We love small trucks. From the Daihatsu Hijet to the Ford Maverick Hybrid, there’s just something admirable about a hardworking vehicle that doesn’t use a ton of resources or take up a bunch of space. Small trucks pull a lot from a little, hauling loads, towing small trailers, and doing proper big truck stuff while still fitting into city parking spots, but they’re also largely forbidden fruit for America.
Guess what? There’s a new one on the block for emerging markets, and I want it badly. This adorably pug-faced trucklet is the Toyota Rangga, and it looks absolutely ideal for the small truck segment.
Toyota recently unveiled this thing in Indonesia under the guise of a concept car, but come on — it looks too fleshed-out to be that. After all, why would a true concept car have corporate mirrors? Indeed, Toyota claims that a production version is coming, and it looks like just the machine to get most jobs done, from light farm work to selling hotdogs.
Beyond the all-black front fascia, you’ll find some fascinating design touches on the Rangga. From the beveled doors to the sharp creases on the fenders, there’s a bit of Giugiaro folding paper going in here in the best possible way. I’m also seeing a little bit of Toyota’s Land Cruiser-inspired compact electric SUV concept in the Rangga, a solid familial link to both future visions and Land Cruisers of the past. Nice.
Once you get used to the retro cool styling, you’ll notice a ton of pragmatic details going on with the Toyota Rangga. Those plastic flared wheel arches don’t just look rugged, they also look inexpensive to replace should they take a knock. The front bumper features separate corner pieces, likely for a similar reason. The bed is just a simple, low-sided tray that looks ripe for strapping tie-downs to and easy to repaint at home should surface corrosion eventually start to creep in from moisture, road salt, or just gashing the paint while ripping through a forest.
Powertrain details for the Toyota Rangga remain sparse, but it’s not hard to see a little bit of the underpinnings thanks to the minimalist bed design. We’re looking at a robust-looking frame and what appear to be rear leaf springs, properly rugged stuff for a truck you just know is going to be overloaded. Hey, if it gets the job done, right?
Oh, and Toyota has actually released a whole series of concepts and renderings of what the Rangga can be. Kicking things off with a rendering, check out this incredible drift truck. With a dramatic body kit and some proper low, this Rangga looks ready to tear up a few sets of rear tires.
Now, the drift truck is just an artistic depiction, but Toyota actually built this charming little beverage truck to show a real-world use case for the Rangga. Who wouldn’t want to buy a latte sold through the side of this thing? With the bed replaced with a massive high-roof enclosed space, you could sling whatever sort of non-alcoholic drinks you like out the side of this particular Rangga. As it stands, it makes for a pretty awesome auto-show feature.
So, if you had a Toyota Rangga, what would you do with it? I’d love one for winter duty and hauling car parts, but perhaps you have rural property, or a small home-based business, or love thrifting cool furniture. This little truck looks so incredibly useful, it could be a game-changer for people who need it.
(Photo credits: Toyota)
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I might have said so already, but I too think it looks pretty good. The low-poly cab, the utility bed w/drop-down sides, even the overly chunky grill which always strikes me as a bit silly on Tacomas and Tundras… it all sort of works here on the Ragga. It’s not pretty, but that’s fine… it looks ready for actual work, which I find very appealing. I dig those steelies on the plain white work truck version too… very Maverickesque!
I hope (against hope) that Toyota might actually release such a basic, usable truck in the States, maybe with a base hybrid drivetrain giving decent around-town MPG and most importantly, a price within reach of independent tradesmen, contractors, handymen, gardeners, and DIYers/hobbyists… so, say, a base MSRP of no more than $22-23K tops. Nothing fancy at that price (not even nav, just a place to sit your phone w/Google Maps) and that’s how I’d like it.
Toyota is probably one of the very few mfgrs. that could out-Maverick Ford ***IF*** they wanted to do so in America. If they did decide to do so, I hope they’ll learn from Ford’s mistakes and MAKE ENOUGH CHEAP TRUCKS to satisfy customer demand without year-long waitlists and $10K+ dealer markups. I can’t imagine a mfgr. with Toyota’s breadth of experience couldn’t figure a way to make a viable business case for this in the States. If they wanted to.
I do like it though. 🙂 Like a pug or Frenchie wearing saddlebags!
I know it won’t be sold in Australia and New Zealand (safety And emissions etc) but I kinda wish it would be. Especially if there’s a 4×4 version. It’s like a baby 70 series
I dunno…if it’s not a rusted-out, banged-up Grumman with a loud-ass generator and faded pictures on the side playing “Turkey in the Straw” on repeat, is it even an ice cream truck?
They might have to change the “Rangga” name is Aus/NZ…
Oh there’s a lot subtlety and background to this here https://paultan.org/2023/08/17/giias-2023-toyota-rangga-concept/
Those renders are largely done by contestants for a competition.
Also price wise, the numbers suggested equate to a range between AU$20,000 to AU$30,000. So… cheap. But not real cheap.
That’s pretty cheap! A Yaris is like $25kaud so at $20k it would be Toyota cheapest model
Ah about time! Today is the second-to-last day of GIIAS (Gaikindo Indonesia Auto Show) in Internation Conv. Centre in Indonesia, just went there yesterday and test driven the new MG4 EV
I can tell a whole lot of things about this auto show, shoot me a mail or a reply on this comment, ask away!
I’m curious!
Ask away, ill answer ASAP!
It really shows the cultural difference because i don’t think any Indonesian will call this ‘small’
Yes, medium to large, our full size SUVs are like your regular Explorers, Escalades or Tahoes are in the DAMN THATS MASSIVE category here
Yeah a large SUV in New Zealand is a Toyota Highlander/Volvo XC90 size car
“We love small trucks. . . .the Ford Maverick Hybrid”
I’ve started seeing enough Mavericks to finally notice them. I really wanted one, but now I’m glad I didn’t order. It’s *not* small – maybe it’s relatively small, but it’s not small small.
It’s weird and utilitarian…. I like weird. If the camper version were the right price, I’d be at the showroom.
Love the visible structural framing around the doors. Painted black like in the coffee truck picture, it has Smart car vibes, but rugged.
Although I’m not wild about what looks like an old-fashioned steam radiator under the grille on most models, I could imagine owning a Toyota with a face like that, unlike the models we get now which are all hell to the no.
The utility version has no taillights…. And the beverage truck has ultra small taillights which could only be legal outside of the US. More clues to it never coming here.
I love how they removed the drivetrain from the CAD models before the render, so you can see through the lug holes and hub center of the rear wheels. Implies to me that it would be RWD.
Assuming it has a 6-foot bed, I would just pickup-truck the heck out of this thing. Haul motorcycles, appliances or half-yards of gravel, you name it.
Love the fold-down side version of the bed. VW single and double cab truck vibes for sure.
Nice Dreams.
I want one.
I love it
This truck screams work truck, which is exactly what I’d want a small truck to be. Sure, you could sport it up, you can do that to anything, but this is solidly in the utilitarian camp right out of the box and not a replacement for a car or SUV. No Deluxe or Limited models needed. I’d get mine with a dump bed if they offered it. I love utes and understand why people are jumping all over Mavericks and Santa Cruzes, but this ain’t that and I’m just fine with it. Which is a long way of saying these will never come to the US.
Sadly I never see ice cream trucks in the USA anymore. Just like I’ll never see these little trucks here.
We have two here! They’re still fairly prevalent in the Northeast during the summer.
Whenever I hear “The Entertainer” playing, I immediately turn into Pavlov’s dog and begin looking around for an ice cream truck.
Do you ever hear “The Entertainer” playing and it’s not an ice cream truck?
If so, what old timey saloon type establishments do you frequent?
In my area in Northern California, we are infested with ice cream trucks, which mostly sell overpriced sugar-water popsicles. The recordings play Christmas tunes ad nauseum, which tells you how much the operators know about the culture on this continent.
That’d be a hard sell here. Even the small trucks we do get here are only available in 4 door configurations, and single cab fullsize pickups are mostly the domain of fleet buyers.
That is a very cool little truck. It would be great here in the narrow roads of South West England. I used to have a summer job driving an Ice Cream truck, but not just any truck, it was a Land Rover Defender converted into an Ice Cream Truck!
https://www.alamy.com/hockings-dairy-ice-cream-van-traditional-ice-cream-company-in-north-devon-image217925575.html
That defender is fabulous, perfect for the beach! It’d make a great platform for a nice little camper too with all those massive windows!
I might go so far as to say that this is the ugliest front end ever affixed to a vehicle. If it had come out before the crossover Cherokee that would most certainly be the case, but unfortunately that (to me) was the start of a shift to atrocious design language across the board.
but you’re wrong, though, so that’s nice
I was trying to come up with an analogy for what it looked like but I had to stop looking at pictures of it because my eyes started bleeding.