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> no one else makes full size diesel pickups. Not the Japanese, the Koreans or the Europeans (Genuine) Q: Why is it that the rest of the world manages just fin

> no one else makes full size diesel pickups. Not the Japanese, the Koreans or the Europeans (Genuine) Q: Why is it that the rest of the world manages just fine without needing full size diesel pickups? Over here even tradespeople drive panel vans, not pickups.

theshrike79 3y ago
"But you can fit a full sheet of plywood on a truck bed! That's why I need a Ford F-150!" Yea, you could do that with a 90's Toyota Hilux too and it was 75% smaller =) Also you can fit that exact same sheet in a van and it's covered from the elements, along with your tools. It's all about image. Americans think van = "free candy child molester" or "FBI stakeout" and minivan = "soccer mom", which is bad for some reason. Thus, everybody drives HUGE TRUCKS or SUVs, because they've been marketed as cool for 20+ years. Even though a proper mini van would do the exact same thing in a smaller, more efficient package. (also huge trucks are exempt from environmental standards because of a legal fuckup they refuse to fix and thus better profits for the manufacturer)
- quickthrowman 3y ago
  > "But you can fit a full sheet of plywood on a truck bed! That's why I need a Ford F-150!" You actually can’t fit full sheet goods (4’x8’) into 99% of pickups, there are very few pickups on the road with full-size (8’) beds that can fit sheet goods, most of them have ridiculously short beds, like 5’ long. Take a look at this Chevy truck poster that shows the silhouette by generation, there’s almost no bed on new pickup trucks: https://customcarposters.com/products/chevy-pickup-truck-poster-profile https://customcarposters.com/products/chevy-pickup-truck-pos...
  - AlexandrB 3y ago
    Yes, it's ridiculous. Modern trucks are SUVs with an open trunk.
    - theshrike79 3y ago
      And most SUVs are just minivans with a meaner case and bigger rims :)
  - rurp 3y ago
    The shortening of pickup truck beds over the past few decades is such a joke. It reveals how many of the claims about needing a truck for practical reasons are bs. Nowadays they are mostly inefficient vans that people happen to think look cooler.
    - DangitBobby 3y ago
      There are lots of things you can put on the back of a truck without fear that are too dirty/grimy/smelly/wet to be comfortable throwing in the back of the van. Most of the "work" an American truck sees is light yard work and maybe moving around dirt, seed, mulch, lawn decorations, or small machines. The rest is fully recreational or stylistic. Trucks are really, really nice to have and no one would be judgemental about whether you "really need one" if it weren't for global warming. Most Americans also couldn't give less of a shit about global warming no matter what they say.
jandrewrogers 3y ago
Ground clearance and 4-wheel drive mostly. Depending on where you live in the US, the scope of non-paved surfaces you may need to drive on occasionally can be quite a bit larger than most of the developed world. I used to have a cheap second car, a full-size 4WD Bronco, that I used for purposes that might require it when I lived in the US mountain west. During winter or when going over some unpaved mountain passes, I'd use the Bronco. In some areas even a good high-clearance AWD like a Subaru was taking a risk. Many people don't need it and most people don't need it all the time, but when you need it you need it. There are well over a million miles of unpaved roads and highways in the US. These usually have insufficient traffic to justify the cost of putting in a proper road bed. Equally, if you do get stuck out there because of poor road conditions, you may be stranded for a long time. American trucks, for good or ill, are designed to drive on these kinds of roads all day without falling apart. I have a high-clearance AWD today and have a lot of experience driving on these types of roads. There are still occasional times when I "nope"-out of a road and turn around due to road conditions that really recommend a proper 4WD truck. It has happened in more parts of the US than I think people expect. EDIT: Another common use case in some parts of the US is towing heavy things like boats, in places where every other person seems to own boats or other types of large vehicle trailers. Never my use case though.
- rurp 3y ago
  This applies to some people but I think is really overstating things. Only ~10% of 4x4 vehicles ever get driven offroad, and most of the US population has paved roads everywhere they want to go. Vehicles that get driven offroad invariably get a lot of scratches, mud, etc, and the vast majority of trucks I see around town are absolutely pristine in that regard. There are plenty of legit use cases for a high clearance 4x4, but I think the vast majority of people claiming that they need one are being disingenuous, and really just want to feel like their commuter car is cool.
theryan 3y ago
Diesel trucks tow heavy equipment (10k+ lbs) very fuel efficiently which is a common use-case in the states without needing to resort to a semi. Where I live a large number of people also own travel trailers and boats, which also lend themselves to diesel pickups. I own a smaller truck myself (Ford Maverick) and tow a ~3000lb trailer with it regularly in the summer. My fuel economy goes from 30 mpg -> 11 mpg while towing. If I had a diesel, it would have virtually zero impact on mpg.
dclowd9901 3y ago
My take: it’s actually really awful trying to tow a trailer through the mountains without a diesel pickup. Now, most people aren’t doing that every day, every year or ever, but a person thinks “what if I ever need to tow my airstream through the Rockies like they show on those commercials?” And they buy the vehicle with the most utility. Other places that have mountainous regions, like South America, do have a lot more diesel trucks and 4x4s, so geographic region does play a part.

theshrike79 3y ago

"But you can fit a full sheet of plywood on a truck bed! That's why I need a Ford F-150!" Yea, you could do that with a 90's Toyota Hilux too and it was 75% smaller =) Also you can fit that exact same sheet in a van and it's covered from the elements, along with your tools. It's all about image. Americans think van = "free candy child molester" or "FBI stakeout" and minivan = "soccer mom", which is bad for some reason. Thus, everybody drives HUGE TRUCKS or SUVs, because they've been marketed as cool for 20+ years. Even though a proper mini van would do the exact same thing in a smaller, more efficient package. (also huge trucks are exempt from environmental standards because of a legal fuckup they refuse to fix and thus better profits for the manufacturer)

quickthrowman 3y ago
> "But you can fit a full sheet of plywood on a truck bed! That's why I need a Ford F-150!" You actually can’t fit full sheet goods (4’x8’) into 99% of pickups, there are very few pickups on the road with full-size (8’) beds that can fit sheet goods, most of them have ridiculously short beds, like 5’ long. Take a look at this Chevy truck poster that shows the silhouette by generation, there’s almost no bed on new pickup trucks: https://customcarposters.com/products/chevy-pickup-truck-poster-profile https://customcarposters.com/products/chevy-pickup-truck-pos...
- AlexandrB 3y ago
  Yes, it's ridiculous. Modern trucks are SUVs with an open trunk.
  - theshrike79 3y ago
    And most SUVs are just minivans with a meaner case and bigger rims :)
- rurp 3y ago
  The shortening of pickup truck beds over the past few decades is such a joke. It reveals how many of the claims about needing a truck for practical reasons are bs. Nowadays they are mostly inefficient vans that people happen to think look cooler.
  - DangitBobby 3y ago
    There are lots of things you can put on the back of a truck without fear that are too dirty/grimy/smelly/wet to be comfortable throwing in the back of the van. Most of the "work" an American truck sees is light yard work and maybe moving around dirt, seed, mulch, lawn decorations, or small machines. The rest is fully recreational or stylistic. Trucks are really, really nice to have and no one would be judgemental about whether you "really need one" if it weren't for global warming. Most Americans also couldn't give less of a shit about global warming no matter what they say.

jandrewrogers 3y ago

Ground clearance and 4-wheel drive mostly. Depending on where you live in the US, the scope of non-paved surfaces you may need to drive on occasionally can be quite a bit larger than most of the developed world. I used to have a cheap second car, a full-size 4WD Bronco, that I used for purposes that might require it when I lived in the US mountain west. During winter or when going over some unpaved mountain passes, I'd use the Bronco. In some areas even a good high-clearance AWD like a Subaru was taking a risk. Many people don't need it and most people don't need it all the time, but when you need it you need it. There are well over a million miles of unpaved roads and highways in the US. These usually have insufficient traffic to justify the cost of putting in a proper road bed. Equally, if you do get stuck out there because of poor road conditions, you may be stranded for a long time. American trucks, for good or ill, are designed to drive on these kinds of roads all day without falling apart. I have a high-clearance AWD today and have a lot of experience driving on these types of roads. There are still occasional times when I "nope"-out of a road and turn around due to road conditions that really recommend a proper 4WD truck. It has happened in more parts of the US than I think people expect. EDIT: Another common use case in some parts of the US is towing heavy things like boats, in places where every other person seems to own boats or other types of large vehicle trailers. Never my use case though.

rurp 3y ago
This applies to some people but I think is really overstating things. Only ~10% of 4x4 vehicles ever get driven offroad, and most of the US population has paved roads everywhere they want to go. Vehicles that get driven offroad invariably get a lot of scratches, mud, etc, and the vast majority of trucks I see around town are absolutely pristine in that regard. There are plenty of legit use cases for a high clearance 4x4, but I think the vast majority of people claiming that they need one are being disingenuous, and really just want to feel like their commuter car is cool.

theryan 3y ago

Diesel trucks tow heavy equipment (10k+ lbs) very fuel efficiently which is a common use-case in the states without needing to resort to a semi. Where I live a large number of people also own travel trailers and boats, which also lend themselves to diesel pickups. I own a smaller truck myself (Ford Maverick) and tow a ~3000lb trailer with it regularly in the summer. My fuel economy goes from 30 mpg -> 11 mpg while towing. If I had a diesel, it would have virtually zero impact on mpg.

dclowd9901 3y ago

My take: it’s actually really awful trying to tow a trailer through the mountains without a diesel pickup. Now, most people aren’t doing that every day, every year or ever, but a person thinks “what if I ever need to tow my airstream through the Rockies like they show on those commercials?” And they buy the vehicle with the most utility. Other places that have mountainous regions, like South America, do have a lot more diesel trucks and 4x4s, so geographic region does play a part.