Exec V.P. of Honda Motor: For years we've told you we have no plans for a truck. Today, I'll tell you that we do.

[sundevil777 102]

That's right, we have been deceiving you! Designed and engineered in the US, to be built in Ontario.

It's a unibody, not a frame on body type of truck, but if a five passenger, short bed, comfortable driving truck that I guarantee will stroke the ego of 99% of guys out there sounds good to you, then wait until the fall of '05 to get one of your own!

More pics:
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=188419


Press Release

more articles from Honda press site

edited to fix pic link

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[wingnut 0]

reminds me of a jacked up el camino...

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[Harksaw 0]

reminds me more of an Avalanche.

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I started skydiving for the money and the chicks. Oh, wait.

[skygal3 0]

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I guarantee will stroke the ego of 99% of guys out there

And girls

[FallRate 0]

It strikes me as a generic SUV that's missing the back part of its roof. A bit pointless. Not a slam on Hondas. I like 'em. I drive one.

FallRate

[Jimbo 0]

It looks very "Honda", translation: boring.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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reminds me of a jacked up el camino...

Might lack a little bit in the power department.

[sundevil777 102]

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reminds me more of an Avalanche.

Except without all of the ugly cladding on the sides, and without being so big.

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reminds me of a jacked up el camino...

Is that good?

Skygal3, I'm glad to hear that women can appreciate it also.

Jimbo, it is true that Honda styling is conservative, but I really think this is a tough looking truck. It has a lot of the typical Honda value in terms of very useful storage features, etc. that we haven't even shown.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[sundevil777 102]

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Might lack a little bit in the power department.

Of course some will not be happy without 6 litres of V-8 power, but it will have the same basic engine as the Acura MDX which has a 270hp 3.5 V-6

It is not meant to take on the full size body on frame trucks, they have that market. The market for this vehicle is different.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[sundevil777 102]

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It strikes me as a generic SUV that's missing the back part of its roof. A bit pointless. Not a slam on Hondas. I like 'em. I drive one.

Generic, that hurts!

You can't take a dirt bike in an SUV, or a watercraft/jetski, or a snowmobile, or a load of dirt/mulch in an SUV. While an Acura MDX will fit 4x8 sheets in the back, a real pickup bed, even if short, is what a lot of people want.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Pick 0]

Exactly what market is this? The "not a truck, not an SUV and not a Subaru Brat" market?

It's a vehicle for people that can't make up their mind what they really want, so they opt for something does a little bit of everything, yet does nothing very well.

Just my opinion.

[sundevil777 102]

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Exactly what market is this? The "not a truck, not an SUV and not a Subaru Brat" market?

It's a vehicle for people that can't make up their mind what they really want, so they opt for something does a little bit of enerything, yet does nothing very well.

[Pick 0]

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A LOT of people buy the Ford Explorer Sport Trac (5 passenger, short bed). This has a much more comfortable ride, with all the power and load carrying ability that most need.

So in other words, "yes".

[FallRate 0]

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Generic, that hurts!

Sorry, I'm not an SUV guy...they all look the same to me. (Perhaps I need some sensitivity training. ) But I love my Civic. Great little car and I like good gas mileage.

FallRate

[Gawain 0]

Great!! Honda rocks! Trucks aren't my thing but what stands out most is the four-wheel-independent suspension. Something the big-three, Toyota and Nissan do not have on any of their trucks/SUTs.

Now, if they also put a six-speed in there...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[sundevil777 102]

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what stands out most is the four-wheel-independent suspension. Something the big-three, Toyota and Nissan do not have on any of their trucks/SUTs.

The unibody construction and rear independent suspension contribute to the useful space inside, and is why a Honda CRV has more interior space than a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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Now, if they also put a six-speed in there...

Gawain, I would expect you to want to row a shifter! You already have the 6MT in the your Acura CL, and it is available in the Accord and Acura TL.

This one has a column shifter, like a lot of trucks. Although it is not used to allow a middle passenger in front, like many trucks, it still opens up a lot of useful space normally devoted to the shifter mechanism.

The AWD system is also pretty cool. Similar to the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot, Each wheel has clutches controlled by solenoids, so they can individually adjust very quickly to changes in traction. Also, when you accelerate hard, the rear wheels will get more power transferred to them before wheelspin is detected, preventing the spin before it happens. When you are just cruising along, only the front wheels get power so you get better gas mileage.

This one really does look good.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Gawain 0]

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Gawain, I would expect you to want to row a shifter!

Sure sure...It just astounds me that serious "truck" buyers don't demand the same. Better control, better mileage...same reasons why big-rigs have manual transmissions!

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[tunaplanet 0]

I like it. Definitly cool.

Forty-two

[skycat 0]

from the size of it, it looks more like a baja that they tried to make look like a truck.

Fly it like you stole it!

[AggieDave 6]

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It's a unibody, not a frame on body type of truck

So what you're saying is that its fucking worthless. Since that's what I thought when I read that.

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comfortable driving truck that I guarantee will stroke the ego of 99% of guys out there

Nope. It's a pussy truck, fucking worthless. Basically, a yuppy mobile, somthing a yuppy can drive and feel good about themselves and feel "rugged." Fucking worthless.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

not impressed - just trying to snag some yuppies away from SUVs and get them in a pickup that most would never use to haul anything in.

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you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[AggieDave 6]

I've posted a real truck for ya.

5.7L 300hp 360ft lbs of torque (both at the wheels).

33" tires, a bit of lift. 4-wheel drive.

The ability to actually haul heavy/large things and the ability to tow a lot more. It takes a whole lot to get stuck and I can go just about anywhere I want or need to.

Hell, I even used it to recover a downed 182 out of a field, in which I had to pull the 182 on a trailer over all sorts of crap, including through a creek! No problem.


Little "trucks" like that Honda are 100% worthless and fit into the worthless SUV catagory (like the Explorer, CRV, etc).

Oh, for all that power and big heavy tires, I still get 17mpg. Not a bad trade off, IMHO.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[tunaplanet 0]

So whose actually test-driven this new vehicle?

Forty-two

[moodyskydiver 0]

No thanks.I'll stick with my Chevy Silverado.

"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

[AggieDave 6]

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So whose actually test-driven this new vehicle?

You can look on paper and see that its not worth a damn. Hell, look at the picture, its obvious.

Unibody? Great for cars, good strength for cars, don't haul anything in it, you'll seriously screw it up.

Auto, full time 4wd? No control, it WILL get stuck.

Its a car with a big open trunk, that's all its good for. You can put your cooler in the back, fill it full of some sort of worthless high dollar green bottled beer, that's about it.

Try hauling anything that ways over 100lbs with that design. Or try pulling a trailer.

Trucks ride like trucks due to their design and suspension. Which were both engineered to pulling things and haul things, not be comfy. There's a reason why a truck that can do either/both doesn't ride like a car. A unibody truck that rides like a car = not a truck.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."