4 barrel when you stomp the pedal, or run through the gears with a speed shifter.
Maybe one day I’ll get a project truck to build. An old Ford with a 400, 351 Cleveland, or 300 preferably. All engines I learned to respect and love for their toughness and indestructibility.
 
lmao, it was either 4200 or 4400. I cant recall at the moment.
I have a few hundo in addons, but still, over the years these trucks seem to gain weight with all of the safety crap.

I think it was 4400 with me in it

So 3,800 empty? lol
Coming up on TLC “My 600 Lb. Life”: A man that goes by the name “Bojangles” and has an out of control fritter addiction that led him on his path to uncontrolled obesity.
 
are u sure your tacoma weighs 4200lbs?

my 06 prerunner weighs more than that on an actual scale
That number was from a Toyota fact page for the 18 long bed double cab 4wd Tacoma with V3

I call it a V3 because that is what it feels like until it hits about 4000 rpm, then it picks up the other 3 cylinders all at once.
 
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