Is Toyota Thinking About Building a RAV4-Based Pickup Truck?

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NWOriginal00@reddit

I wish they made on based on the Highlander. I need at least a 5 foot bed, and a 4 door. Basically the cab and bed size of a first gen Tacoma, which I think would fit on the Highlander platform.

I don't really need to 18mpg that my body on frame Tacoma gets. The payload capacity is the same as a car anyway so I would rather have the ride quality and mileage of a car based platform.

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CabernetSauvignon@reddit

you just described a ridgeline and the tacoma outsells it 5:1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Ridgeline#Production_and_sales

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NWOriginal00@reddit

I thought about the Ridgeline. Honda just tried to hard to match the Tacoma for capabilities. So it just as big and only gets 21mpg combined.

Instead I wish they would have just invented their own segment and had it all to themselves. With how many Mavericks get sold, I can only imagine how well a civic based truck would have done.

For Toyota platforms, a Highlander is a little smaller then a Ridgeline and gets 24mpg combined which would be enough difference for me to make the compromise.

Back when the SUV craze hit in the 90s everything was body on frame. But now, except for the very largest SUVs, you can get everything from a sub compact to near full sized in a unibody. I wish we had some variety like that in trucks as many of us are not rock crawling. I need to haul some barkdust every once in a while. Move my kid into her college apartment. Stuff like that. I don't need a full size or massive payload capacity, just a bit more bed then the Maverick has.

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peakdecline@reddit

I thought about the Ridgeline. Honda just tried to hard to match the Tacoma for capabilities. So it just as big and only gets 21mpg combined.

You said Highlander based... so your theoretical Toyota would also be just as big as the Tacoma. If you want smaller than you would want RAV4 based... which is the Maverick, basically.

And SUVs body shape inherently does better MPG than a truck. The moment you take a Highlander and put a bed on it you would have 21MPG again.

So... honestly its not actually clear at all what you want.

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

If you need a 5 foot bed maybe buy a single cab? El Camino-style pickups have 6 foot beds

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Drzhivago138@reddit

The newest El Camino is almost 40 years old.

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

I said El Camino style. You can buy converted sedans or imported Holdens easily

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Drzhivago138@reddit

You can buy converted sedans or imported Holdens easily

In the US?

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

Exactly the place I was talking about.
Smyth sells conversion kits for the Charger and other cars
And there is a big business of importing new Holdens into the US, sedans and utes.

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Drzhivago138@reddit

Smyth sells conversion kits for the Charger and other cars

How much do those conversions cost?

and there is a big business of importing new Holdens into the US, sedans and utes.

This is the same Holden that's been defunct for 5 years, yes?

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

Their Charger kits are $5,990 right now.

Yes, close to 9 years since the end manufacturing.

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Gah_Duma@reddit

Just bring the Hilux back over here

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peakdecline@reddit

The Hilux and Tacoma are basically the same size. The Tacoma if anything rides on the better platform at this point. You'd not get any kind of diesel powertrain from Toyota in the US and even if you did the emissions systems on those now have all the downsides you see on US diesels anyway.

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thetimechaser@reddit

People asking for the Hilux have rose tinted glasses. The Tacoma is a much better appointed truck overall. The Hilux feels like a bargain bin afterthought in comparison. However, if we could get the diesel than yes please lol

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peakdecline@reddit

I don't get the appeal of the diesel. Particularly these days... so... less torque than the options you get in the Tacoma. And diesel prices in the US wipe out the economy advantage. Maybe 10+ years ago... but now? No thanks.

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Przedrzag@reddit

The Hilux's 2.8L diesel may have less torque than the turbo hybrid but it has more torque than the 2.4L turbo non-hybrid and would probably be cheaper due to not being a hybrid. The actual problem is that the EPA's particular emissions laws make it nearly impossible for light duty diesels to enter the US market regardless of power or price.

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peakdecline@reddit

Diesel engines are expensive. I am doubtful it would be cheaper. And we've seen multiple light duty diesels in the US. It's far from impossible. It just doesn't make sense in the market. The FCA EcoDiesel was available (and I even owned one) and the GM 3.0L Duramax is still here.

There's just no actual place in the market. Its way down on power. Barely up on torque against the non-hybrid. Down significantly against the hybrid. Is in a market where diesel is at least $1 more per gallon. Has to use DEF. More expensive oil changes. Higher long term maintenance costs because the emissions systems inevitably have issues.

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Shmokesshweed@reddit

You don't want...

An expensive optional engine
Extra weight
Extra emissions crap
More expensive fuel
Same or less power than the average new truck in America

????

Wild.

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lumpialarry@reddit

Everyone says they want a small, simple single cab truck, but what they really want is a $15,000 new truck.

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elremeithi@reddit

Here in UAE/GCC we still have the Hilux and recently the GR version:

https://www.toyota.com.my/en/models/hilux/hilux-gr-sport.html

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mr_beanoz@reddit

Think the problem here is getting thosr trucks passing the CAFE standards

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Drzhivago138@reddit

Think the problem here is getting those trucks passing the CAFE standards since they're not economical enough.

The US did away with CAFE last July. OK, it didn't scrap it completely, but it set the penalties for not meeting fuel economy targets to $0, effectively defanging it.

What keeps global pickups, both the BOF mid-size models and the FWD smaller unibody models like the Rampage, from coming to the US is the infamous 25% Chicken Tax, as well as all the other tariffs this administration has enacted.

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Sriracha01@reddit

The current Hilux is about the same size of the Tacoma. There's a smaller body on frame truck called the Hilux Champ that would be cool to have here (North America).

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UmaThurmish@reddit

the tacoma is about 4 inches longer and 4 inches wider.

but I think people that say "We want the hilux" mean they want the Hilux champ which is similar to the very old Hilux

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mantenner@reddit

The single cab is also smaller still

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Drzhivago138@reddit

The single cab sits on the same frame as the Xtra and Double Cab models, so it's not any shorter. But it is lighter.

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Vhozite@reddit

We just want the 50 cal in bed

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GOA_AMD65@reddit

The new hilux kinda sucks though.

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4InchesOfury@reddit

I swear I've been hearing about a small pickup coming from Toyota for 10 years

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_larsr@reddit

Tacoma used to be their small pickup truck. Then they bulked it up and made it terrible. Now they have to start over again.

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long_fish3000@reddit

well in the scale of american measurements, the tacoma is small

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not_wall03@reddit

I saw the new Tacoma next to a f-150 from 25 years ago and they looked the same size.

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Drzhivago138@reddit

They may have looked that way, but the '01 was still wider and longer.

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lemonpoundcaker@reddit

My gmt800 gets smaller and smaller every year

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nikkarus@reddit

The Maverick is small

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jakeuten@reddit

The Maverick is perfectly average

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

The Maverick is actually pretty big

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Never-Bloomberg@reddit

My wife says my Maverick is huge.

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Shmokesshweed@reddit

Your wife thinks my Maverick is huge too.

It's probably the all terrains.

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03Void@reddit

Ribbed for her pleasure.

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Lancer876@reddit

Nah the all terrains would make it look smaller, you want the thinner rubbers

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Hustletron@reddit

It’s about the love of the customer, really

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willc2580@reddit

it matters how you use it

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_The_Real_Sans_@reddit

It's all about how you use it really. My wife says she likes the way my Maverick moves more than her boyfriend's Super duty.

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Shmokesshweed@reddit

Super Duty...Tremor. 😏

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bikedork5000@reddit

Yall sure you're talking about trucks?

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Drzhivago138@reddit

At least 5 years, since the Mav came out in 2020.

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Boundish91@reddit

You mean the Hilux?

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

The current Hilux is slightly smaller than the Tacoma, it's not small at all

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TheCudder@reddit

Wait until you hear about their solid state battery!

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Small-Olive-7960@reddit

I feel like a rav4 is too small and the engine is too weak. It would need a different frame at the least

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Drzhivago138@reddit

The RAV4 is a typical compact CUV, similar to the Escape on which Ford based the popular Maverick. It has over 230 HP.

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

Less horsepower than a 20 year old fleet sedan?

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Shmokesshweed@reddit

The Maverick has been public knowledge for 6 years.

So the answer to that question is no

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V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit

Then small unibody ute market has been public knowledge for decades in Latin America Market. People in there love it, but Toyota never plan to join.

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Drzhivago138@reddit

Long ago ('60s-'70s), Toyota and Datsun did have car-based unibody utes in some markets.

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

And Australia

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Snazzy21@reddit

Toyota will do anything except sell a compact vehicle in the US that isn't a Yaris. And the moment a vehicle becomes compact, they decide not to sell it the US, like the Champ.

Of course the Rav4 isn't compact at all, so they wouldn't be breaking their rules.

Remember the Stout? That was a rumored less large pickup, and it was rumored for years.

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Drzhivago138@reddit

Toyota will do anything except sell a compact vehicle in the US that isn't a Yaris.

The Yaris was a subcompact in the US.

Of course the Rav4 isn't compact at all,

It did move to the TNGA-K platform with the previous gen, but it's still barely over 180", and essentially the same length as when it switched from being a subcompact to a compact 20 years ago.

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mr_lab_rat@reddit

Isn’t the Corolla hatch available in the US? I think that’s a perfectly sized car. Not silly small like the Yaris but still small enough to be light, easy to park, good on gas, and practical thanks to the hatch.

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Snazzy21@reddit

That's wider and a tiny bit longer than an old 4 door pathfinder, it's 5 inches wider and 10 inches longer than a Tercel.

It only seems small because there is a whole missing size class that was below modern "small" cars.

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mr_lab_rat@reddit

Sure, you are not wrong but comparing it to very old cars is not really fair. Those old cars would have no chance meeting new safety standards. That Pathfinder you are comparing it to came out 30 years ago.

It’s 20” shorter and 2” narrower than a Camry. Pretty important 7” shorter than a Civic which is considered same class.

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V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit

Champ is a typical work truck, I don't really think most American wanting it.

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costafilh0@reddit

Why haven't they yet is the real question.

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kstetter@reddit (OP)

Money

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wildfire98@reddit

pov: You've been waiting for a small Toyota truck since 2006...

reality: Toyota loves the attention of small truck fans, but they've been friendzoning us for twenty years just to keep hooking up with $50,000 Tacoma buyers. im over it.

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