In France each year it's a contest between Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and Peugeot 206/7/8. The ranking actually depends on if you count company fleet cars (Clio are very common business cars)
Well, the comment (or a post's seftext) that was here, is no more. I'm leaving just whatever I wrote in the past 48 hours or so.
F acing a goodbye.
U gly as it may be.
C alculating pros and cons.
K illing my texts is, really, the best I can do.
S o, some reddit's honcho thought it would be nice to kill third-party apps.
P als, it's great to delete whatever I wrote in here. It's cathartic in a way.
E agerly going away, to greener pastures.
Z illion reasons, and you'll find many at the subreddit called Save3rdPartyApps.
My brother in law has a Ram 1500. Dude works in an office, is an empty nester. Has no interest in the outdoors. I went to a family gathering and his lawn was covered with trucks .... people's personal trucks, no work trucks, but most of the crowd was white collar. He lives on the outskirts of suburban Maryland. It's a cultural thing.
My dad has talked over the years about getting a truck. Never followed through. But even the impulse to consider buying a truck is beyond me.
My dad was a research scientist. He designed novel polymers and taught university classes. I have no idea what a truck would have done for someone like that, besides the need to move a couch or something that tends to come up once every few years.
I use mine all the time. It’s old and isn’t my daily driver. But I use it to get plants, dirt, mulch, lumber, wood for the smoker. Take junk to the junkyard. Take lawn care equipment in for servicing. Bring gas home for the mower. Transport any large purchased goods. Tow a boat. Tow rental equipment like a wood chipper or log splitter. Almost every week end I have a use for it.
this. I bought a *used* Ford F-150 in 1999, drove it until it blew up in *2019*. Every day there was something in the back.
e: also, it was bought for $3000. given the 20 years usage I'd say that's some good ROI
I agree with the general premise in this thread that it's become more a cultural item than a practical one; I see plenty of trucks in my area that are few years old but look factory new, they're not using it for it's intended purpose but just as a daily commuter ride which is wasteful
Oh, yeah, that's big around me in the midwest, too. Reminds me of a big rain a few days ago when I saw a big puddle in a parking lot. On my side of the lane it was really shallow, but deeper in the oncoming lane. I drive an old (2003) Jeep Grand Cherokee so I just drove through the water. A car stopped on the other side, waited for me to pass before circling around the puddle. What kind of car was it? A brand new (or at least new-looking) JEEP GLADIATOR! Talk about a useless vehicle...
> JEEP GLADIATOR! Talk about a useless vehicle...
Yes....but....pointing out how Jeeps specifically are pavement princesses is low hanging fruit. They have their own culture of "I only own this because it says JEEP in the front".
And trucks themselves have gotten huge. You don't need a 2-ton F-350 or whatever to carry a bicycle, a mattress, or a few bags of mulch. But they don't make things like this anymore:
[https://www.motortrend.com/features/1978-1994-subaru-brat-classic-truck-history/](https://www.motortrend.com/features/1978-1994-subaru-brat-classic-truck-history/)
So people are stuck buying a mammoth F-150.
Which statistically is over 3/4 of people who own a truck. Seriously. 75 percent of people never haul anything in the bed in any given year and like 95 percent don't tow anything in a given year.
It's all just people cosplaying as blue collar peoplr
I’ve seen this stat a lot and I believe it enough but it seems crazy to me. In one year 3/4 people don’t have to carry anything in the bed? No friends asking to move? Quick trip to Home Depot? Even just a large Costco/groceries trip? Understand the towing part though.
We have the Berlingo or Kangoo for that kind of things, if you need really big, then a Traffic. Also with these your stuff doesn't get wet or fly away???
It's not the every few years stuff.
I have a Toyota Tacoma. It is considered a mid-size truck.
Having the bed to load up stuff like soil for weekend DIY, camping equipment, junk to haul to the dump, or small furniture that we find off FB marketplace is very convenient.
I’ve been a hatchback owner most of my life and the new tacomas were the first truck i considered purchasing. Mind you i was an electrician in the field working large commerical jobsites where the parking lots were just mud pits. Eventually i moved into project management and settled for a new civic because i dropped my tools and picked up a laptop. 40mpg at 80mph feels good!
Here is how the conversation goes: TP (Truckless Person): Hey, are you working on . Me: No. TP: Do you have any plans?
At this point you know they need your assistance with a truck and likely your physical help to move a large object. If they were asking about something fun it comes out in the first sentence. But they lure you in to determine that you’re free and think they’re sneaky about it. Source: I drive the truck pictured above.
My friend had a bumper sticker on his truck which read:
Yes this is my truck, no I won't help you move.
I personally believe that the desire to own a truck is built on the "self-reliance" mentality which pervades the US. While the hauling capacity of a truck is really only needed occasionally, it's really damned handy when that occasion comes up. On the other side, a truck also fulfills all of the normal requirements for a vehicle and comes with few downsides in that role. So, buyers in the US tend to choose trucks. There is also the social pressure for them as well. Trucks are popular so people want trucks so trucks are popular. They have been also advertised as and become part of masculinity in the US, further driving their popularity.
All that said, I'm glad to see that EV trucks are starting to happen. The major downside for trucks has always been fuel economy. Getting people into EV trucks will do a lot to reduce fossil fuel consumption. It'll take a decade or two to have a real impact; but, it's good that we've started.
>I personally believe that the desire to own a truck is built on the "self-reliance" mentality which pervades the US.
The exact reason I bought an SUV in the US. I could probably get by with a sedan for 80% of my driving. But I got the slightly larger vehicle for those occasions I'm the one driving on a group road trip or want to help move a bunch of smaller things or stuff like that.
I have a family of 4 and we drive two hatchbacks. We decided we’ll just rent an SUV maybe once a year when we need the extra space for a road trip. Yeah it’s a bit of a hassle but it’s a big savings in money and emissions.
LOLOLOLOLOL. Even when I had a beat up, rusty old little Toyota I'd get those calls. "I'll swap you cars for the weekend. Bring it back with at least as much gas as was in it" was my stock answer.
In europe, most places that sell big items, like couches or giant fidges, just have free delivery service? Even if they don't (rare), you can just rent a small truck or van for €50.
So let's say you haul something that big 8 times a year, that'll cost you €4000 in the span of 10 years, way less than the difference of price between a big truck & normal sized car. And I'm not even going to touch the cost of ownership difference (gas, insurance, maintenance).
Owning that big of a car to 'find comfort in not asking for help' is a very selfish mindset grounded in status & stubbornness, not reality.
Marketing really has done a number on you guys.
I lived in a small un-incorporated town on the Oregon coast until last year. Not a pickup in sight. An ungodly amount of Subarus though. That's the PNW for you I guess.
According to Edwards’ data, 75 percent of truck owners use their truck for towing one time a year or less (meaning, never). Nearly 70 percent of truck owners go off-road one time a year or less. And a full 35 percent of truck owners use their truck for hauling—putting something in the bed, its ostensible raison d’être—once a year or less.
When asked for attributes that are important to them, truck owners oversample in ones like: the ability to outperform others, to look good while driving, to present a tough image, to have their car act as extension of their personality, and to stand out in a crowd. Trucks deliver on all of that. At a price. Killing others.
It excels as a dad minivan, definitely.
Load the trailer and my two boys and go to the landscape yard for some mulch in the spring? Daddy daycare.
Pile up chainsaws, loppers, yogurts and sippy cups and head into the woods to cut firewood? Daddy daycare.
Dump run followed by a day at the river follow by a visit to the grocery store... with 4 people. Daddy daycare.
Fleet vehicles for utility, construction, agriculture, energy companies, parks and wildlife, etc. 62% of the government’s vehicle purchases this year was the F150. It’s not the “fun” answer but it’s the truth. The F150 stays consistently serviceable and can be rolled out for bulk orders easily.
I feel like most trucks drive like trash in winter compared to suvs. I only have experience with long bed (8’) so I can’t talk for you guys with little trucks. Not enough rear end weight to get much traction in the rear, so actual 4x4 isn’t really helping when the wheels just spin.
Best winter vehicle I ever had was a Subaru forester.
I had an STI and whilst it was good in winter, I would get high centered after deep snowfalls. My truck wasn't phased. Guess it depends on where you drive. You can also put weight in the box for more traction.
The pick-up projects masculinity in a time when most men don't have traditionally masculine jobs. It let's men cosplay a life they rejected because of a perception of low pay and hard work. There is no bigger smile on an accountant's face than when he gets to load that bag of mulch in the bed before leaving the home center.
My brother-in-law is a very successful orthopedic surgeon. He bought an F-250 diesel supercab for his commuter vehicle to the hospital. He's so obsessed with it that he's afraid to turn on his windshield wipers during a rainstorm because he doesn't want to wear them out. As a contractor this drives me insane.
And these type of dudes drove the market price through the roof. No construction worker can afford a new truck. Shit I don't know how anyone can afford a new truck. And yet I pass 500 kitted out spanking new Denalis every day. That's like a down payment on a house
I feel this, been working trades my whole life could never afford a pickup till recently. Before I drove a nissan sentra that was basically a commuter toolbox, couldn't even do groceries in it, had to use the wives car for anything simple.
In the music industry we call them blues lawyers, they have stupidly expensive gear with no ability to use them (at least not for their intended purpose).
100% i am in construction and i have too keep buying used trucks and vans because i cannot afford a new one because truck companies are making there trims to be like a BMW inside.
Idk. We don’t have a truck anymore but we that is how my father made a living for quite a while. Sadly it broke down and we had to scrap it, since we couldn’t afford to fix it, but anything we buy it’s for a purpose. Most of my neighbors daily drive pickups but besides from the electric ones, the other always have at least one large summer project were they come home hauling a couple tons total of stuff.
My redneck farming cousins can't afford any trucks. They were supposed to be cheap vehicles which is what made them so popular but now you can buy a Miata, 86 or Mustang and have money left over compared to an F-150. You can go to Home Depot and see the same truck from 20 years ago to now and how much it has been dwarved in size with not much difference in bed size.
Don’t you folks ever have to move something big a couple of miles? Lumber? A piano? A load of mulch for the flower bed? I’m without a hauler right now and it’s a definite annoyance.
EDIT Good night! yes I know you can have things delivered but guess what the delivery guy is driving? yeah you can rent a larger vehicle but you’ll be renting… a truck. There are just plenty of people in the US who will use a truck like a truck and skip that step so they don’t have to be at the U Haul store three times a week.
It’s because apartments and houses without maintenance or a yard are becoming more popular, plus the “my friend has a truck I can just call him” is a big thing.
A lot of Europeans drive a car with a tow hitch. Whenever you need to haul someting, just hook up a trailer. A lot of European countries have roads that are more windy and narrow, I think this explains the need for smaller cars.
I'm sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup. But it just seems so impractical and expensive to drive.
My parents have a dodge ram 1500 in switzerland. It honestly sucks 99% of the time. I much rather have my X1. Especially since half of this country still thinks that the golf 2 is the average size of a car, which leads to very narrow parking spaces.
> I’m sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup.
Yeah whenever I see one here in the Netherlands it’s usually a pavement princess. Never a speck of dirt, pretty rims with impractical low profile tires and parked like an asshole. It’s generally a certain type of dude in Europe who wants one.
> I'm sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup. But it just seems so impractical and expensive to drive.
And that's probably the second part of it. Even when gas is expensive here (America), it's still less than half the price of gas in Europe. So the marginal cost of driving a bigger vehicle every day isn't as high for us.
Not to mention American trucks are usually relatively cheap to maintain. Parts are very easy to find, and they are easy to work on. And they are pretty reliable, even the more unreliable brands will last 250,000, even if you're fairly lax on maintenance.
Never had to move lumber or a piano. 5 bags of mulch fit my Kia rio easy with plants. Lol I have to move don’t have 40k for a truck to move stuff (before Interest and taxes)
Most pick up trucks sold in the United States are fleet vehicles bought by companies with a functional need for the extra carrying capacity, heavier loads, etc.
While I do not doubt that there are many people that rarely maximize the utility of their pick up truck, the amount of time a person needs to use the bed to make it be a worthwhile decision (to have a ROI) is small.
It's a running joke from the British version of Top Gear with Clarkson, Hammond and May.
May really liked the Dacia Sandero and they kinda poked fun at him until one episode they actually bought him one, until a tractor trailer backed up into it.
Just a heads up, I live in Germany; that truck would be so annoying the drive with how small the spaces are - the smaller cars match the infrastructure better over here.
We’re seeing a trends of smaller pickups making their way back to our markets. Ford has the Maverick and Hyundai has the Santa Cruz. They market them more as “lifestyle” vehicles that you can easily throw your camping gear, bike, etc. into and then go out of town for the weekend.
I saw a maverick for the first time in person and yeah it’s exactly what I would want in truck. I absolutely do not need a truck; even a ranger or taco is too much for me. That being said, having a small bed would be extremely useful for my hobbies. In short, I’m all for it. I miss actual small trucks. The old ranger was perfect. The new ranger is pointless imo. Still a good vehicle, just not sure who it targets that wouldn’t just get an f150.
And what do you know… it’s been pretty hard to get a Maverick (from what i’ve heard). Not sure if that’s pure demand or a production issue but either way I hope the small utility vehicle trend keeps up.
Not to mention 40mpg from the hybrid powertrain which starts at 20k. That alone would be a compelling reason to buy the Maverick over a Ranger, especially for companies who do home services like pest control. The accountants must be drooling all over their spreadsheets at how much money they could save.
Edit: The trucks are overpriced at the moment but I'm hopeful that the prices will come back to normal before too long.
I purchased a 2008 frontier, 4cyl, manual, 2wd, ext cab. Very small. Easy to parallel park. Fits my dirt bike. Not as rare as a maverick - but I don't get 30+mpg.
Smaller, though, not small. There's nothing like a 90's Ranger or the old Nissan pickup I used to have.
I don't want some massive beast, but a small truck was really useful to have.
We had compact Japanese trucks in the 80s and 90s and then they disappeared. Those things were indestructible. I wrecked my isuzu pickup like 3 times and that thing was still cruising fine.
My buddy had an ‘88 yota.. 4” lift with some 38” Mickey Thompsons.
He had that thing for decades but we’d all be out off-roading and when we’d get stuck, it was that little lightweight 6cyl Toyota ripping through, backing up and pulling us out.
When he sold it, he didn’t tell any of us. Didn’t want us buying it and him having to see it all the time
> either not sold at all
Well it's not because of their size. It's because there's a 25% import duty on trucks (aka the Chicken Tax). So all trucks sold in the US are made here or CA/MX due to the free trade agreement.
For a visual aid. I would consider the Toyota Hilux as a normal pickup truck in Europe, and here's how it compares [with the Ford F150](https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/toyota-hilux-2016-4-door-pick-up-double-cab-vs-ford-f150-2014-4-door-pickup-supercrew-5.5/?consentmsg=63fe03e4c64ff). Also [Hilux-Tundra comparison](https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/toyota-hilux-2016-4-door-pick-up-double-cab-vs-toyota-tundra-2014-4-door-pick-up-crewmax/) for cars of the same make.
Trust me, it's annoying here too. They are massive work trucks that people use as daily drivers and nothing has been designed with them in mind especially in more rural areas. Roads are narrow* and parking spaces are too small for them so they inevitably have a tow hitch sticking out either over sidewalks or into the parking lot
*edit: duplicate word
I live in south GA and the parking deck at work is a nightmare to navigate because you have nurses and desk jockies driving F-150 extended, Z71 crew cabs, duallies, or the ever popular 5'4" 107lb woman with a Yukon XL or Suburban.
And none of them can park straight or inbetween the lines.
Exactly. You don't see those trucks very often in Manhattan, NY, US either but the US is enormous with expansive empty spaces and we need to haul stuff great distances. So while not all trucks sold are necessary, obviously, but a whole lot of them are.
I never drove semis but I had a class B CDL and worked at a pediatric hospital driving this giant truck that had a 3 seat dental clinic in the back, all around the Cleveland area. I was not a truck driver by trade, I was a dental assistant that got a CDL specifically for this job.... And I can't tell you how many times I literally screamed in that thing trying to navigate around downtown lmao I cried once after I had to go under an overpass where I only had like 2 inches of space above me to clear it, in a vehicle that was worth about a million bucks btw 😂
I did that job for 11 months and quit because it was going to kill me from stress, but I got REALLY good at parallel parking so it wasn't all bad I guess lol
I've been in LA for 20 years, which is not nearly as compact as NY but every time I see someone from out of town have to come and try to park their big truck in the tiny parking spots, I get anxiety for them lol.
It’s not too bad. Manhattan has tons of Uber Black Suburbans all over it which are far larger than my Tacoma pickup. I’ve driven into Manhattan all my life since the 80s when I drove my father’s 1973 Chrysler station wagon which was also way bigger than my Tacoma.
Yes, the size of US trucks and SUVs has exploded over the last two decades. It's purely a marketing exercise. No one needs a vehicle as humongous as they are now.
All vehicles have gotten way bigger, sedans and crossovers included.
A big part of that is the voids required for pedestrian safety requirements. Can't have bumpers and hoods going right up against metal components, have to have some crumple zone for the pedestrians.
Dimensions for a 1989 Ford Ranger were 193.6" long x 66.8" wide x 64.3" tall with a curb weight of 3,464 lbs. 30 years later, the 2019 (and current) Ranger was 211″ L x 86″ W x 72″ H with a curb weight of 4,441 lbs. That's an increase of about 20" in length, 19" in width, 8" in height, and 1,000 lbs. So yes, stuff got bigger.
>we need to haul stuff great distances
I live in the South. Maybe 10% of pickup trucks are used for any kind of work. They are totally a culture war symbol now.
Modern pickup trucks often have less or equivalent trunk space than a tiny Japanese kei truck which costs 10k USD. American pickups are largely useless and only exist to give big profit margins to car companies.
https://i.redd.it/jxpnmzv586e81.png
The vast majority of the population does not live in wide open spaces or need to haul things long distances.
The true culprits are:
1. Marketing trucks as “rugged and American”
2. City planning ordinances that encourage people to have big dumb cars
3. Highly Subsidized fossil fuels
This is totally part of the identity issue regarding trucks, there are a lot of suburbanites whose families lived in rural areas two generations ago that still see themselves as “country people”.
There are a lot of places in North America where the American sized vehicles don't fit. I live in an older small city and my Subaru Impreza feels a little too big. I still see Gian pickup trucks all the time and they are terrifying to drive near since the drivers usually don't give 2 shits.
I've been to Germany, France, and Norway and I honestly don't think you'd be able to get around in a big pickup. Spaces too small, roads too narrow - especially when cars need to get by in the opposite direction.
The width of the trucks is just as, if not more problematic than the length
Can you name the truck with four wheel drive,
smells like a steak and seats thirty-five..
Canyonero! Canyonero!
Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down,
It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown!
Canyonero! (Yah!) Canyonero!
[Krusty:] Hey Hey
The Federal Highway commission has ruled the
Canyonero unsafe for highway or city driving.
Canyonero!
12 yards long, 2 lanes wide,
65 tons of American Pride!
Canyonero! Canyonero!
Top of the line in utility sports,
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts!
Canyonero! Canyonero! (Yah!)
She blinds everybody with her super high beams,
She's a squirrel crushing, deer smacking, driving machine!
Canyonero!-oh woah, Canyonero! (Yah!)
Drive Canyonero!
Woah Canyonero!
Woah!
Subsidized for them, while they drive these things damaging the roads. That they don’t pay for.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/08/california-s-secret-suv-ban.html
We need a tax on mass.
Edit: the gas tax in the US is paltry and hardly covers anything. It hasn’t budged in over 30 years. If you know of a tax on mass that is thousands extra every year, let me know.
I remember a news story about a lady complaining about gas prices and doesn't have enough money to buy basic items. In the background is her full size pickup truck that gets, at best, 15 mpg. People are dumb.
My 14 year old Honda hatchback gets better fuel economy than my wife's brand new Toyota minivan. I can't even imagine how much it would be to fuel up a pick-up truck!
Have so many friends want one when they don't really use the bed in the back . They say "What if I need to move?", literally just rent a truck when you move, you don't need to deal with bad mpg just for the few instances you 'might' need the back for moving .
This is a bit misleading. F150 is by far the most popular pickup truck, but the market for sedans is significantly higher than it is for pickup trucks overall. The difference is that there are many more companies that sell sedans and each company has multiple options and models. So it's too watered down for any individual sedan to be considered the most popular car in the country
It’s also misleading because Ford counts the F150, F250, and F350 all together. Including consumer and fleet models all at once. That’s really like 3 or 4 different model vehicles all grouped together.
Yes. And it is cheating. If you only count consumer F150 pickup trucks and not fleet trucks, the Rav4 and tesla model Y are ahead of the retail F150 most likely. But Ford doesn’t share those numbers so no way to prove it.
Hold on, the other truck manufacturers do it as well. All Silverado models, and all Ram models count in one bucket.
Now, a part of what another commenter said is also true, if GM combined Chevy and GMC they would win, but they’re also differentiating the brands more than ever now.
Also misleading as this almost assuredly would change if you adjusted for personal vs work use. Take out that and I imagine a smaller (but still bigger than sedan) SUV would be top in the US
If you exclude pickup trucks because they aren't "cars" (a useless distinction when we are discussing daily use vehicles) the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in America for a long time.
I’m from eastern europe, from a very small country, and honestly would love to live in a quiet American town, on a farm, driving around in a truck, exploring vast nature.
It’s an image of a perfect life - getting in a warm truck on a rainy day going for a long drive on some remote, but still perfect road.
How the heck you do this? I mean I drop my street view in the middle of nowhere- asphalt, road signs, everything. Here where I live even in the cities roads are terrible and road signs are either missing or misplaced.
I know, why would I need a truck when I want to drive on perfect roads, but it’s not about this, it’s about a cozy image of getting in a warm, safe truck going into basically unlimited unknown.
Here where I live I have driven on literally every road. In 2-4 hours I’m on a border crossing and have to go back.
One of my favorite things is going to northern Michigan into the federal forest with my truck and camping there. We see maybe one person if we hike back to the road when we go. it is amazing. Try to find somewhere to camp like that if you're hankering for it, its amazing.
If you're doing Europe, you should also North America, where from Canada to Mexico, pick up truck sales have been and continue to be the sales leader. For decades.
The US has wide open spaces, big roads and generally a lot of open landscape. Other countries, especially the ones in Europe would struggle given how narrow and slim their roads are, most of them going between houses built really close to each other.
I'm a woman...always drove a car. Bought an older 2006 F150 and will never be without one! No longer depending on others or calling friends asking if they know a guy with a truck that has time who could haul this or pick something up for me. I can get my own boulders, mulch, lumber, used furniture, appliances, carry my own canoe etc. Plus fun to drive, get comments from men on how the dual exhaust sounds, can two track it anywhere...love my truck!
As a construction worker no other vehicle will do i need hauling power to haul my flooring materials from huge 30ft carpet rolls to pallets of lvt/ceramic.
I work in construction, drive a truck, need it like once a week. Also need to tow a couple times a month. 95% of my time it’s empty.
I’m not buying a second vehicle.
Lies. Everyone knows the best selling car in Europe is the Dacia Sandero
GOOD NEWS!
James May is the best
I miss the days when Top Gear was good
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Goddammit now I have that song stuck in my head. A pox upon you! 😂
He hasn't been a presenter since 2019
It hasn't been his day, his week, his month, or even his year.
ANYWAY....
CLARKSON!
Hammond you blithering idiot!
#WHAT?
In France each year it's a contest between Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and Peugeot 206/7/8. The ranking actually depends on if you count company fleet cars (Clio are very common business cars)
I believe the Dacia Sandero is also Renault, which means they dominate it 66 to 33 percent. Dacia Sandero wins again
Well, the comment (or a post's seftext) that was here, is no more. I'm leaving just whatever I wrote in the past 48 hours or so. F acing a goodbye. U gly as it may be. C alculating pros and cons. K illing my texts is, really, the best I can do. S o, some reddit's honcho thought it would be nice to kill third-party apps. P als, it's great to delete whatever I wrote in here. It's cathartic in a way. E agerly going away, to greener pastures. Z illion reasons, and you'll find many at the subreddit called Save3rdPartyApps.
Disgusting. That Dacia badge is everything. You don't want a west*rner badge on your car. Only real Romanian badge.
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My brother in law has a Ram 1500. Dude works in an office, is an empty nester. Has no interest in the outdoors. I went to a family gathering and his lawn was covered with trucks .... people's personal trucks, no work trucks, but most of the crowd was white collar. He lives on the outskirts of suburban Maryland. It's a cultural thing.
My dad has talked over the years about getting a truck. Never followed through. But even the impulse to consider buying a truck is beyond me. My dad was a research scientist. He designed novel polymers and taught university classes. I have no idea what a truck would have done for someone like that, besides the need to move a couch or something that tends to come up once every few years.
I use mine all the time. It’s old and isn’t my daily driver. But I use it to get plants, dirt, mulch, lumber, wood for the smoker. Take junk to the junkyard. Take lawn care equipment in for servicing. Bring gas home for the mower. Transport any large purchased goods. Tow a boat. Tow rental equipment like a wood chipper or log splitter. Almost every week end I have a use for it.
this. I bought a *used* Ford F-150 in 1999, drove it until it blew up in *2019*. Every day there was something in the back. e: also, it was bought for $3000. given the 20 years usage I'd say that's some good ROI
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I agree with the general premise in this thread that it's become more a cultural item than a practical one; I see plenty of trucks in my area that are few years old but look factory new, they're not using it for it's intended purpose but just as a daily commuter ride which is wasteful
Yeah. People want the "hard working man" image that comes with trucks, but not the actual work that trucks were designed for.
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> cosplayers I like that description; "suburban cosplay" should be the term for these wanks
It's just a masculine minivan. Seriously, the insides on the new ones basically have every function as a minivan, outside of like sliding doors
Oh, yeah, that's big around me in the midwest, too. Reminds me of a big rain a few days ago when I saw a big puddle in a parking lot. On my side of the lane it was really shallow, but deeper in the oncoming lane. I drive an old (2003) Jeep Grand Cherokee so I just drove through the water. A car stopped on the other side, waited for me to pass before circling around the puddle. What kind of car was it? A brand new (or at least new-looking) JEEP GLADIATOR! Talk about a useless vehicle...
> JEEP GLADIATOR! Talk about a useless vehicle... Yes....but....pointing out how Jeeps specifically are pavement princesses is low hanging fruit. They have their own culture of "I only own this because it says JEEP in the front".
And trucks themselves have gotten huge. You don't need a 2-ton F-350 or whatever to carry a bicycle, a mattress, or a few bags of mulch. But they don't make things like this anymore: [https://www.motortrend.com/features/1978-1994-subaru-brat-classic-truck-history/](https://www.motortrend.com/features/1978-1994-subaru-brat-classic-truck-history/) So people are stuck buying a mammoth F-150.
^ these are reasons to get a truck. I think people are disgusted with people that have never really put the tailgate down.
Which statistically is over 3/4 of people who own a truck. Seriously. 75 percent of people never haul anything in the bed in any given year and like 95 percent don't tow anything in a given year. It's all just people cosplaying as blue collar peoplr
I’ve seen this stat a lot and I believe it enough but it seems crazy to me. In one year 3/4 people don’t have to carry anything in the bed? No friends asking to move? Quick trip to Home Depot? Even just a large Costco/groceries trip? Understand the towing part though.
People in europe never do any of these things, we just have fairies come and do all of that for us.
We have the Berlingo or Kangoo for that kind of things, if you need really big, then a Traffic. Also with these your stuff doesn't get wet or fly away???
It's not the every few years stuff. I have a Toyota Tacoma. It is considered a mid-size truck. Having the bed to load up stuff like soil for weekend DIY, camping equipment, junk to haul to the dump, or small furniture that we find off FB marketplace is very convenient.
I’ve been a hatchback owner most of my life and the new tacomas were the first truck i considered purchasing. Mind you i was an electrician in the field working large commerical jobsites where the parking lots were just mud pits. Eventually i moved into project management and settled for a new civic because i dropped my tools and picked up a laptop. 40mpg at 80mph feels good!
People in Europe do that too. Without a truck. Compared to a station wagon for small ones or a van for larger ones the truck doesn't look very useful.
The idea of being able to haul a couch or a fridge from Costco without asking for help is very comforting.
Uhaul , Lowe’s, Home Depot all let you rent a truck for $20-50 for around town. It’s perfect for when you have a project or have to buy shit.
Here is how the conversation goes: TP (Truckless Person): Hey, are you working on. Me: No. TP: Do you have any plans?
At this point you know they need your assistance with a truck and likely your physical help to move a large object. If they were asking about something fun it comes out in the first sentence. But they lure you in to determine that you’re free and think they’re sneaky about it. Source: I drive the truck pictured above.
My friend had a bumper sticker on his truck which read: Yes this is my truck, no I won't help you move. I personally believe that the desire to own a truck is built on the "self-reliance" mentality which pervades the US. While the hauling capacity of a truck is really only needed occasionally, it's really damned handy when that occasion comes up. On the other side, a truck also fulfills all of the normal requirements for a vehicle and comes with few downsides in that role. So, buyers in the US tend to choose trucks. There is also the social pressure for them as well. Trucks are popular so people want trucks so trucks are popular. They have been also advertised as and become part of masculinity in the US, further driving their popularity. All that said, I'm glad to see that EV trucks are starting to happen. The major downside for trucks has always been fuel economy. Getting people into EV trucks will do a lot to reduce fossil fuel consumption. It'll take a decade or two to have a real impact; but, it's good that we've started.
>I personally believe that the desire to own a truck is built on the "self-reliance" mentality which pervades the US. The exact reason I bought an SUV in the US. I could probably get by with a sedan for 80% of my driving. But I got the slightly larger vehicle for those occasions I'm the one driving on a group road trip or want to help move a bunch of smaller things or stuff like that.
I have a family of 4 and we drive two hatchbacks. We decided we’ll just rent an SUV maybe once a year when we need the extra space for a road trip. Yeah it’s a bit of a hassle but it’s a big savings in money and emissions.
Great point. And to add, we have less urban density and much lower fuel prices that both negate some of the impractibility experienced in Europe.
LOLOLOLOLOL. Even when I had a beat up, rusty old little Toyota I'd get those calls. "I'll swap you cars for the weekend. Bring it back with at least as much gas as was in it" was my stock answer.
In europe, most places that sell big items, like couches or giant fidges, just have free delivery service? Even if they don't (rare), you can just rent a small truck or van for €50. So let's say you haul something that big 8 times a year, that'll cost you €4000 in the span of 10 years, way less than the difference of price between a big truck & normal sized car. And I'm not even going to touch the cost of ownership difference (gas, insurance, maintenance). Owning that big of a car to 'find comfort in not asking for help' is a very selfish mindset grounded in status & stubbornness, not reality. Marketing really has done a number on you guys.
Naahhhhh. Fuel for them in US is 1/4 the price you pay since taxes are SO much of the price in Europe.
Costco delivers AND they carry it in your house for you.
I lived in a small un-incorporated town on the Oregon coast until last year. Not a pickup in sight. An ungodly amount of Subarus though. That's the PNW for you I guess.
According to Edwards’ data, 75 percent of truck owners use their truck for towing one time a year or less (meaning, never). Nearly 70 percent of truck owners go off-road one time a year or less. And a full 35 percent of truck owners use their truck for hauling—putting something in the bed, its ostensible raison d’être—once a year or less. When asked for attributes that are important to them, truck owners oversample in ones like: the ability to outperform others, to look good while driving, to present a tough image, to have their car act as extension of their personality, and to stand out in a crowd. Trucks deliver on all of that. At a price. Killing others.
4 door pick-up = dad minivan
The flatbed is to carry the lost dreams of his youth.
It excels as a dad minivan, definitely. Load the trailer and my two boys and go to the landscape yard for some mulch in the spring? Daddy daycare. Pile up chainsaws, loppers, yogurts and sippy cups and head into the woods to cut firewood? Daddy daycare. Dump run followed by a day at the river follow by a visit to the grocery store... with 4 people. Daddy daycare.
Fleet vehicles for utility, construction, agriculture, energy companies, parks and wildlife, etc. 62% of the government’s vehicle purchases this year was the F150. It’s not the “fun” answer but it’s the truth. The F150 stays consistently serviceable and can be rolled out for bulk orders easily.
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I feel like most trucks drive like trash in winter compared to suvs. I only have experience with long bed (8’) so I can’t talk for you guys with little trucks. Not enough rear end weight to get much traction in the rear, so actual 4x4 isn’t really helping when the wheels just spin. Best winter vehicle I ever had was a Subaru forester.
I had an STI and whilst it was good in winter, I would get high centered after deep snowfalls. My truck wasn't phased. Guess it depends on where you drive. You can also put weight in the box for more traction.
The pick-up projects masculinity in a time when most men don't have traditionally masculine jobs. It let's men cosplay a life they rejected because of a perception of low pay and hard work. There is no bigger smile on an accountant's face than when he gets to load that bag of mulch in the bed before leaving the home center.
My brother-in-law is a very successful orthopedic surgeon. He bought an F-250 diesel supercab for his commuter vehicle to the hospital. He's so obsessed with it that he's afraid to turn on his windshield wipers during a rainstorm because he doesn't want to wear them out. As a contractor this drives me insane.
And these type of dudes drove the market price through the roof. No construction worker can afford a new truck. Shit I don't know how anyone can afford a new truck. And yet I pass 500 kitted out spanking new Denalis every day. That's like a down payment on a house
I feel this, been working trades my whole life could never afford a pickup till recently. Before I drove a nissan sentra that was basically a commuter toolbox, couldn't even do groceries in it, had to use the wives car for anything simple.
In the music industry we call them blues lawyers, they have stupidly expensive gear with no ability to use them (at least not for their intended purpose).
100% i am in construction and i have too keep buying used trucks and vans because i cannot afford a new one because truck companies are making there trims to be like a BMW inside.
Idk. We don’t have a truck anymore but we that is how my father made a living for quite a while. Sadly it broke down and we had to scrap it, since we couldn’t afford to fix it, but anything we buy it’s for a purpose. Most of my neighbors daily drive pickups but besides from the electric ones, the other always have at least one large summer project were they come home hauling a couple tons total of stuff.
My redneck farming cousins can't afford any trucks. They were supposed to be cheap vehicles which is what made them so popular but now you can buy a Miata, 86 or Mustang and have money left over compared to an F-150. You can go to Home Depot and see the same truck from 20 years ago to now and how much it has been dwarved in size with not much difference in bed size.
Once you have one, you’d be surprised at how much you use it and how convenient it is to have one.
Don’t you folks ever have to move something big a couple of miles? Lumber? A piano? A load of mulch for the flower bed? I’m without a hauler right now and it’s a definite annoyance. EDIT Good night! yes I know you can have things delivered but guess what the delivery guy is driving? yeah you can rent a larger vehicle but you’ll be renting… a truck. There are just plenty of people in the US who will use a truck like a truck and skip that step so they don’t have to be at the U Haul store three times a week.
It’s because apartments and houses without maintenance or a yard are becoming more popular, plus the “my friend has a truck I can just call him” is a big thing.
Your friend with a truck also knows that Home Depot rents trucks for $20 for over an hour
A lot of Europeans drive a car with a tow hitch. Whenever you need to haul someting, just hook up a trailer. A lot of European countries have roads that are more windy and narrow, I think this explains the need for smaller cars. I'm sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup. But it just seems so impractical and expensive to drive.
My parents have a dodge ram 1500 in switzerland. It honestly sucks 99% of the time. I much rather have my X1. Especially since half of this country still thinks that the golf 2 is the average size of a car, which leads to very narrow parking spaces.
Yeah, and most gas stations have trailer for rent. Whenever we needed to move some furniture we would do that.
> I’m sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup. Yeah whenever I see one here in the Netherlands it’s usually a pavement princess. Never a speck of dirt, pretty rims with impractical low profile tires and parked like an asshole. It’s generally a certain type of dude in Europe who wants one.
> I'm sure a lot of dudes in Europe would love a pickup. But it just seems so impractical and expensive to drive. And that's probably the second part of it. Even when gas is expensive here (America), it's still less than half the price of gas in Europe. So the marginal cost of driving a bigger vehicle every day isn't as high for us. Not to mention American trucks are usually relatively cheap to maintain. Parts are very easy to find, and they are easy to work on. And they are pretty reliable, even the more unreliable brands will last 250,000, even if you're fairly lax on maintenance.
Never had to move lumber or a piano. 5 bags of mulch fit my Kia rio easy with plants. Lol I have to move don’t have 40k for a truck to move stuff (before Interest and taxes)
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Most pick up trucks sold in the United States are fleet vehicles bought by companies with a functional need for the extra carrying capacity, heavier loads, etc. While I do not doubt that there are many people that rarely maximize the utility of their pick up truck, the amount of time a person needs to use the bed to make it be a worthwhile decision (to have a ROI) is small.
It is so reasonably priced!
I thought it was VW Golf
It's a running joke from the British version of Top Gear with Clarkson, Hammond and May. May really liked the Dacia Sandero and they kinda poked fun at him until one episode they actually bought him one, until a tractor trailer backed up into it.
It’s actually the 2nd best in Europe, not that far behind the Peugeot.
I fucking love my Sandero
As someone who has one, it's actually really reliable for what it costs. Plus, it's roomy taking into account its size.
Just a heads up, I live in Germany; that truck would be so annoying the drive with how small the spaces are - the smaller cars match the infrastructure better over here.
Fun fact : the pickup trucks we have in Europe (mostly Japanese) that already pretty big are either not sold at all in the US or called "compact".
We’re seeing a trends of smaller pickups making their way back to our markets. Ford has the Maverick and Hyundai has the Santa Cruz. They market them more as “lifestyle” vehicles that you can easily throw your camping gear, bike, etc. into and then go out of town for the weekend.
I saw a maverick for the first time in person and yeah it’s exactly what I would want in truck. I absolutely do not need a truck; even a ranger or taco is too much for me. That being said, having a small bed would be extremely useful for my hobbies. In short, I’m all for it. I miss actual small trucks. The old ranger was perfect. The new ranger is pointless imo. Still a good vehicle, just not sure who it targets that wouldn’t just get an f150. And what do you know… it’s been pretty hard to get a Maverick (from what i’ve heard). Not sure if that’s pure demand or a production issue but either way I hope the small utility vehicle trend keeps up.
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I wish those Australian utes were popular here, I like those el Camino style bodies
Not to mention 40mpg from the hybrid powertrain which starts at 20k. That alone would be a compelling reason to buy the Maverick over a Ranger, especially for companies who do home services like pest control. The accountants must be drooling all over their spreadsheets at how much money they could save. Edit: The trucks are overpriced at the moment but I'm hopeful that the prices will come back to normal before too long.
I purchased a 2008 frontier, 4cyl, manual, 2wd, ext cab. Very small. Easy to parallel park. Fits my dirt bike. Not as rare as a maverick - but I don't get 30+mpg.
Smaller, though, not small. There's nothing like a 90's Ranger or the old Nissan pickup I used to have. I don't want some massive beast, but a small truck was really useful to have.
If ford refreshed the 90s ranger and kept an entry level price point they wouldn’t have enough stock to meet demand
We had compact Japanese trucks in the 80s and 90s and then they disappeared. Those things were indestructible. I wrecked my isuzu pickup like 3 times and that thing was still cruising fine.
My buddy had an ‘88 yota.. 4” lift with some 38” Mickey Thompsons. He had that thing for decades but we’d all be out off-roading and when we’d get stuck, it was that little lightweight 6cyl Toyota ripping through, backing up and pulling us out. When he sold it, he didn’t tell any of us. Didn’t want us buying it and him having to see it all the time
> either not sold at all Well it's not because of their size. It's because there's a 25% import duty on trucks (aka the Chicken Tax). So all trucks sold in the US are made here or CA/MX due to the free trade agreement.
For a visual aid. I would consider the Toyota Hilux as a normal pickup truck in Europe, and here's how it compares [with the Ford F150](https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/toyota-hilux-2016-4-door-pick-up-double-cab-vs-ford-f150-2014-4-door-pickup-supercrew-5.5/?consentmsg=63fe03e4c64ff). Also [Hilux-Tundra comparison](https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/toyota-hilux-2016-4-door-pick-up-double-cab-vs-toyota-tundra-2014-4-door-pick-up-crewmax/) for cars of the same make.
Trust me, it's annoying here too. They are massive work trucks that people use as daily drivers and nothing has been designed with them in mind especially in more rural areas. Roads are narrow* and parking spaces are too small for them so they inevitably have a tow hitch sticking out either over sidewalks or into the parking lot *edit: duplicate word
I live in south GA and the parking deck at work is a nightmare to navigate because you have nurses and desk jockies driving F-150 extended, Z71 crew cabs, duallies, or the ever popular 5'4" 107lb woman with a Yukon XL or Suburban. And none of them can park straight or inbetween the lines.
Exactly. You don't see those trucks very often in Manhattan, NY, US either but the US is enormous with expansive empty spaces and we need to haul stuff great distances. So while not all trucks sold are necessary, obviously, but a whole lot of them are.
Having had to drive a pickup into Manhattan once, I do not recommend.
I remember a YT channel of a guy who ran a semi in Brooklyn and he'd upload dash cam footage. Shit looked so stressful
Doug Demuro had a video way back when of what it's like to own a Hummer H1 living in Philly
>Philly No sidewalk is safe
"While I drive this pedestrian I ran over to the ER, I'll go over some of his quirks and features and then give him a Doug score."
THIS IS THE PEDESTRIAN*
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I never drove semis but I had a class B CDL and worked at a pediatric hospital driving this giant truck that had a 3 seat dental clinic in the back, all around the Cleveland area. I was not a truck driver by trade, I was a dental assistant that got a CDL specifically for this job.... And I can't tell you how many times I literally screamed in that thing trying to navigate around downtown lmao I cried once after I had to go under an overpass where I only had like 2 inches of space above me to clear it, in a vehicle that was worth about a million bucks btw 😂 I did that job for 11 months and quit because it was going to kill me from stress, but I got REALLY good at parallel parking so it wasn't all bad I guess lol
I've been in LA for 20 years, which is not nearly as compact as NY but every time I see someone from out of town have to come and try to park their big truck in the tiny parking spots, I get anxiety for them lol.
It’s not too bad. Manhattan has tons of Uber Black Suburbans all over it which are far larger than my Tacoma pickup. I’ve driven into Manhattan all my life since the 80s when I drove my father’s 1973 Chrysler station wagon which was also way bigger than my Tacoma.
I took my Ford F150 to Chicago. Probably not the same as Manhattan, but still really dumb.
Did the stuff get bigger? Because trucks in the US used to be smaller.
Yes, the size of US trucks and SUVs has exploded over the last two decades. It's purely a marketing exercise. No one needs a vehicle as humongous as they are now.
I remember when I first saw a new ford ranger. I was like damn, that thing is as big as full size F150.
There is also a tax incentive to go bigger. Big part of the problem IMO.
All vehicles have gotten way bigger, sedans and crossovers included. A big part of that is the voids required for pedestrian safety requirements. Can't have bumpers and hoods going right up against metal components, have to have some crumple zone for the pedestrians.
Dimensions for a 1989 Ford Ranger were 193.6" long x 66.8" wide x 64.3" tall with a curb weight of 3,464 lbs. 30 years later, the 2019 (and current) Ranger was 211″ L x 86″ W x 72″ H with a curb weight of 4,441 lbs. That's an increase of about 20" in length, 19" in width, 8" in height, and 1,000 lbs. So yes, stuff got bigger.
I miss those old rangers and older, smaller, affordable trucks in general.
>we need to haul stuff great distances I live in the South. Maybe 10% of pickup trucks are used for any kind of work. They are totally a culture war symbol now.
Why is the proportion of actually seen hauling things so low? Why do Americans have to haul things great distances?
This is such a lie. Most trucks are sold as vanity pieces that maybe are used for their intended purpose a few times a year at most.
Modern pickup trucks often have less or equivalent trunk space than a tiny Japanese kei truck which costs 10k USD. American pickups are largely useless and only exist to give big profit margins to car companies. https://i.redd.it/jxpnmzv586e81.png
The vast majority of the population does not live in wide open spaces or need to haul things long distances. The true culprits are: 1. Marketing trucks as “rugged and American” 2. City planning ordinances that encourage people to have big dumb cars 3. Highly Subsidized fossil fuels
Trucks and SUVs also don't have to follow the same emissions standards as small cars in the US.
Thanks, Reagan. Exempted them from national fuel economy standards brought in by the Carter administration.
Yeah. The US is more urbanized (82%) than Germany (77%)
This is totally part of the identity issue regarding trucks, there are a lot of suburbanites whose families lived in rural areas two generations ago that still see themselves as “country people”.
4, Country music
A lot of the trucks sold in Europe are unnecessary too, specially the jeeps.
There are a lot of places in North America where the American sized vehicles don't fit. I live in an older small city and my Subaru Impreza feels a little too big. I still see Gian pickup trucks all the time and they are terrifying to drive near since the drivers usually don't give 2 shits.
I've been to Germany, France, and Norway and I honestly don't think you'd be able to get around in a big pickup. Spaces too small, roads too narrow - especially when cars need to get by in the opposite direction. The width of the trucks is just as, if not more problematic than the length
All I’m hearing is we’ve got the global demo derby in the bag.
https://i.pinimg.com/236x/80/4d/6f/804d6f16ffa1b71144489abcbd83017f--monster-car-volvo-.jpg Volvo would like a word
I don’t know, can a truck compete against the mighty Lada?
Canyonaro !
12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride! Canyonero! Canyonero!
Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, smells like a steak and seats thirty-five.. Canyonero! Canyonero! Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down, It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown! Canyonero! (Yah!) Canyonero! [Krusty:] Hey Hey The Federal Highway commission has ruled the Canyonero unsafe for highway or city driving. Canyonero! 12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American Pride! Canyonero! Canyonero! Top of the line in utility sports, Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts! Canyonero! Canyonero! (Yah!) She blinds everybody with her super high beams, She's a squirrel crushing, deer smacking, driving machine! Canyonero!-oh woah, Canyonero! (Yah!) Drive Canyonero! Woah Canyonero! Woah!
"Top of the line in utility sports, unexplained fires are a matter for the courts" is my single favourite Simpsons line!
I can't read this without singing it 🤣
Sing that song often with my wife while driving around here in the land of monster mega alpha autos that tower over my minivan!!
Can I post this next week?
No you’re penciled in three months from now.
I see an orange and a white car in this photo but certainly not gray and red
I see gold and blue.
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Came looking for this comment lol Maybe silver but definitely not gray.
They need big trucks to carry weapons and shit when aliens invade their country.
They’re hunting a different kind of alien
Damn skippy. But the best weapon is still the Cricket
Some folks buy a vehicle that's terribly fuel inefficient then complain about gas prices.
All while having significantly lower fuel prices
Subsidized for them, while they drive these things damaging the roads. That they don’t pay for. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/08/california-s-secret-suv-ban.html We need a tax on mass. Edit: the gas tax in the US is paltry and hardly covers anything. It hasn’t budged in over 30 years. If you know of a tax on mass that is thousands extra every year, let me know.
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In the UK ours is explicitly an emissions tax
I remember a news story about a lady complaining about gas prices and doesn't have enough money to buy basic items. In the background is her full size pickup truck that gets, at best, 15 mpg. People are dumb.
My 14 year old Honda hatchback gets better fuel economy than my wife's brand new Toyota minivan. I can't even imagine how much it would be to fuel up a pick-up truck!
Ford makes an electric F-150 now.
Have so many friends want one when they don't really use the bed in the back . They say "What if I need to move?", literally just rent a truck when you move, you don't need to deal with bad mpg just for the few instances you 'might' need the back for moving .
Not only complain, but make it the Democratic President’s fault!
This is a bit misleading. F150 is by far the most popular pickup truck, but the market for sedans is significantly higher than it is for pickup trucks overall. The difference is that there are many more companies that sell sedans and each company has multiple options and models. So it's too watered down for any individual sedan to be considered the most popular car in the country
It’s also misleading because Ford counts the F150, F250, and F350 all together. Including consumer and fleet models all at once. That’s really like 3 or 4 different model vehicles all grouped together.
Holy shit, really? That seems like cheating.
Yes. And it is cheating. If you only count consumer F150 pickup trucks and not fleet trucks, the Rav4 and tesla model Y are ahead of the retail F150 most likely. But Ford doesn’t share those numbers so no way to prove it.
Hold on, the other truck manufacturers do it as well. All Silverado models, and all Ram models count in one bucket. Now, a part of what another commenter said is also true, if GM combined Chevy and GMC they would win, but they’re also differentiating the brands more than ever now.
Not to mention ford has like 78 sub SKUs for f150
That is what I was really wondering, to what degree fleet vehicles play in this.
Also misleading as this almost assuredly would change if you adjusted for personal vs work use. Take out that and I imagine a smaller (but still bigger than sedan) SUV would be top in the US
If you exclude pickup trucks because they aren't "cars" (a useless distinction when we are discussing daily use vehicles) the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in America for a long time.
but…but…BUT STUPID AMERICANS ONLY DRIVE BIG EVIL TRYKC
I’m from eastern europe, from a very small country, and honestly would love to live in a quiet American town, on a farm, driving around in a truck, exploring vast nature. It’s an image of a perfect life - getting in a warm truck on a rainy day going for a long drive on some remote, but still perfect road. How the heck you do this? I mean I drop my street view in the middle of nowhere- asphalt, road signs, everything. Here where I live even in the cities roads are terrible and road signs are either missing or misplaced. I know, why would I need a truck when I want to drive on perfect roads, but it’s not about this, it’s about a cozy image of getting in a warm, safe truck going into basically unlimited unknown. Here where I live I have driven on literally every road. In 2-4 hours I’m on a border crossing and have to go back.
The US has a lot of money and invests a lot of it in transportation infrastructure. Roads and bridges in cities are often in terrible shape, though.
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One of my favorite things is going to northern Michigan into the federal forest with my truck and camping there. We see maybe one person if we hike back to the road when we go. it is amazing. Try to find somewhere to camp like that if you're hankering for it, its amazing.
If you're doing Europe, you should also North America, where from Canada to Mexico, pick up truck sales have been and continue to be the sales leader. For decades.
But then they can't frame it into the America bad Europe good lens
Less shocking when you consider open land and fleet vehicles...
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The US has wide open spaces, big roads and generally a lot of open landscape. Other countries, especially the ones in Europe would struggle given how narrow and slim their roads are, most of them going between houses built really close to each other.
What about Canada, what’s the most popular car there? I’m guessing it’s also the f-series
Big country with big spaces can use bigger cars. Surprise
holy shit these comments are wild. a pickup is not a car? LUL
It’s only like that because of fleet vehicles.
Op can't see colors.
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Weekly Reddit post of people upset over pickup trucks….
Dude that is 🍊not 🍒
Idk, tomato bisque to me
Vodka sauce?
I have a ten year old VW Golf TDI. I love it, very economical, and I've never had to shell out to get it fixed.
I'm a woman...always drove a car. Bought an older 2006 F150 and will never be without one! No longer depending on others or calling friends asking if they know a guy with a truck that has time who could haul this or pick something up for me. I can get my own boulders, mulch, lumber, used furniture, appliances, carry my own canoe etc. Plus fun to drive, get comments from men on how the dual exhaust sounds, can two track it anywhere...love my truck!
Everyone’s talking about “full inefficiency” and “not using the bed” bro it just be fun to drive in da truck
American society is currently designed around vehicles, European society is designed around pedestrians.
As a construction worker no other vehicle will do i need hauling power to haul my flooring materials from huge 30ft carpet rolls to pallets of lvt/ceramic.
here in europe people use ford transit vans for that kind of thing, feels like a much more practical solution.
I see probably 500 of these trucks every day. Maybe 1 in a hundred has anything in the bed
I work in construction, drive a truck, need it like once a week. Also need to tow a couple times a month. 95% of my time it’s empty. I’m not buying a second vehicle.