Can't. The cab needed enough room to put the family so you know where they are without having to mow them down first.
He needs the large crew cab to have somewhere to put his groceries. Because he doesn't want to get that bed scratched.
I watched a guy load bags of soil from the hardware store into the back seats of the crew cab while he had an empty bed. The bed would have been easier to load and could easily be hosed down if a bag leaked. I guess he forgot it was also a truck and not just a luxury commuter car.
Well you don't want groceries in the bed mostly because it will be thrown around since it's just open space...
Things are pretty fantastic when you use them for that they're made to do... Try safely carrying 20 4'x8' sheets of sheetrock in a small car... Or try carrying two bags of groceries in a sedan's trunk without anything holding them in place...
The one in the picture isn't stock, the owner made it impractical unless he pulls trailers with a goose neck on the regular.
A van will have more cargo volume for the same wheelbase, be easier to load, and have the cargo be covered from the elements. Those are made for carrying stuff. Pick-ups are made only to show that the owner is compensating for something.
Pickups let you load stuff as high as you want to and the open sides can make things much simpler. Try loading a couple of loads of dirt in a van.
For home use I have seen most people buy dirt in bags. A sedan or even a compact would handle carrying those. The open sides can be a benefit for sure, but I don't know about putting cargo 'as high as you want to,' given that wind is a thing. And vans are pretty tall anyway!
I understand that they can have some utility on a farm or something, but the average person is not regularly transporting a 'couple loads of dirt' in suburbia.
And I never said the average person should own a truck but buying dirt in bulk (measured in yards) isn't unusual if your house has space for a garden and it's way cheaper than buying bags of it. Same for carrying lumber that would be too long for a van.
Also it's very funny that if you want to be able to do most of things a truck can do, the alternative to a truck should be a contractor's van which has worse visibility on the sides and at the back, is just as big or bigger than a truck and uses the same engine...
My dad always has trucks, whole 30 years of my life. To prevent groceries flying around you tie the bags and put them close to the cab, unless they’re really light and that case you put them in the cab. He never had crew cab until much later in my life so stuff had to go in the bed as 90s extended cabs were not very extended lol the days of the single fold down seat behind the main front seats sucked for me
I'm 6'2" and used one in my adult lifetime (ranger if I recall). At my age now I doubt I could do it again
Aren’t there cargo nets and other accessories for that? I get it if you have perishable groceries that need to be kept frozen until you get home and it’s hot outside.
Indeed. Hell my old Ranger had a gap in the bed liner so I could slide a 2x4 (I think I actually used a 2x6) in place and have a perfect divider for groceries right at the tailgate. It was simple and worked perfect. When it was time to do truck shit the board just lifted up and got tossed in with the bricks or whatever.
I think people should need a licence to drive anything that has a tall nose. The chance of fatality is really high for those cars and people need to be taught that.
Iiiiiidiot tax! $99,99 for 2 hour course where people tell you "You see that hood? Yeah, you hit someone with it, that person is GONE".
I just want to put a small barrier between people and buying a car that's may more dangerous than any reasonably sized alternative. If people want storage space they should buy a station wagon. If they want to transport for work they should buy a Caddy type. If they want to go outdoors offroading then they should get a licence on how to drive offroad and how to prevent front-over accidents etc.
SUVs and bigger cars are becoming the default choice and I think that's a bad thing.
Honestly, they know that. But fashion is fashion, and people's desire is rarely logical. So that barrier...I don't think it will work any better than actual idiot tax. The only offputting thing would be price.
There's already an idiot tax, a crossover costs 50% more than regular. Price is not an issue for people that buy these but a license, course and having the license easier to revoke for speeding in pedestrian zone might work.
If people want storage space they should buy a station wagon. If they want to transport for work they should buy a Caddy type. If they want to go outdoors offroading then they should get a licence on how to drive offroad and how to prevent front-over accidents etc.
Most people buying one of these expended exactly zero seconds of thought on what they need from an automobile.
If someone even managed to get any law in place like what you're suggesting (which they won't because it goes against the interests of business), the right wing idiot backlash would be furious and cacophonous and the net result would be Florida marking a day on the calendar as state wide "Ford-fuck-you-mobile" day.
https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-station-wagons
Apparently these things are what they are calling station wagons these days.
Fr, I would call every single one of those a "crossover" before I called them station wagons.
That Volvo v60 is the closest thing to a modern station wagon. If it doesn't have 3 big side windows from front to back, it shouldn't be called a station wagon.
Fucking hell the size inflation is too real. Toyota Auris and Hyundai i30 are good ones for anybody looking.
The Volvo isn't too bad, but yeah it's weird how big they got on the outside, while at the same time seemingly having less storage inside.
...registration fees should be proportional to GVWR and speed limits (and fines) should be based upon kinetic energy...
The thing is if we actually make an off-road vehicle then something in the form factor of a uni-mog is vastly superior.
mogs are cool, i don't know much about them because they seem to be primarily european, but i will probably own one someday out of curiosity, i only hear good things about them.
Personally i'm a fan of industry trucks though, tatra, oshkosh, unimog, the usual suspects. Ford can eat shit.
Mandatory weekly attendance for every week you wanna continue to drive around that thing in a city.
better yet, mandatory lifelike dummy crash experience. Send em into a ballistics gel dummy loaded with blood and organs, see how they feel about it.
If it doesnt have airbrakes, and you remove enough seats, you are legally allowed to drive a school bus with a normal liscence.
We need a LOT of attention to liscensing for different types of vehicles beyond just these trucks
I agree you already need a license to drive a semi trucks I believe but just as someone who dailys a little itty bitty BMW z3 and works at a Toyota dealership and has driven 60s international harvesters anything bigger than a jeep wrangler takes time getting used to being tall and bulky hell I've seen people driving in the middle of the road because they got acclimated to driving a corrola and just hopped into a f150 as a man who has flipped my ATV making trails off roading no matter what your in you need to be instructed on the ins and outs of off roading I'm so onboard for making a sort of truck driving license
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I've used huge trucks for bush work. Like we're talking going mudding just to get to work. This line of work basically put me in the position that is the subject of commercials that try to convince suburban dads that they need a huge truck in case one day their family goes on a fictional camping trip to the middle of a swamp.
Anyways, you know what I learned? These fucking things suck at off-roading.
- They have shit visibility. You sometimes need to get out of the truck to see around corners, especially if you're cresting steep hills
- They have a dangerously high center of gravity (I saw a bunch of coworkers roll theirs) that is only amplified if you carry large loads in their truck beds
- Over-complicated features like traction control will actually kill your power if you're doing some technical driving, which will make you get stuck when you don't need to
There's no good reason for these pieces of shit to exist.
This line of work basically put me in the position that is the subject of commercials that try to convince suburban dads that they need a huge truck in case one day their family goes on a fictional camping trip to the middle of a swamp.
This is so on point.
So many defenders go, "It helped when I had to haul shit to the dump" or "I bring wood back to build my shed".
What about the other 95% of the year? Because I rent a van to move shit and I'm happy taking the bus.
“It helped when I had to haul shit to the dump” or “I bring wood back to build my shed”.
the marks of a man scared to learn how to tow a trailer because "i don't know how to do it"
Just use a trailer, it's not that bad.
Or do what I did and pay cash for a beat up old truck to do those things with. Mine didn't even have a radio, the heat barely worked, but it hauled hog feed and garbage well enough. And I wasn't paying a grand a month in a car payment and insurance.
Not to mention they don't even fucking fit in off-road situations half the time. Unless you're in a wide open field or have giant cleared roads (in which case why do you need an ultimate off-road machineTM), most off-road situations in the eastern US are going to involve trees. Try driving around trees in that thing and you'll be stuck in a matter of minutes.
For all the actual off road work I've done, the best vehicle has always been those little utility off-road vehicles (we call them mules or gators but I'm sure they have a real name) or just a regular-sized pickup truck with 4 wheel drive and low gears.
For all the actual off road work I’ve done, the best vehicle has always been those little utility off-road vehicles (we call them mules or gators but I’m sure they have a real name) or just a regular-sized pickup truck with 4 wheel drive and low gears.
UTVs, side by sides, i've seen stuff like that used to refer to them in a more generic manner, shockingly those are so good primarily because they weigh nothing and have comparatively huge tires with way more surface area, while also having equivalent power if not more, just due to the size.
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But what if I need to believe that others think my penis is bigger than it is? Is there any other way?
My uncle did a four wheel driving day in his Subaru Forrester one time and it could climb hills others couldn't because it was so light.
I've also heard stories of farmers with tiny 4x4s like a Suzuki Jimny using them during floods because they don't sink in the mud like the massive ones do
I prefer driving smaller cars in heavy snow because they're light enough to sit on top and not get bogged down. Back when I had a commute in my tiny little Scion xA I'd drive by bro-dozers and SUVs stuck in the snow thinking their four-wheel drive would save them from being idiots.
There’s no good reason for these pieces of shit to exist.
Have you considered the profits of the auto industry?
Anyways, you know what I learned? These fucking things suck at off-roading.
no shit, they're running live axle suspension, no amount of lift kit is going to get your diff case unstuck from the mud LMAO.
Doesn't help that these idiots also put small tires on big rims to get that bafflingly stupid look on them, which lowers the ride quality, and lowers the axle even more.
I'm convinced you have to be brain damaged to own a bro dozer, let alone think an f150 with live axles can get around in mud. Bro almost nothing can, a humvee might do it, but it's also literally built to do it. It's got full independent suspension, nice large tires with high sidewalls, portal axles for increased clearance. It's got a low cab, set next to the engine and transmission (that's why they're so wide) They're short, so they can get around trees and shit and likewise have a low CG.
And f150 looks like it was built to be a parody of a hummer, and it's no surprise that they drive and handle like shit as a result.
I volunteered driving ambulances. Started in high school, 2003-2004. Our rigs at the time were a '97 Chevy van with a box and a '99 F250 with a box. They were the biggest things I'd driven at the time.
Moved away, did life, came back a decade later. Newest rigs were now 2015 F450 Super Duty with a box you could legit stand up in. Thing was unnecessarily large. All the things you're saying are correct. The rig we purchased while I was there ended up being a slightly larger mod, but came with front, side, and rear cameras, because you're absolutely right, can't see shit. Blind spot in the front is legit 10-15 feet from the bumper.
You know what didn't change in that interim? People's windy, tiny driveways. I won't toot my own horn but I'm a good driver, I frequently tell my wife "You could fit a Mac truck through there" when she's driving and won't squeeze through a gap. So when it came time to back these rigs up these narrow, curving driveways, up a hill, it was difficult. I'd have my crew get out generally and go begin assessment so I could get the rig in place for takedown. Problem is that I couldn't drive all the time, and so the rig would frequently get left down on the road. And I don't blame anyone, they were difficult maneuvers. I knew a few members who outright refused to drive the newer rigs becaude they were so massive, so now we've neutered our manpower.
Completely. Give me a light Geländewagen (and I’m talking about the utility version that armies buy, not the blinged up Chelsea tractor version), with triple differential lock and it’ll out-drive these monster trucks any day, on any terrain, pulling the same weight.
There's no good reason for these pieces of shit to exist.
So did you start taking an old civic to the in-the-bush job site then or what?
Edit: Or a midsize pickup or SUV or something? Helicopter? The down votes here are pretty absurd lol. I'm trying to figure out what vehicle to take to in-the-bush job sites in the future that can better handle the conditions, which the person I replied to specifically pointed out.
Most useful off-road vehicle I've ever driven was a lot like this thing: https://www.offroaderie.com/new-models/kawasaki-side-x-side-mule-sx-2036834140399698232475668
Or just a regular sized pickup truck, which I've also used for plenty of sites. But honestly I prefer the mules because they hold all the stuff I need for work and can fit through most forest understory. And in the rare chance that you happen to turtle them it's possible to pull them off/out of whatever they're stuck on. If you get a giant truck stuck in the mud you're donezo.
I also took my Toyota Prius to plenty of sites, although I'd never off-road with it when the ground is swampy or sandy it did fine on plenty of rough roads and open fields. I'm sure a Subaru or other small all wheel drive sedan could handle lots of off-road work sites.
Thank you! Makes sense. I think I was sort of misreading your statement initially. And I guess I never really thought about the 350s and aboves useful applications (or lack thereof lol).
I'll add my Honda Element did surprisingly well for many 1000s of km of rough logging roads once upon a time.
Both my brother in laws have huge modified trucks, both live in cities, both complain that the road infrastructure and parking doesn't cater to their large vehicles... Also both have (probably) never used the truck bed.
They are so huge, tons of room in the cab. Feels like driving in a living room. Have to ride over curbs to get out of parking lots though
I once asked a friend with a truck to help me pickup a BBQ. When attempting to load it he got so worried about us scratching the truck bed that eventually we couldn't proceed. Called another buddy with a minivan, we put a moving blanket down and off we went. No whining, just work.
...minivans are fantastic purposeful vehicles and probably what one-quarter of SUVs should be driving; the other three-quarters should be driving cars if they hadn't been swept up in the road-tank arms race...
dude minivans are crazy, you can fit a full 4x8 sheet of plywood in that bitch EZPZ
As someone from Texas, these are disgusting, and people driving this garbage are not friendly towards pedestrians at all. They have no self awareness sitting inside these killing machines.
The only reason for 99.9% of people to drive this garbage is to feel big when on the road. How petty.
There is also the factor of danger and safety. People are observing more gigantic cars on the road and being in a smaller one makes them feel unsafe. So they get a bigger one when they get a new car, perpetuating the problem.
Many of my family is in this. They keep getting bigger vehicles because they get the sense of safety. They cannot grasp how bad that mentality is and how wrong they are. And with bigger vehicles, it means that much less room for error too. And most people suck at driving. Not all the time, but that one time you make a mistake (as we all do) could be a big one in an oversized vehicle.
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If there's a full grown man standing in front of my truck and I can still see him, I just don't feel safe!
Black bears wouldn't have a chance of survival being hit with that thing. Grizzlys might slow the truck down, maybe. A Polar Bear is the only type of bear I can think of that you'd really need a tank sized vehicle to deal with it. Heck even a Giant Panda is just gonna bat at you to get you to go away since you aren't bamboo.
I said it before and I'll say it again.
Can we not live without a complete screenshot from Reddit? Are we not better than that?
Are we not better than that?
I think it's abundantly clear that we are not better than that.
Is it any better than the people that screenshot instagram or Facebook to share on other social media? I’m not a fan of the low-effort share, all these platforms’ users are low-effort and rip off each other’s work to re-re-re-share it everywhere. I don’t see people here being too much different or Reddit content being any more objectionable than the rest.
Never been to the US, only now with this picture do I realize the size of these things. That's basically a monster truck ? are there many of them ?
This picture is from Australia. We don't have many, they're becoming more common but ones that are lifted like that are less common. In my area it's mainly normal rams. Which are far bigger than normal aussie cars.
Visited upstate NY a couple of years ago. They accounted for I'd say 30-40% of all traffic. Of course, upstate NY is basically the southern US of the northern US if you know what I mean.
depends on where you go upstate, but yeah, rural America in general is where you find confederate flags
Picture is from Australia but yes the US is littered with these, especially in rural communities but there are more in the cities than their should be
I live in Imperial Beach, California. There is absolutely no reason to have one of these monstrosities here, and none of the 15 that live in my neighborhood ever have any type of mud on them. Not even the 4 whose hoods are at my eye level, I'm 6'3" / 192cm, because they lifted the hell out of them. I will admit that the guy who has an 8'4" tall old school VW bug may be a bit strange, but at least that thing looks cool, and he has it as an advertisement for his shop, so there was a reason for him to have the thing.
Ironically the VW is the only one that ever has any mud on it.
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Both of these look terrible and very stressfull to drive.
My 2021 Seat Leon hatchback fits my entire family, with luggage for a weekend, while being fun and relaxing to drive.
These monstrosities are idiotic.
I hate how much they are spreading for no reason. We have rather small parking lots, especially in denser areas and underground parkings. Some 20 years ago that was never a problem at all. Now people take forever to park their shitty cars. People have to get out before they park, so they just stand in the way. Many use 2 parking spots because their fat asses can't get out of their fat cars, or they just can't drive in general and decided they need the biggest car they can afford to get groceries.
This shit is like tobacco. We all know it's fucking awful and makes no sense, but some assholes insist.
So treat it the same way: massive taxes (upon purchase, but also yearly), banned in many public places (underground parking, city centers, ...) and there you go.
Oh they can totally be, first job out of uni in 2012 had diesel f350 super duties as field service vehicles, they made sense for some jobs where it was super remote and rough driving (1000+ km a tank), they've since gone to 2 panel vans and a truck which is way more handy. They're super high off the ground so you need to be careful and most importantly, use your mirrors, these were all tow capable so they had the larger mirrors with the second parabolic mirror, you can effectively minimise blind spots to your sides and behind (I think all car mirrors should be that way, I added them to my sedan's mirrors) but they still turn slow and are heavy. A chunk of my coworkers outright refused to use them, instead opting for rentals, and others were definitely white knuckling it the entire time they used them.
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Wouldn't you want something light and small for off roading?
That should help you clear obstacles by goong over or around easier.
What vaultdweller said, ground clearance matters a lot if you're not going fast, you can plow through a lot of snow in a truck that I've got stuck in a compact with.
It depends on the circumstances, ground clearance is a bitch. Seriously a light car say a Jeep Cherokee sport can have a lot of ground clearance via lift kit but it fucks with the balance. Meanwhile an f350 can just kinda do it by default.
The width of these things as well. You probably couldn't fit that in my driveway without taking the mirrors off. If you somehow managed it, you'd only be getting in and out through the sunroof.
These guys are always parked in two compact spots and then complain that the spots are too small. And they never get towed.
Looks like Australia according to the image, but from what I gather that's just America with death spiders anyway lol
Australia is not just the US with death spiders.
Aussie land is factorio. America is like a civ game or a city builder.
From the US here. They have uses as work trucks but the majority of these bro-dozers are pristine and have have never hit any water deeper than a pothole in the road.
people keep saying that they have uses as work trucks and i'm not sure i believe them because they made smaller trucks in the 90s and 80s and those trucks were still for work?
I mean i've seen one of these things towing 5 fucking cars. I can't think of the last time i had to load up 5 cars on a shipping trailer and then ship them on my fucking daily driver. Honestly i didn't even think that was possible, but apparently it is, and i have no idea why people own these things as daily drivers now.
to be clear, my issue here is that saying they have uses is underselling the problem. You can hire a semi with a flatbed to ship a bag of sand. But that's fucking stupid.
Everyone I know in the US that owns trucks like what op shared are all work trucks for general contractors or were bought to pull their giant campers. I know the bro-dozer community you're talking about but those trucks are not usually new trucks like op's. This is in rural America tho not the suburbs so maybe it's different in other areas.
A neighbor runs his own plumbing company. He's got an early 2000s Dodge and formerly an early 2000s Ford.
His main complaint about modern trucks, after the price, is the bed being too high for him to easily load and unload equipment.
Work vans are the superior work vehicle for the majority of use cases. Lower bed/floor height to make loading easier. Covered rear so your tools/product doesnt get wet or dirty. Able to carry a ton of equipment, taller models you can even stand in and use a workbench in the van. The side of the van is large and flat making it easier to print large letters and numbers to advertise the company. Most modern work vans have better visibility than similarly sized trucks.
Yeah I'm no mechanic but I think it's from the way their doing the suspension to increase tow load. I can't remember the truck models but it was the largest model vs the 2nd largest model had the exact same engine size and sp3cs but the larger truck had a way larger low weight than the other and I was told it all came down to the differences in the transmission and suspension. I 100% agree tho I have worked jobs that had trucks with beds that were so fuckin stupid high it turned loading/unloading to a 2 part or 2 person task. Once onto the tailgate. Second to move to front of bed when normally we could just give a good toss and load the truck in fraction of the time.
Personally I live in Colorado and most people who drive trucks that size here use them for offroading. Given the gas mileage they're very impractical for day to day.
i will never understand the inability for people driving vehicles like this to say shit like "never buy a small vehicle, this 3 ton truck saved my life, it's basic physics"
Yeah, and if i'm rolling a freight train and someone gets in my way, i won't even notice, it's basic physics.
American "I got mine" mentality at its finest. Too much lead poisoning (my leading hypothesis. You don't elect someone like Trump unless there is something seriously wrong) to realise it's a race to the bottom. When enough people do something at the expense of others, what a surprise when others also do it at the expense of you, and it all turns to shit.
It's this absurd country of "Christian" values, except not the part of caring for others, "fuck that socialism hippie shit, except for Russia, which is cool now because they meddle in our elections... Or, they meddle in favour of my team! We need to do something about the socio-economic situation! What, unions? No fuck that Marxist shit you commie!"
Etc. It's all just too dumb. Hence, lead poisoning hypothesis.
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"fuck that socialism hippie shit, except for Russia, which is cool now because they meddle in our elections...
Nah, it's because Putin buys yachts
It’s this absurd country of “Christian” values, except not the part of caring for others, “fuck that socialism hippie shit, except for Russia, which is cool now because they meddle in our elections…
Yeah, they don't like that be nice to others, love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek stuff anymore.
And that's not just a quip: An evangelical leader is warning that conservative Christians are now rejecting the teachings of Jesus as "liberal talking points."
the lead poisoning would only really apply to people 50 and older, i would think, based on my assumed timespans of leaded fuel and continual exposure to it.
Australian "I got mine" mentality at its finest. Too much lead poisoning (my leading hypothesis. You don't elect someone like Pauline Hanson unless there is something seriously wrong) to realise it's a race to the bottom. When enough people do something at the expense of others, what a surprise when others also do it at the expense of you, and it all turns to shit.
It's this absurd country of "Christian" values, except not the part of caring for others, "fuck that socialism hippie shit, except for China, which is cool now because they meddle in our elections... Or, they meddle in favour of my team! We need to do something about the socio-economic situation! What, unions? No fuck that Marxist shit you commie!"
It's still an example of the American Christian mentality, even if this example is in Australia. Like Trump supporters are examples of the Nazi mentality even though they aren't actually--ok bad example there.
I wonder which vehicle is legitimately safer. I think crumple zones are a big part of why wrecks are so much more survivable now. I don't think it'd be a simple as most mass wins, but more how the vehicle transfers that to occupants.
I know I got rear ended by one of those beasts and it totalled my car, but didn't seem to bother the tank that hit me. I was shocked at the damage because it didn't really feel that bad. Of course I don't really know anything about vehicle safety so I could real easily be wrong.
You're right on crumple zones, but also bumper height makes a big difference (i.e. if bumpers are aligned, there's less damage). https://www.motortrend.com/news/collision-costs-iihs-says-car-suv-bumper-heights-can-prove-expensive-9290/
the tank that hit me
Not fair to call it a tank. A tank driver can see what's in front of it.
the reason why mass matters is because if you have more mass, let's say twice the mass of a sedan for example, you transfer significantly more energy into the smaller vehicle, and the smaller vehicle transfers significantly less energy into the large vehicle.
go find a video of a freight training crashing into a car or something at a crossing. There's a reason freight trains don't have crumple zones.
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Yeah, and if i'm rolling a freight train and someone gets in my way, i won't even notice, it's basic physics.
And every time you arrive the chime will play.
nah here in the US we subscribe to the notion that freighters have bells on them.
Anything else is a crime against trains.
a lot of other countries around the world do have bells on some of their freight lines, but it seems to be primarily US import freighters, though there are domestic manufacturers outside of the US that do use bells. I hear they're relatively common in canada as well? Makes sense frankly.
specifically, this one
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Aside from the lift, there may be use cases for the truck where it requires moving multiple people and smaller heavy loads (or pulling a trailer). However, the sad reality is that the heaviest load it'll likely be moving on a regular basis is the fat ass of the solo passenger in their way to/from fast food and groceries
you know it's funny, they made crewcab long beds in the 80s and 90s. They were just long and looked a little goofy, had normal proportions otherwise, these have been vertically stretched and widened to compensate for the absolutely bizarre form factor that they ship in. i genuinely have no idea what they're doing with the front suspension to require the hood to be that high off of the ground. A fucking hummer has more ground clearance with a lower hood.
There is almost no reason for a truck like this to exist, especially when you consider it's interior is "luxury"
I live in Germany, and I spotted one of these trucks recently. It looked huge compared to every other vehicle on the road, and one of those was a delivery van. And it was too big for its parking spot. It also had a confederate flag in the back window.
It'd be some tasty schadenfreude to put parking fine after parking fine. Or even just straight up impound it. It would surprise me if there isn't some German law or regulation that forbids such cars, same with the Cybertruck.
Want your stupid preference that is a detriment to everyone around you? Sorry, we don't do that here.
Someone in the dorm I lived in had a Ford Ranger. Even though it's one of Ford's smaller pickups, it looked very oversized compared to everything else in the parking garage.
...the original compact ford ranger was a great little truck!..the midsized replacement forsook its charm, though...
...i'm not even sure who makes compact trucks in australia anymore, but they're not sold stateside...
I live in Germany, ... It also had a confederate flag in the back window.
WTF, I didn't even know that was a thing outside the U.S. Do they claim "it's our heritage not hate?"
i think the confederate flag, or a very similar flag often confused for the confederate flag is often related to UK history? Still doesn't explain why it's in germany, but it makes more sense, at least.
Some of it has to do with CAFE standards using vehicle footprint to determine the target MPG. Some of it is because of better safety standards. Some of it is just because that's what a certain portion of the market wants, and the profit margins on the large vehicles are higher, so they spend more money marketing them (creating more demand).
Some of it has to do with CAFE standards using vehicle footprint to determine the target MPG.
gotta love when the funny regulations do the opposite of what you expect them to do.
if you actually look into what the insurance industries do for crash safety testing it's actually kind of fucked up.
Because they basically started with full frontal impacts at n speed, that was met, so a decade later they were like "half frontal impacts are a thing now" and turns out most cars performed pretty bad on that, so they fixed that, and like a decade later again, they were fine, and then they were like "oh no, now quarter impact frontal is bad now" and then that's what they've recently fixed.
So most of car safety seems to be for pretty specific, though i suppose "more likely" impacts.
And these huge trucks don't actually have that high of a load rating or that large of a bed. Your average kei truck hauls heavier loads.
That's not true. Kei trucks have comparably low load and towing capacity. They have the same bed dimensions of the most common pickup truck bed size. Most people with trucks don't hail around stone or heavy machinery though.
What a vehicle carries on average is unrelated to its actual capacity. Regardless my point is you see a kei truck you'll almost certainly see the bed packed full, you see a Sierra 2500 chances are it's need is totally empty aside from oftentimes boots and beer cans.
You know what's fucked, Standards Australia annouced they were considered increasing the minimum size for parking spots and gave only 3 weeks for public comment.
So many comments against, but I bet the car lobbies get their way anyway.
These things are a scourge.