What's the deal with the US and pickup trucks?
this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
169 points (100.0% liked)
196
16714 readers
2282 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Real talk,
1.) USemissions laws state that cars have much stricter emissions standards than SUVs and pick up trucks. Manufacturers have made the pickup truck more attractive to buyers for this reason.
2.) its easy to upsell a lot of Americans on a pickup truck because a lot of Americans want to do DIY handiwork or can be sold on the virtues of the safety of a pickup truck in the result of a crash... people driving the most dangerous vehicles are ironically the most fearful of the road.
3.) Design in other vehicle classes has stagnated. Every year I see more cars only available in Europe that I'd love to have, but can't.
4.) They last longer, so they stay on the road longer too.
5.) Renting cars and trucks is generally annoying. Getting large items shipped is becoming more expensive.
Trucks = Testosterone, and men here have such fragile senses of masculinity that they need to be constantly reinforcing how manly they are in every aspect of their lives
A ton of the population seems to think that if your on the smaller side of the scale, a macho truck will compensate for that. If microscopic, then mod it to roll coal.
There's a fraction that actually use their trucks for truck things, but the vaaaaaaast majority are mall crawlers that will run to the car wash at the mere sight of a puddle of water.
Not speaking for the whole country, obviously, but for me, my next vehicle (after my current compact crossover) will likely be a midsize pickup.
My reasoning is basically that I have hobbies which will be made easier by having the cargo options the pickup format allows for.
I can more easily transport bikes and kayaks, camping and fishing gear with a pickup. It'll also be better for hauling stuff from the hardware store, and it'll mean I don't have to borrow my dad's pickup for deer hunting if he's not going along.
I may also get a small fishing boat in the future, and if that happens, it'll be to be transported on a trailer, which will be towed more effectively by the pickup.
I will definitely miss the great fuel economy I enjoy now, but the pickup will make it much more convenient and enjoyable to do many of the things I frequently do.
The thing is, people in Europe do all that too but we still don't buy pickups
I mean...okay?
I do it now with my compact crossover too, but it's a bigger pain in the ass. If and when I get a pickup, it'll all be easier.
I guess good for you guys that you continue to choose vehicles that make your leisure time activities more difficult? Idunno what point you're trying to make or what sort of moral high ground you're trying to claim.
Station-Wagons I think you call them? And vans can fit a lot of stuff.
You read too much between the lines, I just don't think that hobbies are the reason why Americans buy so many pick ups
Am I stupid? I don't see a title/label on this chart and I don't really understand what it means. Is it most popular car? I didn't think pickup trucks would be more popular than sedans.
My bad I didn’t notice that there was no labels. It’s a chart of the best selling vehicle in every state.
The F150 is the best selling vehicle in the US. There may be mote sedans total, but Honda and Toyota and Mazda and Nissan aren't selling as many Accords, Camrys, 6s, or Altimas as Ford is selling F150s.
Have you not been outside?
For a year or two straight, during an.... interesting mental state, i went outside once every week to once every couple months, but still i don't pay much attention to other people's cars.
That's because Florida has sprawling Metropolitan areas which require commuting but largely employ service workers who couldn't afford a truck if they wanted to.
Still, they are Corollas (aka mid-range).
Where i'm from, most people either drive a Yaris or a Peugeot 206.
In America, Corollas are generally low end cars and are good and cheap used cars. They have a lot more Camry (mid end) features overseas.
Fucking love my corolla, I've put like 2 grand into it in ten years and it runs smooth. Things a beast.
"the car [corolla] for people who view cars as a boring appliance" -anyone who views any excitement in driving
anything is more fun to drive than a 2,5-ton SUV.
I un-ironically see early Yaris models being more attractive than current day Corollas.
The Corolla is by far the most fun to drive car on this list
Ehh, the rav4 isn't bad, the Tacoma has proper 4wd cred without screaming 'my pp smol', and the Y will steamroller all the others in a 1/4 mile, while blindfolded.
If they had a r4 with proper 4wd options and an EV-only drivetrain, it'd be a great car for a lot of uses, and fun on and off road. The corolla is just so... bland, I guess? Unimaginative, boring, utilitarian. The soviet bloc of 'western' vehicles, if you will. It could be fun, but nobody thinks of that term when they here 'corolla'. Well, almost nobody.
(that's a great movie btw, if you go in with the expectation that it's awful, it's a pretty good comedy/parody)
california being tesla makes it even more absurd that divorced dad would speedrun his nazi lover era
I never would have guessed since I see a pickup truck every three feet in this state
What am I looking at?
It’s a chart of the best selling vehicle in every state.
Wouldn't have thought that the one state to have their shit together would be Florida. Broken clock is right twice a day?
The numbers at the top add up to 51. The Rav4 should only be 12.
It includes DC
Common California L
As a citizen of CA, we've got nothin but Ls here.
What is that car even? The image is so tiny and for some reason no names were added.
E: I'm stupid. The Jonkler got me
I'm proud of you, dick