Curt, I feel your pain and stand behind you. I saw both good and bad updated engineering from bumper to bump. There is no reason to have $400+ head lamps, $500 tail lights and still have dashes crack from UV light. Marketing drives design and design drives everything down to how many cup holders. NITSA, DOT, CARB, EPA all have sticky fingers on the show floor. But, the consumer is the Guinea pig with new idea. Programming models are fine but with "Global Architecture" was standardized, I felt uneasy as radios can be changed from North America, England or UE, Africa, Egypt, Dubai and Japan! It is crazy. Control emissions, shift it and make it robust, not 2 feet off the ground while the car next to it has $400 of plastic bottom air panels resulting from a wind tunnel that gained 0.8 MPG. I have worked on imports all my life, GM right behind it. It is a video I have watched now 12-14 times now and hear your voice. You and I am in deep, deep pain over this subject. I am with you!
Exactly! What is even worse is all this extra technology that adds all the expensive complication to V8 motors such as VVT, DOD, etc. that is mandated by the US government has been proven to only add around a 5% increase in fuel economy. So all that money, engineering and headache on both the consumer side and the techs side for measly 5%. Then there is the flip side of HP standard LS3 came with 430HP the newer LT1 with a complete redesign that the only thing that is the same is the 4.4” bore spacing only makes 460 HP so all that for only 30HP. A good tuner can get an extra 30HP from an LS3 with just a little bit of moving some numbers around.
@@curtrobinsongarage5452 I completely understand Curt as you're talking to a guy who rebuilt diesel pumps on Oldsmobile engines and Blue plastic valve covers on Cadillacs. I want to know why the marketing and engineering powertrain groups don't ask us what "WE" would prefer to see on next year's model. After all, we are one's that have to fix these! DK, Omaha. Have a productive happy week buddy....
I too grew up a GM guy. My first bad experience came in 1996 Transmission failed at 40000 miles. So I bought my first Ford in 97. That truck lasted 253000 miles, sold it to my dad and it continued life as a farm truck till he traded it. In 2015 I bought a 2012 F-150 and at less than 75000 miles it needed $2000 + labor in timing components. Said nope no reason it should need that at such low mileage. I traded it for a 2019 Tacoma since everyone brags on them so much. I will tell you first hand as a 6’2” tall person they are miserable for comfort. There is an awkwardness where the seat goes back further than I need but… I am still right up on the steering wheel so unless your a T-Rex 🦖 good luck. I too live in Utah and their 6 cyl is gutless the older ones had torque the newer ones not so much. At the time I had a 4500lb wet weight bumper tow. Tacoma was rated for 6500 tow capacity sure it will tow that, if you want to be the guy headed up the mountains with your flashers on in 2nd gear foot to the floor. I had a crew cab 6 speed TRD off-road. Also bed floor is plastic. Also still has rear drum brakes. Also you can’t even put a normal sized 2 case beer cooler in the bed and close the bed cover. Bottom line it’s not a truck. It is a car posing as a truck. The only positive is the gear ratio of the transfer case in 4-lo. So in 2020 I bought a Chevy Trailboss. I don’t trust the LT motors either but so far so good. I do prefer the old column shifter. It frees up so much console space. I will say the traction control, auto start stop is annoying and most of the time I turn that off the second I start it. In my eyes there isn’t a perfect good new truck. They all have issues. I had considered a Tundra but, their trim levels are absolutely ignorant for the creature comforts compared to others. I won’t touch a dodge other than 4500 Cummins and I am not spending that $. That’s my .02!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the story and opinion. I think I only said that about the Toyota as it came to mind when filming and was tryout to get all my thoughts in one take. I only said that about the Toyota merely based on my experience with their mechanical reliable vs the others. I’m 6’1” and I prefer a full size truck in almost all situations. For a reliable daily driver the Toyota is also ok, but as you said they severely lack power and you really can’t use them as a truck for hauling or towing. As to you bringing up the start/stop on new vehicles that is a complete video on its own. It’s ridiculous, the amount of wear on your starter and the fact 90% of all engine wear occurs at startup it is just a completely horrible idea.
if y’all got the 70 series Toyota Landcruisers over there, every man and his dog would be gettin around in one. simple set up - 4.5td v8 with enough torque to pull the asshole out of an elephant, a 6 speed manual (stick) .. yep, no auto - keeps the softcocks out of them.. plus usual shit like ac, ps, pw... toyota does away with all the wanky junk like climate control, heated seats, park assist... vehicles are for driving, not to live in !! here in Australia toyota utes/trucks are easily the no.1 vehicle on the road - just so reliable to the point their sales slogan is simply “unbreakable” .. plenty of blokes getting around with well over 1mil kms on their vehicles. I daily a 04 Hilux (tacoma) turbo diesel with 375000kms .. doesnt miss a beat .. drive to work mon-fri then on weekends hit the bush tracks or beach without a care in the world. cant go wrong with the Yota in this big wide country thats mostly desert. great video, even better rant .. cheers mate 🍻👍
Thanks for the comments. We do have some land cruisers but decent ones are getting really expensive because they are considered a collector’s item, but they are of course very reliable to the point many I have seen have 400k miles on them. As far as the Hilux I have never seen one in person. They are special import rules/laws on them and there are very few in the states. But WhistlinDiesel did a durability/destruction test on one and I was completely blown away that it survived what he put it through, so much so that it disgusts me that they don’t import them here and that more vehicles aren’t built to such standards. It’s hard to put into words my amazement what it survived.
@@curtrobinsongarage5452 will have to check that video out .. I know the old british Top Gear tv show tried to kill one - included putting their Hilux in the ocean and placing it onto the roof of an apartment building that was being blown up during demolition .. its well worth viewing.
