Before the Ridgeline there was...

[Sixty8panther]

The Dodge Rampage


This K-car based POS like several other useles "Car based Trucks" are still cooler and more innovative than the hideously ugly Ridgeline.

















Hmm... looks stock to me. :P















Call me crazy but even though the Rampage was a K-car I thought it was a pretty cool looking ride.


Chalk it up to me being a child of the 1980s and having one of these in my Hot Wheels collection:


Edited November 19, 2005 by Sixty8panther

[LosAngeles]

They should make one today on the LX chassis, look and all.... If that doesn't make GM bring back an El Co, even if they import the Ute from Oz, nothing will.... Speaking of Oz, I can see Chrysler using the Ute and Pursuit as a business case.

[CARBIZ]

My first new car was the '82 Rampage exactly like the one on the cover of the brochure depicted above. 4 spd (!!!), no a/c. I put an Alpine deck in it with speakers in huge boxes behind the seats. It was a bit of a POS, but it was cool. My buddies loved it. I wish I'd sprung for the 5 spd, though. I blew two head gaskets in 3 years! It rode and handled decently. Great on gas. When I lived up north, I saw a guy who had turned one into a Monster truck. It stood about 5 feet off the ground. It looked kinda wierd, but cool.

[Flybrian]

The K-Cars proper (Aries, Reliant) sucked balls like none other, but the weird offshoots like the Rampage were pretty cool. This is the prefect suburban pickup, IMO. You don't need the Ridgeline's 5-seat capacity or AWD to help your brother move a credenza.

[Cory Wolfe]

I remember those... My neighbors used to have a red one.

[ocnblu]

I think they were based on the Omni/Horizon, not the K-car. I saw one on a Sunday about a month ago while lot lurking at a Mazda dealership. It belonged to another lurker, and seemed an odd juxtaposition. Edited November 19, 2005 by ocnblu

[Sixty8panther]

Ahhhhh... why didn't I think of that? "Goes Like Hell Rampage". Hats off to you my friend!

[HarleyEarl]

Yes, but what about the VW Rabbit pickup?!.....VW Caddy

]

[Sixty8panther]

I'd love to have a Diesel VW P/U so I could tell people I have a Bitchin Diesel Rig, only to have them imagina a Ford F550 or a TopKick wiht a Duramax! :lol:

[Sixty8panther]

LOL :P Saltwater + Thin Sheetmetal = Speedy Trip to the Junkyard.

[Justin Bimmer]

You know, those big GMC/Chevrolet trucks can come with a much prefered C7 Catapillar too..... I loved the 7500 GMC with the C7 that we had out on tour. It sipped the fuel and kept us nice in cool in the middle of the desert for 20 hours when the trailer broke down.

[regfootball]

someone please do a chop of my aztek pics! lemmeknow i can send you a pic or two and make the ultimate ridgeline competitor

[ocnblu]

Down in Maryland there was a crusty old dude with a silver Rabbit Diesel pickup... with a functional exhaust stack, just like a Kenworth. :)

[thegriffon]

Yes, but what about the VW Rabbit pickup?!.....VW Caddy

]

[post="45522"][/post]

Not a lot has changed over the years:

Volkswagen Saveiro

[Sixty8panther]

A functional exhaust stack on a VW Pickup? Bitchin. Did it have the flapper valve?


Griffon: Wow, this is news to me. Those Crazy Brazilians. B)


NOw see, I like this. It's not nasty wiht a hideously grotesque nose and styling that tries to make it look badass or tough. If the Ridgeline had the styling of an Accord or even a Tundra I'd be less disgusted by it, but as it stands the styling is like a Fashion Don't in the Automotove world. That whole pile of crap is like a rolling train wreck. I've seen Cold War Era Russian COE Trucks that are less gross looking than the Ridgeline. This thing does not try to be a truck as hard. It's Just a VeeDub with a bed.

Edited November 20, 2005 by Sixty8panther

[Sixty8panther]

Wow... even though the Beatle has riden off into the sunset in Mexico they still manufacture the Microbus in Brazil! :blink: B)


Hook Me up VW. I've got $5700 burning a hole in my pocket and I need fuel efficient, low maintenance Van but I hate replacing water pumps. Sell me a brand new Kombi.

[ocnblu]

Amazing, yes. I checked out the site too. It would be cool to have a new Kombi.

[HarleyEarl]

Down in Maryland there was a crusty old dude with a silver Rabbit Diesel pickup... with a functional exhaust stack, just like a Kenworth. :)

[post="45568"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Don't you love people's sense of fun...love that!

[HarleyEarl]

Very interesting they are still making VW pickups. Another thing I learned on C&G.

[Hudson]

ocnblu was right...the Omni/Horizon was not based on the K-Car. The Rampage and Scamp and Volkswagen "Rabbit" Pickup filled a niche for people who don't need to haul commercial grade loads. Not everyone needs a bed large enough to haul plywood or haul loads greater than 500 pounds. These vehicles did their jobs fine. Volkswagen does still offer two different FWD pickups in different countries. The Rabbit (Golf I)-based pickup is still in production today as is the new Saviero, which is based on the smaller Gol. Ford and Chevrolet also offer such vehicles. The Ford Courier is based on the Ford Fiesta while the Chevrolet Montana is based on the Chevrolet Corsa. With the growth in size of the former "compact" pickups, there's no reason to bad-mouth attempts to make smaller pickups based on car platforms. These vehicles aren't meant to be used on construction sites. Most pickups sold today RARELY (if ever) get their beds dirty or carry anything heavier than their passengers. Another point of automotive history: the most recent FWD pickup sold in the US was built by General Motors.

[HarleyEarl]

...so maybe Chev and Ford should bring back pickup cars?

[NOS2006]

Amazing, yes.  I checked out the site too.  It would be cool to have a new Kombi.

[post="45590"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

"Cool" has officially been redefined... :blink:

[ocnblu]

Aww, come on Nos, what better excuse to roll a fatty and travel the country following your favourite rock band? The VW Bus, with it's simple, low powered engine and bulletproof driveline, along with its ability to handle a good sized orgy, is still the perfect vehicle for turning on and tuning out. Edited November 21, 2005 by ocnblu

[Sixty8panther]

Another point of automotive history: the most recent FWD pickup sold in the US was built by General Motors.

[post="45679"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Which was.....??? :huh:

[Sixty8panther]

Another point of automotive history: the most recent FWD pickup sold in the US was built by General Motors.

[post="45679"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Once again, care to explain...? :unsure:

[bobo]

I had to research this, but I found that the S10 Electric, which had the drivetrain of the EV1, was FWD.

[Hudson]

Once again, care to explain...?   :unsure:

I was waiting to see if anyone knew...and bobo found it.

[balthazar]

The Rampage and Scamp and Volkswagen "Rabbit" Pickup filled a niche for people who don't need to haul commercial grade loads.

Let's take note how well these 3 sold in the U.S. market when new, for how long and how long it's been since any of this 'ultra light duty' type were available. If anything, people are doing MORE hauling & towing now then they were then, reinforcing a market shift away from ultra-light duty 'trucks'.

Many (I would not say "most") trucks may not haul or tow big loads usually, but most people would prefer to have that capacity when they do want/need to.

[Sixty8panther]

What?

Holy cow, I ahev NEVER heard of this thing. Not even a mention. But then again I don;t live in California.


From what Google is telling me thouhg this was never BUILT by GM. It's some sort of a conversion kit and in either case it's a ckfking electric vehicle. So your point Hudson is completely mute.

It's like me making fun on the Insight's skinny tires in a thread about Corvettes and Porsches.... the car is a hybrid and it's set up completely different than your standard car, the skinny tires have a function. (low rolling resistance, low drag coefficient etc.)


http://premium1.uploadit.org/B17a1vtec//00InsightWheel.jpg





Stick to the topic, pickup trucks not elecrtic or hybrid vehicles. Your whlole point was an apples to Ornages comparison. The VW p/u, Dodge Rampage, Honda Ridgeline etc. have no hybrid/electric technology/excuse.

Edited November 23, 2005 by Sixty8panther

[RBB]

Holy front overhang, batman! With an empty bed it's a wonder it didn't tip forward every time you hit the brakes....

-RBB Edited November 23, 2005 by RBB

[Flybrian]

What?

Holy cow, I ahev NEVER heard of this thing. Not even a mention. But then again I don;t live in California.
From what Google is telling me thouhg this was never BUILT by GM. It's some sort of a conversion kit and in either case it's a ckfking electric vehicle. So your point Hudson is completely mute.

It's like me making fun on the Insight's skinny tires in a thread about Corvettes and Porsches.... the car is a hybrid and it's set up completely different than your standard car, the skinny tires have a function. (low rolling resistance, low drag coefficient etc.)

Stick to the topic, pickup trucks not elecrtic or hybrid vehicles. Your whlole point was an apples to Ornages comparison. The VW p/u, Dodge Rampage, Honda Ridgeline etc. have no hybrid/electric technology/excuse.

[post="47515"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Can I buy some pot from you?

First off, unlike electric Metros, that S-10 was made completely by General Motors as an offshoot of the EV program. It was only available to fleets, probably only in California, too, much like most alternative fuel vehicles (EV1, Honda FCX, Ford's electric Ranger)

Second, I believe Hudson's point was that the most recent FWD pickup truck sold in the US was made by GM. The EV1-based S-10 was FWD, made by GM, and sold to fleets as recent as less than 10 years ago. How is that point rendered anything less than valid?

Third, your analogy makes no sense.

Fourth, stick to the topic? Electric drive is a propulsion system, not a class of vehicle. Being electric doesn't make it any less of a pickup truck. I see a bed in the back, so how is it not a pickup? FWD isn't an 'excuse' in this situation, its necessity as it uses a FWD platform with is likely more efficient for use as an electric vehicle.

Fifth, I think a modern compact pickup the general size and layout of an old VW or Rampage pickup would be great and certainly have its place. I scoff at the Ridgeline for reasons including that its too weak to be a real tough pickup but too large to be a real small, useful urban pickup. Imagine a Civic- or Cobalt-based two-door vehicle with an open bed in the back. That's a very useful urban runabout that would satisfy the needs of most people. You don't need to carry five people with you; that's what a car is for. You don't need to tow the Queen Mary; that's what a real truck is for. But if you need something easy to park, economical, with the utility to move large objects around when needed, a compact car-based pickup is perfect.