As far as mid-size pickup trucks are concerned, Tacoma still tops the segment despite a massive drop from H1 2023. Picture this: 69,437 units delivered in the United States in the first six months of 2024 versus 116,845 during H1 2023.
Of the 69,437 trucks, 217 were hybrids, of which 212 were delivered in the second quarter of 2024. It remains to be seen how long the ramp-up transition will take, but even so, Tacoma outsold GM's mid-size pickup trucks. The biggest automaker of the Detroit Big Three reported 41,823 sales for the Chevrolet Colorado (up 26.1% from 33,165 units) and 16,835 for the related GMC Canyon (up 43.6% from 11,724).
All told, make that 58,658 midsizers from the Chevrolet and GMC brands. Next up, the V6-by-default Nissan Frontier sold 39,963 in the first half of the year stateside, representing an improvement of 17.1% from the 34,139 examples delivered in the first six months of 2023. Not a bad result, especially when compared to the Jeep Gladiator's 23,478 versus 27,326 units (-14%).
As hard to believe as it may seem, the Ford Ranger was outsold by the Honda Ridgeline. Manufactured at the same plant as the Bronco, the 2024 Ranger has been hampered by multiple frustrating problems, including a cosmetic issue affecting the hood. The Ford Motor Company never detailed said issue, but we do know that it required time-consuming process changes.
Another cause for the poor sales volume concerns the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, which is going live with Job 2 production. Unfortunately, there is no concrete information regarding the mid-year point of the production year. In the past, Job 2 used to mean sometime after the summer shutdown. In this case, it's likely that Job 2 production will kick off in early fall 2024.
Photo: Toyota
That said, the Honda Ridgeline moved 19,922 versus 27,430 units (-27.4%) compared to a very disappointing 15,175 versus 24,118 (-37.1%) for the Ford Ranger. Those in the market for a Ranger with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 have to pick either the XLT and Lariat with 4WD.
Revamped for 2024, the Ranger starts at $32,720 for the XL with rear-wheel drive and the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4. At the other end of the spectrum, the Raptor is $55,620 and packs the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine from the Braptor, albeit with fewer ponies and torque (405 horsepower and 430 pound-feet compared to 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet).
Similar to the $30,510 Frontier, the unibody Ridgeline also featured a standard free-breathing V6 engine. But it's way pricier at $39,750 sans destination charge, and its unibody construction also hinders the maximum payload and towing capacities. The off-road-oriented Gladiator, which sports a mid-cycle refresh for 2024, can be yours for as little as $37,895 before freight.
GM's mid-size twins are $29,500 and $36,000 from the outset, whereas the Tacoma is available to configure at $31,500 and up. Only the Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma can be had with six-speed manual transmissions. As for hybrid assistance, only the Tacoma can help you with that. Not long now, the Gladiator will go plug-in hybrid with an updated 4xe setup from the four-door-exclusive 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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