RAM RAMPAGE

5493 Views 94 Replies 24 Participants Last post by npaladin2000, 10 d ago

ytiradp

Discussion Starter · 29 d ago

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Is it just me or does this need to be in the US market??

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Erik Latranyi

· #61 · 26 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
In fairness, the current Ridgeline is an actual truck and looks like one. The previous (first) gen looked more like a lifestyle crossover though.

....yes, and Ridgeline sales have increased as a result.

Make no mistake. Ridgeline is not a compact truck. It is midsize.

I think there is an aspirational aspect, similar to Jeep buyers that Ford tapped into.

People really only need a lifestyle truck in this segment, but by designing the Maverick to have real pickup credentials, it fulfills an aspirational need from people to have that capability.

It is the same with Jeep buyers who do not need off-road capability, but buy them for that potential need.

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npaladin2000

· #62 · 26 d ago

Erik Latranyi said:
People really only need a lifestyle truck in this segment, but by designing the Maverick to have real pickup credentials, it fulfills an aspirational need from people to have that capability.

Hey I actually need a truck for my business. I just hate larger cars, I think I'd even have trouble dealing with a Ranger, though frankly I really should be looking at a RAM 1500...but I just don't want to drive what I consider a monster truck.

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Zagnut27

· #63 · 26 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
Hey I actually need a truck for my business. I just hate larger cars, I think I'd even have trouble dealing with a Ranger, though frankly I really should be looking at a RAM 1500...but I just don't want to drive what I consider a monster truck.

Full size trucks are massive, and for everyday use one would be a PITA for me, especially with the gas mileage and trying to park in the tiny spots in the garage at work. A midsize would be ideal, but something like Maverick intrigued me. Small enough to park wherever, maneuverable for city driving, can haul whatever I (personally) need to, good gas mileage. The only thing I’d really want is a hybrid that also has AWD capability…though not currently available.

I’m curious if Stella is going to offer something like this any time soon.

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npaladin2000

· #64 · 26 d ago

Zagnut27 said:
Full size trucks are massive, and for everyday use one would be a PITA for me, especially with the gas mileage and trying to park in the tiny spots in the garage at work. A midsize would be ideal, but something like Maverick intrigued me. Small enough to park wherever, maneuverable for city driving, can haul whatever I (personally) need to, good gas mileage. The only thing I’d really want is a hybrid that also has AWD capability…though not currently available.

I’m curious if Stella is going to offer something like this any time soon.

Yeah, I'd like an AWD hybrid too. I'd really like to see Stella do this, but I like my Maverick enough where if they do...I might get that one first.

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Zagnut27

· #65 · 26 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
Yeah, I'd like an AWD hybrid too. I'd really like to see Stella do this, but I like my Maverick enough where if they do...I might get that one first.

Yeah, everyone i know who does have a Maverick, absolutely loves it. My wife isn’t so high on it…she’d prefer I get a Wrangler, Gladiator, or a Bronco. She says those are more “me”. Lol. If Stella comes up with something like Maverick, it’ll definitely get consideration. But I can’t/won’t wait forever.

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ytiradp

Discussion Starter · #66 · 26 d ago

Zagnut27 said:
Full size trucks are massive, and for everyday use one would be a PITA for me, especially with the gas mileage and trying to park in the tiny spots in the garage at work. A midsize would be ideal, but something like Maverick intrigued me. Small enough to park wherever, maneuverable for city driving, can haul whatever I (personally) need to, good gas mileage. The only thing I’d really want is a hybrid that also has AWD capability…though not currently available.

I’m curious if Stella is going to offer something like this any time soon.

+1

I know they would likely build this in MX with the Compass, etc if it were to come to the US with different specs, maybe a 4xe variant or mild hybrid. They could wait for an STLA platform, but that 10 year mark is coming to a close soon and only producing high margin electric models that would be low volume isn't going to put money back into RAM. City dwellers who are the most likely to buy these "compact" trucklets aren't trying to tow motor homes or massive boats.

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Erik Latranyi

· #67 · 26 d ago

The smartest would be to build this on STLA Medium and offer it with PHEV or BEV only. Beat Ford to a BEV compact pickup and you will own the city delivery market.

But I am not convinced we have smart enough people in Auburn Hills to see that Ram needs a full lineup of trucks if it wants to be the truck-only brand.

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npaladin2000

· #68 · 26 d ago

Zagnut27 said:
Yeah, everyone i know who does have a Maverick, absolutely loves it. My wife isn’t so high on it…she’d prefer I get a Wrangler, Gladiator, or a Bronco. She says those are more “me”. Lol. If Stella comes up with something like Maverick, it’ll definitely get consideration. But I can’t/won’t wait forever.

I love our Mav, it's very comfortable and I like how it drives. The steering even has good feedback. Few things I don't like about it:

Lack of AWD on the hybrid. #1 complaint for everyone.
Rear torsion beam...the rear end does tend to skip around, especially when lightly loaded
Infotainment - screen maxes at 8 inches, and it's not tilted towards the driver at all, makes it hard to see especially for nav. Plus that hole where they could just put more screen
Dash doesn't have an EV indicator to know when the engine is off and you're running on battery, would really like this
The seat is comfortable when fully lowered, but because it tilts when rising, thigh support goes away. Adjustment for tilt would be welcome, my thighs will be happier.

I figure Stella would fix the infotainment stuff, uConnect beats anything and everything. Just having AWD would get rid of the torsion beam.

Reactions: 2

Rob Johnson JR

· #69 · 26 d ago

The Maverick sells like crazy for several reasons: like it or not a Ford truck carries a lot of brand equity. Maverick is actually affordable. Offering the standard price as a hybrid was a stunning piece of marketing smarts. Yes, it has cheaper plastic parts on the inside, but it is so cool with all of the little features and the available accessories for it. Maverick covers the bases like nothing else: a base model that is cheap to buy AND operate since it is a hybrid. And if you want enough power to tow medium loads (even the hybrid can tow light loads like a small SUV) one can get AWD and the 250hp EB.

Just like the Bronco and Bronco Sport, the Maverick was a well thought out product that took a lot of time and money to get to market.

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Rob Johnson JR

· #70 · 26 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
I love our Mav, it's very comfortable and I like how it drives. The steering even has good feedback. Few things I don't like about it:

Lack of AWD on the hybrid. #1 complaint for everyone.

Rear torsion beam...the rear end does tend to skip around, especially when lightly loaded

Infotainment - screen maxes at 8 inches, and it's not tilted towards the driver at all, makes it hard to see especially for nav. Plus that hole where they could just put more screen

Dash doesn't have an EV indicator to know when the engine is off and you're running on battery, would really like this

I figure Stella would fix the infotainment stuff, uConnect beats anything and everything. Just having AWD would get rid of the torsion beam.

Most of those items were a nod to keeping the cost down. The AWD/Hybrid is coming I bet from what I have read. Every single person I have talked to that has one loves them, hands down. That Consumer freaking Reports has the hybrid listed on its "Recommended" list is stunning for such a new domestic product is telling. Like them or not, CR has a lot of influence. My wife and I want the base model (I love the silver steelies) but even if I can find one, the dealers add big money to the sticker. The higher models have less markup and avail is better around here (Northern Cal-Unicornia) but still spotty. The base model cant even be ordered.

We have a friend that wanted an XLT in the worst way. She has a 13 Imprezza that the transmission went out at 105,000 miles (sucks right?) BUT Subaru paid to replace it. She loved the idea of a small truck/SUV type of thing. After not being able to get the one she wanted at a reasonable price, she put a deposit down on a Forrester. She got it at MSRP with a $400 discount because of the problems she had with her Imprezza.

The Toyota dealer has Corolla Cross' sitting on the lot without markups and they are tempting.

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npaladin2000

· #71 · 26 d ago

Rob Johnson JR said:
Most of those items were a nod to keeping the cost down. The AWD/Hybrid is coming I bet from what I have read. Every single person I have talked to that has one loves them, hands down. That Consumer freaking Reports has the hybrid listed on its "Recommended" list is stunning for such a new domestic product is telling. Like them or not, CR has a lot of influence. My wife and I want the base model (I love the silver steelies) but even if I can find one, the dealers add big money to the sticker. The higher models have less markup and avail is better around here (Northern Cal-Unicornia) but still spotty. The base model cant even be ordered.

We have a friend that wanted an XLT in the worst way. She has a 13 Imprezza that the transmission went out at 105,000 miles (sucks right?) BUT Subaru paid to replace it. She loved the idea of a small truck/SUV type of thing. After not being able to get the one she wanted at a reasonable price, she put a deposit down on a Forrester. She got it at MSRP with a $400 discount because of the problems she had with her Imprezza.

The Toyota dealer has Corolla Cross' sitting on the lot without markups and they are tempting.

Exactly. If Stella could get some of those sales, particularly the models people are waiting 6 months for, and would consider a similar priced option....honestly though, if I see Ford come out with a hybrid AWD Lariat, now that the PHEV tax credit isn't a thing anymore, I might go for it if Stella doesn't have an alternative.

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Rob Johnson JR

· #72 · 26 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
Stella doesn't have an alternative.

Dont feel bad, but i am betting they wont.....and if they do, it will be way too late. Just they way Ram operates.

mopar4wd

· #73 · 26 d ago

valiant67 said:
I’m not sure what your definition of hot sellers is, but I wouldn’t call Ridgeline or Santa Cruz hot, 50k sales per year for either of these small trucks is elusive.
Include Maverick and the segment might qualify as warmer, but the old Toyota Tundra alone outsells all three of these small trucks combined (by a pretty significant margin).
Midsize is still hotter than small.
Ram should (and needs) to have small and midsize trucks to be a real truck brand, but the smaller trucks are still a niche market.

The Maverick sells just under the Tundra actually I think Toyota moved 88k Tundras last year (they keep going down) and the Maverick was like 75k. Ridgeline has been going up and so has Santa cruz but I think those are both going to be under 50k a year for a while. Ford could certainly sells more Mavericks but they are constrained by the factory which splits with Bronco sport. I have a feeling if Ford could free up capacity maverick would be more like 125k a year.

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mopar4wd

· #74 · 26 d ago

Rob Johnson JR said:
The Maverick sells like crazy for several reasons: like it or not a Ford truck carries a lot of brand equity. Maverick is actually affordable. Offering the standard price as a hybrid was a stunning piece of marketing smarts. Yes, it has cheaper plastic parts on the inside, but it is so cool with all of the little features and the available accessories for it. Maverick covers the bases like nothing else: a base model that is cheap to buy AND operate since it is a hybrid. And if you want enough power to tow medium loads (even the hybrid can tow light loads like a small SUV) one can get AWD and the 250hp EB.

Just like the Bronco and Bronco Sport, the Maverick was a well thought out product that took a lot of time and money to get to market.

Yep, Maverick outsells Santa Cruz for a number of reasons. Like you said it looks like a truck, and the pricing are probably the biggest points. But you also have a truck that gets car like mileage (something the Ridgeline and Santa Cruz do not do nearly as well).
I think you also have two products launched at very different parts of the same market. Ford designed Maverick to replace its small sedans and crossovers and built it to a price point to do it. Hyundai built a truck to add to the top of the line above it's cars and small SUVs. It was designed to be a more premium product and less a truck. Which kind of shows the market for a premium lifestyle car/truck is lower than the market for a competent entry level vehicle that gives you a lot of the practicality of a much more expensive vehicle.

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valiant67

· #75 · 26 d ago (Edited)

mopar4wd said:
The Maverick sells just under the Tundra actually I think Toyota moved 88k Tundras last year (they keep going down) and the Maverick was like 75k. Ridgeline has been going up and so has Santa cruz but I think those are both going to be under 50k a year for a while. Ford could certainly sells more Mavericks but they are constrained by the factory which splits with Bronco sport. I have a feeling if Ford could free up capacity maverick would be more like 125k a year.

Yes, I meant Tacoma, not Tundra . Tacoma is the juggernaut in less-than-fullsize pickups.

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npaladin2000

· #76 · 25 d ago

valiant67 said:
Yes, I meant Tacoma, not Tundar. Tacoma is the juggernaut in less-than-fullsize pickups.

That might be because of it's age. It's about to be redesigned, we'll have to see if the new one sells the same. Might get a hybrid version in this generation too.

Taco is technically a midsize though, a size above the Mav and Santa Cruz.

valiant67

· #77 · 25 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
That might be because of it's age. It's about to be redesigned, we'll have to see if the new one sells the same. Might get a hybrid version in this generation too.

Taco is technically a midsize though, a size above the Mav and Santa Cruz.

Which is why I said "less-than-fullsize pickups". I didn't say small or midsize.

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mopar4wd

· #78 · 25 d ago

npaladin2000 said:
That might be because of it's age. It's about to be redesigned, we'll have to see if the new one sells the same. Might get a hybrid version in this generation too.

Taco is technically a midsize though, a size above the Mav and Santa Cruz.

The Taco sales numbers are amazing. It's a bit like the wrangler in that most reviews dig it for what it is but complain about actually driving it. But the owners are very loyal bunch and many wouldn't consider anything else. The powertrain gets picked on a lot so a hybrid might actually help. Also at this point Toyota seems to have help their pricing down more then the competition.

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Rob Johnson JR

· #79 · 25 d ago

mopar4wd said:
The Taco sales numbers are amazing. It's a bit like the wrangler in that most reviews dig it for what it is but complain about actually driving it. But the owners are very loyal bunch and many wouldn't consider anything else. The powertrain gets picked on a lot so a hybrid might actually help. Also at this point Toyota seems to have help their pricing down more then the competition.

The biggest Toyota dealer in our area advertises all over town, "NO DEALER MARKUPS". That is a big deal in our area. One reason we drove a Corolla Cross.

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Erik Latranyi

· #80 · 25 d ago

Rob Johnson JR said:
The biggest Toyota dealer in our area advertises all over town, "NO DEALER MARKUPS". That is a big deal in our area. One reason we drove a Corolla Cross.

Toyota worked hard to try and get as many dealers to not do markups during the shortage. Toyota knew it would go a long way with customers.

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