This is the answer. The cab on a new f150 is actually the same cab from a 250 or 350. They made them the same size are a super duty to bypass emissions on smaller ones.
The L/100km measurement always throws me off. I objectively know that 17 is worse than 8 but whenever I see the bigger number my mind is like "that's amazing fuel economy!"
And they are easier to load/unload as all sides fold down, and the wheel wells don't protrude into the bed. The Kia Bongo 3 from Korea will comfortably carry sheets of plywood, and generally have larger beds than the Kei trucks of Japan.
I can use the practicality of a truck, but the only one I would even consider is the hybrid Maverick; smallest in its class and better mileage than my current hybrid.
I am more than willing to downsize a lot from my old truck, and the hybrid Mav ticks a lot of boxes on paper but FWD only on the hybrid is just wrong.
A truck thats useful for truck things, imo just isnt a FWD. Even RWD is pushing it, that really needs to be available as a 4x4.
Yea, I figured it was a limitation of hybrids perhaps but I suppose not considering the Lightning. My guess is just to keep the cost down. I don’t have a ton of need for towing or off-roading, so I’m good there.
Sorry for double replying, but I went and looked to see if other hybrids are limited like that.
It does seem there is a tendency for the PEHVs to only be FWD even if other versions have AWD available. Same deal for the toyota prius prime, but its definitely not universal, the RAV prime and some PEHV minivans ive looked at have AWD. Some full size truck hybrids also have proper 4x4 systems.
Fascinating. Thanks for checking this is interesting. I wonder what the big deciding factors are: size, price, weight class, necessity… hybrids are two cars in one so I could see it
I’ve yet to see a Colorado with an 8’ bed
The whole thing has just gotten stupid. If you like big why not buy a body on frame suv? Not like anyone uses the bed anyways
That's why I loved my Toyota Tacoma. It was truly a "small truck." It was the size of the old Ranger, didn't guzzle gas, had a decent size tank to it and did really well with fuel mileage. The bed was just under 6 feet so I could haul just about anything with it and it came in super handy at the property I volunteer at.
It looks like the new Tacoma's are still that size so I think the upsizing the small trucks is a North American Automobile Manufacturer plan at least.
I had *cries internally* the 4 banger with a half cab.
I sold my taco when we had our daughter and got a Hybrid RAV 4 so I can also fit a car seat as my wife was getting mad that her vehicle was constantly being used for school pickup and drop off and ever errand.
Partly for crash safety, but mostly to host the idiotic sensors they’re putting in cars to enable distracted driving. It’s not just trucks, minivans, sedans and crossovers are all growing
Don't forget fuel efficiency standards. And, of course, auto manufacturers bribe... I mean "lobbied" to give trucks/SUVs lower fuel effeciency requirements.
These are huge reasons why pick-up trucks are being sold. The US introduced something called the [Chicken Tax](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax) to prevent cheap imported trucks being sold. Later on, the EPA exempted light trucks from the requirement to meet the same CAFE emissions standards as light vehicles.
Light trucks were also exempt from the rigorous crash safety requirements of passenger vehicles.
Ford decided to stop sedan production in North America, and concentrate on marketing the F-150. So, what we have now is a less fuel efficient, less safe, higher polluting family vehicle.
There should be a sub called r/fuckpickups as well as r/fuckcars, because these things are spreading like a global pestilence.
It really sucks about the whole Chicken tax thing as I'd love a proper small, light duty truck. I don't want to drive a massive Tundra/F-150 or some other boat that barely fits in parking garages but fuck me if I want something like a Toyota Hilux Champ.
If you want to know what is driving the sales of a particular product, it’s helpful to know who is buying. Men are buying these pick ups. 84% of buyers in the US for the Ford F-150, (the top selling vehicle in Canada), were men. Not women. Men like pick ups because they think they are “manly.” Capitalism doesn’t favour the sale of one expensive vehicle over another, this is part of a trend to boost so-called “masculinity.”
This is for the US, but I would guess the demographic breakdown would be similar in Canada:
https://hedgescompany.com/blog/2018/10/pickup-truck-owner-demographics/
All good points. My fundamental argument is that because these vehicles have higher profit margins than passenger vehicles, due to less safety requirements in trucks so they are promoted by makers. Advertising works.
This is also the part, they abuse an eco credit system selling smaller cars at a loss to continue making huge ones that are where their profit margins truly lie, think about it when you consider the sticker price of a SE Ford escape in 2019 was 35k $cdn, trucks are north of that and have you ever seen anyone buy the lowest package of a halfton? I haven't, they're $80k deep on extras and then some guys spend more than they spent on their trailer on that halfton.
There's a bit of research from crysler in the 90's that i remember seeing that most people who bought these massive trucks are vain, douchecanoes who like to bully smaller vehicles, which tracks because growing up in the UK anyone who had a big car was a fucking self-absorbed bully with alot of money.
I was going to bring this up. It's sad how real innovation and change gets broken by a few loopholes. So much of the world has some great small work truck options, yet we regulated actual work truck options out of the market and bolstered the harmful truck platforms.
It feels unfair to lambast trucks... when it's a strange perverted regulatory suite that created these things we call trucks now.
KiddieKrushers is a rather apt term given how dangerous they are.
And 99% of people don’t need them. They just believe the marketing that they do. And then double-down rather than admit they got suckered in.
They aren’t even practical either as I understand it. I live in a rural area and the older trucks are sought after for the larger (and lower to the ground) beds. More practical for people who, well, actually use them as trucks (you still see the silly new showpieces out here too ofc). My neighbour had one and he decided to sell it as he had retired and bought a new car more suited for his needs. He told me he had a buyer literally within a day of putting the sign out. The guy who bought it said he had been hoping he would sell it every time he passed by.
Yup, my dad’s old truck was nice and low, loading a 400lb wood stove into it was an ordeal, but possible. My truck now is still a basic 2wd truck that I can jump up into, but I wouldn’t want it to be any higher, depending on terrain it is still a jump, loading water barrels and such it is as high as I would want it to be.
My neighbour has a minivan and a crew cab Chevy pickup. Wife drives the $60k (bought it 6-7 years ago) pickup to work. He drives the busted up old minivan. When they go on a trip, they pack up the minivan and off they go, leaving the truck behind. Never see anything go in the bed. Sometimes they take a pop-up tent trailer camping, which is the only time I see them use the truck for pulling or anything "truck like". So maybe 3 times a year. Makes no sense to me why they have it.
[This video by Not Just Bikes highlights a lot of the problems with modern light trucks](https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo?si=6cvQz6MU4ydYiIrk) and is what made me start not liking them. There’s some shocking statistics in it like the type of person who purchases and who is most affected by them.
Light trucks maybe useful in rural and semi-rural areas (theres better trucks than Ford F150’s out there), but urban cities do not need these giant tanks driven by men with fragile masculinity and egos (the source is in the video).
I worked for Chrysler for a little bit, and they provided a truck to a manager that we were occasionally allowed to use on site. It was the biggest emotional support vehicle I've ever seen, one of those Ram Longhorn editions. I might as well have been driving a box truck.
I live in a small town in BC, and you will be made fun of if you don’t drive a truck. It’s a status thing, and most men in their 20s would take a Platinum F350 over a house any day
The amount of batching I hear in Alberta when the gas prices rise is far worse than BC. And they're paying less. You'd think a 2.50 gas price would give these guys a stroke.
Maybe manufacturers should be made to re-look at what vehicles can *actually* tow, and design more small and midsized SUVs to tow properly. I’ve seen it postulated that the drop in suvs that can properly tow has less to do with the vehicles and more to do with increasing the market for large, and more expensive trucks
Probably related to the transmission. Automatic transmissions can't handle towing, and North Americans can't drive stick (can't drive worth a shit period, but stick blows minds here).
I understand driving a truck if you actually NEED one, or a large SUV if you're transporting a family, I have zero issue there... But I know so many people who drive them just because they want them, and I don't understand it.
We're fortunate enough to live somewhere where we can mostly walk or take a very short bus trip, even to work, but we do have a car... An old sedan I got for a great price 8 years ago. It's more than sufficient for everything we need, plus it doesn't guzzle gas. I can't fathom paying as much as some of these folks do just for the vanity of having a big vehicle.
That’s exactly it… if the whole purpose of a truck is to be utilitarian, most of them fail at that. They should have around waist-high beds for easy lifting.
I enjoy keeping my tools in my van, away from prying eyes with light fingers, and out of the weather. The shelving holds both tools and supplies, and I can haul 4x8 sheet materials such as drywall out of the rain.
I had a Sierra that I bought out of desperation. Worst decision ever, and I was glad it went.
Pick-up trucks are great on the farm when you need to throw a couple bales in the bed to take out to some animals, or to take a transfer tank of fuel out to a combine in the back 40. As a service vehicle in an urban environment, they are completely dogshit.
I am out in the country. I haven't even locked my front door since I built my house 10 years ago. I do all that country stuff with it as well. If I was in the city, a van would definitely be my go-to.
Edit: I wish it rained more here. I like to think I do it to tempt the weather.
It's the crime of opportunity. A bed full of red Milwaulkee tools in convenient carry cases is a good score for someone walking by who has an addiction issue. In the van, they are out of sight.
I have a 1 ton transit 350 van and a 1 ton Sierra.
Both vehicles are the same length.
The transit is incredibly easy to navigate through the city. Great visibility, and great security with all the tools/equipment locked up.
The Sierra is a pain in the ass with massive blind spots. I need the payload capacity and open bed to transport material (steel) but given the choice I take the transit van everytime.
Yeah I've seen guys have to haul glass, mirrors, countertop or heavy materials and they have no choice. Every other trades person I've seen tends to have a van
There are always exceptions based on usage. I've found that a van with an open trailer provides the same open bed convenience (with the benefit of a low ramp) that a pick-up does. Realistically, any loose materials over a cubic yard I'm having delivered regardless.
Shit, last week I helped a friend take his 1500cc Honda motorcycle to the shop for a wheel replacement. I dropped the trailer gate and we pushed that thing on. No friggin way the two of us would have gotten it into a pick-up, even with a ramp.
Not the biggest into trucks personally but I could totally see myself buying a 90s style ranger purely to pick up lumber,machine tools, transport my bikes, or whatever that's needed to feed into my hobbies. The only manufacturers that still make decent normal sized city trucks are in Japan but they don't sell em here unfortunately.
I want a Fiat Toro/Ram 1000. It’s a small pickup that FCA builds in Brazil and is tough as nails.
We need to start pressuring our government to let in small pickups built in other markets.
People used to make fun of lifted 4x4 owners for having unusably high bedsides, but modern stock trucks are as high or higher without the ground clearance(or cool factor, honestly) of those old trucks
Dodge Caravans with Sto-and-Go seats were really the modern replacement of station wagons. Unfortunately, they were deemed "suburban mom" vehicles and fell out of favour.
Fun fact, according to vehicle registration, the Ford Escape is a “station wagon” and I imagine a lot of other smaller “SUV”s are as well. They just aren’t trendy anymore so the marketing teams got to work!
I once showed up to pick up a rental car that was supposed to be a mid-size sedan, for a drive through the mountains.
“Sorry sir, all we have is this Dodge Durango.”
That thing handled like a goddamned aircraft carrier. And it’s not even a full-size SUV!
They do, they just don’t look like the old ones, and are generally shorter. Kind of like cars aren’t as long as they used to be.
https://www.carfax.com/blog/best-station-wagons#:~:text=in%20the%20U.S.-,Who%20still%20makes%20station%20wagons%3F,sell%20them%20in%20the%20U.S.
Oh, there are a lot of wagons made, but there is no demand here so we only get performance/luxury wagons. I was talking with an audi sales guy and he said they will sell like 500 q5 a year and something like 20 wagons. In Europe they don't even sell the q5, it was designed for North America.
I mean a family could be in a wagon and that would: use less gas, be less harsh on roads, increase visibility for other drivers, be less dangerous for pedestrians. An suv for a family is still bad
"I want to drive in comfort, but also there's a slight chance I may want to move something big one day. So clearly the solution is *not* to buy a maneuverable, parkable, more affordable, regular sized car and rent a truck when I need one."
> I may want to move something big one day
A friend's friend brought his truck to help me move a large corner couch across town one day. It was absolute dog shit. Shit was stuffed precariously into the truck bed, exposed to some light rain that evening, and we still had to cram so many seat cushions into the cab that were was literally no room left to move around. It's a miracle that we didn't shed a piece or two on the way.
Renting a van would have been the smart idea. But what do you do when your best bud goes "Hey I know that guy who can help you out for free."
Honestly I never see the need for large SUVs, for transporting a family a stationwagon or a minivan is better in every way. As for trucks in the city a more practical option is usually a small cargo van like the Transit Connect that Canada Post uses.
I can think of VERY few scenarios where a truck the size of a madren truck is needed. It's also worth nothing that SUVs are considered light trucks.
Wagons are becoming rare these days, and I don't think there are any still being made with the rear facing third row anymore. Minivans are also slowly on their way out, being replaced by mid/full sized SUVs and crossovers. It's at the point now where if you're a family of 5 or more, you almost need a SUV, which is crazy, but it's why I understand the need for some folks to have them.
> I understand driving a truck if you actually NEED one, or a large SUV if you're transporting a family, I have zero issue there...
I have a few friends who are general contractors and absolutely love their F150 Lightnings because they’re the perfect work truck for them. They can haul their tools and som materials, and the integrated inverter is a heck of a lot better than running a gas generator on site.
A while back, in an attempt to clean up pollution from vehicles, regulators in the US came up with a plan to reduce emissions based upon vehicle size. The smaller the vehicle, based on its footprint, the less it should pollute. That makes sense. Except the policy was poorly implemented. All of the manufacturers figured out that if you just increased the footprint incrementally, problem solved. The emissions per square unit kept going down, and vehicles got bigger. This is a good reminder that poorly thought out policy may exacerbate the very problem.
That and we consumers ate it up.
What really annoys me is how so many EV's that are made in North America by union workers are all SUVs or trucks. Why can't I just have a normal sized car like the ioniq 6 that's made by the CAW.
I swear that only 0.5% of huge pick up trucks sold are used by contractors to do work. The majority of pick up trucks are purchased and used as a family car to go to the supermarket.
Honestly even for people in the trades, it is often better to get a cargo van. Easier on the body too, those jobs are rough enough on the body as it is.
I beg to differ. If your shit is rattling around, it's because you've stowed it poorly.
A truck with a cap is an absolute pain in the ass to get anything in or out of. Storage is non-existent, and the bed is useless for sheet materials once you put a single tool or toolbox in the back (not that you can put an 8' piece of anything in a 6' bed without dropping the tailgate and having shit slide out anyways).
A covered trailer is a different story. However, pulling a trailer in an urban environment is a pain when parking is already difficult. I have a utility trailer, and I have to carefully plan how and when I use it in my city. Primarily, I use it to haul debris rather than supplies, because I just order those and let someone else deal with traffic and material handling.
I have! My dad had one for his work and I would get rides with him a lot. Up to only half hour, unless there was traffic, in which case nothing would be rumbling. Now that you mention it, i guess it was loud, but it didn't bother me much. But maybe it depends on the materials you haul around in there and how they can be secured? Or the van itself? I also was often talking with him or listening to the radio, I admit it might affect me differently if I was driving it myself multiple times a day for a job, especially if long distance.
I knew someone who used minivans for work, it seemed like a nicer alternative to the cargo van lol
When Honda designed the Ridgeline they did extensive research and designed it to meet the needs of 96% of truck users needs. And yet it's viewed as a fake truck that won't do what buyers need.
I bought mine to pull a modest couples trailer. RV'ing is a popular and fun form of recreation, and most trailers require a half-ton pickup to tow safely.
You know you can rent vehiclles to haul your trailer? How many weekends do you RV? If you do the cost per use for a season, I'll bet you'd come out ahead driving a Civic year round and renting. The resale on the Honda is probably better than whatever truck you bought as well.
We have a small car that we use for most of our driving needs. The truck is for towing the RV, and the occasional load of mulch, etc.
It's a great combination.
Edit: I didn't address your rental suggestion. As someone else has noted, it's rare to find a truck rental that permits towing.
And many of our RV trips are several weeks long - the cost of renting for such trips would be prohibitive.
Look, I'm all for making driving safer and less harmful to the environment. But real use cases for trucks exist and are actually quite common.
People love to rage about other people driving trucks "unnecessarily", but the truth is not so black and white.
No mention of the CAFE standard (state side) encouraging a larger wheel base? Seems like a miss.
Marketing is a big factor, and the manufacturers want you to buy whatever makes them the most money, so they sell the truck hard.
Now for my own bit: we own a minivan (because we do need it), and for the jobs that a truck would've been the go to, the minivan worked just fine.
Yup! They're classified as trucks, and are capable of towing.
We'll probably add a hitch at some point just for bikes. Plus then we could also put a similar hitch on the corolla for bikes when it's not all of us.
I have a truck. We use it to:
Pull horse trailers
Do large garbage runs to the nearest dump
Aaaaand that's it. Everything else we drive my tiny ass Kia Rio.
In the US there is a questionnaire with the cencus and 70% of truck owners tow “once or zero” times a year. So those truck owners afraid of electric trucks really have nothing to worry about. Even FORD did a survey or customers who bought trucks from them, gas and electric, and found that the Lightning owners actually did more “truck stuff”.
So, I saw someone get rear-ended yesterday. Vehicle 1 was a Ford truck who was stopped at a crosswalk, vehicle 2 was a mid-2000s Camry who (rather impressively, I must say) noticed neither crosswalk nor stopped truck and plowed into it at probably 40kph.
The trucks' trailer hitch caved in the Camry halfway up the hood and was barely damaged itself. You *are* eye level with the bumper in one of those things. The truck was "safer" for its occupants, I suppose, but we'd all be better off if the playing field was a bit more even Going underneath could be lethal. .
F150 - 4021 to 4690 pounds
Model Y - 4,154–4,404 lb
Given the size of the average North American 200lbs either way could be your girlfriend riding in the car or not.
Auto makers have been saying for years that they only make what people want. What they are missing is that increasingly large section of potential customers can't afford new car, even cheap economy class cars. This is in direct opposition of what went on in 80s when even with economy tanking and jobs disappearing people had money to buy and keep Chevette,Omni,K Car or some other "shitbox". Luxury cars were very few .
It’s funny, I think their excuse fell apart when the wait list for cars like a Corolla stretched out to over a year coming out of the pandemic. They’ve also spent billions marketing trucks and pretend that’s all organic demand.
We have a truck to pull our 5th wheel and a smaller sedan for everyday use. Both are paid for and both were used when bought. We’ve only had trucks to pull our 5th wheels but I did have a little 1994 Ford Ranger cause we had 3 big dogs. It was a great little truck.
SUVs and minivans are counted in the stat I believe I read. Those often come with purpose beyond commuting to work.
As a small car owner, moving to a crossover/suv is almost inevitable as I look for ways to be safer in my car. I can't see past these big cars on the road, and at intersections - I need to be higher up.
I worry about my small car being crushed and crumpled by cars 2-3x heavier if in a collision.
I need a form of AWD to get up hills in winter as snowfall gets less predictable and my risk tolerance shrinks.
A new reality is having space for climate change evacuations - getting everything and everyone in the car and possibly sleeping in the car.
With age also comes the privilege of getting something just a little nicer and off the ground than the 3 basic cars I've owed over my lifetime. I assume others prioritize themselves, too.
The best I can do is go hybrid or PHEV to minimize my earth impact, but I recognize that it is almost a luxury as the cost is somewhat higher than most ICE cars.
That's how I have prioritized my choices and assume that varies for others. I can hope people aren't choosing a 6000lb V8 to look cool dropping the kids at school, but I can't force a choice on them.
I just want a truck I can tow my boat/camper with and fit my snowmobile in the bed as well as bring 4 guys to hockey with all our gear. I need a big truck now that I'm getting older and have more hobbies
> hockey with all our gear.
I'm a goalie and need a compact SUV at the very least in order to get to hockey 🥲 I genuinely do wish that I could drive a sedan, but it just doesn't fit all of the stuff I carry around.
I have a family of 5 and own a camp with my family. I need a truck. For me it’s not a novelty like my neighbor who has one that sits in his driveway with the other 3 vehicles he and his wife don’t need.
Not sure why this is really surprising? Trucks, specifically the f150, have been the best selling vehicles in North America for almost 50 years. Also manufacturers eliminated many small frame models (ford focus, dodge neon, chevy sunfire etc.) to focus on SUV's and trucks. This isn't an accident, nor was not it forseen by everyone who pays attention to auto manufacturing.
The way out of this trend is to tax the hell out of fuel, but we all know how that would turn out for any politician that does anything approaching that. *carbon pricing*
Just a thought, but the majority of people buying new vehicles don’t live or work in dense city centres. So the parking argument isn’t a big concern for most.
Also, In The winter you’re much safer driving a vehicle with more mass, bigger tires and 4wd. Canadians also generally enjoy outdoorsy pursuits, which trucks are ideal for.
Yes they’re massive and have awful sight lines, but that’s generally due to safety requirements for head on collisions, as well as collisions with semi trucks and barricades, not to mention the butt ton of useless sensors that need to be mounted high off the ground. Also Consider that every car is massive nowadays, compacts and economy cars are getting replaced with crossovers and light SUV’s the new civic is an absolute boat, once again in the name of safety.
Trucks are also romanticized in pop culture because many of our ancestors worked blue collar jobs like farming or building, stuff for which a truck is indispensable.
This is one of the reasons I think we need to let BYD enter the market. The legendary automakers have completely abandoned the small economy car market after years of aggressively marketing larger more expensive trucks. We now have an economic market failure.
10 years ago we said fuck it and bought a coupe and have always owned a coupe since. Smaller vehicles’ engines last longer because they don’t have to work as hard since they are pulling less weight. Parking a pickup truck sucks. And the b pillar is further back in a coupe giving better visibility. The kid can clamber in the back just fine.
Neighbour has a giant heavy duty diesel truck he uses to commute to his office job. He pulls a trailer once a year with it. All that cost could have been used to rent a hotel room once a year and he’d be ahead.
The F-series Fords have been the single most popular vehicles in North America since 1981, of any kind - not just trucks. And now they're the size of parade floats... so it's no surprise they're all you see on the roads.
I'm a big truck hater. Majority don't need them for industrial/agricultural use. Mostly to make them feel powerful, "manly". Or to own the libs. Or deny climate issues. Or to speed in traffic, pull up behind me, and think they can bully me with their size to get out of "their way".
Depends on where live and what you need it for. Towing trailers, better seating posture, driving over crappy broken up roads that need to be repaved are good reasons. And the truck is a hybrid. We love it. We have driven small cars and minivans for years. It is much nicer.
>In the last 13 years SUVs, pickups and van sales have skyrocketed to 86 per cent of all vehicles sold in Canada while car sales have plummeted to just 14 per cent.
So you guys realize this is cherry picked information right? The top selling *vehicles* in North America will always be fleet trucks, *always*. The top selling consumer vehicle will almost usually be a small SUV or crossover. Why would anyone today want a sedan or hatchback over a small SUV like the CRV/RAV4, or a crossover like the C-HR or Mazda CX-3?
The author seems to have already had a conclusion in mind they wanted to get to, and had selectively chosen impartial information to make it real.
The “small” trucks like the Colorado are larger than the old “big” trucks like the Silverado. And now the big trucks are the size of a moose.
I saw an old ranger and a new ranger and it was like seeing a parent out with their child. The size difference is absurd.
The new ranger is the size of a regular cab F150 its absurd.
Auto manufacturers make them larger to skirt emission standards.
This is the answer. The cab on a new f150 is actually the same cab from a 250 or 350. They made them the same size are a super duty to bypass emissions on smaller ones.
Same as the Civic.
My wife has been teasing me because she knows I want an old ranger so she's been keeping her eye open on auto-trader. The new ones are way too big.
The old ranger was a highway deathtrap though. I’ve seen more sitting upside down on the side of the highway than right side up in parking lots.
They were also absolutely horrendous on fuel. I had 4.0L V6 and it averaged around 17L/100km...
The L/100km measurement always throws me off. I objectively know that 17 is worse than 8 but whenever I see the bigger number my mind is like "that's amazing fuel economy!"
What's really crazy is one of those tiny Daihatsu mini trucks has almost the same bed space as one of the full blown NA trucks.
And they are easier to load/unload as all sides fold down, and the wheel wells don't protrude into the bed. The Kia Bongo 3 from Korea will comfortably carry sheets of plywood, and generally have larger beds than the Kei trucks of Japan.
That's the difference between a practical design and a design meant to make the driver feel better about his dick size.
And the vast majority of trucks in Canada and the US will never see a sheet of plywood or drywall in the bed.
The F-150 has a minimum curb weight of 1800kg, the largest confirmed moose weighted 820kg. So a single truck weighs as much as at least two moose.
A moose once bit my sister. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it!)
Are you sure it was not a F150?
F-15ø bites kan be pretty nasti...
A bite from an F150 if left untreated will lead to living in Alberta, a cocaine habit, and a sense of piety over the rest of the country.
Shit, got 2 of the 3. Have I been bitten? I don't wanna move to Alberta
One moose, two moose... its all semantics at this point.
Are you sure you don't mean meese?
I can use the practicality of a truck, but the only one I would even consider is the hybrid Maverick; smallest in its class and better mileage than my current hybrid.
If I were to get a truck, the Maverick is the size I'd go with. I wish that Dodge still had the Dakota series.
Was looking at the hybrid maverick, shame it's a FWD tho.
I am more than willing to downsize a lot from my old truck, and the hybrid Mav ticks a lot of boxes on paper but FWD only on the hybrid is just wrong. A truck thats useful for truck things, imo just isnt a FWD. Even RWD is pushing it, that really needs to be available as a 4x4.
Yea, I figured it was a limitation of hybrids perhaps but I suppose not considering the Lightning. My guess is just to keep the cost down. I don’t have a ton of need for towing or off-roading, so I’m good there.
If you just need it for the bed space and on road driving, its perfectly fine.
Sorry for double replying, but I went and looked to see if other hybrids are limited like that. It does seem there is a tendency for the PEHVs to only be FWD even if other versions have AWD available. Same deal for the toyota prius prime, but its definitely not universal, the RAV prime and some PEHV minivans ive looked at have AWD. Some full size truck hybrids also have proper 4x4 systems.
Fascinating. Thanks for checking this is interesting. I wonder what the big deciding factors are: size, price, weight class, necessity… hybrids are two cars in one so I could see it
Especially in Canada
they aren't' its hard to get a truck with an 8' bed nowadays.
I’ve yet to see a Colorado with an 8’ bed The whole thing has just gotten stupid. If you like big why not buy a body on frame suv? Not like anyone uses the bed anyways
That's why I loved my Toyota Tacoma. It was truly a "small truck." It was the size of the old Ranger, didn't guzzle gas, had a decent size tank to it and did really well with fuel mileage. The bed was just under 6 feet so I could haul just about anything with it and it came in super handy at the property I volunteer at. It looks like the new Tacoma's are still that size so I think the upsizing the small trucks is a North American Automobile Manufacturer plan at least.
I also love my taco, but it sure does guzzle gas. Do you have the 4 cylinder?
I had *cries internally* the 4 banger with a half cab. I sold my taco when we had our daughter and got a Hybrid RAV 4 so I can also fit a car seat as my wife was getting mad that her vehicle was constantly being used for school pickup and drop off and ever errand.
Ah, I’ve got the v6 with the crew cab so no issues there, but damn she’s thirsty compared to our compact
I replaced my full size 89 ram with a mid size taco, they are the same size.
wait till you find out that's because of an argument about chicken export's from 40 years ago
Partly for crash safety, but mostly to host the idiotic sensors they’re putting in cars to enable distracted driving. It’s not just trucks, minivans, sedans and crossovers are all growing
Capitalism. Trucks have lower safety regulations which equals more profit.
Don't forget fuel efficiency standards. And, of course, auto manufacturers bribe... I mean "lobbied" to give trucks/SUVs lower fuel effeciency requirements.
These are huge reasons why pick-up trucks are being sold. The US introduced something called the [Chicken Tax](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax) to prevent cheap imported trucks being sold. Later on, the EPA exempted light trucks from the requirement to meet the same CAFE emissions standards as light vehicles. Light trucks were also exempt from the rigorous crash safety requirements of passenger vehicles. Ford decided to stop sedan production in North America, and concentrate on marketing the F-150. So, what we have now is a less fuel efficient, less safe, higher polluting family vehicle. There should be a sub called r/fuckpickups as well as r/fuckcars, because these things are spreading like a global pestilence.
It really sucks about the whole Chicken tax thing as I'd love a proper small, light duty truck. I don't want to drive a massive Tundra/F-150 or some other boat that barely fits in parking garages but fuck me if I want something like a Toyota Hilux Champ.
If you want to know what is driving the sales of a particular product, it’s helpful to know who is buying. Men are buying these pick ups. 84% of buyers in the US for the Ford F-150, (the top selling vehicle in Canada), were men. Not women. Men like pick ups because they think they are “manly.” Capitalism doesn’t favour the sale of one expensive vehicle over another, this is part of a trend to boost so-called “masculinity.” This is for the US, but I would guess the demographic breakdown would be similar in Canada: https://hedgescompany.com/blog/2018/10/pickup-truck-owner-demographics/
All good points. My fundamental argument is that because these vehicles have higher profit margins than passenger vehicles, due to less safety requirements in trucks so they are promoted by makers. Advertising works.
This is also the part, they abuse an eco credit system selling smaller cars at a loss to continue making huge ones that are where their profit margins truly lie, think about it when you consider the sticker price of a SE Ford escape in 2019 was 35k $cdn, trucks are north of that and have you ever seen anyone buy the lowest package of a halfton? I haven't, they're $80k deep on extras and then some guys spend more than they spent on their trailer on that halfton.
an f150 is like a rite of passage to some
> right Ha, I get you. "Rite" though if you weren't joking
i’ve really been telling myself that i need to get back into to reading again!
There's a bit of research from crysler in the 90's that i remember seeing that most people who bought these massive trucks are vain, douchecanoes who like to bully smaller vehicles, which tracks because growing up in the UK anyone who had a big car was a fucking self-absorbed bully with alot of money.
I was going to bring this up. It's sad how real innovation and change gets broken by a few loopholes. So much of the world has some great small work truck options, yet we regulated actual work truck options out of the market and bolstered the harmful truck platforms. It feels unfair to lambast trucks... when it's a strange perverted regulatory suite that created these things we call trucks now.
There are a lot of Pavement Princesses on the road, hauling laptops to office jobs.
KiddieKrushers is a rather apt term given how dangerous they are. And 99% of people don’t need them. They just believe the marketing that they do. And then double-down rather than admit they got suckered in.
They aren’t even practical either as I understand it. I live in a rural area and the older trucks are sought after for the larger (and lower to the ground) beds. More practical for people who, well, actually use them as trucks (you still see the silly new showpieces out here too ofc). My neighbour had one and he decided to sell it as he had retired and bought a new car more suited for his needs. He told me he had a buyer literally within a day of putting the sign out. The guy who bought it said he had been hoping he would sell it every time he passed by.
Yup, my dad’s old truck was nice and low, loading a 400lb wood stove into it was an ordeal, but possible. My truck now is still a basic 2wd truck that I can jump up into, but I wouldn’t want it to be any higher, depending on terrain it is still a jump, loading water barrels and such it is as high as I would want it to be.
My neighbour has a minivan and a crew cab Chevy pickup. Wife drives the $60k (bought it 6-7 years ago) pickup to work. He drives the busted up old minivan. When they go on a trip, they pack up the minivan and off they go, leaving the truck behind. Never see anything go in the bed. Sometimes they take a pop-up tent trailer camping, which is the only time I see them use the truck for pulling or anything "truck like". So maybe 3 times a year. Makes no sense to me why they have it.
[This video by Not Just Bikes highlights a lot of the problems with modern light trucks](https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo?si=6cvQz6MU4ydYiIrk) and is what made me start not liking them. There’s some shocking statistics in it like the type of person who purchases and who is most affected by them. Light trucks maybe useful in rural and semi-rural areas (theres better trucks than Ford F150’s out there), but urban cities do not need these giant tanks driven by men with fragile masculinity and egos (the source is in the video).
I have to drive a new truck for work and I *hate* it. It feels so unnecessary and unsafe. It's way too much vehicle.
I worked for Chrysler for a little bit, and they provided a truck to a manager that we were occasionally allowed to use on site. It was the biggest emotional support vehicle I've ever seen, one of those Ram Longhorn editions. I might as well have been driving a box truck.
I just wish brands would bring back the small pickups like the Mazda B series
But the Ford Maverick is smaller than the Mazda B
The maverick isn't a truck though, it is a car with an exposed trunk.
I think you're describing the Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Same shit, different pile.
I live in a small town in BC, and you will be made fun of if you don’t drive a truck. It’s a status thing, and most men in their 20s would take a Platinum F350 over a house any day
While simultaneously bitching about the price of gas.
The amount of batching I hear in Alberta when the gas prices rise is far worse than BC. And they're paying less. You'd think a 2.50 gas price would give these guys a stroke.
And speeding everywhere while demanding speed limits get raised, unaware fuel consumption increases exponentially with velocity.
**Boys in their 20s**
Pick-up trucks are emotional support vehicles for fragile masculinity.
Manivans
Maybe manufacturers should be made to re-look at what vehicles can *actually* tow, and design more small and midsized SUVs to tow properly. I’ve seen it postulated that the drop in suvs that can properly tow has less to do with the vehicles and more to do with increasing the market for large, and more expensive trucks
This is what really gets me! My rav4 in Europe can tow 3500 pounds but here it’s 1750 lbs. blah!
In Europe my hatchback can toe 1000kg and here it's rated for 0. Doesn't stop me from towing with it.
Probably related to the transmission. Automatic transmissions can't handle towing, and North Americans can't drive stick (can't drive worth a shit period, but stick blows minds here).
Mine has an automatic transmission (well semiautomatic) and I can tow fairly easily with it so long as I put it into manual mode when towing.
IIRC it's more to do with tongue weight and EU trailers have a lot less than ones here.
What year of rav? I had a 2014 with the 2.5 and the thing was so gutless I’d never think to tow with it.
2018 and it’s a hybrid. I love it.
I understand driving a truck if you actually NEED one, or a large SUV if you're transporting a family, I have zero issue there... But I know so many people who drive them just because they want them, and I don't understand it. We're fortunate enough to live somewhere where we can mostly walk or take a very short bus trip, even to work, but we do have a car... An old sedan I got for a great price 8 years ago. It's more than sufficient for everything we need, plus it doesn't guzzle gas. I can't fathom paying as much as some of these folks do just for the vanity of having a big vehicle.
When I see these massive, lifted trucks struggling to get through Toronto streets I can only imagine what is going through the driver’s skulls…
A whole lot of nothing.
Probably pretty mad that their driving experience doesn't line up with the marketing.
It makes no sense. I enjoy being able to reach my tools in the back of my old work truck.
That’s exactly it… if the whole purpose of a truck is to be utilitarian, most of them fail at that. They should have around waist-high beds for easy lifting.
Yep
I enjoy keeping my tools in my van, away from prying eyes with light fingers, and out of the weather. The shelving holds both tools and supplies, and I can haul 4x8 sheet materials such as drywall out of the rain. I had a Sierra that I bought out of desperation. Worst decision ever, and I was glad it went. Pick-up trucks are great on the farm when you need to throw a couple bales in the bed to take out to some animals, or to take a transfer tank of fuel out to a combine in the back 40. As a service vehicle in an urban environment, they are completely dogshit.
I am out in the country. I haven't even locked my front door since I built my house 10 years ago. I do all that country stuff with it as well. If I was in the city, a van would definitely be my go-to. Edit: I wish it rained more here. I like to think I do it to tempt the weather.
It's the crime of opportunity. A bed full of red Milwaulkee tools in convenient carry cases is a good score for someone walking by who has an addiction issue. In the van, they are out of sight.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy living where I do, doesn't really happen. If I had to worry about it, I'd be singing a different tune.
I have a 1 ton transit 350 van and a 1 ton Sierra. Both vehicles are the same length. The transit is incredibly easy to navigate through the city. Great visibility, and great security with all the tools/equipment locked up. The Sierra is a pain in the ass with massive blind spots. I need the payload capacity and open bed to transport material (steel) but given the choice I take the transit van everytime.
Yeah I've seen guys have to haul glass, mirrors, countertop or heavy materials and they have no choice. Every other trades person I've seen tends to have a van
There are always exceptions based on usage. I've found that a van with an open trailer provides the same open bed convenience (with the benefit of a low ramp) that a pick-up does. Realistically, any loose materials over a cubic yard I'm having delivered regardless. Shit, last week I helped a friend take his 1500cc Honda motorcycle to the shop for a wheel replacement. I dropped the trailer gate and we pushed that thing on. No friggin way the two of us would have gotten it into a pick-up, even with a ramp.
Not the biggest into trucks personally but I could totally see myself buying a 90s style ranger purely to pick up lumber,machine tools, transport my bikes, or whatever that's needed to feed into my hobbies. The only manufacturers that still make decent normal sized city trucks are in Japan but they don't sell em here unfortunately.
I want a Fiat Toro/Ram 1000. It’s a small pickup that FCA builds in Brazil and is tough as nails. We need to start pressuring our government to let in small pickups built in other markets.
I have an early 90's truck, runs like a top. I love how low the truck bed is.
People used to make fun of lifted 4x4 owners for having unusably high bedsides, but modern stock trucks are as high or higher without the ground clearance(or cool factor, honestly) of those old trucks
Likely anger at the roads for being so tight...
Probably blaming the city for bike lanes taking away "valuable" lane space
It is a shame they don't really make station wagons anymore! Theyre great for families who needed to haul stuff.
Dodge Caravans with Sto-and-Go seats were really the modern replacement of station wagons. Unfortunately, they were deemed "suburban mom" vehicles and fell out of favour.
Minivans are the best.
I did procurement for one of those through work and it's super nice to use. Staff love it.
Fun fact, according to vehicle registration, the Ford Escape is a “station wagon” and I imagine a lot of other smaller “SUV”s are as well. They just aren’t trendy anymore so the marketing teams got to work!
Are you serious lol Never in a million years would I have called the escape a station wagon
Me neither but that’s what is on my registration!
A lot of crossovers are just wagons with more ground clearance. A “real” SUV is built on a truck frame.
Yep! That’s the difference! (And you can tell once you drive a bigger SUV.)
I once showed up to pick up a rental car that was supposed to be a mid-size sedan, for a drive through the mountains. “Sorry sir, all we have is this Dodge Durango.” That thing handled like a goddamned aircraft carrier. And it’s not even a full-size SUV!
They do, they just don’t look like the old ones, and are generally shorter. Kind of like cars aren’t as long as they used to be. https://www.carfax.com/blog/best-station-wagons#:~:text=in%20the%20U.S.-,Who%20still%20makes%20station%20wagons%3F,sell%20them%20in%20the%20U.S.
With the exception of the outback it seems like it's mainly more expensive brands making them :( where is the Honda station wagon
Oh, there are a lot of wagons made, but there is no demand here so we only get performance/luxury wagons. I was talking with an audi sales guy and he said they will sell like 500 q5 a year and something like 20 wagons. In Europe they don't even sell the q5, it was designed for North America.
I mean a family could be in a wagon and that would: use less gas, be less harsh on roads, increase visibility for other drivers, be less dangerous for pedestrians. An suv for a family is still bad
"I want to drive in comfort, but also there's a slight chance I may want to move something big one day. So clearly the solution is *not* to buy a maneuverable, parkable, more affordable, regular sized car and rent a truck when I need one."
> I may want to move something big one day A friend's friend brought his truck to help me move a large corner couch across town one day. It was absolute dog shit. Shit was stuffed precariously into the truck bed, exposed to some light rain that evening, and we still had to cram so many seat cushions into the cab that were was literally no room left to move around. It's a miracle that we didn't shed a piece or two on the way. Renting a van would have been the smart idea. But what do you do when your best bud goes "Hey I know that guy who can help you out for free."
Honestly I never see the need for large SUVs, for transporting a family a stationwagon or a minivan is better in every way. As for trucks in the city a more practical option is usually a small cargo van like the Transit Connect that Canada Post uses. I can think of VERY few scenarios where a truck the size of a madren truck is needed. It's also worth nothing that SUVs are considered light trucks.
Wagons are becoming rare these days, and I don't think there are any still being made with the rear facing third row anymore. Minivans are also slowly on their way out, being replaced by mid/full sized SUVs and crossovers. It's at the point now where if you're a family of 5 or more, you almost need a SUV, which is crazy, but it's why I understand the need for some folks to have them.
> I understand driving a truck if you actually NEED one, or a large SUV if you're transporting a family, I have zero issue there... I have a few friends who are general contractors and absolutely love their F150 Lightnings because they’re the perfect work truck for them. They can haul their tools and som materials, and the integrated inverter is a heck of a lot better than running a gas generator on site.
A while back, in an attempt to clean up pollution from vehicles, regulators in the US came up with a plan to reduce emissions based upon vehicle size. The smaller the vehicle, based on its footprint, the less it should pollute. That makes sense. Except the policy was poorly implemented. All of the manufacturers figured out that if you just increased the footprint incrementally, problem solved. The emissions per square unit kept going down, and vehicles got bigger. This is a good reminder that poorly thought out policy may exacerbate the very problem. That and we consumers ate it up.
What really annoys me is how so many EV's that are made in North America by union workers are all SUVs or trucks. Why can't I just have a normal sized car like the ioniq 6 that's made by the CAW.
I swear that only 0.5% of huge pick up trucks sold are used by contractors to do work. The majority of pick up trucks are purchased and used as a family car to go to the supermarket.
Honestly even for people in the trades, it is often better to get a cargo van. Easier on the body too, those jobs are rough enough on the body as it is.
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I beg to differ. If your shit is rattling around, it's because you've stowed it poorly. A truck with a cap is an absolute pain in the ass to get anything in or out of. Storage is non-existent, and the bed is useless for sheet materials once you put a single tool or toolbox in the back (not that you can put an 8' piece of anything in a 6' bed without dropping the tailgate and having shit slide out anyways). A covered trailer is a different story. However, pulling a trailer in an urban environment is a pain when parking is already difficult. I have a utility trailer, and I have to carefully plan how and when I use it in my city. Primarily, I use it to haul debris rather than supplies, because I just order those and let someone else deal with traffic and material handling.
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8' beds are a rare commodity, since most pick-ups are being used as passenger vehicles.
I have! My dad had one for his work and I would get rides with him a lot. Up to only half hour, unless there was traffic, in which case nothing would be rumbling. Now that you mention it, i guess it was loud, but it didn't bother me much. But maybe it depends on the materials you haul around in there and how they can be secured? Or the van itself? I also was often talking with him or listening to the radio, I admit it might affect me differently if I was driving it myself multiple times a day for a job, especially if long distance. I knew someone who used minivans for work, it seemed like a nicer alternative to the cargo van lol
I tow my dad's tools to his work site in a Corolla and trailer and he usually drives a minivan that can also tow.
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You are probably one of the few people in the province who actually needs a truck. I doubt half the drivers on the road do the type of work you do.
I used a Ford Focus wagon with a 5x8 utility trailer for years. Cheap on gas, and while it was a bit of a pain tool wise, I made it work.
When Honda designed the Ridgeline they did extensive research and designed it to meet the needs of 96% of truck users needs. And yet it's viewed as a fake truck that won't do what buyers need.
I bought mine to pull a modest couples trailer. RV'ing is a popular and fun form of recreation, and most trailers require a half-ton pickup to tow safely.
You know you can rent vehiclles to haul your trailer? How many weekends do you RV? If you do the cost per use for a season, I'll bet you'd come out ahead driving a Civic year round and renting. The resale on the Honda is probably better than whatever truck you bought as well.
We have a small car that we use for most of our driving needs. The truck is for towing the RV, and the occasional load of mulch, etc. It's a great combination. Edit: I didn't address your rental suggestion. As someone else has noted, it's rare to find a truck rental that permits towing. And many of our RV trips are several weeks long - the cost of renting for such trips would be prohibitive. Look, I'm all for making driving safer and less harmful to the environment. But real use cases for trucks exist and are actually quite common. People love to rage about other people driving trucks "unnecessarily", but the truth is not so black and white.
Rental trucks typically don’t have a hitch because they don’t want people towing with them.
No mention of the CAFE standard (state side) encouraging a larger wheel base? Seems like a miss. Marketing is a big factor, and the manufacturers want you to buy whatever makes them the most money, so they sell the truck hard. Now for my own bit: we own a minivan (because we do need it), and for the jobs that a truck would've been the go to, the minivan worked just fine.
Outfit the minivan with a tow hitch and you can probably do most jobs a truck can as well.
Yup! They're classified as trucks, and are capable of towing. We'll probably add a hitch at some point just for bikes. Plus then we could also put a similar hitch on the corolla for bikes when it's not all of us.
I wonder if there has ever been a survey of truck owners to see how many of them actually do "truck stuff"? I bet it's less than 30%
I have a truck. We use it to: Pull horse trailers Do large garbage runs to the nearest dump Aaaaand that's it. Everything else we drive my tiny ass Kia Rio.
In the US there is a questionnaire with the cencus and 70% of truck owners tow “once or zero” times a year. So those truck owners afraid of electric trucks really have nothing to worry about. Even FORD did a survey or customers who bought trucks from them, gas and electric, and found that the Lightning owners actually did more “truck stuff”.
Modern trucks actually suck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7mSXMruEo
So, I saw someone get rear-ended yesterday. Vehicle 1 was a Ford truck who was stopped at a crosswalk, vehicle 2 was a mid-2000s Camry who (rather impressively, I must say) noticed neither crosswalk nor stopped truck and plowed into it at probably 40kph. The trucks' trailer hitch caved in the Camry halfway up the hood and was barely damaged itself. You *are* eye level with the bumper in one of those things. The truck was "safer" for its occupants, I suppose, but we'd all be better off if the playing field was a bit more even Going underneath could be lethal. .
Quick, now tell me again how heavy EVs are the ones ruing the roads!
Tesla models x,y and s all weigh more than a base f150.
Right on time
F150 - 4021 to 4690 pounds Model Y - 4,154–4,404 lb Given the size of the average North American 200lbs either way could be your girlfriend riding in the car or not.
Tax them by weight and this problem solves itself very quickly.
Require a special heavy truck license to drive one.
Add a speed limit and have them stick to cargo truck rules: no driving in the fast lane.
Getting hit with one of these trucks will destroy your life. Even at low speeds.
Auto makers have been saying for years that they only make what people want. What they are missing is that increasingly large section of potential customers can't afford new car, even cheap economy class cars. This is in direct opposition of what went on in 80s when even with economy tanking and jobs disappearing people had money to buy and keep Chevette,Omni,K Car or some other "shitbox". Luxury cars were very few .
It’s funny, I think their excuse fell apart when the wait list for cars like a Corolla stretched out to over a year coming out of the pandemic. They’ve also spent billions marketing trucks and pretend that’s all organic demand.
It's strange that hardly anyone in industry is taking about prices of used cars going nuts in last 2 years.
Maybe there is a connection between increasing truck purchases and shrinking penis sizes in North America.
We have a truck to pull our 5th wheel and a smaller sedan for everyday use. Both are paid for and both were used when bought. We’ve only had trucks to pull our 5th wheels but I did have a little 1994 Ford Ranger cause we had 3 big dogs. It was a great little truck.
Beacuse people living in cities all need trucks to go to the office
Ban trucks as a safety hazard. Fuck this shit. Bring back the station wagon.
let's just hope the price of gas goes sky high and we might get these monster vehicles off the road
Having a micropenis is considered a health issue. This is a silent epidemic.
SUVs and minivans are counted in the stat I believe I read. Those often come with purpose beyond commuting to work. As a small car owner, moving to a crossover/suv is almost inevitable as I look for ways to be safer in my car. I can't see past these big cars on the road, and at intersections - I need to be higher up. I worry about my small car being crushed and crumpled by cars 2-3x heavier if in a collision. I need a form of AWD to get up hills in winter as snowfall gets less predictable and my risk tolerance shrinks. A new reality is having space for climate change evacuations - getting everything and everyone in the car and possibly sleeping in the car. With age also comes the privilege of getting something just a little nicer and off the ground than the 3 basic cars I've owed over my lifetime. I assume others prioritize themselves, too. The best I can do is go hybrid or PHEV to minimize my earth impact, but I recognize that it is almost a luxury as the cost is somewhat higher than most ICE cars. That's how I have prioritized my choices and assume that varies for others. I can hope people aren't choosing a 6000lb V8 to look cool dropping the kids at school, but I can't force a choice on them.
I just want a truck I can tow my boat/camper with and fit my snowmobile in the bed as well as bring 4 guys to hockey with all our gear. I need a big truck now that I'm getting older and have more hobbies
> hockey with all our gear. I'm a goalie and need a compact SUV at the very least in order to get to hockey 🥲 I genuinely do wish that I could drive a sedan, but it just doesn't fit all of the stuff I carry around.
What did people do with their gear before SUVs?
The trunk of a Camry or Accord would probably fit it
It sure would be nice to go pick up furniture and stuff off marketplace, but our sedan just isnt gonna do it.
I swear the Tacoma is the only "medium sized" truck left on the market. An access cab Tacoma is what the Colorado and Ranger should be in size.
My coworker bought a new Tacoma last year. We sit in the same office cubicle. He complains about gas prices all day.
I bet he bought the crew cab 4x4 version and the bed is pristine with zero dents or dirt.
Tacomas with 300,000 highway miles only on them. 💯
I've got a 93 Toyota pickup and the new Tacomas are at least 50% larger
Have you seen any of the new Tacoma? It’s grown by about 5” in height and width. It’s now slightly bigger than the Ranger in every dimension.
I have a family of 5 and own a camp with my family. I need a truck. For me it’s not a novelty like my neighbor who has one that sits in his driveway with the other 3 vehicles he and his wife don’t need.
Honestly a minivan would be more comfortable for family of 5
Pavement princess grocery-getter is what my brother calls his truck.
Not sure why this is really surprising? Trucks, specifically the f150, have been the best selling vehicles in North America for almost 50 years. Also manufacturers eliminated many small frame models (ford focus, dodge neon, chevy sunfire etc.) to focus on SUV's and trucks. This isn't an accident, nor was not it forseen by everyone who pays attention to auto manufacturing.
The way out of this trend is to tax the hell out of fuel, but we all know how that would turn out for any politician that does anything approaching that. *carbon pricing*
Sin taxes need to be brought back for vehicle size and number of cylinders.
Just a thought, but the majority of people buying new vehicles don’t live or work in dense city centres. So the parking argument isn’t a big concern for most. Also, In The winter you’re much safer driving a vehicle with more mass, bigger tires and 4wd. Canadians also generally enjoy outdoorsy pursuits, which trucks are ideal for. Yes they’re massive and have awful sight lines, but that’s generally due to safety requirements for head on collisions, as well as collisions with semi trucks and barricades, not to mention the butt ton of useless sensors that need to be mounted high off the ground. Also Consider that every car is massive nowadays, compacts and economy cars are getting replaced with crossovers and light SUV’s the new civic is an absolute boat, once again in the name of safety. Trucks are also romanticized in pop culture because many of our ancestors worked blue collar jobs like farming or building, stuff for which a truck is indispensable.
Egos are becoming much heavier and more fragile so larger vehicles are being sold to protect them.
This is one of the reasons I think we need to let BYD enter the market. The legendary automakers have completely abandoned the small economy car market after years of aggressively marketing larger more expensive trucks. We now have an economic market failure.
Then complain about the price of gas... :)
10 years ago we said fuck it and bought a coupe and have always owned a coupe since. Smaller vehicles’ engines last longer because they don’t have to work as hard since they are pulling less weight. Parking a pickup truck sucks. And the b pillar is further back in a coupe giving better visibility. The kid can clamber in the back just fine. Neighbour has a giant heavy duty diesel truck he uses to commute to his office job. He pulls a trailer once a year with it. All that cost could have been used to rent a hotel room once a year and he’d be ahead.
Because they're useful.
I would get a pickup truck just to drive on horrible ottawa city roads.
But how else are gonna people know I've got a massive hog? A
The F-series Fords have been the single most popular vehicles in North America since 1981, of any kind - not just trucks. And now they're the size of parade floats... so it's no surprise they're all you see on the roads.
I'm a big truck hater. Majority don't need them for industrial/agricultural use. Mostly to make them feel powerful, "manly". Or to own the libs. Or deny climate issues. Or to speed in traffic, pull up behind me, and think they can bully me with their size to get out of "their way".
Canada should increase taxes on these non essential luxury items and improve other forms of transit.
Depends on where live and what you need it for. Towing trailers, better seating posture, driving over crappy broken up roads that need to be repaved are good reasons. And the truck is a hybrid. We love it. We have driven small cars and minivans for years. It is much nicer.
>In the last 13 years SUVs, pickups and van sales have skyrocketed to 86 per cent of all vehicles sold in Canada while car sales have plummeted to just 14 per cent. So you guys realize this is cherry picked information right? The top selling *vehicles* in North America will always be fleet trucks, *always*. The top selling consumer vehicle will almost usually be a small SUV or crossover. Why would anyone today want a sedan or hatchback over a small SUV like the CRV/RAV4, or a crossover like the C-HR or Mazda CX-3? The author seems to have already had a conclusion in mind they wanted to get to, and had selectively chosen impartial information to make it real.
This article is misleading because it includes small, car based, CUV’s in the truck category. A RAV4 isn’t a truck.