4 ms·

That's truck "enthusiasts" for you, a good proportion of them are elitists. They love to pretend that owning a truck means that one must go off-roading and tow

That's truck "enthusiasts" for you, a good proportion of them are elitists. They love to pretend that owning a truck means that one must go off-roading and tow something giant to some outdoorsy spot every weekend. Nevermind that the people who need "work trucks" buy vans a large proportion of the time because securing tools is really important for people who work out of their vehicles. Suburbanites buying trucks need space for runs to LowKEA Depot and the occasional furniture purchase. Offroading capability is limited to driving in a field/yard. This thing will tow a small trailer/boat without any issues. It's the perfect truck for most buyers, but the F150 is safe because "truck enthusiasts" will never accept this. In 15 years when fleets of these are cheaply available on the used market, we will probably see a surge of popularity from younger people for them.

nicbou 5y ago
It seems like America is ready for small European passenger vans. The Renault Kangoo and its equivalents are perfect for that.
- bozzcl 5y ago
  That and hot hatches, pretty please.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    Ford make tons of hatchbacks in Europe - it's their main thing they're known for - not sure why they don't sell them in the US.
    - mywittyname 5y ago
      Americans love hot hatches. In fact, hot hatches were the last models to of hatches to be sold in the USA. The Fiesta ST lived on longer than the Fiesta, as did the Focus ST/RS. It's not just Ford either, VW only sells the GTI and Golf R in the USA, not the base Golf. But the compact crossover has displaced the normal hatchback in the USA. So while Europe gets the Focus hatch, the USA gets the Ecosport. This isn't really an America-only trend, but it's happening all over the world. One would think that Toyota's new Corolla Cross crossover would be a purely American offering, but it's actually offered in SE Asia and South American markets. There's not really a good reason to go with a hatchback over the crossover variant, unless you're going for performance. So companies are introducing crossover versions of their hatchbacks, which slowly cannibalize sales of the original hatch, which gets killed off.
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
This is how most/all first owners act. You think the first owner of a 3-row SUV is jamming six kids in the thing and towing a camper? Of course not. The vehicle won't see that until it gets several owners down the economic ladder. Ditto for pretty much every measurable capacity of a vehicle. The kind of people who can afford new cars can afford to buy more vehicle than they need. And then more of those same kind of people write obnoxious and long internet comments complaining about it.

nicbou 5y ago

It seems like America is ready for small European passenger vans. The Renault Kangoo and its equivalents are perfect for that.

bozzcl 5y ago
That and hot hatches, pretty please.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  Ford make tons of hatchbacks in Europe - it's their main thing they're known for - not sure why they don't sell them in the US.
  - mywittyname 5y ago
    Americans love hot hatches. In fact, hot hatches were the last models to of hatches to be sold in the USA. The Fiesta ST lived on longer than the Fiesta, as did the Focus ST/RS. It's not just Ford either, VW only sells the GTI and Golf R in the USA, not the base Golf. But the compact crossover has displaced the normal hatchback in the USA. So while Europe gets the Focus hatch, the USA gets the Ecosport. This isn't really an America-only trend, but it's happening all over the world. One would think that Toyota's new Corolla Cross crossover would be a purely American offering, but it's actually offered in SE Asia and South American markets. There's not really a good reason to go with a hatchback over the crossover variant, unless you're going for performance. So companies are introducing crossover versions of their hatchbacks, which slowly cannibalize sales of the original hatch, which gets killed off.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

This is how most/all first owners act. You think the first owner of a 3-row SUV is jamming six kids in the thing and towing a camper? Of course not. The vehicle won't see that until it gets several owners down the economic ladder. Ditto for pretty much every measurable capacity of a vehicle. The kind of people who can afford new cars can afford to buy more vehicle than they need. And then more of those same kind of people write obnoxious and long internet comments complaining about it.