[simple1]

Just picked up a KIA Telluride and relegated my 07 Tacoma to farm duty. So far I like everything about it. It’s easily the most technologically sophisticated vehicle I’ve owned. Really like the adaptive cruise control and large display. And air conditioned seats - July and August in Florida that will be a dream.

[Robin]

I have a 2013 Ford Ranger. What I love about it is I can tackle all types of roads (or vague tracks) without worrying that it's going to fall apart.
This vehicle is integrally involved with my photography, as it allows me to get the the remote places, that produce good photographs, and I can spread out my Vanguard cases across the back seat, to find the lens I'm looking for. I've even had a tripod set up on the roof, to get some extra height!
In the time that I've had it we've been from sea level, at the beach, to the highest road in Lesotho, at 3267 masl. Besides being capable off road, it's comfortable on road, with good power and economy for hours of driving.
What I don't like about this van, is trying to park it in parking garages... Is it just me or have bays shrunk as vehicles got bigger?

[Canada_Rockies]

I have a 2013 Ford Ranger. What I love about it is I can tackle all types of roads (or vague tracks) without worrying that it's going to fall apart.
This vehicle is integrally involved with my photography, as it allows me to get the the remote places, that produce good photographs, and I can spread out my Vanguard cases across the back seat, to find the lens I'm looking for. I've even had a tripod set up on the roof, to get some extra height!
In the time that I've had it we've been from sea level, at the beach, to the highest road in Lesotho, at 3267 masl. Besides being capable off road, it's comfortable on road, with good power and economy for hours of driving.
What I don't like about this van, is trying to park it in parking garages... Is it just me or have bays shrunk as vehicles got bigger?

Nice looking little pickup. With my Tundra I really notice the shrinking parking spaces. There never seems to be enough space to open the doors.

[lesmore49]

I have a 2013 Ford Ranger. What I love about it is I can tackle all types of roads (or vague tracks) without worrying that it's going to fall apart.
This vehicle is integrally involved with my photography, as it allows me to get the the remote places, that produce good photographs, and I can spread out my Vanguard cases across the back seat, to find the lens I'm looking for. I've even had a tripod set up on the roof, to get some extra height!
In the time that I've had it we've been from sea level, at the beach, to the highest road in Lesotho, at 3267 masl. Besides being capable off road, it's comfortable on road, with good power and economy for hours of driving.
What I don't like about this van, is trying to park it in parking garages... Is it just me or have bays shrunk as vehicles got bigger?

I've always liked the Ford Ranger. Being in North America, Ford stopped marketing them out here in 2011, but as many know brought out a new Ranger in 2019 for the North American market. It looks like a nice truck, all models have a 2.3 liter turbo four cylinder and I like this truck quite a bit. There are other mid size trucks sold here...Chevy Colorado/ GMC twin, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, etc. Think this size pickup makes a lot of sense for many people. Our son has a Frontier pickup with the off road Pro4X package...all terrain tires, heavy duty suspension, factory lift, skid shields underneath, Dana 44 rear axle, locker, low and high transfer case, boxed frame, 4 liter torquey V6 etc. It's a great truck...goes almost anywhere, perfect size.

Yep...parking sizes are smaller than they used to be...dang it...we have trouble getting out large cars...into spots...and it's even tighter for pickup trucks.

[SpottyReputation]

I have a 2015 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R. I ordered black on black - you may notice that there may be a slight discrepancy there. Got a discount on it, which is unheard of around here because of that.

A little big for small car spots, but otherwise gets me anywhere I want to go. Has space for my wife and I, and our dog, plus a good collection of stuff in the back. I've used it for the last few moves (i can fit a 6 foot long 9 drawer dresser in it), and it's yet to leave me stranded.

flat 6 for power, not driving a v8 any more for efficiency.

[lesmore49]

I have a 2015 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R. I ordered black on black - you may notice that there may be a slight discrepancy there. Got a discount on it, which is unheard of around here because of that.

A little big for small car spots, but otherwise gets me anywhere I want to go. Has space for my wife and I, and our dog, plus a good collection of stuff in the back. I've used it for the last few moves (i can fit a 6 foot long 9 drawer dresser in it), and it's yet to leave me stranded.

flat 6 for power, not driving a v8 any more for efficiency.

Really like the Outback. Looked seriously at one a couple of years ago. I'm a bit on the karge side...and not quite enough room for me. My choice, the 3.6 litre flat six, as you have. Unfortunately they don't offer that engine in the Outback anymore.

[Robin]

I've always liked the Ford Ranger. Being in North America, Ford stopped marketing them out here in 2011, but as many know brought out a new Ranger in 2019 for the North American market. It looks like a nice truck, all models have a 2.3 liter turbo four cylinder and I like this truck quite a bit. There are other mid size trucks sold here...Chevy Colorado/ GMC twin, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, etc. Think this size pickup makes a lot of sense for many people. Our son has a Frontier pickup with the off road Pro4X package...all terrain tires, heavy duty suspension, factory lift, skid shields underneath, Dana 44 rear axle, locker, low and high transfer case, boxed frame, 4 liter torquey V6 etc. It's a great truck...goes almost anywhere, perfect size.

We don't have many 'big' pickups in SA. You'll see an occasional Dodge Ram or F250, but they are mostly special imports. So the market is dominated by the diesel double-cabs, and the engines are getting smaller! The latest Ford 2 liter biturbo, is only outperformed by the VW V6 diesel, and has great fuel economy. Jeremy Clarkson predicted it a few years ago, but I think it's now reality... big engines are a thing of the past!

[lesmore49]

We don't have many 'big' pickups in SA. You'll see an occasional Dodge Ram or F250, but they are mostly special imports. So the market is dominated by the diesel double-cabs, and the engines are getting smaller! The latest Ford 2 liter biturbo, is only outperformed by the VW V6 diesel, and has great fuel economy. Jeremy Clarkson predicted it a few years ago, but I think it's now reality... big engines are a thing of the past!

You and Jeremy are probably right.

I've always liked a big, displacement naturally aspirated engine.

I remember the days when a Chevy full size pickup would have a 350 cubic inch (5.7 liter) V8 as the basic engine and a 454 cubic inch or 502 cubic inch V8 (8.1 liter) as the optional engine.

In the mid '70's I worked as a salesman /truck driver for a company, while attending university. The company truck I used for my routes was a Ford Econoline cab and chassis, with dual rear wheels and an insulated 16 foot, refrigerated box mounted on the truck frame. A wonderful truck to drive.

It had a gas 460 cubic inch (7.5 liter) Ford V8 ( 4 barrel carburettor) with a heavy duty C6 automatic transmission. It was very capable and I found with the very large V8, even with a full GVW of around 12,000 pounds plus....that big V8 had what seemed to be remarkable passing power on the highway. The 460 engine seemed to be loafing at all times.

Before that truck, I used an Econoline cab and chassis with a smaller 12 foot box and a 302 cubic inch Ford V8. The power difference was significant (much less power/torque with the 302) and as far as gas mileage went...with each truck carrying a full load...if I recall there wasn't much difference on MPG..

The fact that both trucks got similar MPG, even given that the larger E350 had a greater GVW...was due, IMO...to the fact that the 302 had to work hard (was at higher rpm) to move a heavy load, where in comparison the 460 with it's much greater power/ torque...never really seemed to be working anywhere near maximum rpm ..

Turbos on smaller engines are fine, but the idea of a large displacement, non turbo engine has always had a strong appeal for me.

Years ago I recall driving a '69 Chevy Nova with a 396 cubic inch V8...375 hp..4 speed Muncie and around a 4.10 axle ratio. That thing really moved, sounded great with low back pressure mufflers. It was always an experience driving it, even if it was just slow trip to the grocery store.

Memories ....

[EssJay]

I think it's now reality... big engines are a thing of the past!

That certainly depends on where you live. In Canada the large pickup truck reigns king. Top selling vehicles here for years and still are. And although they are putting smaller engines in some of these pickups, the larger V-8 configurations, gas and diesel, are still the most desired options for most ... just a different lifestyle here I guess. People want the torque from the larger engines to pull their boats, trailers, snowmobiles, ATV's, campers, all sorts of industrial and commercial purposes, you name it ... and its all huge! Some of the fifth-wheel travel trailers you see on the highways here are absolutely enormous.
...of course there are plenty of smaller vehicles here, but the amount of full sized pickups with big engines is staggering.

here's mine...

The gray one is an '88 Ford F-150 4x4, 5-speed standard with the 302 5.0 liter small bock V8. Its my daily beater. Custom roller paint job - grey Tremclad . In the summer its always loaded with the boat and its my fishing rig. In the winter a snowmobile lives in the back and it takes my wife and I back-country skiing on the weekends. Like lesmore49 said, the small block V-8 doesn't compare torque wise to a 460 big block, but the 302 is a screamer where the 460 is a chugger.


The one with the slide-in camper is a '95 F-250 4x4 5-speed standard with the 7.3 liter powerstroke V8 diesel. I did a 1-ton conversion on it with the Dana 60 straight axle and all the other F-350 bits and bobs. Air-bag suspension in the rear to handle the camper. This one is garaged in the winter.


I've owned modern vehicles and I'm done with 'em. I do all my own mechanics and they are to complex for me now. I don't have all the fancy tools and skills needed for the electronics. These old trucks are easy to work on, parts are cheap and plentiful, and I already own all the tools needed. Plus, I'm just a sucker for old Fords.

What I don't like would of course be the gas milage. The grey '88 gets about 14 mpg and the diesel get about 19 mpg ... luckily the wife has a small suv that we use as a grocery getter ect. Also, the 4-corner leaf spring suspension on a 1-ton, while being simple enough that a monkey can fix it, rides like a skateboard unless fully loaded with weight.

[Robin]

That certainly depends on where you live.

I think it certainly does, and it comes down to the cost of fuel. My Ranger runs at 24.5 mpg, and that's not driving slowly and politely , but it costs me about $85 for an 80 liter tank of diesel . What are your fuel costs like?

[lesmore49]

I think it certainly does, and it comes down to the cost of fuel. My Ranger runs at 24.5 mpg, and that's not driving slowly and politely , but it costs me about $85 for an 80 liter tank of diesel . What are your fuel costs like?

I checked today and where I live prairies western Canada...the price today at my local Co-op gas station was $ 1.13 CAD @ litre. Couple days ago, it was 99.9 cents a litre. So probably not too far off from South Africa.

[timb64]

I checked today and where I live prairies western Canada...the price today at my local Co-op gas station was $ 1.13 CAD @ litre. Couple days ago, it was 99.9 cents a litre. So probably not too far off from South Africa.

The price in the UK is equivalent to almost $2 CAD

[lesmore49]

The price in the UK is equivalent to almost $2 CAD

That's a lot. In the prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) where I'm from...distances are vast, cities/towns can be quite a distance and we don't have much in the way of public transportation. We have plane travel, generally no highway buses...Greyhound pulled out a few years ago, not much in terms of passenger train service...except the Canadian , a national coast to coast train that's expensive.

As some say out west (the prairies) here, our public transportation is generally our own vehicles. For instance we go out to see our daughter and her family, who live in a small village in between the cities of Medicine Hat and Calgary. From where we are in Manitoba it's about a 12 hour drive (1100 kms) on the Trans Canada Highway. We can do it in one day...leaving early in the morning, arriving later at night. The speed limit on the Trans Canada (Canada's main highway)...on the prairies...but generally not in other provinces is 110 kph. This higher speed in the west (prairies, not generally BC) is due to the fact (I think) due to the dual lanes, relatively little traffic (prairies are vast, but not a high population considering the space), Hwy. is mostly straight and the terrain is mostly flat, with some rolling hills here and there..

Big, comfortable vehicles are good to use to drive. Other than the towns/cities/villages here and there...a lot of the land, especially in the southern part is used for farming/ranching.

So with vast open spaces, not a lot of people in comparison to many other parts of the world and lots of miles/kms to cover...I hope fuel costs remain reasonable out here . It helps the average prairie person who travels a lot in the course of life, to visit family, friends, working, etc. Not saying everyone out here has these same needs, but a number do. There have been many a time I have wished that we could hop on a nice, modern passenger train at a reasonable cost to get from A to B...like we experienced in parts of Europe when we visited there.

[kadajawi]

I'm paying 1,32 Euro for E10 (95 octane with 10 percent ethanol content... it's "subsidized"... less ethanol is more expensive), which is $1,92 CAD or 1,46 USD. Fortunately my car is doing about 42 mpg (US) when driven at around 120 km/h, around 38 mpg when doing more like 140 km/h. I can get it closer to 48 if I want to and don't mind falling asleep at the wheel...

[Robin]

I'm paying 1,32 Euro for E10 (95 octane with 10 percent ethanol content... it's "subsidized"... less ethanol is more expensive), which is $1,92 CAD or 1,46 USD. Fortunately my car is doing about 42 mpg (US) when driven at around 120 km/h, around 38 mpg when doing more like 140 km/h. I can get it closer to 48 if I want to and don't mind falling asleep at the wheel...

Lucky for you 140 km/h is legal . My van is actually more efficient cruising at 140 km/h, in 6th gear, but might lead to me supplementing the traffic department budget if photographed. Unfortunately it's the 3 km uphill haul to work, on a cold engine, that keeps the consumption so high.