My rant is not really about ride comfort, although that is tangential. If someone thinks of it as their #1 reason to buy a vehicle, more power to them and I hope they enjoy their Ridgeline. If I had to daily drive my truck, I would certainly have more strongly considered smaller trucks than an F350.

For a segment of the market, those characteristics are exactly what folks are looking for. Basically, a Pilot with a truck bed. And those people tend to be deliriously happy with their Ridgelines. I would suggest that there’ll be a lot of people for whom this will be a better fit than a Ranger. But just like with the…

I could understand it early on when the Ridgeline did stand out for it’s refinement and fuel economy versus the traditional body on frame competitors. Those advantages have largely vanished today, due to improved technology and a greater emphasis on comfort and interior quality from the Big 3.

Yeah, I feel like journalists should do actual truck stuff with trucks while they’re testing them.

I hate to say it, but I do think journalists would be well served trying to get inside the heads of buyers a little more often instead of seeing it as a press car fun zone.  

It’s possible to get the bone stock Maverick with 4WD and the 2.0L, I was surprised to see this, it’s just above 25k with the bedliner as only option, and honestly it’s not that much different from higher trims, it surely looks cooler

Unless you absolutely need a full sized bed, it sounds like you could sell your car and the Maverick would fill all your needs.  A crew cab truck can take people out on the town just the same as your car.

As he said, it’s his own personal preference that he has experience with, so not a strawman in his case. But it IS a strawman argument in most cases I’ve seen it. It’s the go to litmus test for truck usability when the vast majority of people will need to haul a 4x8 approximately never.

And if you ever do, it’s…

This is Jalop though. This site will find literally any possible reason to shame any new product that comes to market.

If you’re a smart peoples, you have a folding 4'x8' trailer and just tow your load behind you.  Next.

As a RAV4 hybrid owner (2020) it absolutely would beat the real world mpg at 40mpg. If you feather foot it, you MIGHT hit 38 in real world scenarios. After a year of use, this thing gets a solid 34mpg. If I pay more attention I could get 36. Anything beyond that requires your eyes locked on the dash to a dangerous…

Hey, there’s a Ranger and an F150 for the plywood people. Unless you only haul stuff like that twice a year...Then I’d say get a stapler and a red ribbon and move on with your life.

Then buy a half ton with an eight foot bed and stop bitching on the internet. Nobody has put an eight foot bed behind a small pickup since.... IDK, ever?

I’m a family of one (not including cats) and one of those people who would vastly prefer a single/extended cab to a 4 door.... but at this price point I’d say fuck it and get this.

You and four other people. There’s no business case in this segment for an 8' bed. Hell, there’s almost no business case for an 8' bed in the full size segment.

Well, my recent desire to spend $20k on a Harley Pan America has morphed into a desire to spend $20k on a Maverick...

Prius MPGs with more utility for less money? If you have a family of four and a budget of less than $25K, I don’t see how you buy anything else. 

If drywall/plywood is that big a part of your life you already own a fullsize or a work van so this is just a strawman. 

I can appreciate that. But also, nobody actually wants a single cab any more, even single guys. The rear seat is a where you put the stuff you don’t want stolen from the bed.

wrong, but love your energy

I’m sure this was looked at, and there probably wasn’t enough of a business case for it.