This site cracks me up. It's a site about a Ford Ranger...a light duty smaller pickup. Yet so many people are talking about towing big loads, hauling large items, and how if a truck rides nice, is comfortable, and can haul your family that somehow it's not a "real truck".
It's like trying to frame a house with a ball peen hammer. It's not the fault of the hammer, it's the fault of the carpenter for choosing the wrong tool. It's like judging a fish's athletic ability by how well it can climb a tree.
Super Duty trucks exist, F-150's exist, and if you want a work truck to beat the crap out of...there are literally hundreds of thousands of them in the used market.
There is such thing as the free market. It's a wonderful thing...and it never fails. If there was a profitable market for a small stripped down truck with an 8' bed that could haul 10,000lbs and sell for $20,000....trust me...the market would provide it. Fact is, that's not a profitable product.
Look at the demographics. There are a lot of farms and a lot of farm land in the United States. Now look at population density of a rural area versus a suburban area. If you're a marketing guy....who you gonna build a truck for?
Ford, and every other auto maker, are in it for the money. Period. It's about profit margin and selling to your target demographic. "Real Truck" guys aren't going to buy a Ranger or a Ridgeline or a Colorado. Ford knows that the Ranger is target to the "soft roader" who is going to haul a jet ski, motorcycle, or small boat. That it will be the person's primary vehicle which includes commuting to urban areas where parking is tight and space is limited.
I am Ford's target market. I live in a rural area. I have the need to haul a motorcycle, to haul things like brush or old appliances. I enjoy camping and hauling damp gear, camp stove fuel, tables, chairs, and such is much easier OUTSIDE of your vehicle that you have to drive around daily as it gets pretty cruddy...especially if it rains. An 8ft bed is not required or desired....the truck has to fit in my garage. I've hauled two motorcycles in a Honda Ridgeline and it worked just fine. No need to shut the tailgate. If you know how to properly secure a motorcycle, it's not going to fall out.
Because I'm a working stiff and in no way rich, it's not economically intelligent for me to have two vehicles I have to upkeep, insure, and store...I need one vehicle that offers me a great commuting and road trip experience WITH utility that a pickup truck provides. I may need to pull a small utility trailer that's a couple thousands pounds. I want reasonable fuel economy. And I need to be able to wash it up and haul around business colleagues and not be embarrassed when I have to pull up at the valet when I'm having a date night with the wife.
There is a reason SUVs and trucks are outselling cars these days. It's because there are a LOT of folks like me out there. In 2.5 years I'll be handing down my vehicle to my daughter when she turns 16. Then I'll be buying a truck. Which one I haven't determined because I've not driven a Ranger yet. The Tacoma is too small inside. The Colorado/Canyon is nice, but are missing a few features I want unless I spend $42k...which I won't be. Nissan is a joke.
I'm penning my hopes on the Ranger.