New Ford Ranger. Meh...

[Maccabeus]

I like the look of it.

I had an extended cab Ranger in the 90s that I loved.  I've never had a serious need for a full size truck, so the Ranger sized trucks give just the right amount of flexibility. 

I think some of the critics are a little insecure in their masculinity.

If you live in a farm or do some serious hauling on a regular basis, a full size makes perfect sense.  Most people don't live on farms.

Small trucks work fine for the average person's truck related needs: Moving furniture? Check. Bringing a load of mulch or pine straw? Check. Carry bicycles after a ride elsewhere? Check. Wet dog that's not getting in the cab? Check. Plywood or large/long building supplies that you don't want to strap to a roof? Check. The list goes on...

Two neighbors have full size trucks. 99.9% of the time they use those trucks to commute to work. They are not alone. They might as well drive a Prius. At least small trucks fit in the garage.

[crockett]

My cheap single cab Tradesman work truck can pull 10,000 lbs. Plenty for a small boat, small to mid size RV trailer, U Haul moving trailer, 2 jet skies, open trailer with 4 bikes, you name it. The long bed has plenty of room as well.

[Nestor]

There is no market for the small, work truck any longer. Most truck owners will never use their vehicles for work and those who will, need much larger ones. Dead end.

[DrB]

When I bought my Silverado, looked at the Colorado's on the lot.  They were priced almost the same.  Went with a 2 year old  certified used Silverado off lease.  Put a good set of Hellwig helper springs on the back.  Can carry 1 ton pallets easily.

For the urban person the smaller truck may work for what they want but the price point between the two sizes is just not there from what I have seen.

Dave..

[PNWguy]

Here are some pics of the actual types of pickups being used in Japan.  The Tacoma does not exist there as it exceeds wheelbase restrictions.  And of course the Tundra is illegal as well.

Only saw one Hi-Lux the entire three weeks I was there.  Was told only the rare really short bed is legal...

 

Nearly every "pickup" I saw was one of these made by Suzuki or Toyota...

 

Some were even "Westernized"...

This is called a "Jimny".  Basically a brand new Suzuki Samurai upgraded and modernized.  I really, really liked them...

No idea what this was, but it was very appealing for some reason...