Dodge 700 minitruck
 

What was the last too-small-for-the-U.S.-truck that we discussed? Is this the right place?

I apologize, I have the memory of... one of those orange fish...

I was trying to figure out Kanye West's 2020 Presidential platform and I ran across this: https://carbuzz.com/news/this-is-the...want-in-the-us

Subaru brat?? Useless collection of metal parts.

I saw this just before our fireworks started and did not have time to post pictures or more information, so have the former!
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959721
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959713
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959705
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959696
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959688
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959677
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959668
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593959658
Mopar offers extensive customization options.

VW Saveiro? Myself and CrippleroosteR.* The Lounge was a strange choice.

Babelfish?

What path led from Presidential aspirants to Brazilian pick-em-up trucks?

*
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMj9YODKz.../Photo3267.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMj9YODKz.../Photo3267.jpg

https://newbesttrucks.com/wp-content...veiro-side.jpg
https://newbesttrucks.com/volkswagen-saveiro/

Saveiro! Get it right! :D

I saw the notification for the 700 when I was reading about Mr. West.

The first Jalopnik result definitely is not something that I read before. It is written by some guy named DeMuro who seems to believe that he is clever. People always think that small trucks would be successful: Do the people that want small trucks actually buy them when they are available?Is that close enough?There is a great deal of room for improvement for both:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593974987
For any Philistines, this is the Amarok:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1593975099
I need to ask, how hard did those companies try to sell those pickups? Do automakers ever try diligently to sell small vehicles with small profit margins?

Doug's post: https://jalopnik.com/is-ford-bringin...u-s-1828010259

We discussed the Ford Courier.
freebeard, both you and Crippled Rooster commented on that one:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...ier-38217.html

The second Jalopnik result mentioned the Courier, which I found here.

I am going to play games now--or discuss heater cores. That is just as fun, right?

Right?

I live in the moment. :)

I haven't seen this generation of the Fiat Strada/RAM 700 on the wild yet. Now it comes with the 1.4L Fire and the 1.3L GSE "Firefly" engines. It's not likely to feature any larger engine in order to not get too close to the Fiat Toro/RAM 1000 which has the E.torQ 1.8L engine as standard (and in some export markets the only one available).

We will find out soon enough if the USA has the appetite for a smaller unibody truck. I present the 2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz:

https://s.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dim...a_Cruz_004.jpg

https://s.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dim...a_Cruz_005.jpg

https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/s...ound%7C875:492

And a guess at the final design:
https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/9A...ruz-render.jpg

It's more likely to be closer in size to the Fiat Toro/RAM 1000 than to the Fiat Strada/RAM 700.

It is based on the Hyundai Sante Fe which has a 2,760 - 2865 mm wheelbase. (108.9 - 112.8 inches)

It should have the same powertrains - either a 2.4L making 185 hp or a 2.0L Turbo making 235 hp.

So maybe it's going to be at least slightly larger than the Toro.

It's been a while, and I am now seeing the new Strada on a regular basis. Looks good. Well, even though I don't hold my breath for it to become available in the United States due to the absence of any automatic transmission option, it's something to keep an eye.

Ford is also bring back the Maverick name for a 4 door unibody truck based on the Escape platform. Interesting times.

A maverick isn't a truck! It's a gambler portrayed by Mel Gibson!

As if!

https://duckduckgo.com/i/7a823208.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Garner

Maverick test truck next to a current Ranger:

https://fordauthority.com/wp-content...4-1024x683.jpg

https://fordauthority.com/wp-content...04-768x512.jpg

https://fordauthority.com/wp-content...12-768x512.jpg

And compared to the Bronco Sport that shares the C2 platform:

https://fordauthority.com/wp-content...2-1024x682.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kyyIvRPpc...1%2Bbranca.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IK2TAiRcj...25282%2529.jpg

It's been rumored that a CVT will become available for the double-cab with the 1.3 GSE engine next year. If it also gets a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup similar to the 1.0 GSE fitted to the Fiat 500 in Europe, I would not be so surprised if it eventually gets to reach the American market. It's worth to notice the mild-hybrid 1.0 is naturally-aspirated but has the same 4 valves per cylinder and direct injection layout of the turbocharged versions of the GSE, while in Brazil both the 1.0 and 1.3 are only naturally-aspirarted at the moment and have 2 valves per cylinder and sequential port injection. Considering the port injection and 2 valves per cylinder would eventually be more suitable to such an utilitarian model (remember it's a serious workhorse in third-world countries, not a redneck Alfa Romeo or something like that), plus avoiding the need for a particle filter which is now fitted to most direct-injection gassers, even though I wouldn't hold my breath for the Fiat Strada/RAM 700 to become available in the Unites States and Canada so soon it doesn't sound impossible at all.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-woK0CnpoI...ro-direito.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwPIMsFCP...ro-direito.jpg

Besides an eventual skepticism of some commercial operators regarding FWD trucks, and the Chicken Tax too, it's quite clear for me the most limiting factors for the Fiat Strada to reach the American market are the engine displacement and the absence of an automatic transmission (which is rumored to become an option in the next year). Its size is comparable to an old SWB Chevrolet S10, and even though it's slightly shorter overall it's a little wider. Presumably the transverse engine layout is a reason why its smaller lenght doesn't really harm the cargo capacity. And even though it's quite usual to see a Strada operating under harsh environmental conditions, the absence of a 4WD version might be an issue for the gas station cowboys.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEjmZ3Mue...test-drive.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NEMOU8IRr...1%2Bbranca.jpg

I would say the biggest issue is that the FWD platform it is built on was never intended to be sold in the USA so it doesn't meet US regulations.

Maybe if the Maverick and Santa Cruz sell well Stellantis will design the next version to meet our standards.

Those first pictures make it look like you would only have good rear visibility with a full load--assuming it isn't taller than the truck bed.

Oddly I saw one of these the same day you posted that...had never heard of one before, though I think I have seen the occasional one in passing.

Looking at it...it was poorly put together. Like someone took a Forrester and chopped the back end off. Hard to believe they came from the factory looking so goofy.

I like the idea of a car/truck...but it needs a reasonable size bed, and maybe a removable canopy to turn it in to a fastback or at least a wagon. And it shouldn't bee too jacked up either.

The 2 door versions of these Fiat/Dodges looks ok, the 4-door should be longer to keep the bed a reasonable size.

Disclaimer: useless post containing nothing but musings.

Does anyone know a rabid Subaru fanboy they can invite? :D

"Boxer engines have a lower center of gravity!"
"Yes, but Subarus don't!"

I don't know one, but I found this is the grocery store parking lot.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-f...0-100-1116.jpg

Properly, like the LUV, it's all caps.

It's not a pickup it's a CUV. I like the T-top.

Oops, my bad...the car/truck I saw was a Subaru Baja. Worst of two worlds?

Those old Brats don't look too terrible, though I'm not one for aged styling.

There ya go. The Baja is the BRAT for people with big fat b*tts.

I didn't see that in the brochure! I MUST HAVE ONE!!!

Is this how to find fat-bottomed girls, or do you need to be a rockstar?

This doesn't seem to be so much of a problem. Remember the Fiat 500 was not meant to the USDM, yet it got federalized once it started to be made in Mexico?


The slightly larger Fiat Toro, also branded Ram 1000 in some export markets, is based on the same platform of the Jeep Renegade and Compass which comply to American standards.

I've been watching CB Media on Youtube. The big feature car in Thailand's Best Car Meet is this Isuzu.

https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content...suzu-D-Max.jpg
https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content...suzu-D-Max.jpg

Four-into-one turbos with tractor flaps.

Not only is that ugly, it seems pointless. Oh well somebody had to do it.

All that bling and the front tires are bald. Hypermiler?

As close as you can get to street legal slicks.

And that's the newest generation of the Isuzu D-Max. Well, it's quite interesting to say the least, even though I prefer something that could be kept entirely inside the engine bay. On a sidenote, I would be quite concerned about road debris getting through the compressor in one of those 4 turbochargers.

I suspect US sales were planned from the beginning.


That is a stronger possibility - if the Hyundai and Ford sell well.

Federalization was not planned from the beginning and Fiat used it as a mid cycle refresh to roll common structural improvements for both Euro and US versions to reduce costs and improve the crash rating in the US testing.

It actually was a big deal at the time and covered by the automotive media that Fiat was modifying/improving a Euro chassis for sale in both markets with minimal differences between the 2.

There are 14 key differences between World Fiats and US one, all are irrelevant like the bumper and lights and merely are a hassle to dot regional government requirements, safety is lateral comparing the World vrs US version considering one is safer to pedestrians while the other focuses on a higher belt mark hit.
The underlying platform is the same in an attempt to satisfy both regions unique highway and city requirements

Another key difference is that Euro regulations do crash testing with belted passengers while US regulations require automakers to restrain unbelted passengers. This leads to different interiors with different structures.

When I was a product engineer for the Mercedes M-Class interior the Euro dashboards had soft padding on the bottom of the dash to protect a driver's shins when the legs went flying forward in a crash. The US version had an aluminum accordion structure in the bottom of the dash. When an unbelted driver went flying forward the knee would hit that accordion structure and help keep the driver vertical long enough for the airbags to deploy. Without the structure the driver could start to slide under the steering wheel and then the airbag would deploy and punch them in the face. In 2008 (I think) that aluminum according structure was replaced with a knee airbag that would deploy before the steering wheel airbag.

The Euro version is actually safer for a driver wearing a seatbelt. Some IIHS data shows that knee airbags can actually increase leg injuries in belted drivers.

(We had 6 different versions of the dashboard to meet the different worldwide standards)

Reminds me of those automatic seatbelts featured on most of the American imports (and some US-spec Jap stuff) from the '90s before airbags became more widespread.


In the end, wearing the seatbelt is important on both the Euro-spec and the US-spec, even though some stubborn rednecks believe airbags are an actual replacement for seatbelts.


My knees are not that great at all, but I am used to wear a seatbelt (its use is mandatory in my country since '99 for the driver and passengers in any vehicle fitted with it, and now even classic cars and some older long-distance coaches have been retrofitted with seatbelts) and wouldn't relax not wearing it even if there was a claim for a lower risk of leg injuries.

I'm not advocating that people don't wear a seat belt. I was pointing out that the Federal mandate to do crash testing without a seat belt makes US cars less safe for the vast majority of people that wear a seat belt. The designs required to restrain unbelted drivers cause injuries to belted drivers.

Neither was I expecting you to do so :thumbup:


This sounds quite stupid to be honest. No wonder automakers had to resort to those automatic seat belts in the '90s, too bad they were only fitted to the front seats even on 4-door cars which could also have them on the rear seat.


How effective these designs are in preventing the same injuries to unbelted drivers? Or is it only effective to prevent worse (and maybe life-threatening) injuries to unbelted drivers?