I’m a bit tired of all the big vs. little pickup thing, but I couldn’t pass up this shot a couple of days ago; it was just too good. The littlest Ford-branded pickup ever as well as the biggest, in its time, as I assume the current one may well be a bit bigger yet.
So go ahead and let it rip in the comments. Tell us how this picture really makes you feel.
When a driver can’t pull in and out of a parking space at Lowe’s without a few back-and-forths, that truck is too big.
Ours has a separate (larger) truck parking area for when someone needs all the mulch. The Home Depot has a special section for trailer parking. Both have “Pro” parking slots near the big doors for loading large items and pulling right in and out or through.
Haha! I wish I had a photo of it handy but a few years ago a buddy and I came across a similar combo – a lowered baby blue Ford Courier and a massive, black, lifted F-350 4×4. The contrast was STARK.
A family member had the Courier, and I always thought it pretty useful. It’d be interesting to see one posed with an early-1970s F-150 for comparison.
Our 1974 dealer has a few, priced a bit less than the Maverick and Mustang II:
Interesting how two of those claim to have 6cyl engines. But it does show in a nutshell a big reason for the minitruck fad, price, they were one of the cheapest ways to drive of the lot in a brand new vehicle.
Anyone have details on the Courier 6 cylinder engine? Wikipedia doesn’t seem to mention it. Thanks!
I cant find a ’73 brochure, but the ’74 only shows an 1800cc four.
I feel fat.
Yes, a 2017+ SD would be even bigger than that: about 4.5″ longer (almost all of which is in the cab) and about an inch taller. A first-gen Courier would be about 3″ shorter if it was the pre-cab extension model. And (*puts on flame suit*) both are appropriately sized for their intended use. A ’73-79 F-350 crew cab would be almost as large as this one.
And before anyone brings it up: no, the Courier would not fit in the 350’s bed, even with the tailgate down.
It could carry the weight of it though after the crusher reduced it to a handy cube.
A la Goldfinger.
I’d rather drive the Courier around town but I’d rather get into a crash with the giant one.
They probably get about the same mileage, but I wonder what kind of MPG a Courier would get if it had a little turbodiesel?
As per Wikipedia:
“The Courier was never available with a diesel engine in the US. However, the 1982 Mazda B2200 was available with the S2, a Perkins-built 4.135, 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine, producing 59 hp (44 kW) at 4000 rpm. This diesel engine was also available for the 1983 and 1984 Ford Ranger; for the 1985 to 1987 Ford Rangers it was replaced with the 2.3-liter 4D55T turbo diesel.”
According to a contemporary review, the 2.2 was rated for 32 city/40 highway in the B2200, but was gutless. Forum reviews of the Ranger with the same engine seem to reinforce this. Gas models were advertised as 30/39 (1.8) or 27/37 (2.0), though they generally couldn’t live up to their ratings as well as the diesel.
Conversely, I think I see a V10 (6.8L) badge on that crew cab. With those tires and that lift, I’d bet the owner never sees better than 10 MPG. Our F-350 4WD regular cab V10 gets 8 MPG with all the pulling it does. The 4.30 rear end certainly doesn’t help matters.
They probably get about the same mileage,
You’re saying that in jest, I assume? These little Japanese trucks typically got 22-25 mpg. Good luck getting that with that brodozer.
Looking at these two makes me feel like the bear in search of the porridge that was neither too hot nor too cold (that Goldilocks ate, that housebreaker).
That makes my ’92 F-150 jussssssst right!
The answer to your Goldilocks question, Joe…. the S-10 that my ex and I had years ago.
Perfect for my needs, anyway.
It looks like cartoon trucks. Ned Flanders socially responsible little truck and Homer and Marge’s Canyon Arrow
I was thinking Homer’s Mr. Plow to Barney’s Plow King
I had forgotten that one! That definitely works better.
Lol..I think the Canyon Arrow song stuck better in my brain.
Now you’ll really have that song stuck in your head. 😉
Two Canyonero Commercials:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZeFDe44Ddo
Thanx Rick ! .
Just imagine : killing Bambi’s in the forest for dinner or fun =8-) .
-Nate
Old & new pickup matchups are fun. Not always the most profound comparisons, but fun nonetheless. Just this weekend, my wife was kind enough to take this picture of two Dodge trucks in front of a house around here… figured I’d share it too:
Not as stark but still noticeable for two similar trucks separated by decades. One could see the same thing comparing a 1970 F100 to a 2020 F150 separated by half a century. American manufacturers just can’t help going bigger and bigger over time. Once full size cars and now trucks.
As a side note I see the Darth Vader look is also popular where truck was seen. That has to be close to 50% of all the Rams and Fords I see around here. In fact there is one specific section of highway I have no desire to travel because of the fairly reckless aggressive driving of these trucks on that section.
I don’t think that’s just an American issue though, what car has kept the same dimension over subsequent generations as a trend? Compare Honda Civics over the years. Or Accords (actually that one did shrink a couple of generations ago but still a monster compared to the ’70’s or ’80’s. Or the 626 to the Mazda6. First Sienna to current Sienna. Audi 100 (C1) to Audi A6 (C7). Golf 1 to the subsequent 7 of them, etc.
Or look at global mid-size pickups compared to their counterparts from 30+ years ago. I don’t see why it’s something only American companies are guilty of. Of course new vehicles are going to be bulkier.
That’s true but then I was only looking at it from my perspective of 1960-80. After that my interest in current cars declined noticeably while my interest in the 60s went even higher. Today all I see is “car” or “truck” and no longer Ford, Pontiac, Mercury, Dodge, Chevy, or Datsun.
I like how that pic makes it look like the road is level and the house is tilted
I don’t think the picture’s Fun House effect was intentional on my wife’s part, but it is neat-looking.
The black one is a 3/4 ton or heavier – count the lugs.
The white one is bodacious! I’m glad Mrs. 703 took this picture.
Of course, with Mrs. 703’s lack of affection for Mopar products, the picture was accompanied by a comment like “I bet they both broke down there.”
I figured you’d like the white one. The combination of the standard cab, deluxe wheel covers, and whitewall tires is hard to beat.
Must be pretty hard living in such a crooked house
At least you know where anything you drop will end up.
This is a little off-topic, but here I go: This photo reminds me of a friend of a friend whose CB handle was “Blue Door.” He drove a white Dodge Dart with… One blue door. Dang, why do I feel old all of a sudden?
This is just a Rorschach test, really.
To those who think the small one useless, or the large one too big, the picture does not show anything they don’t already see. All the photo does is allow one to comment, and the comment shows your predilection towards one or the other. One may see the Courier as a toy, or the F-350 as an oversized monster that has no place in polite society. Neither is right, nor wrong. But you will probably never find one person wanting both.
Well put. Count me in as a person that wouldn’t want the Courier, but considering that I have a Super Duty in the 4×4 CC 8′ configuration that isn’t surprising. However I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Courier worthless, just poorly suited for my needs, desires and is frankly too cramped for me.
Looks like a couple of toy trucks, only one is 1:18 and the other 1:24 scale.
It all depends upon the job at hand. Small job, small truck. Bigger job, bigger truck. It’s a matter of using the right tool; nobody uses a plastic knife to removal a gall bladder.
Except maybe Nick Riviera.
“Not the coroner again. I’m so sick of that guy.”
The idea is to get a truck that is big enough to handle all of your needs. Or at least 90%. The worst thing would be to buy a new truck that is too small to do the job. That was the advice in the Ford Truck Owner’s Bible. These new 4×4 pick up beds are so high that lifting large objects and appliances into them is a real chore. Especially by yourself. I find that my long bed pick up is great for lumber, fence boards, doors, yard tools and things like sofas and mattresses. My Explorer with the much lower lift over height is great for refrigerators, washers and small appliances and furniture. I prefer to not carry loads with the tailgate down, or having a load sticking out of the bed.
The courier would probably look small next to a most regular modern family SUVs dominating the roads in every measure other than length. These F-series trucks don’t exactly look like behemoths in modern traffic, they just blend in(actually this generation looks modest next to the latest)
That Courier would look small next to my 2016 Civic Coupe, Matt… LOL.
Does the little one fit entirely within the wheelbase of the larger one, or do my eyes deceive?
I’m kind of fascinated by this even if I have no need for a truck aside from the occasional rental.
Not quite, but it’s close! Short bed Couriers were 175″ long; the ’99-16 CCLB Super Duty had a 172″ wheelbase. If the F-350 were a 2017 or newer, it would fit.
I had forgotten that one! That definitely works better.
Lol..I think the Canyon Arrow song stuck better in my brain.
I see an instant death in that courier. Even if it was built in 2021 with a modern superstructure and 25 airbags your ending up dead or paralyzed if hit by this thug truck. Why the feds haven’t mandated minimum front and rear bumper height for stock and modified trucks pisses me off every time I think about it.
I always thought it was ‘Canyonero’……
I like the white Dodge very much ~ those were seriously stout rigs .
My brother still has a 1979 D200 long bed crew cab, we’ve driven it all across America multiple times and in spite of his refusal to maintain it until it breaks far from home, it’s a remarkably reliable rig .
My self, I like short bed 1/2 tonners .
In 1973 I had a job driving a 1971 Courier “FORD’S NEW 1800CC IMPORT” sticker in the backlight ~ it was a good little rig, I carried a lot of crap in it, big V8 engines and shop supplies etc. ,the cab was too cramped and my inseam is only 32″ .
In December 2019 I chanced upon a 2001 Ford Ranger stripper in VGC with 117,000 miles and ice cold AC, bought it and am loving it .
2.5 liter 4 banger & 5 speed manual box .
Agreed that a bigger truck than your hauling needs is foolish but not everyone thinks pickup trucks are tools .
-Nate
Too bad someone didn’t hook up a taut tow chain between these two trucks before the picture was taken.
The little one shares a lot of its lines with the old VW Rabbit pickup a neighbour once had. I’m pretty sure his had a diesel engine in it. I suggest the VW was smaller still than this tiny Ford.
Interestingly this past weekend I was really struck by how much pickup trucks had grown. I hand washed both my 1976 F150 4×4 and my 2018 Lariate super cab. It took less than half the time and water for the 76 and both were about equally dirty. But the fuel mileage is probably also about 50% but the other way round. Still I just love driving the old girl
So since the discussion of fuel economy has come up, I have a late model Ram 3500 with the Cummins engine and can get 22 MPG on the highway. That’s empty and keeping it to about 60 MPH. And I also have oversized tires.
22MPG in a full sizer ?! .
Color me green with envy .
-Nate
The biggest difference between them is that the red truck was/is considered desirable or even aspirational when new. The other one not so much.
edit:corrected colours