Rival Santa Cruz to be cancelled

[kevinmccune]

mercury usually got the best engines first from the flatheads to the MELs including the FE series( probably even the "Yblocks"( which got unmerited bad rep)

I rented a 23 Santa Cruz 2 weeks ago for a week. Drove it around western Colorado. Did well with the independent rear suspension and fat OEM tires. Had a lot of built-in tech too for a mid grade model. However, I just couldn't get in it because of the sharp angled A-pillar taking headroom. With my short legs and long torso I had the seat up pulled up, which put me right in the curve of the door pillar. There is also no room on the dash, the windshield is right there. Probably better for gas but I didn't like the cockpit even though it's technically "nicer" with a better screen. Maverick is much easier with more headroom and I can put my ski helmet on the dash.

my torso is a bit long and I have to be careful not to bump my head even getting in the Maverick especially if the seat is not all the way back.Not slamming the Maverick at all it survived the weeks of single -digits and 5 inches of ice( which is finally going away)

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[Darryl]

No need to say more! All of the above for me!!

I bought it because I needed a small truck, it was affordable, and it got great fuel economy. But I REALLY appreciate how easy it is to get in and out of because my 94 year old mother rides with me a lot. And she can get in and out without assistance. She's proud and likes doing stuff on her own. My brother has an f150. and he has to carry a step for her even though he has running boards. Then he stands close by as she gets in and out to ensure she's ok. But with the Maverick, after church I can remotely start it and unlock the door and let her go get in the truck and wait comfortably for me while I finish other tasks or finish conversations. Can't do that with the f150

 

[babytruk]

my torso is a bit long and I have to be careful not to bump my head even getting in the Maverick especially if the seat is not all the way back.Not slamming the Maverick at all it survived the weeks of single -digits and 5 inches of ice( which is finally going away)

This is my 1st “pickup”. I’ve also never owned an SUV. That mean I’ve led a life of sedans and coupes…. And hit my head on every one of them. So the Maverick is great since I probably have developed a tendency to duck when entering.

 

[kevinmccune]

True. ome cases they got the new design first. But in other cases. They simply got the same design in a larger displacement such as with the Y BLOCK and flathead. But they were often introduced the same year. And Yes the Y block did have a (partially) undeserved bad reputation. Yes. The oils of the day did tend to allow the rocker arms to starve for oil. But according to my dad. Once a well known inexpensive modification was installed, they were just fine.

and they would pull from the last grunt and instant start( you couldn't let go of the key fast enough sometimes to disengage the Bendix,SBC was very good,however when you go read the tests the yblock did very well,what really killed them besides dead weight was the displacement wars.

 

[MaverRick]

I bought it because I needed a small truck, it was affordable, and it got great fuel economy. But I REALLY appreciate how easy it is to get in and out of because my 84 year old mother rides with me a lot. And she can get in and out without assistance. She's proud and likes doing stuff on her own. My brother has an f150. and he has to carry a step for her even though he has running boards. Then he stands close by as she gets in and out to ensure she's ok. But with the Maverick, after church I can remotely start it and unlock the door and let her go get in the truck and wait comfortably for me while I finish other tasks or finish conversations. Can't do that with the f150

When I had my Dodge Ram we carried a step for my 95 year old Father in Law.
Didn’t need that for him with the Maverick but the VA gave us a lift to help transport his scooter.

 

[Darryl]

and they would pull from the last grunt and instant start( you couldn't let go of the key fast enough sometimes to disengage the Bendix,SBC was very good,however when you go read the tests the yblock did very well,what really killed them besides dead weight was the displacement wars.

Your mention of the bendix type starter brought back memories. There were still a decent number of these vehicles still on the road during my childhood and we had a few Ford tractors (8N, 600, 800) that used a Bendix type starter. I always loved the distinctive sound of that starter. And don't even get me started on the sound of the Bendix starter combined with the 6 Volt battery . Interesting note. When the starter drive was starting to go bad on a vehicle (a common occurrence well into the 1980s) my dad's older customers would still refer to it as a Bendix. Yeah, I must be getting old to ramble on like this

 

[Methodical]

https://www.autoblog.com/news/subaru-hints-at-pickup-comeback-after-20-years

Maybe Subie wants some of this smoke?

 

[Cherokee]

https://www.autoblog.com/news/subaru-hints-at-pickup-comeback-after-20-years

Maybe Subie wants some of this smoke?

That article was a ton of fun to read. I wonder if it was ChatGPT A.I.
Personally I think this would sell:

It looks feminine enough to draw the split tails doncha think ?

All poking aside I truly think the look of a car with a bed in the back big enough to haul bicycles would be a good seller.
Especially if Subaru brings it.
They are a well loved car company.

 

[Wahjahbvious]

I hope so! Competition benefits us all and the old Baja was fun, even if its style was polarizing.

PS: I dig your pfp.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/subaru-hints-at-pickup-comeback-after-20-years

Maybe Subie wants some of this smoke?

 

[Art Vandelay]

https://www.autoblog.com/news/subaru-hints-at-pickup-comeback-after-20-years

Maybe Subie wants some of this smoke?

That article was a ton of fun to read. I wonder if it was ChatGPT A.I.
Personally I think this would sell:

It looks feminine enough to draw the split tails doncha think ?

All poking aside I truly think the look of a car with a bed in the back big enough to haul bicycles would be a good seller.
Especially if Subaru brings it.
They are a well loved car company.

The Baja did not sell well at all in the four models years it was available. Subaru sold about 30K total in 4 years. I know you were at least partially joking but I don't believe it would do much better 20+ years later. I know it's different times now but if you think about it the Santa Cruz was pretty close to an updated Baja and sales were obviously not great.

 

[Scott Asheville]

It's educational to look in the rear view mirror when it comes to small truck sales. But you have to keep demographics in mind. We had the middle of the baby boom generation reaching young adulthood starting around 1975. Single young men in droves drove affordable small truck sales through the roof. Then they got to early middle age with families, and small truck sales collapsed. One maker after another abandoned the low margin small truck market. Even Ford and GM gave up around 2012.

So here we are 5 decades after that boom. Maverick and Santa Cruza show that some kind of market exists for "smaller" trucks, but OEMs are cautious. Is the small truck market saturated at 200,000? Or is it potentially much larger? It's $1.5 billion to place a bet in the Maverick segment if you're an OEM. That's what a new small truck program costs before you make a penny.

And of course, with the chicken tax, you have to build it in the USA or NAFTA region. And you have to decide between hybrid, ICE, and BEV for a drivetrain. So competing is not a decision that Toyota or Subaru or anybody else (with any business sense) will make lightly.

 

[Cherokee]

The Baja did not sell well at all in the four models years it was available. Subaru sold about 30K total in 4 years. I know you were at least partially joking but I don't believe it would do much better 20+ years later. I know it's different times now but if you think about it the Santa Cruz was pretty close to an updated Baja and sales were obviously not great.

Partially joking yes but !
The others like Toyota would be competing with themselves hurting taco sales right ?
I was thinking abstractly,
Grocery getter,
Soccer Mom,
College kid,

The mini van made it over the long haul sorta. Fords Transit Connect did not,
I had one of these. I liked it and for a time lt suited my needs at the time but was, blea.

If a vehicle is marketed correctly and it’s reliable and trusted, well,
I’m thinking out loud that’s all.

It’s just as a segment the mini truck did so well for so many for so long. We lost it back in the day partially because of the,
‘Look at me’ factor was not strong enough.

It became a ‘Don’t look at me, I’m too poor to afford a big man’s truck’ thing.
Or some such nonsense.

I think Subaru could make a Maverick competitor where no other car company could.
I’d hope they’d know better than to call it the Brat II

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Females whether they're soccer moms or just getting the groceries, for the most part prefer a vehicle that has a secure area for the groceries or the soccer equipment. Last year I was busy painting. My wife was going up to the grocery store. It was hot out, my truck was in the garage, her Escape was sitting outside in 98°. I asked my wife, if she wanted to take my truck. She said, no.
When I asked her why she didn't like driving it. She said it wasn't because she didn't like driving it. Her reply was, she didn't like lifting the "heavy" tailgate.
She said, the lift hatch on her Escape was easier to pull down and close then it was trying to lift and close the tailgate on the Maverick.
A lot SUVs have open and close power lift gates.
All said done. It comes down to comfort and convenience. That goes for the loss of manual transmissions too. Very few want to row through the gears in traffic.
Take note: I never said women don't buy pickup trucks.
Women account for approximately 12% to 15% of all new pickup truck purchases, though this figure varies significantly by brand, with some models seeing nearly 1 in 5, or even 25% (e.g., Ford Maverick) of buyers being female. While the market is still dominated by men, the number of women purchasing, driving, and influencing the decision to buy trucks is rising due to increased versatility and family-friendly features.
Influencing factors: The shift is driven by modern trucks offering four-full-sized doors, advanced technology, and increased safety features.

 

[Gaidheal]

My wife has her own Maverick so at least one woman likes it. LOL

 

[Darryl]

Partially joking yes but !
The others like Toyota would be competing with themselves hurting taco sales right ?
I was thinking abstractly,
Grocery getter,
Soccer Mom,
College kid,

The mini van made it over the long haul sorta. Fords Transit Connect did not,
I had one of these. I liked it and for a time lt suited my needs at the time but was, blea.

If a vehicle is marketed correctly and it’s reliable and trusted, well,
I’m thinking out loud that’s all.

It’s just as a segment the mini truck did so well for so many for so long. We lost it back in the day partially because of the,
‘Look at me’ factor was not strong enough.

It became a ‘Don’t look at me, I’m too poor to afford a big man’s truck’ thing.
Or some such nonsense.

I think Subaru could make a Maverick competitor where no other car company could.
I’d hope they’d know better than to call it the Brat II

I actually liked the Transit Connect, especially the 2nd gen. But I honestly NEVER saw an advertisement for them. But the passenger version reminded me of the original minivan with the ability to haul 7-8 people in a small package. But I don't think people were even aware they existed. I'd buy one tomorrow if I remotely needed something that could haul 7 people.

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