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The video points to this article ("Pickup Trucks: From Workhorse to Joyride") that was discussed a little while ago: > But during those 40 years, pickups have

The video points to this article ("Pickup Trucks: From Workhorse to Joyride") that was discussed a little while ago: > But during those 40 years, pickups have changed significantly. They’ve become bigger, heavier and more tricked out, and they’ve transformed from workhorse vehicles to family cruisers. * https://www.axios.com/ford-pickup-trucks-history https://www.axios.com/ford-pickup-trucks-history * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35046151 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35046151 The top-selling vehicle in 2022 was the Ford F-150; top selling vehicle in 1982 was Ford Escort: I'm having a hard time believing that people's hauling needs have changed in the intervening decades to rationally justify the sales figures.

DubiousPusher 4y ago
The very perplexing thing is that these trucks keep getting bigger without any significant increase in hauling or seating capacity. I have an occasional driver 2003 Silverado for materials pickup and dump runs. It is a fullsize pickup for its year. 2022 Silverados and F250s completely dwarf it. Yet they have the same seating capacity and bed length. It's totally bizarre. And IMO, they're uglier to boot with their Big Mac looking hamburger ass grills.
- ryeights 4y ago
  Blame the IIHS. Safety ratings give literally zero concern to the possible effects to pedestrians of a collision, no concern to visibility, and only minimal concern to the effects on the driver on the other side of the collision. It’s a full-on arms race of bulkier frames, huge crumple zones, and more mass.
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  > The very perplexing thing is that these trucks keep getting bigger without any significant increase in hauling or seating capacity. That's not just trucks. My parents have a recent Hyundai Ioniq. The car is fat and can have trouble fitting into parking spaces. But there's no benefit; the extra width seems to have gone into providing empty space between the interior seats and the doors. So the usable part of the interior is just as narrow as ever, but it's harder to maneuver and you have to unbuckle and lean way the hell out of your window to interact with toll booths / parking garage machines / etc. Who wants this?
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    It is driven in part by side-impact crash testing. You need space for the side airbags and separation to allow the side impact bracing to begin to move the entire car sideways before impinging on occupant space.
- throw0101b 4y ago
  > […] or seating capacity. I'm a Gen-Xer who used to borrow my parents' Chrysler Voyager minivan to regularly haul around 5-7 friends on weekends. Most of the monstrosities on the road today are as big (or bigger) and don't seat as many people.
- mikrotikker 4y ago
  Is it to cater to fatter passengers?
lovelettr 4y ago
Anecdotally we started exceeding the towing capacity of our Tacoma. As a result, in 2022 we purchased an F-150. In other words we bought the top selling vehicle because our hauling needs changed.
- s0rce 4y ago
  Ok? Most people don't haul enough to warrent buying their own tow vehicle, just rent one for the few times a year you need it. Also, many smaller SUVs can tow a range of loads that most people need. If you exceed this then get a truck.
  - fargle 4y ago
    > If you exceed this then get a truck. Which he just said he did...
    - Symbiote 4y ago
      It would be more useful if he'd said what he was towing.
      - fargle 4y ago
        It doesn't matter what specifically he is towing, he stated he needed the higher towing capacity. You made the argument that you believed people should rent a truck or use a smaller SUV to tow most loads. And only get a truck if they needed higher towing capacity. Your point appears to be "I agree with his vehicle choice".
        Symbiote 4y ago
        Discussions are boring when they are simple assertions with no background or detail. It's also very common for people to argue they need these large vehicles for activities they aspire to do more often, but in practise only do once or twice a year.
vostok 4y ago
I'm an urbanite with no need for a car. I don't currently have one, but I want to buy an efficient pickup truck or unibody pickup truck when I do buy one. In the rare occasions that I do want a car, a truck is really helpful. I don't really see another solution other than cheap and convenient pickup truck rentals.
- blunderchief 4y ago
  Consider the humble minivan. Seriously. I’m also in your shoes. I bike or walk most places I need to go, but I use the minivan when I need to get large things. The rear seats fold into the floor and the middle seats come out if I need the extra space. It’s about as long as a decent truck bed with those seats out, my cargo is covered (not to mention there’s more vertical space and I don’t need to tie anything down), and it gets great gas mileage by comparison. I don’t really give a shit if the interior gets messed up, and I’m sitting lower to the ground with great visibility. They’re also easier to parallel park, as the wheels sit at the corners of the vehicle (the swing of a truck bed makes this trickier), and minivans these days have much more power than they used to. That’s to say nothing of the roof rack, which adds even more cargo opportunity. SUVs are a common alternative, but despite their size, they’re nowhere near as spacious as you hope. You might not be able to haul certain large appliances, but otherwise, minivans have all the benefits of a truck and then some, with few drawbacks. I’ve owned two minivans and three trucks, and I’d go minivan any day. (Edited because I forgot some things)
- JohnFen 4y ago
  > I don't really see another solution other than cheap and convenient pickup truck rentals. In my city, you can rent a truck for the day for about $50 (including a decent amount of miles). I know because I do this regularly. I'd be surprised if such an option isn't available in your city as well.
  - vostok 4y ago
    Do you baby tips for finding cheap ones? The cheap rentals in my city are at the airport and that makes it a pain to use them. They're not really cheap if I ascribe a sufficiently high value to my time. The ones close to me often have limited inventory and don't have a pickup truck right now. Even at the airport, it looks like a pickup truck is $200 for the weekend. And honestly going to the airport is enough of a pain that I'm less likely to do things that require a truck as a result. If I owned a pickup truck and kept it in a garage by my place then I would be far more likely to make last minute decisions to go camping or yard sale shopping or whatever.

DubiousPusher 4y ago

The very perplexing thing is that these trucks keep getting bigger without any significant increase in hauling or seating capacity. I have an occasional driver 2003 Silverado for materials pickup and dump runs. It is a fullsize pickup for its year. 2022 Silverados and F250s completely dwarf it. Yet they have the same seating capacity and bed length. It's totally bizarre. And IMO, they're uglier to boot with their Big Mac looking hamburger ass grills.

ryeights 4y ago
Blame the IIHS. Safety ratings give literally zero concern to the possible effects to pedestrians of a collision, no concern to visibility, and only minimal concern to the effects on the driver on the other side of the collision. It’s a full-on arms race of bulkier frames, huge crumple zones, and more mass.
thaumasiotes 4y ago
> The very perplexing thing is that these trucks keep getting bigger without any significant increase in hauling or seating capacity. That's not just trucks. My parents have a recent Hyundai Ioniq. The car is fat and can have trouble fitting into parking spaces. But there's no benefit; the extra width seems to have gone into providing empty space between the interior seats and the doors. So the usable part of the interior is just as narrow as ever, but it's harder to maneuver and you have to unbuckle and lean way the hell out of your window to interact with toll booths / parking garage machines / etc. Who wants this?
- sokoloff 4y ago
  It is driven in part by side-impact crash testing. You need space for the side airbags and separation to allow the side impact bracing to begin to move the entire car sideways before impinging on occupant space.
throw0101b 4y ago
> […] or seating capacity. I'm a Gen-Xer who used to borrow my parents' Chrysler Voyager minivan to regularly haul around 5-7 friends on weekends. Most of the monstrosities on the road today are as big (or bigger) and don't seat as many people.
mikrotikker 4y ago
Is it to cater to fatter passengers?

lovelettr 4y ago

Anecdotally we started exceeding the towing capacity of our Tacoma. As a result, in 2022 we purchased an F-150. In other words we bought the top selling vehicle because our hauling needs changed.

s0rce 4y ago
Ok? Most people don't haul enough to warrent buying their own tow vehicle, just rent one for the few times a year you need it. Also, many smaller SUVs can tow a range of loads that most people need. If you exceed this then get a truck.
- fargle 4y ago
  > If you exceed this then get a truck. Which he just said he did...
  - Symbiote 4y ago
    It would be more useful if he'd said what he was towing.
    - fargle 4y ago
      It doesn't matter what specifically he is towing, he stated he needed the higher towing capacity. You made the argument that you believed people should rent a truck or use a smaller SUV to tow most loads. And only get a truck if they needed higher towing capacity. Your point appears to be "I agree with his vehicle choice".
      - Symbiote 4y ago
        Discussions are boring when they are simple assertions with no background or detail. It's also very common for people to argue they need these large vehicles for activities they aspire to do more often, but in practise only do once or twice a year.

vostok 4y ago

I'm an urbanite with no need for a car. I don't currently have one, but I want to buy an efficient pickup truck or unibody pickup truck when I do buy one. In the rare occasions that I do want a car, a truck is really helpful. I don't really see another solution other than cheap and convenient pickup truck rentals.

blunderchief 4y ago
Consider the humble minivan. Seriously. I’m also in your shoes. I bike or walk most places I need to go, but I use the minivan when I need to get large things. The rear seats fold into the floor and the middle seats come out if I need the extra space. It’s about as long as a decent truck bed with those seats out, my cargo is covered (not to mention there’s more vertical space and I don’t need to tie anything down), and it gets great gas mileage by comparison. I don’t really give a shit if the interior gets messed up, and I’m sitting lower to the ground with great visibility. They’re also easier to parallel park, as the wheels sit at the corners of the vehicle (the swing of a truck bed makes this trickier), and minivans these days have much more power than they used to. That’s to say nothing of the roof rack, which adds even more cargo opportunity. SUVs are a common alternative, but despite their size, they’re nowhere near as spacious as you hope. You might not be able to haul certain large appliances, but otherwise, minivans have all the benefits of a truck and then some, with few drawbacks. I’ve owned two minivans and three trucks, and I’d go minivan any day. (Edited because I forgot some things)
JohnFen 4y ago
> I don't really see another solution other than cheap and convenient pickup truck rentals. In my city, you can rent a truck for the day for about $50 (including a decent amount of miles). I know because I do this regularly. I'd be surprised if such an option isn't available in your city as well.
- vostok 4y ago
  Do you baby tips for finding cheap ones? The cheap rentals in my city are at the airport and that makes it a pain to use them. They're not really cheap if I ascribe a sufficiently high value to my time. The ones close to me often have limited inventory and don't have a pickup truck right now. Even at the airport, it looks like a pickup truck is $200 for the weekend. And honestly going to the airport is enough of a pain that I'm less likely to do things that require a truck as a result. If I owned a pickup truck and kept it in a garage by my place then I would be far more likely to make last minute decisions to go camping or yard sale shopping or whatever.