I shopped the Taco, Ranger and Ridgeline. No way I was considering the POS from GM. Been there a few times on other GM vehicles and the quality, longevity and durability simply aren’t there. Not to mention GM’s crappy attitude towards customer service. Crossed off the Ridgeline early on because of the lowest tow rating and lack of truck utility (shallow bed, AWD vs. 4WD, etc.). Looking at the remaining three, it boiled down to:
1. Size - I wanted a mid-sized truck. The Taco and Ranger have gotten to be the same size as the full size pickup trucks from the 2000s. The Frontier, while large, still manages the smallest footprint of all three while still maintaining real truck capability (unlike the Ridgeline). That’s important for driving and maneuvering in Northern Virginia where traffic is crazy and parking is tight.
2. Reliability - some say “old” or “outdated” (or both!). To me, that means the kinks are worked out and that the Frontiers are rock solid. Seems that consumer tests and third party evaluators agree. Without all the extra “stuff”, I know I can work on the truck - at least for routine maintenance - and not worry about major breakdowns.
3. Style - to me, the Tacos looks like a squashed bug version of a truck that someone stepped on. Totally subjective, no question. But I find the front and 3/4 profile of the Frontiers to be much more stylish.
4. Cost - this was the big one for me. Feature for feature, pound for pound, the Frontiers simply had more value. I got a 2019 Pro4X with performance package (leather seats, sunroof, roof rack, heated seats/mirrors, etc.) with bed extender, hitch and wiring for under $30K (tax, title, destination fee extra). The Taco MSRP for the TRD Sport with similar features was $43K - and I doubt they discounted much. The Ford Ranger - even with Ford Friends/Family pricing (I know people at Ford) - was going to come out in the high $30’s/low $40’s. Yes, I would have liked some of the new safety features available in the Taco and Ford like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, cross traffic alert and automatic emergency braking, but those features were NOT worth an extra $10K on a truck.
5. Miscellaneous - finally, there were little things I appreciate on the Frontier like being able to step on the corner of the rear bumper to get into the bed with the tailgate down; the spray in bed liner (versus Taco insert); the numerous third party accessories (i.e., NO ONE makes a tail gate EZ down type piston for the Taco that’s plug and play).
Thanks
Funny thing is that one of my oldest friends in the area was at the house for dinner last week, along with his wife, and he told me he just bought a Taco (TRD Sport, KC, full size bed). I told him I just bought the Frontier! We compared trucks side by side and once he heard what I paid and sat in the back seat of the Frontier, I could practically see the regret in his eyes!! He then sat in the driver’s seat and played with the sunroof on the Frontier. He is 6’2” and just fits in the driver’s seat of his Taco. He didn’t dare get a sunroof for lack of head clearance. He also wasn’t crazy about the Taco’s 10 speed transmission - too much hunting for gears for his taste. But I did remind him he got better gas mileage than me as a result. I suspect he’d rather have the more responsive ride. Oh, and he paid a helluva a lot more than I did for the Frontier!
So all in all, I’m pretty satisfied with my choice.
1. Size - I wanted a mid-sized truck. The Taco and Ranger have gotten to be the same size as the full size pickup trucks from the 2000s. The Frontier, while large, still manages the smallest footprint of all three while still maintaining real truck capability (unlike the Ridgeline). That’s important for driving and maneuvering in Northern Virginia where traffic is crazy and parking is tight.
2. Reliability - some say “old” or “outdated” (or both!). To me, that means the kinks are worked out and that the Frontiers are rock solid. Seems that consumer tests and third party evaluators agree. Without all the extra “stuff”, I know I can work on the truck - at least for routine maintenance - and not worry about major breakdowns.
3. Style - to me, the Tacos looks like a squashed bug version of a truck that someone stepped on. Totally subjective, no question. But I find the front and 3/4 profile of the Frontiers to be much more stylish.
4. Cost - this was the big one for me. Feature for feature, pound for pound, the Frontiers simply had more value. I got a 2019 Pro4X with performance package (leather seats, sunroof, roof rack, heated seats/mirrors, etc.) with bed extender, hitch and wiring for under $30K (tax, title, destination fee extra). The Taco MSRP for the TRD Sport with similar features was $43K - and I doubt they discounted much. The Ford Ranger - even with Ford Friends/Family pricing (I know people at Ford) - was going to come out in the high $30’s/low $40’s. Yes, I would have liked some of the new safety features available in the Taco and Ford like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, cross traffic alert and automatic emergency braking, but those features were NOT worth an extra $10K on a truck.
5. Miscellaneous - finally, there were little things I appreciate on the Frontier like being able to step on the corner of the rear bumper to get into the bed with the tailgate down; the spray in bed liner (versus Taco insert); the numerous third party accessories (i.e., NO ONE makes a tail gate EZ down type piston for the Taco that’s plug and play).
Thanks
Funny thing is that one of my oldest friends in the area was at the house for dinner last week, along with his wife, and he told me he just bought a Taco (TRD Sport, KC, full size bed). I told him I just bought the Frontier! We compared trucks side by side and once he heard what I paid and sat in the back seat of the Frontier, I could practically see the regret in his eyes!! He then sat in the driver’s seat and played with the sunroof on the Frontier. He is 6’2” and just fits in the driver’s seat of his Taco. He didn’t dare get a sunroof for lack of head clearance. He also wasn’t crazy about the Taco’s 10 speed transmission - too much hunting for gears for his taste. But I did remind him he got better gas mileage than me as a result. I suspect he’d rather have the more responsive ride. Oh, and he paid a helluva a lot more than I did for the Frontier!
So all in all, I’m pretty satisfied with my choice.