Posted 12/15/2004 12:24 PM


Tacoma pickup named Truck of the Year
DETROIT (AP) — Good looks combined with reliability and fuel efficiency to earn the 2005 Toyota Tacoma the truck of the year award from Motor Trend magazine.

Motor Trend likes the configuration option available on the Tacoma.
Toyota

The Tacoma beat out four other new or significantly revised trucks — the Dodge Dakota, the Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty, the Hummer H2 SUT and the Nissan Frontier, the magazine announced Wednesday. SUVs were judged separately.

"The new Tacoma is a good example of Toyota listening to its customers and delivering the best materials, fit and finish for its price class," Motor Trend editor in chief Angus MacKenzie said. "Buyers get Toyota's legendary durability and quality in a beautifully built little truck."

He said the Tacoma was proof that "there is no penalty for buying a reasonably priced, more fuel-efficient truck, especially significant in this time of rising fuel prices."

The two-wheel drive version of the Tacoma gets 20 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway, Toyota says.

Motor Trend said the 2005 Tacoma had a "more engaging" interior and exterior than previous models.

The magazine also praised the variety of configurations. Buyers can choose from three cabin configurations, two bed lengths and two- or four-wheel drive.




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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This thing was judged in the same class as my F-350 PSD? Someone was smoking hteir breakfast!

 

Wow.

Their "Truck of the year" is/has been, getting beat by a 20+ year old Ranger chassis in sales numbers. And that's taking into account the -.25 ytd numbers for the ranger.

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/otf0999.html

How long has the Ranger been the best selling compact truck? 20 years?

Seems to me that a majority of the buying public doesn't agree with Motortrend on this one.

I thought that the F-150 was Motortrends Truck of the Year???

 

The F-150 was the 2004 Truck of the year. The new Tacoma bein the 2005 truck of the year. And as far as the Ranger goes, They tested new or redesigned models only for the truck of the year testing. I personaly like the new Tacoma more than the Ranger. I say that because the current Ranger is well..ugly and underpowerd in comparison. That just being an opinion. I would also like to comment on the fact that I have owned a 2000 Ranger with 3.0L and auto. I must say it did have decent power especialy up high, it still doesn't compare to the new 245horse 280+lb/ft Tacoma. Even the Ford 4.0L is embarassed. Also makes me wonder why Ford hadn't put a more powerfull V-6 into the new Mustangs, and it would be pretty silly to say that Ford didn't want a V-6 to steal any of the GT's appeal.

 

[/QUOTE]The Tacoma beat out four other new or significantly revised trucks — the Dodge Dakota, the Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty, the Hummer H2 SUT and the Nissan Frontier, the magazine announced Wednesday. [QUOTE]

It doesn't appear it was pitted against the ranger it was compared to the f250-350 Super Duty

 

"Of the year" articles generally look for the most significant new entry that is a good leap ahead of its competition. The Tacoma and Super Duty are both trucks so they will be up for the same award but MT feels that the new Tacoma represents a more significant change in the compact truck class than what the new Super Duty brings to its class of trucks. The Super Duty can do more than a Tacoma or two but it takes more than capability to win the TOTY.

Sales =\= "Of the Year"
Sales =\= Best in class

 

Good leap ahead of its competition???? Come, on!! The Ranger is -25% in sales ytd, and the Taco is up +.3% ytd, and that somehow represents a leap ahead of the competition???

The taco is still getting beat by the old Ranger design (even when it's down -25% !!!!) in sales!!!! Hardly a leap ahead of it's competition. I know, it's based on all that interior upgrade garbage, blah, blah, blah.

Right now dealerships can't sell enough '05 Superduty's, and are practically giving away the '04s because everyone wants the '05s....hardly the case with the Taco.

As far as the best in class bit, apparently more people think the Ranger is better than the Taco, even considering the Rangers down numbers for the year.

 

The Tacoma beat out four other new or significantly revised trucks — the Dodge Dakota, the Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty, the Hummer H2 SUT and the Nissan Frontier, the magazine announced Wednesday. I never said it was, my point is that their "Truck of the Year", which is supposed to show significant advances and all that other stuff over the competition, is getting beat sales wise by a 20+ year old Ranger platform.

 

I can buy a fairly good equiped 2005 Ranger extended cab, V6, auto, for 13 grand almost anywhere around here. A similiar Toyota will be over 20 grand, yet the Toyota is eating into the Rangers market share. Can't imagine why? Think it might be that folks are tired of buying the same old junk after 20 years? Ford is not going to change the Ranger anytime soon I'm afraid. They don't make the profit on it like they do the bigger, over priced trucks. And after all, that's why Ford is in business- to make as much money as possible. Compare the 05 F-150 with a 02 F-150. They have cut into the overall value of the truck. Gone is storage behind the seats, under hood lite, and the list goes on. They even cut the sound deadening material at the transmission hump on the 05's. You can do the same comparison with the new Ranger versus the old. I had a 98 Ranger that I loved but won't consider a new one. Too much has been deleted from the truck. Sorry, there isn't much reason to buy a Ford anymore, the excitement has been deleted.

 

Pretty hard to say that the Taco is eating the Rangers margin, especially when the Taco is only up .3% ytd.

Same old junk??? If it were truly the same old junk, people wouldn't still be making the Ranger the #1 selling compact.

My point was simple, MT decision on the Taco is the truck of the year, really doesnt hold water in my book, as it is still lagging behind the Ranger in sales, an various other reasons.

IMO, "Truck of the Year" means innovative changes, and something that makes it stand out from the rest. Take a look at last years winner, the F-150 IMO this represents the innovative changes and re-design I'm talking about.

What's so innovative about the Taco??? It's just another expensive compact truck with big wheels for crying out loud. I can get into a plane jane 1/2 ton for what they want for a Taco these days.

I just think that there were far better suited trucks in the field, and that's all.

 

To me the Truck of the Year award should go to the best all around truck that was produced that year, but that's just my opinion. Motor Trend owns the award so they can judge the trucks anyway they want to determine whos the best, I don't care.

I do understand the way and the reason they have the award set up this way though I think it should have a different name. The award should be called something like, The Most Innovative Truck of 2005, not The Truck of the Year.

As far as my opinion goes on the subject though. I'm a Ford guy, you would not see me driving anything else but I freely admit that Dodge owns the mid-size truck market, no one even comes close. Unlike the Ranger's, Colorado's and Tacoma's of the world the Dakota has the closest to a full size truck bed, an amazing engine that takes off with the slight touch of the peddle and it's probably the most comfortable truck I've ever driven in other then my own. Now the newer ones are __(input here)__ ugly, they tried to hard to make them look like Rams, but they are the best in their class.

Ford knows flat out where they make their money and it is not with the guy on the street looking for a mid sized truck. Ford makes it's money by selling F series trucks to companies, contractors and anyone who does more then just use their truck for touring. F series has been proven time and time again to be the most dependable truck on the road, hands down and as much as Dodge, Chevy, Toyota and Nissan dream their trucks don't hold a candle to the F series trucks. Theres a reason why people who make their living in their trucks choose Ford and it's not only because it's the most beautiful truck on the road

In the end though, I do feel bad that Ford refuses to do anything when it comes to updating the Ranger. They are missing out on a massive market of folks that want a truck they can haul items in but at the same time don't want the size of a full size truck. You can't tell any of the big 3 that though, all they know is bigger is better. It's funny when you compare like a 1997 F-150 to a 2003 - 04 F-150, the difference in the size is immense and most of it is just sheet metal being fashioned to make the truck look bigger and badder.

- Chris

 

Re: Mostly superrangerman

What did the F-150 do last year to make it more worthwhile than the Tacoma this year? I haven't read the article but I see similarities between the Tacoma and F-150 redesigns from other articles: Bigger, quieter, smoother, safer, upgraded interior, better engines, more capable, stronger frame. The Tacoma also offers new transmissions with more gears for the V6 and a few new ideas concerning the box if I recall correctly. It also have a decent variety in the choice of configurations, not as much as the F-150, but it's got one of the better selections for a compact truck.

Like I said, "more sales ≠ better". How many of those Ranger sales can be attributed to fleets, people who don't have access to a Toyota dealer, those who bought it because their family has always gone with Ford trucks, and people attracted by a lower price, especially after the inevitable discounts? After considering those details, the Ranger's sales advantage of the Tacoma doesn't look so grand. Also consider that the people who buy the trucks tend to rank the Tacoma higher than the Ranger, even in previous years where the Ranger outsold it by an even wider margin. Check out

http://forums.pickuptruck.com/login/...sortParam=name
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/de...c=LeftNav#used
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/de...c=LeftNav#used
http://www.carreview.com/Trucks/Toyo...6_1541crx.aspx
http://www.carreview.com/Trucks/Ford...7_1541crx.aspx

for a few examples.