First, let me link this: http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/is-ra...mall-pickup-back-on-a-fiat-1608582287/+travis
Yep, the little Fiat Strada is being driven around Detroit in heavy disguise and will probably fill the spot of the "small truck" that is in Ram's portfolio for 2015-2016. I'm actually excited about this; it's not a Dakota (in fact, I'd rather they reuse the old 'Rampage' name) but it is a pretty well-sorted small truck.
Yes, it is a unibody, but if you're doing serious, continuous, and/or heavy work you wouldn't buy a small truck anyway, right? This is more for the first-time buyer who wants a decent-sized interior and an open cargo box that could be made big enough for 'activity' things or cargo hauling.
Yes, its based on a FWD car (the Palio world car) but it is available in AWD, and I would suggest it be imported strictly in that drivetrain. Engines are a little on the small side, but stuff a 2.0L Tigershark under the hood and it'll do fine, maybe even a small diesel. Best of all, an available manual tranny! Maybe Fiat can even offer a performance version with the 2.4L Tigershark!
Yes, the plastic body cladding is hideous. Something else will need to be done. That's just a minor league worry.
BUT I went to Fiat's Brazilian site and priced one. Bearing in mind I don't speak Portuguese, a fully specked one comes out about $16,000 dollars, US. Add shipping costs, and you could get a nicely specked AWD truck that will get very good mileage for less than $18,000!
And before someone mentions the chicken tax, if they only import the crew cab version (which was part of my full-specked price check) they can avoid this since it counts as a car at that point and not a truck. This is how Ford avoids paying the same tax on the little Transit, and why the Subaru Brat came with those crappy bucket seats in the cargo box.
So, not a Dakota, but maybe a spiritual successor for the gen 1 Dakota (like my old '96)? What do you fine folks think?
Yep, the little Fiat Strada is being driven around Detroit in heavy disguise and will probably fill the spot of the "small truck" that is in Ram's portfolio for 2015-2016. I'm actually excited about this; it's not a Dakota (in fact, I'd rather they reuse the old 'Rampage' name) but it is a pretty well-sorted small truck.
Yes, it is a unibody, but if you're doing serious, continuous, and/or heavy work you wouldn't buy a small truck anyway, right? This is more for the first-time buyer who wants a decent-sized interior and an open cargo box that could be made big enough for 'activity' things or cargo hauling.
Yes, its based on a FWD car (the Palio world car) but it is available in AWD, and I would suggest it be imported strictly in that drivetrain. Engines are a little on the small side, but stuff a 2.0L Tigershark under the hood and it'll do fine, maybe even a small diesel. Best of all, an available manual tranny! Maybe Fiat can even offer a performance version with the 2.4L Tigershark!
Yes, the plastic body cladding is hideous. Something else will need to be done. That's just a minor league worry.
BUT I went to Fiat's Brazilian site and priced one. Bearing in mind I don't speak Portuguese, a fully specked one comes out about $16,000 dollars, US. Add shipping costs, and you could get a nicely specked AWD truck that will get very good mileage for less than $18,000!
And before someone mentions the chicken tax, if they only import the crew cab version (which was part of my full-specked price check) they can avoid this since it counts as a car at that point and not a truck. This is how Ford avoids paying the same tax on the little Transit, and why the Subaru Brat came with those crappy bucket seats in the cargo box.
So, not a Dakota, but maybe a spiritual successor for the gen 1 Dakota (like my old '96)? What do you fine folks think?