I don’t think we’ll ever see a pickup that generates more publicity than Cybertruck, but the upcoming entry-level Slate EV is certainly making a strong effort at it. Unlike the Tesla, though, most of the opinions on the Slate appear to be quite positive. A lot of enthusiasts seem to be clamoring for a bare-bones vehicle that has an undeniable “cool” factor. That is, of course, if the price is right.
A recent leak has possibly revealed (but absolutely not confirmed) what the entry price of the Slate will be, and the frenzy begins anew. The big question now appears to be this: at $25,000, is the Slate going to be worth it? As with everything else, I think that’s a personal decision, but I have a few crazy ideas for Slate that could add some practical value and excitement that nobody else is offering. At least, not offering any more.
Luv And A Baby ‘Yota
Many have observed that the Slate is in some ways a throwback to the seventies through the early nineties, when the mini pickup was a major player in the market. Compact trucks like the Toyota Hilux and Datsun (Nissan) Lil’ Hustler were arguably the head honchos of the genre.
These two were joined by captive imports like the Isuzu-built Chevy Luv:
There was also the Mazda-built Ford Courier that I’ve written about before:
With gas-sipping four-cylinder motors, absolutely zero frills, and rock-bottom sticker prices, these were some of the most economical means of transport you could buy; the cargo bed was just an added bonus. As basic as they were, brands and buyers both found ways to customize and personalize these blank slates. Ignore the pun there – or don’t. Other than the gas motor, that description sure sounds a lot like a certain new EV truck we can’t stop talking about.
Just like the Slate, these old mini trucks had one obvious deficiency: a very cramped tin box of a cab. Back in the day, people had a couple of solutions to this issue. One was highly practical, the other was not, but both could be done for limited cash. The same low-cost tricks could be applied to the Slate and make it that much more appealing.
Cab’N Fever
You might be all on board with the Slate concept, but you need to be aware that with two passengers in place there is essentially no more room to be found for anything inside that you want out of the weather. Behind the seats? Is what you want to put there much thicker than a piece of paper? Yeah, put it on your lap or squeeze in your legs to put it at your feet. Back in the seventies, this was also a problem, one that Nissan (then called Datsun) was the first to find a workaround for. Their solution was the same as what Dodge had introduced on their new-for-1973 trucks: the extended cab.
Datsun’s was cleverly called the “King Cab,” and you can hear the “Datsun Voice Guy” with his endless enthusiasm talking about this “car and truck combined” game changer:
By today’s standards, it’s a bit of a joke, lacking enough room even for the side-facing “jump seats” that would appear on later examples. Still, as the ads showed, the King Cab provided room for groceries or any other things you didn’t want unlocked or out in the elements. Even better, the extra cab length let you recline your luxurious vinyl bucket seat or gave a passenger over six feet tall room to breathe. The Slate could benefit from the same thing.
Such a modification to the Slate appears to be easy to make; the structure is essentially open behind the front seats.
That’s because it currently allows for a conversion kit; Slate will offer an enclosure for the cargo bed and a rear seat to transform the pickup into an SUV. With rather awkward folding front seats and the possible squeak and rattle issues of big bolt-on panels, it seems like that’s not going to be the ideal incarnation of this vehicle. However, that doesn’t mean the cab couldn’t use some extra space as an option.
You can see from the Slate-provided picture that shows the rear structure that’s added on for the pickup version with the cargo bed wall and upper window frame:
We could develop a structure to bolt on and extend that wall back to make a King-Cab-style box that would add around a foot of length to the cabin. That’s about the same as the old Datsun and enough to fit something like carry-on-size suitcases but still not take much away from the bed space.
I’d call this add-on box the Caboom, and it could be in a matching color or contrasting finish, or maybe even all black with lights on top to make it almost look like a roll or sport bar.
If that bed length is still important to you at times, not a problem. The Caboom would have a removable or fold-down section of that rear wall and opening or detachable rear window glass to give you that extra bed length back for when you need it. You could even remove the rear window just for flow-through ventilation in the summer.
Hey, but what if I want more than just flow-through ventilation? I have just the answer.
Just Drop It
Small Japanese trucks arguably really hit their stride in the late eighties, when rustproofing and creature comforts had improved but we had yet to see overweight and overwrought examples. They were the first cars of a lot of us GenXers, and we knew we were cool rolling around in our Vuarnet shades and Hypercolor shirts while rowing through the five gears. Yeah, but we knew how we could make it even cooler: chop the top off!
Yes, Dodge offered a fabric-topped convertible truck in the late eighties, but us kids had no time or money for that. A number of companies offered kits to simply slice off your roof and provided the needed seals, door modifications, and latches to make it happen. You had to bring your own saw and be sure that you cut it just right.
I can see the Slate getting a similar treatment at the factory either standard or as an inexpensive option. Obviously, removing the roof would require a brace behind the rear seats to add back in rigidity, and it could be integrated with a roll hoop to hold the seat belts as well.
You can see how the bar would weld or bolt the side walls of the truck for strength. The CHMSL would be mounted to the bar so you’d still be legal with the roof off; a rubber trim baffle would press against the rear window when the top was installed so you wouldn’t get a cabin full of red light when you hit the brakes at night.
As with the old school conversions, the bed would have plenty of room to carry the detached roof, so you’d be prepared if the sky opened up. An optional holder would let you snap the top in place to stop it from getting scratched or going flying when you brake, turn, or accelerate. You’d likely want another person to help lift off and reinstall the roof, but that’s just part of the experience. Prefer a one-touch power top with twenty-two limit sensors, five motors, and six miles of wiring? Go find a six-figure convertible coupe. The whole idea here is to add value without really adding much money back into the product.
Welcome back to 1990. Who knows? Maybe dancing pickup beds will be back in style soon as well.
Yeah, maybe not. You never know, though.
Give ‘Em What They Can’t Get Anywhere Else
If you listened to Jason and David talking about the Slate on our emergency podcast, you’ll know that we really, really want it to succeed. Many Autopians appear happily willing to forgo a dashboard full of screens and power everything to get an easy-to-buy and maintain machine, but it might be challenging to get more casual enthusiasts to put their money where their mouth is.
Jason and David elaborated on the issues. If the Slate really is going to be $25,000 proposition, for a few dollars more each month, the upcoming $30,000 Ford EV pickup will apparently give you four doors, way better range, and “niceties” that even well-under-$25,000 Korean crossovers have standard. If you’re not terrified of previously owned choices, the Slate’s price will also get you a low-mileage under-warranty Maverick (or even a Toyota Tacoma) that essentially nobody will know that you bought used. It’s safe to say that none of those better-equipped alternate truck options have the “cool” factor of the Slate, but a buck is a buck. Oh, and let’s be honest: if you have a partner or spouse who is part of the buying decision and isn’t an enthusiast? Good luck on getting that Slate.
No, the Slate will need to succeed on “cool” as much as price, if not more so. A “King Cab” or a convertible option wouldn’t turn the Slate into a Maverick, but why should they? We don’t want this breath-of-fresh-air concept to be that. I’m just trying to find ways to add some more excitement and usefulness to one of the most interesting new trucks to come along in a long time and help the value proposition that it needs to make it.
Think about it. You’re about to pull the trigger on a new Slate when you (or your wife) see a Maverick at the Ford dealer across the street or, worse yet, a ’24 Maverick with low miles for the same money or less than this crank window and screenless grey truck. “Well,” says the salesman, “you realize that the top comes off this thing, right?” Sold. Where’s the paperwork?
These two ideas here are hardly new; but if they worked forty or fifty years ago, they could certainly do the same thing today.
Top graphic base image: Slate
I was disappointed to find the roof panel is the ONLY panel that is bonded to the frame. Trust me we were planning on some convertible conversions on the (future) owners forum.
Nothing a saw and a drill can’t take care of.
I thought those tools were for removing the batteries.
Yeah, Bishop gets it.
The Slate has a 7 cubic foot frunk.
Exactly. Not enough room.
It isn’t? Sounds perfect for a few bags of groceries to me, or a couple duffel bags (for the record, I thought of those on my own, but I see now that they are also listed as examples on Slate’s FAQ page). It’s not gonna give 1970’s Cadillac a run for their money, but does it have to? Does anyone expect it to?
And this probably goes without saying, but you can make your own absolutely massive trunk by installing a tonneau cover or a topper.
It’s more than twice the size of a Model 3 frunk. It’s not going to fit your Costco trip, but it will fit other store trips.
The Xtracab is only 6 cubic feet of space. A model Y frunk is 4.1 cubic ft. The Datsun was for total added volume and not just the small space just behind the seats, you would have to cover the rear window all the way to the roof for it to be 11 cubic feet.
Sure, the add on described would be a good way to expand the vehicle but that frunk will likely work really well. It’s 7 cubic ft of secure and out of sight storage.
“Datsun Saves”
WWJD? This truck, apparently.
What Would Jason Do?
Him too.
1. Looking at the Nissan king cab ad, how small is that red Coleman cooler to fit back there on the floor?
2. Good idea for the new Slate options.
My dad has one that size, from that era. It’s about 2/3 the size of a traditional Coleman.
I grew up during the mini-truck fad my friends and I owned all of the Japanese 5, including one with a REPU, and the 2 real Americans. All of them in regular cab configuration were uncomfortable at best for those of us over 6′. Even the shorter of my friends still had their head up against the back window. So yeah the Slate is not for me based on the pictures of David and others behind the wheel.
As the owner of a Scout II Cabtop, I do think they missed a big opportunity in not having followed in IH’s footsteps and used complete tops instead of going the late style Blazer/Bronco and 4 Runner tops.
At one point you could order your early Scout with Cab Top, Sport Top, Panel Top and Travel Top. You could also order it in the Roadster version and with Folding soft tops in the equivalent Cab Top, Sport Top and Travel Top configurations, though not all in the same year. You could even specify multiple tops in mix and match manner.
As far as top removal goes, pretty easy with one person on my Cab Top, hop in the bed after the bolts have been removed, lift and pivot and then set it down in the bed. Depending on what I was doing I might leave it in the bed or hop down and set it aside.
I had a ’94 Toyota regular cab. Bought it new in October 1994, two weeks before the new Tacomas were due to arrive, and my local dealership was brooming out the last base model ’94s for a screaming $7500. No AC, no power windows, no radio, no rear bumper, 22R-E 4 banger with a 5 speed stick. Hell of a deal. Anyway, I’m 6′ 2″ and I never found the cab uncomfortable. Sometimes I wished I’d added AC, but I never felt I missed out on anything by not getting the extended cab, except maybe room for a subwoofer. I drove that thing for 200,000 miles, then gave it a new clutch, oil pump, water pump, and timing gears and gave it to my niece. Last I heard it was still running up in Alaska.
How about the people whining about an extra cab or crew cab just buy one of the ones already made by every other truck maker and stop sniveling about Slate being regular cab only, in other words play in your own sandbox.
The crew cab/four-door demands are annoying and unreasonable, but I think the extended cab proposal that works with the Slate’s existing structure is pretty good/ Gives people another option.
I would buy the SUV kit, just not install the rear seats, or maybe even the rear roll cage
In other words, a small van. I support your opinion.
I would like to keep the regular cab, but be able to get a lockable cab-height topper for it so I can haul my lawnmower during the summers and my snowblower during the winters and keep them out of the elements.
If Slate doesn’t offer a topper, hopefully Leer, Snug-Top, A.R.E., or Century will step up and offer something with a similar factory finish but also work with Slate to offer matching wraps.
Yes it is vital to keep the lawnmower and snowblower out of the elements because you can never tell how they will handle the weather. LOL
My comment didn’t come out right. I meant being able to store them in the back of the truck if I was going to need them somewhere else before I needed them at home. It’s nice not to have a box full of snow during the winters. I’ve owned regular-cab pickups since 1991. My first truck had a wooden flatbed with stake sides and I did not like having the back open to the elements. Around 1993 I replaced the flatbed with a used 8′ box and put an aluminum topper on it. Every truck I’ve owned since 1993 has had a topper.
I did go from a cab-height topper to a hard fiberglass tonneau cover on my El Camino, though.
No problem I knew what you meant just having fun hence the LOL
If they’re made of steel? Probably not that well.
Not sure what you mean
On machines like lawnmowers and snow powers protective layers of paint get damaged and exposed steel rusts.
So if you leave a well used mower or blower exposed to the elements you may find it has disintegrated over the off season.
Funny story – My lawnmower is 23 years old. Well, the engine is, anyway. About 5 years ago, the original chassis rusted so badly that it just started crumbling around the engine. I was going to buy a new one, but my brother-in-law had a lawnmower in his garage that didn’t have an engine so he gave it to me. I mounted the old engine and the blade on the old chassis and it still works great to this day. My 11 year old snowblower is getting pretty rusty, too, and won’t last too many more years.
Slate’s factory finish would be a big step down.
But it would match the truck and hopefully not cost $2,000.
I have an 03 S10. Regular cab. Larger bed than pretty much any new full size. Top of the roof is at bed rail height for the bro trucks. Manual everything. A cap and a rack and I am good.
Another idea: Soft tops/manual convertible tops.
Just because something has a bed doesn’t mean that it cannot have a soft top/convertible top as well.
Well I was thinking manual cranking extensions like an RV but yeah this idea works great too.
That might be enough to get one into my driveway. But the just broken in Toyota has to die first.
Take it from the owner of a 170,000 mile 2009 Toyota product- don’t hold your breath.
And when it does die, get a used Tacoma instead.
I don’t get why the manual windows are such a talking point. Power windows are an available option. Just get what you want.
I’m more concerned about a lack of a rear window defroster or wiper option, especially with the fastback kit.
I think it’s more the fact that it’s an option in the first place. They’re literally no more expensive from the manufacturing side of things, and making it an option (that most people will want) just increases the price to the consumer… Going without just seems like a rich person’s LARP.
Just hold your hand against the window until the snow melts.
It’s enshittification. They took out the power windows and sold them back to you, like Apple did with the headphone jack
It’s really not. Also, Apple doesn’t sell you the headphone jack. They design for Bluetooth and sell wireless headphones.
If anything, this is Slate selling a headphone jack to people who would rather just have Bluetooth.
*Ahem*
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2q3am/a/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter
I know about dongles, yes. That’s not a serious thing they want/plan for people to use as the intended experience, it’s a workaround for people with outside/legacy hardware. And with Apple, probably to avoid lawsuits more than anything.
Much as I love my current ride, the Volt just isn’t quite as much fun to drive as was my CRX Si. Which had an electric sliding sunroof, AND hand-crank windows.
I don’t remember the cranks detracting one whit from the fun.
And I opted for no radio, because a pal of mine was handy with such things, and I wound up with what at the time was a great sound system with four two-way 6.5″ speakers.
So if a tree fell on my car? I might just have a good long look at this Bezosmobile. It might well have the same energy as that wonderful old Honda.
As to the fine article, which I did read: Sure. Why not.
I bet that great sound system was cheaper than the factory mediocre model as well. The mark up on stereos in cars is worse than shoelaces. Trust me the profit margin on a piece of string with tips on them is worse than diamonds.
Given how cheap Chinese synthetic diamonds and GenZ distain have absolutely gutted the diamond market you are probably right. I almost, ALMOST feel bad for anyone who bought diamonds as an investment.
There are parts of Africa where there are allegedly diamonds just littering the ground, don’t even have to dig for them. If the land wasn’t protected, they could tank the market pretty much overnight.
If true those are probably industrial grade stones; fine for drill bits but not very nice in jewelry.
Diamond blades are reasonable now.
Yeah, I think people don’t realize this. “What if it costs more to add in all the electronics yourself?” Tablets aren’t expensive, half-decent speakers aren’t expensive. Nice speakers are less expensive than paying a few grand extra for a high trim that supports the further-extra Sound and Fury Package or whatever.
And then you don’t end up like the people who bought a Honda with an infotainment tablet that lags and crashes constantly because Honda cheaped out on something with 1GB of RAM.
Turns out, if you solder in more RAM, those tablets are much more responsive (and still crash constantly)!
(This was years back, before the chip shortage and the RAMine.)
I didn’t mind the cranks in my early ’80s Subarus, either, but those cars were about the size of an Ovalia egg chair inside (though not cramped like today’s terribly inefficient monsters), so reaching all four cranks from the driver’s seat to the point of being able to crank 2 at once was easy to do. Even small cars today are much wider and I imagine the Slate will follow that model.
I do not have long legs. I’ve got the opposite, in fact. I’m 6′ tall with a 27″ in seam. However, that Datsun ad saying they’re the only truck that has got room for long legs and large loads means that finally there’s a subcompact truck that can handle the loads I bring to a vehicle. Hurray!
“I’m 6′ tall with a 27″ in seam.”
I’m envisioning someone sort of like Michael Phelps…!
Extended cab is a great option. One big plus the slate has over the old mini trucks is the fronk but I could still see some people wanting some more space behind the seats. The biggest thing I think they need is a higher roof version of their suv kit. Right now you can make a panel van. But a mid hight van could be big for a lot of fleets. Everything from catering to electricians. I could see something like that being used for a smaller reefer van too. Either slate and the after market could come through with more insulation that can be put together. Along with a cooling unit. One of those 12v Chinese ones would probably do the trick.
A convertible version would be neat. A transformer like set up that changed a hard tonneau trifold into two rear facing jump seats that was still road legal would be even better. Brat it up please. the trifold would cover groceries the rest of the time. And since it is already low, it should not be too big of a difference from a regular trunk anyway. They make regular sized truck amazon special trifolds for under 500 bucks already.
Yes! Nissan NX200 style.choice of ‘roof’ options!
Looking at the naked frame I think a targa roof would be an even easier option for them to produce and buyers to use.
And can they PLEASE paint the steelies silver or (even preferably) white!?! Something that’ll offer a bit more visibility, some rim-sidewall contrast and not look junky and unfinished once the slightest bit of road dust hits it like black ones do?
Targa roof with enough storage room behind the seats to fit it.
Back window should slide down and the roof panels could be split to fit in the frunk.
Take them to one of the tire store chains who will powder coat them white for $20/wheel along with all the semi truck wheels they do.
Caboom works for me (barroom for the roll bar option) but I bet if you called the extension a gunlocker it’d sell a million of them.
Nah those bois but their pickups by the tonnage. Maybe a first truck for the kids.
That’s what flip up bench seats are for.
AKs and shotguns, any truck guns.
It’s got a pretty hefty frunk, I believe?
Yeah, if it’s got a frunk and ok legroom I’m fine without a kingcab type option.
Came into the comments looking for this, since it seems like the obvious solution for “anything…that you want out of the weather”, with the bonus that (like a sedan’s trunk) your stuff is out of sight too. I can imagine that for some things you’d really want in-cab access (and won’t fit in the glovebox), or have dimensions that wouldn’t fit in the frunk, or whatever. But it seems like a fairly narrow range of use cases where an extended cab would be the “best” solution compared to either the frunk on its own or the whole SUV kit?
If you got a frunk can you extend the leg room further because no firewall? I mean instead of needing extra room behind the seats extend it forward with adjustable pedals. And the frunk, not mentioned in the article is room for stuff out of the weather.
Have you seen something about the Slate having adjustable pedals?
A 7 cubic ft frunk with a low load floor like al ightning.
7 cubic feet is not hefty.
It is if you fit 3000 Hefty trash bags in it.
However it will not husky (well it might but the husky would not be happy about it.)
$25k is a great starting point, below the entry level Santa Cruz and Maverick trim levels. I think they should try to pare it down even further though, because it’s not well below their prices, and it really is a stripped-down truck.
Personally, I’d go for a stripper like this. For options, I’d add solar roof and solar hood. That’s all. I know that’s not listed as an option; it’s the only option I want. I know it’s an option for Telo; Slate could offer it in such an obviously appropriate spot as the SUV roof and absolutely find takers.
The solar hood could maybe be done easily with flexible solar panels, would love if a modding community popped up with the panels+charge controller ready to go.
There’s a lot of unoccupied real estate on the roof and hood of my R4P, I’d love for someone to offer a kit that could trickle power into the traction battery.
There already is available a panel designed to be adhered directly to the hood, but it’s intended for campers. It isn’t for putting charge into the car – but I sure as hell wish it was.
I think the car’s nanny systems won’t allow it to receive a charge from outside the car while it’s operating, so trickle-charging a reservoir while on the go and parked would suffice. That then automatically hooks into the charger system and dumps the power into the traction battery when parked. I can see most of how I could do this with readily available power banks from Pecron, EcoFlow, etc.
I drove the car to work today and there’s plenty of sun available. If I could harvest a single kilowatt-hour from solar every day, that would provide around 3 miles of range which admittedly isn’t much, but over a month it represents over 60 miles of sun-powered driving. 700 miles of gas-free driving per year isn’t trivial, and I don’t sell vehicles quickly. The system would pay for itself long before I ever even got tired of the car.
The good news is you will probably get way more than a single kh\h from the solar setup.
If we assume a conservative 2m^2 of solar panels on the roof and hood (you probably fit more, if you find the right packaging.) that should give you about 350-450 w/hr, so with a 8hr work day you would get a little over 3kw per day. Triple all your numbers basically.
If you add solar for the back as part of an SUV kit you would get even more.
Oh, i know. I’m pretty well versed in PV numbers, I was just using a very simplified example. I tend to think that the 2 sq. m. might be a bit optimistic but hey – if I could have it, more’s the better. I say optimistic because (I’m daydreaming about my current ride here, not the Slate) the car came with a sunroof, which significantly cuts into the available roof space…though it does also provide us a possible route for wires into the car without damaging the body panels.
I generally assume only 4 peak hours per day, and let the presumed output of the shoulder hours offset the lost generation to bad weather. Even then, you could reasonably expect over 1.5 kW-h which, by my estimation, is good for over 4.5 miles per day – or just under a tenth of my daily commute. No matter how you slice it, that’s significant.
Oh weather, I literally forgot clouds existed in the land of 300d/yr of sunshine.
On my police spec car they drilled right through the roof for the wiring, sealed it with silicone caulking and it’s held up well, could work here.
I think we’re closer to about 200d/yr sunny weather. You must be somewhere more arid like Arizona or Morocco. We’re far from the rainiest weather in the world, but a typical year is 48 inches / 1.2m rain per year, and a wet year is closer to five feet / 1.5m. The wettest year I ever saw was over 66 inches of rain which is a LOT for the US southeast, and it rained literally every day in April.
$5K less and not a Ford sounds really good to me though.
And it looks like the difference between $25K and $30k is more like $100/month, give or take. Not “a few dollars”.
When I was last shopping for a new car, it really struck me how $5,000 over my budget might as well have been $50,000 over my budget. Doesn’t matter how much value I’m going to get out of it if I can’t afford it at all.
When I sold cars the scale was $25 a month for every $1,000. So that would be $125 a month, does that still hold true?
The best way they could have added a lot more value for not much money is with a stereo and power windows.
The kids really do seem to like their music today
Power windows are at least an available option. It just seems crazy to me to not axe the manual windows all together, save some P/N management and inventory issues, and go with power windows only. I’ve got to imagine the cost would be minimal to the company, if not evens save money.
Even though I’m solidly in the don’t-care camp, this is frankly the less-fraught way to go. When most vehicles on the US market don’t offer manual windows at any trim level, not offering power windows at all is going to be really offputting to a lot of shoppers. And knowing how affordable the parts are in the first place, it would be my default, non-optional equipment if it were my truck to build. You don’t lose buyers buy offering only power windows, but you can certainly lose them when you don’t have them at all.
Do the math $500 extra not counting the mark up. That adds $12.50 to your monthly payment. Don’t kid yourself the options are always in the payments. That is $150 a year, so at 4 years $600, not bad, at 6 years $900, so I may not know what I’m talking about. As long as the window motor is warrantied
Nope minimum an extra $500. So 1/50th just to open and close the window
$500 for you to buy it at the parts counter. Do you really think the power window systems cost that much to the manufacturer?
See, manual windows appeal to me.
Every single person for whom that’s true is either over the age of 80 or can be found in this comment section.
I just wrote this comment to say I would buy a car with manual windows.
My Gen Z son is under 70 and not in the comments ????. He has two vehicles with hand crank windows, although both were used.
on a tangent some cars don’t have any sort of roll down windows. The Citroën 2CV has flip up windows and pre 1985 Land Rovers have sliding windows
I think people will be a lot more accepting of crank windows in the standard cab of this small(ish) two window truck than in say a Suburban where reaching all the windows is (I imagine) near impossible without crawling into the back or getting out and going around.
Yeah my Wrangler had zip out windows, and I seemed to manage that just fine without much fuss. Was totally doable without even getting out of the drivers seat, my expectations are that rolling down both windows in the Slate will be the same.
I’m dailying my old truck right now, never had power windows. Not really missing them either since I’ve had the truck since I was…jeez has it been that long? Since I was 19 and installing a conversion kit just takes an afternoon. Nothing stopping me. It’s just not that big a deal.
Let’s be honest it’s like seat belts or seat adjustment you set it and forget it.
Me, too.
How often do you currently drive a vehicle with manual windows? My ’65 has manual windows, and while I’ll never install power ones, I don’t understand the love for them.
What’s so special about roasting in the heat (or being cold) and having to wait till a stop light to be able to open (or close) the passenger side window? Oh, and the back sliders? Gotta crawl back there to operate those…
Not currently but my 93 Eagle Talon I drove for about 7 years and 100k-ish miles had crank windows. Plus a manual pop up sunroof. It was perfect, along with its manual door locks. And 5 speed. I wish I still had it.
People used to buy them so they survived driving into lakes and canals.
I’ve never had a daily driver with power windows but I guess people like ’em.
I disagree you can get a lot more stereo for your money in the aftermarket. Like a Hilux instead of a used Yugo difference. And considering the average window motor costs $300 that is $600 as opposed to $25 worth of metal. Me I’m building up my weaker biceps to counter my beer drinking curls. But to each their own.
I’ve been driving for 25 years and probably a million miles and I’ve never had a power window regulator fail, a window stop moving, or any issue of any kind across two dozen cars owned.
Maybe I’m the luckiest guy in the world.
Or maybe the reliability of power windows or the cost to repair them is simply not an issue worth worrying about in 2026.
Same mileage, same lack of issues. I do remember hand cranks breaking, though. It was such a common occurrence that the miscellaneous parts aisles in auto part stores would have several styles of generic cranks to fit popular models in blister packaging hanging from hooks.
I’ve had it happen in one vehicle, my 03 Civic. Honda made the wiring harnesses precisely as long as they need to be, causing the wires to eventually fatigue and fail after 20 years or so. Was an afternoon fiddling with the wiring harness and extending the wires a few inches to restore functionality. Had all the tools I ended on hand including wire, solder, and heat shrink; so for me it was a free fix.
Also had to help a roommate fix the power windows on his junky BMW 3 series, the glass had dropped free of the regulators and had to be re-seated properly. It was an alignment issue with the glass, not the motor itself.
I’ve seen issues with regulators, especially the cable and pulley kind, but yeah, they weren’t the fault of the motor or something that would have been prevented with a hand crank. That Honda is a specific issue to them, not an inherent fault of the technology. While I suppose Slate could also screw up a power window instal, if one is worried about that, I shudder to think of the stress burden they’d feel when they consider every single other area where they could screw up.
Absolutely fair assessment. Just had to be the well actually guy for a moment 🙂
I play that role sometimes, too! I blame head #3.
LOL
That’s a hell of a markup. An Amazon search shows regulators for various vehicles between $30-$50.
Window motors may cost $300 at the dealer counter with the 500% profit margin, but to the manufacturer they cost $50 tops, but probably closer to $5 a piece.
I think a blanked off double DIN in the dash, speaker holes behind grills spread around with some preinstalled speaker wiring, maybe a bit of space somewhere for a sub and its amplifier is fine as far as the sound system goes. Then the buyers can add as good or as crappy a system as their ears and budget can handle.
How much do you think a stereo costs?
I have absolutely no interest in a 4-door pickup but I would gladly give up 1′ of bed length for an extended cab. Sure stowing groceries and luggage behind the seats and out of the weather was great but far and away its biggest benefit over a regular cab is the ability to recline the seats to fit your posture.
That, and dogs.
Dogs are pretty great.
The four legged breeds
Maybe a suicide half door for loading and unloading behind the seats?
That is the max extent of an extended cab I would ever want but looking at that frame image that is going to have to come from the factory in the second gen if Slate makes it that long.
Those are neat but not really necessary since the space behind the seats isn’t very deep. You can easily reach and retrieve anything in that area just by sliding the seat forward.
Go for it!
“WE BUILT IT. YOU MAKE IT.
We think everyone should be able to personalize their car. But vehicles aren’t built to be customized by non-gearheads (we love you, gearheads). So, we changed that. A Slate is designed for easy DIY (yes, even you). It’s built with over 100 Slate Attach Points that fit our ever-expanding range of accessories. So you can make it whatever you want, whenever you want.”
https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization
How about a stepside bed? Doesn’t help creature comfort, but it would add to the personalization choices.
That might be more difficult given the unibody construction.
Love the graphics on it. Something so good about those style of graphics.
Tape stripes are my kryptonite.