Mid-sized truck logic?

L86 All Terrain · May 21, 2019

56 minutes ago, zmwatson18 said:

I'm not on top of my wife when she's in the passenger seat of the Silverado, like she was before when we would both be in the Tacoma.

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Sounds like a bad thing, not a good thing.

2kwik4u · May 21, 2019

I shopped both. Was REALLY REALLY wanting the Diesel Colorado to work out. I really liked the look/feel of that truck, and it had all the capability I needed/wanted. The interior just didn't fit me.

The Sierra had more interior space, and that sold it for me. I'm 6'2" tall, and can't have a rear facing child seat behind me. In anything, even the Sierra. In the Colorado though, we test fit the rear facing seat, and it put my wifes (5'9" tall frame) knees into the dash, and the front seat a very severe upright angle. The Sierra she can comfortably ride in long distances with the seat behind her.

The overall layout was better for me. Liked the column shifter instead of the console shifter. Liked the actual key instead of the push button start. And there is actually usable storage in the center console area. Not just a couple cupholders, and a small tray.

I made this same jump back in '06. Had a 2004 S10 ZR5 4dr 4wd truck. Moved to an '03 Yukon. Paid the same price for fuel, payment, insurance, and maintenance and went from a small truck to a big truck. The interior space, the tow rating, the overal "robust-ness" of the vehicle all improved with the larger platform, with an almost unobservable increase in total cost of ownership.

I've never found parking a fullsize to be any more difficult than parking a midsize. I can't remember a single instance of "man I wish I got a smaller truck", but I know of several times I've said "Man I'm glad I got the big one".

Cpl_Punishment · May 21, 2019

6 hours ago, Loco-diablo said:

I owned a Tacoma before my 2017 Silverado.. I had the Taco for 10 years/185k miles.. It was the most trouble free vehicle I ever owned.. Other than a couple of front brake jobs, a muffler and regular maintenance, I had zero problems.. The only reason I went FULL size is because I plan on getting a boat this year.

This is off topic but what kind of boat?

Loco-diablo · May 21, 2019

This is off topic but what kind of boat?

Looking for a 22-24’ cuddly for Cape Cod bay.

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Cpl_Punishment · May 21, 2019

6 minutes ago, Loco-diablo said:

Looking for a 22-24’ cuddly for Cape Cod bay.

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Nice. Yeah, you won't be able to tow that with a Tacoma. Haha

truckguy82 · May 22, 2019

6 hours ago, 2kwik4u said:

I shopped both. Was REALLY REALLY wanting the Diesel Colorado to work out. I really liked the look/feel of that truck, and it had all the capability I needed/wanted. The interior just didn't fit me.

The Sierra had more interior space, and that sold it for me. I'm 6'2" tall, and can't have a rear facing child seat behind me. In anything, even the Sierra. In the Colorado though, we test fit the rear facing seat, and it put my wifes (5'9" tall frame) knees into the dash, and the front seat a very severe upright angle. The Sierra she can comfortably ride in long distances with the seat behind her.

The overall layout was better for me. Liked the column shifter instead of the console shifter. Liked the actual key instead of the push button start. And there is actually usable storage in the center console area. Not just a couple cupholders, and a small tray.

I made this same jump back in '06. Had a 2004 S10 ZR5 4dr 4wd truck. Moved to an '03 Yukon. Paid the same price for fuel, payment, insurance, and maintenance and went from a small truck to a big truck. The interior space, the tow rating, the overal "robust-ness" of the vehicle all improved with the larger platform, with an almost unobservable increase in total cost of ownership.

I've never found parking a fullsize to be any more difficult than parking a midsize. I can't remember a single instance of "man I wish I got a smaller truck", but I know of several times I've said "Man I'm glad I got the big one".

You can have a rear facing child seat behind you in the ‘19

I’m 2 inches taller and I have rear facing in my double cab. Because I have the car seat in the center. The front seats are actually so far apart that the car seat fits between them.

in a k2xx crew, with the seat behind me, I have to move up a couple inches.

in a t1xx crew I did not have to move up at all

midsize forget about it

Nitrousbird · May 22, 2019

I considered a Canyon Denali Diesel; basically as loaded as they come. That config could still tow my boat - not as well as my Sierra, but could do it safely enough. Still, I said no to it, even though I would have saved 1-2k over my Sierra. Why?

- Less interior space = less comfortable on long trips

- Less features and has a cheaper interior feel than my SLT

- Less capable truck for similar money

I have a truck because I do use the bed just enough to have a truck (otherwise I would have bought a used Porsche Cayenne Turbo). But I wasn't going to spend basically the same money to have a lesser truck; made no sense.

2kwik4u · May 22, 2019

10 hours ago, truckguy82 said:

You can have a rear facing child seat behind you in the ‘19

I’m 2 inches taller and I have rear facing in my double cab. Because I have the car seat in the center. The front seats are actually so far apart that the car seat fits between them.

in a k2xx crew, with the seat behind me, I have to move up a couple inches.

in a t1xx crew I did not have to move up at all

midsize forget about it

I thought about putting the rear facing in the center. I'm not certain the 7yr old in the booster next to him was very fond of that though. Especially for long trips to the lake with the boat in tow. Also have a 50lb lab/boxer mix that comes along with us most days. By the time you get both boys, the dog, a small cooler, a diaper bag, and a small backpack of 7yr old toys in the cab, along with the wife, her purse, and whatever else she has to bring along, we're pretty much packed.

We also have a Nissan Rogue (her car), and it felt similar in size on the inside as the Canyon I looked at. 3+hrs towing in that space with all our "stuff" would've been miserable.

This is my first fullsize pickup. Had a couple fullsize SUV's in the past. I can honestly see why they are the top selling models/styles. With TONS of capability, and luxury items to match most cars, they are far far closer to a swiss army knife than most all sedans.......assuming you need the capacity to tow/haul something on a regular basis. They aren't that hard to park, drive nicely, have plenty of power, tons of interior space. This is seriously the most useful vehicle I've ever owned. Pretty much anytime I need to do a thing, it can do it.

BoilerUP · May 22, 2019

Current-generation Colorados aren't your daddy's old S-10; their capability is FAR closer to 1500s of the late 90s/early 00s. And the reality is precious few folks who own full-size trucks *actually* use them to do "truck stuff".

I traded a 2002 Dakota Quad Cab 5.9L 4x4 that I loved for a new 2016 Colorado CCLB, and the Colorado did literally everything better than the Dakota. It was comfortable to drive, easy to park, had more room, got a LOT better fuel economy, had a much larger bed, rode better, etc etc etc. It also was 15-20% less expensive to purchase than a comparable 1500 LT.

The Colorado safely pulled a 32.5', 6100lb dry travel trailer within all placarded limits (GVWR, GCWR, RAWRR) when loaded with my family and ready for a weekend camping.

The Colorado pulled the camper just fine, but the little 3.6L was turning 3500rpm going 60mph on flat ground and I knew the truck would run out of power on any significant hill, so I traded it in on a 2017 Silverado 1500 CCSB as a better tow vehicle.

The Silverado 1500 has more room, gets 2.5-3mpg less than the Colorado doing the same driving, and has more power and is more stable towing the camper. I miss the extra bed length though for hauling stuff, and have been casually looking for at 17+ crew cab standard bed NHT trucks for that reason.

If I would have had the baby Duramax, I probably would still own the Colorado as it met all my needs. With the 3.6L engine, I'd have NO issues pulling 5000lb (or 6k that wasn't a wind sail) on a regular basis...and I hope the turbo four-banger finds it way into the Colorado in place of the 3.6L because that engine looks just about perfect for a midsize truck.

Wife is glad its gone though...she always thought the Laser Blue looked purple more than it did blue.

aseibel · May 22, 2019

1 hour ago, 2kwik4u said:

I thought about putting the rear facing in the center. I'm not certain the 7yr old in the booster next to him was very fond of that though. Especially for long trips to the lake with the boat in tow. Also have a 50lb lab/boxer mix that comes along with us most days. By the time you get both boys, the dog, a small cooler, a diaper bag, and a small backpack of 7yr old toys in the cab, along with the wife, her purse, and whatever else she has to bring along, we're pretty much packed.

We also have a Nissan Rogue (her car), and it felt similar in size on the inside as the Canyon I looked at. 3+hrs towing in that space with all our "stuff" would've been miserable.

This is my first fullsize pickup. Had a couple fullsize SUV's in the past. I can honestly see why they are the top selling models/styles. With TONS of capability, and luxury items to match most cars, they are far far closer to a swiss army knife than most all sedans.......assuming you need the capacity to tow/haul something on a regular basis. They aren't that hard to park, drive nicely, have plenty of power, tons of interior space. This is seriously the most useful vehicle I've ever owned. Pretty much anytime I need to do a thing, it can do it.

I don't know why anyone would put a rear facing child seat in the center if they didn't HAVE to. I definitely agree with your comments about family space. We load up for 5 hour (each way) trips to the in-laws about every other month. 2 kids in carseats, plus all gear they require. My CC has so much more space than my wife's Terrain. Its so much more comfortable. My wife would climb in back and sit between them when my son was an infant. You can't do that in a mid-size truck or car.

Though, my wife still wants to take her Terrain in warm weather to save on gas, haha.

Edited May 22, 2019 by aseibel

Grumpy Bear · May 22, 2019

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 6:51 AM, mistermcgoo said:

So, before ultimately deciding on my lightly used 18' Silverado 1500 DC LT, I had window shopped pre-owned 18' Tacoma's and Colorado's. To my suprise, what I found was that models with comparable trim/mileage were almost the same price as my Silverado that I chose. To be specific, Colorado's were around the same price or 1-2k cheaper, while most Tacoma's were actually MORE expensive by 1-2k.

I guess I'm just stumped as to why anyone would want to spend around the same price or possible more for "less" truck? I mean to be fair a Colorado would be somewhat more appealing I suppose, in that they were on average somewhat cheaper and better MPG than the average V8.. but obviously you sacrifice bed space and towing capability. Tacoma's are a different story. They are usually MORE expensive, worse MPG etc.. don't get me wrong, I think they're good looking trucks. But all things considered, I guess I'm just perplexed as to why there isn't more of a price gap between comparably equipped mid-sized and full-sized trucks on average? And why people are willing to pay more for less, so to speak?

Is a mid size really a mid size anymore? They're about the size of two decades ago standard pickups. Honda did this with the Civic. Use to be a cracker box and now as large as the older Accord's so now the fit a FIT in the old space and ratchet up the price. These new 19's are now as large as the K2 2500's. Were you really looking for a 3500? Just say' n.

KARNUT · May 22, 2019

Is a mid size really a mid size anymore? They're about the size of two decades ago standard pickups. Honda did this with the Civic. Use to be a cracker box and now as large as the older Accord's so now the fit a FIT in the old space and ratchet up the price. These new 19's are now as large as the K2 2500's. Were you really looking for a 3500? Just say' n.

That’s why I posted a side by side of my 14 and 92.

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bshort · May 22, 2019

Have a 17 CCLB Colorado D-max. I can get 33-36 MPG on the freeway if I'm nice to her. Tows the boat just fine too.

2kwik4u · May 22, 2019

Just now, bshort said:

Have a 17 CCLB Colorado D-max. I can get 33-36 MPG on the freeway if I'm nice to her. Tows the boat just fine too.

This is the exact reason I was hoping to like the Colorado when I drove it. The fuel mileage when not loaded (honestly, near 80% of my miles each year) is significantly better than the 5.3 in my fullsize. I just couldn't get past the interior on it.

I test drove a Tacoma as well. The seating position was terrible for me. Didn't give Nissan a chance, and Ford didn't have the new Ranger out at the time.

I've been debating on getting A3 TDi to commute in for this same reason.

rkj__ · May 22, 2019

I drove a midsize GMC Canyon for 6 years, but in October of last year, sold it and bought a full-size Sierra. I sold the Canyon due to high mileage and increasing maintenance costs, not because I was unhappy with it. I loved that little truck. When shopping for a new truck, the deals on the big trucks were very attractive, and my wife was much happier in the passenger seat of the Sierra over the Canyon.

Mid-Size
-Smaller, and lighter makes it feel more fun / sporty around town. Parking is easier.
-Off road, it fits where bigger trucks do not, and gives you more breathing room on trails where big trucks just barely fit.
-Gets the job done towing smaller trailers. Smaller engines have to rev high to make the power they need, but the power is there.
-I had a 6ft bed, so the truck was still pretty useful for truck stuff. I did use all the space on some occasions, but never felt like it was limiting me.

Full-Size
-Around town, the truck feels big and heavy. Way overkill for a trip to the grocery store or the mall. It works, but sometimes you may need to park a little further from the store entrance.
-Excellent long roadtrip vehicle. The improvements in driver / passenger space, and interior storage are much appreciated. Though my wife did not mind the seats in my '08 Canyon, she did not like the seats in the 2015+ Canyon for some reason.
-Off road? I'm not even going to try taking this Sierra off road. Sure, I'll take it down rutted dirt paths, and rough access roads, but I won't be trying to follow Jeeps over obstacles.
-Towing is an absolute breeze. The V8 feels like it has a lot of power to spare when towing 2-3000 lb. Tow / haul mode, with automatic grade braking is a treat in the mountains.
-Fuel economy is about the same as my old Canyon, since I had lifted it and put larger all terrain tires on it, but have left the Sierra stock with street tires.
-The bigger bed makes packing for camping trips easier, and opens up even more options.

Edited May 22, 2019 by rkj__