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Thankful to have a job.

Newport RI 1940 :

Telluride (no question, just checks every box), and Durango gets my votes also. Telluride, no question. Durango, in current form, is one of the most refined, efficient, capable, etc. in the group, with space and capability. Solid, proven, a pleasure to drive, spacious, and add in a well baked ZF 8-speed, RWD based tank platform, etc. The Explorer is a mess. Great on paper, great in theory, but built to 80% and they missed taking those great RWD bones, and actually refining them. Glitchy powertrain, unrefined and weird 10-speed performance, unrefined ride/handling, and garbage interior bits. Hopefully 2-3 years in it gets a rebake, and refresh to tune it up. Traverse...rental car feel, extraordinare. Had 2016 for 3 years. The new gen has better dynamics and sharper responses, mixed with bleh cheap plastics and lack of details, ugly cheap silver wheels, plastic galore, etc. GM and Ford are in a similar spot right now with "they got so good" then..."let's go cheap, plasticky again, and who cares" downward cycle. Then Telluride...well... Any automaker. Just take a Telluride, and do that. It checks every box properly, right, and is priced bizarrely normal too, less than others. $60k Enclave with bleh guts (used to set an example) or $43k Telluride that feels worth $10k more, and is nicer day to day. No question.

Hoping it is the same size as my old S 10 was....miss that truck!

When one has a certain narrative stuck in one's mind, one will invent all kinds of theories to justify one's opinion. Reality says otherwise.

Chevrolet sold the Compact Pick S10 from 1982 to 2004 for 22 years and before that they sold the compact Chevrolet Luv truck from 1972 to 1982. 32 Years of compact or mini pickups being millions made and sold. I think the US can support mini pickups especially for the inner city markets.

Ford is doing it. And Ford knows trucks. It's not a replacement for a Fiesta or Focus, but it is a welcome addition to their lineup. It is rumored to start under $20k. My Colorado was $37k. I owned 5 S-10 pickups, they were plenty big enough. I am on my 4th Colorado, and one thing I miss about those old S-10s is the smaller size, and all the advantages of that tidiness.

I've picked up on an obscure British murder mystery series starring Patricia Routledge called Heyy Wainthropp Investigates.