That's funny!! Around here everybody drives pickup trucks, even people in million dollar plus houses. Granted the guy in the huge house has a very fancy new or newish truck, especially if said house has some acreage with it.

Of course I can kind of see some of this "snob appeal" in certain old money neighborhoods in Nashville, lot more Range Rovers(or Land Cruisers if they don't want to be flashy) with the old money Belle Meade types.

 

yes, that's exactly how my neighborhood is. ultra snobbery abounds.

 

Even in those "old money" neighborhoods, you see fancy pickups, just not as many as in the newer rich suburbs a few miles down the road.

 

Meh, I am underwhelmed for many reasons... This is the same argument I have for the entire midsized/compact truck segment. Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon, and the Honda Ridgeline. Call me crazy, but here is my take:

-It's almost as heavy as a full size, half ton truck.
-It gets the same (or in some cases worse) fuel economy as a full size, half ton truck.
-It's got less cargo space.
-It's got less interior space.
-It's got less power.
-It's got less payload capacity.
-It's got less towing capacity.
-By the time I optioned it out the way I wanted it on the website, it was $48,405, and thats before dealer markup if any. So its nearly as expensive as a Ram Rebel.

Here are the specs of the ZR2 vs the Ram Rebel (its closest competitor in the Full-Size segment)

Ram Rebel:

-15/21 mpg
-Fuel Tank Capacity: 26 standard, 32 optional
-$51,000 when fully loaded (and if you pay that for it you really got screwed because dealers routinely take $8,000-$12,000 off MSRP). This includes power sunroof, heated and cooled leather, 3.92 gearing, limited slip axles, electronic lockers, trailer brake controller, navigation, 9 speaker Alpine stereo with sub, premium LED lighting, spray in bedliner, 35" BF Goodrich All-Terrain Tires, 32 Gallon fuel tank, Class IV hitch, Tow hooks, skid plates, wheel locks, power folding mirrors, Rambox bedside storage system, soft tonneau cover, black side steps, Weathertech floor mats, fender flares, projector headlamps, LED taillamps, back-camera, cargo camera, XM radio for 5 years, full-size spare tire, U-Connect (FCA's version of onstar, only 10x better), and a few other goodies.

-5.7L V8, Variable Valve Timing and Multi-Displacement System,
-395 HP.
-410 ft-lbs TQ.
-10,000lb towing capacity.
-1,350lb max payload.
-Front headroom: 41"
-Rear Headroom: 39.9
-Front Hip Room: 63.2"
-Rear Hip Room: 63.2
-Leg Room - Front: 41"
-Leg Room - Rear: 40.3
-Shoulder Room-Front: 66"
-Shoulder Room Rear: 65.7
-Curb Weight (Empty): 5,540 lbs
-Cargo Capacity: 53.3 Cubic Ft.
-3.92 gearing w/Limited Slip diffs and electronic Lockers.
-8 speed automatic trans

The ZR2:

-16/18 mpg
-Fuel Tank Capacity: 21
-$49,000 when similarly equipped to the Rebel, and everything I have read so far is saying there will not likely be any incentives, but rather, expect a dealer markup in the form of "Market Value Adjustment".
-3.6L V6 DI DOHC VVT
-308HP
-275 ft-lbs TQ
-5000 lbs towing capacity
-1100 lbs max payload
-Front headroom: 41.40
-Rear Headroom: 38.30
-Front Hip Room: 55.00
-Rear Hip Room: 53.30
-Leg Room - Front: 45.00
-Leg Room - Rear: 35.80
-Shoulder Room-Front: 57.50
-Shoulder Room Rear: 56.20
-Curb Weight (Empty): 4758
-Cargo Capacity: 41 cubic feet
-3.42 gearing with limited slip. No lockers available.
-8 speed automatic trans.

So, as you can see, for more money (or just as much), you get a lot less truck. IMO it is poorly executed. It may do what it does well, but if the Rebel can do it all as good or better, for less money, and get better fuel economy doing it, why wouldn't you buy one of those?

 

I know you like the big Dodge Rams, Josh. The article did say that one Dodge Power Wagon could tow two of these Colorados.

 

Totally agree. The new Tacoma TRD is nowhere close. The Chevy seems like no compromise. I still can't get over the fact that the Tacoma has a c-channel frame, and there is no height feature for the drivers seat. Amazing!

 

The Tacoma, at least IMO, also is a step below the present 2Gen Colorado in its interior materials...though the 1Gen Colorado/Canyon was admittedly a piece of junk in almost every sense of the word.

I know you (and some others) have brought up the issue of C-Channel frames before. I wouldn't worry too much about the c-channel design itself....Toyota trucks have a long history of taking abuse and holding up as work trucks. The lawsuit over frame-deterioration, as I understand it, is not based on the frame-design itself, but on other factors which can eventually attack and corrode the frame.