4 ms·

The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? The Lightning is no bigger than a typical F-150. And the F-150 is the #1 best sell

The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? The Lightning is no bigger than a typical F-150. And the F-150 is the #1 best selling vehicle (on a # of units basis) than any other vehicle in the US (car or truck). States like Texas, residents in rural areas throughout the US, and Trade's people - love trucks and they love in particular Ford. For Trade roles, this Lightning truck is super exciting. The Fuel savings is huge for this buyer, and the ability to plug in all of your power tools directly into the truck to be used at the worksite is huge benefit. Note: I don't even own a truck, but this is a very frustrating article to read due to the author being so uninformed. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g43553191/bestselling-cars-2023/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g43553191/bestselling-cars...

jader201 3y ago
Yeah, this article is just clickbait, and doesn’t belong on HN IMO.
coffeebeqn 3y ago
Very anecdotal but most F-150 owners where I’m in in the Midwest use them for groceries and school drop offs. To me it seems like buying a $2000 drill to punch one hole in drywall but who am I to judge what people choose to signal with. People in trades generally seem to use beat up vans or beat up whatever truck is cheap and runs and you don’t mind it getting dinged
- bdcravens 3y ago
  I liken it to people with $3000 Macbook Pros to surf the web. That said, I live in Houston where pickups reign, and the F-150 is probably the most common. When you have a truck at your disposal all the time, you make different choices about what you buy, when you buy it, etc. Traffic jam on the freeway? You regularly see trucks cross the curb, into the grass, and onto the feeder road. Also it influences your lifestyle. Impromptu camping etc is not a concern. Our company is a software company in the shipping space, but my boss drives a 4x4 because he owns land that he goes to every weekend.
  - piva00 3y ago
    > Also it influences your lifestyle. Impromptu camping etc is not a concern. My friends and I go improptu camping on a Volvo V60 in Sweden all the time. You don't need a truck to go camping.
    - bdcravens 3y ago
      Sure, and in many ways EVs are great camping cars. I was thinking more in terms of terrain.
      - rimunroe 3y ago
        How rough is the terrain you're going over? I've taken a Honda Fit on some pretty terrible dirt roads out in the countryside. Clearance has occasionally been a bit tight, but the Fit is a pretty low to the ground car already and it's made out just fine anyway. I recently bought a Hyundai Ioniq 5, but I would kill for a 1:1 replica of the Honda Fit but electric. I'm pretty sure it's the ideal car.
      - piva00 3y ago
        The V60 we use is the Cross Country version, been to many dirt roads in the north of Sweden and Norway with it without a hitch. I don't think I'd trust a F-150 to go places where the V60 XC 4x4 can't access. A G-class yes.
    - rimunroe 3y ago
      People go camping carrying stuff on their backs after all, or by strapping stuff to bicycles. I'm assuming that because "impromptu camping" is an option we're not talking about someone who has kids in the first place, but even if they did I can't imagine needing a whole truck for that, especially when smaller-but-still-giant vehicles like SUVs exist.
- ChainOfFools 3y ago
  > who am I to judge what people choose to signal with. If they are signaling, they are literally asking to be judged. I see absolutely nothing wrong with giving them what they wish for
tivert 3y ago
> The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? Outrage gets clicks, and there's a contingent that loves to hate on trucks, roads, conservatives (the assumed drivers of trucks), etc. IMHO, a more honest headline would be "A week with a Ford F-150 Lightning: This truck cannot fit into a compact-car parking space," since that gets at the absurdity: > At the same time, I realize I'm not the Lightning's intended audience. I have no need for a pickup truck in my life, as evinced by the fact that I never once used the Lightning's bed.
meristohm 3y ago
The petrol-powered F-150 is too big for cities. Cities should be mostly for pedestrians, cyclists, delivery, emergency, and mass transit vehicles. I grew up in a rural farming area. The people who seemed most reasonable had big trucks and other heavy equipment (and/or work animals) for utility on the farm, and small efficient cars for trips to town. Insisting on idling one's massive farm machine in front of a preschool smells like posturing and costly romanticism, in resources and health.
wpm 3y ago
IME most tradespeople tend to actually use vans. I'm in the US and a house is being built across the street from my home office window, and there are more pickup trucks (most with 'manly' modifications) parked as vanity items for the employees of the welding supply shop down the street than there have been carpenters, plumbers, concrete layers, roofers, and so on here building something. It's all been Transit/Promasters and larger Ford E-XXX type vans. Of course, not a massive sample size, but spending time both in a large American metro as well as in the rural, farming hinterlands of my state, I rarely meet people with pickups who could honestly say they need it. One cattle farmer I'm friends with has a Ford F-250 but it's like 20 years old. 63% of American truck buyers never hook anything up to the trailer hitch. It is a costume, or most charitably, a somewhat reasonable consequence of our whacked out emissions laws, our terrible safety regulations and traffic engineering standards (which are imo criminal), and a simple calculus of "what do I buy if I want the most car for the least amount of money". The last point is of no consequence if it that choice doesn't affect anyone else, but that simply isn't the case. The most optimal personal choice is rarely the most optimal societal choice, but the consequences of the bad societal choice are not felt as acutely even if they're far worse. More barely utilized pickups is bad for everyone.
- throw0101d 3y ago
  > 63% of American truck buyers never hook anything up to the trailer hitch. And this is what the owners themselves told the survey: * https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-weight-safety https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-wei... * https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-siz...
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
Ya, when I first saw a cybertruck, it was huge. That would definitely not go over well in Seattle. Heck, we had an F-150 (the normal kind) parked on the side of our street, and it made our street virtually impassable (only one narrow lane because street parking on both sides). I can't even see it being very popular in the trades here, since trades people often have to utilize street parking at work sites.
tamimio 3y ago
I’m almost certain that most of those truck buyers barely use them for anything related to their functionality or for job-related stuff. Otherwise, they would get a proper truck that’s far more superior for those blue-collar jobs (1). I drive quite often and I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these trucks actually loaded with anything. In fact, a lot of times they are even covered. I do love trucks myself and cars in general. I used to have one too, but when it comes to the city, they definitely don’t fit in with their current design. This doesn’t account for reckless drivers. The other day I saw an F350 parking, and I passed from the front side. Only my head was visible and I’m not a short guy. The problem is these trucks keep “growing” and getting bigger with every other model. What’s the end game here? Are we going to see bigger trucks in the coming years? (2) (1) https://files.catbox.moe/ijw037.png https://files.catbox.moe/ijw037.png (2) https://files.catbox.moe/12vmal.jpeg https://files.catbox.moe/12vmal.jpeg
- throw0101d 3y ago
  Got recommended a short entitled "Americans are Pretty Dumb Sometimes" about how folks should just buy a Kei truck: * https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hh45Lth8iNI https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hh45Lth8iNI * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    Can't import one unless it's at least 25 years old though. Even if someone wanted to build something similar in the US, they probably wouldn't meet efficiency standards in the US because those are tied to the size of the vehicle (yes if you build a bigger vehicle, the mileage can be worse!). I think that change was made in response to the PT Cruiser[1], which was classified as a "Light Truck" to improve Chrysler's CAFE[2] metric. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_PT_Cruiser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_PT_Cruiser 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_average_fuel_economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_average_fuel_economy
aidenn0 3y ago
> The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? Yeah, this would be like a reviewer of a MOBA game sub-headlining the review "It's not for FPS players."

jader201 3y ago

Yeah, this article is just clickbait, and doesn’t belong on HN IMO.

coffeebeqn 3y ago

Very anecdotal but most F-150 owners where I’m in in the Midwest use them for groceries and school drop offs. To me it seems like buying a $2000 drill to punch one hole in drywall but who am I to judge what people choose to signal with. People in trades generally seem to use beat up vans or beat up whatever truck is cheap and runs and you don’t mind it getting dinged

bdcravens 3y ago
I liken it to people with $3000 Macbook Pros to surf the web. That said, I live in Houston where pickups reign, and the F-150 is probably the most common. When you have a truck at your disposal all the time, you make different choices about what you buy, when you buy it, etc. Traffic jam on the freeway? You regularly see trucks cross the curb, into the grass, and onto the feeder road. Also it influences your lifestyle. Impromptu camping etc is not a concern. Our company is a software company in the shipping space, but my boss drives a 4x4 because he owns land that he goes to every weekend.
- piva00 3y ago
  > Also it influences your lifestyle. Impromptu camping etc is not a concern. My friends and I go improptu camping on a Volvo V60 in Sweden all the time. You don't need a truck to go camping.
  - bdcravens 3y ago
    Sure, and in many ways EVs are great camping cars. I was thinking more in terms of terrain.
    - rimunroe 3y ago
      How rough is the terrain you're going over? I've taken a Honda Fit on some pretty terrible dirt roads out in the countryside. Clearance has occasionally been a bit tight, but the Fit is a pretty low to the ground car already and it's made out just fine anyway. I recently bought a Hyundai Ioniq 5, but I would kill for a 1:1 replica of the Honda Fit but electric. I'm pretty sure it's the ideal car.
    - piva00 3y ago
      The V60 we use is the Cross Country version, been to many dirt roads in the north of Sweden and Norway with it without a hitch. I don't think I'd trust a F-150 to go places where the V60 XC 4x4 can't access. A G-class yes.
  - rimunroe 3y ago
    People go camping carrying stuff on their backs after all, or by strapping stuff to bicycles. I'm assuming that because "impromptu camping" is an option we're not talking about someone who has kids in the first place, but even if they did I can't imagine needing a whole truck for that, especially when smaller-but-still-giant vehicles like SUVs exist.
ChainOfFools 3y ago
> who am I to judge what people choose to signal with. If they are signaling, they are literally asking to be judged. I see absolutely nothing wrong with giving them what they wish for

tivert 3y ago

> The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? Outrage gets clicks, and there's a contingent that loves to hate on trucks, roads, conservatives (the assumed drivers of trucks), etc. IMHO, a more honest headline would be "A week with a Ford F-150 Lightning: This truck cannot fit into a compact-car parking space," since that gets at the absurdity: > At the same time, I realize I'm not the Lightning's intended audience. I have no need for a pickup truck in my life, as evinced by the fact that I never once used the Lightning's bed.

meristohm 3y ago

The petrol-powered F-150 is too big for cities. Cities should be mostly for pedestrians, cyclists, delivery, emergency, and mass transit vehicles. I grew up in a rural farming area. The people who seemed most reasonable had big trucks and other heavy equipment (and/or work animals) for utility on the farm, and small efficient cars for trips to town. Insisting on idling one's massive farm machine in front of a preschool smells like posturing and costly romanticism, in resources and health.

wpm 3y ago

IME most tradespeople tend to actually use vans. I'm in the US and a house is being built across the street from my home office window, and there are more pickup trucks (most with 'manly' modifications) parked as vanity items for the employees of the welding supply shop down the street than there have been carpenters, plumbers, concrete layers, roofers, and so on here building something. It's all been Transit/Promasters and larger Ford E-XXX type vans. Of course, not a massive sample size, but spending time both in a large American metro as well as in the rural, farming hinterlands of my state, I rarely meet people with pickups who could honestly say they need it. One cattle farmer I'm friends with has a Ford F-250 but it's like 20 years old. 63% of American truck buyers never hook anything up to the trailer hitch. It is a costume, or most charitably, a somewhat reasonable consequence of our whacked out emissions laws, our terrible safety regulations and traffic engineering standards (which are imo criminal), and a simple calculus of "what do I buy if I want the most car for the least amount of money". The last point is of no consequence if it that choice doesn't affect anyone else, but that simply isn't the case. The most optimal personal choice is rarely the most optimal societal choice, but the consequences of the bad societal choice are not felt as acutely even if they're far worse. More barely utilized pickups is bad for everyone.

throw0101d 3y ago
> 63% of American truck buyers never hook anything up to the trailer hitch. And this is what the owners themselves told the survey: * https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-weight-safety https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-wei... * https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-siz...

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

Ya, when I first saw a cybertruck, it was huge. That would definitely not go over well in Seattle. Heck, we had an F-150 (the normal kind) parked on the side of our street, and it made our street virtually impassable (only one narrow lane because street parking on both sides). I can't even see it being very popular in the trades here, since trades people often have to utilize street parking at work sites.

tamimio 3y ago

I’m almost certain that most of those truck buyers barely use them for anything related to their functionality or for job-related stuff. Otherwise, they would get a proper truck that’s far more superior for those blue-collar jobs (1). I drive quite often and I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these trucks actually loaded with anything. In fact, a lot of times they are even covered. I do love trucks myself and cars in general. I used to have one too, but when it comes to the city, they definitely don’t fit in with their current design. This doesn’t account for reckless drivers. The other day I saw an F350 parking, and I passed from the front side. Only my head was visible and I’m not a short guy. The problem is these trucks keep “growing” and getting bigger with every other model. What’s the end game here? Are we going to see bigger trucks in the coming years? (2) (1) https://files.catbox.moe/ijw037.png https://files.catbox.moe/ijw037.png (2) https://files.catbox.moe/12vmal.jpeg https://files.catbox.moe/12vmal.jpeg

throw0101d 3y ago
Got recommended a short entitled "Americans are Pretty Dumb Sometimes" about how folks should just buy a Kei truck: * https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hh45Lth8iNI https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hh45Lth8iNI * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Can't import one unless it's at least 25 years old though. Even if someone wanted to build something similar in the US, they probably wouldn't meet efficiency standards in the US because those are tied to the size of the vehicle (yes if you build a bigger vehicle, the mileage can be worse!). I think that change was made in response to the PT Cruiser[1], which was classified as a "Light Truck" to improve Chrysler's CAFE[2] metric. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_PT_Cruiser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_PT_Cruiser 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_average_fuel_economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_average_fuel_economy

aidenn0 3y ago

> The author is clearly not the target buyer, why would they be the reviewer? Yeah, this would be like a reviewer of a MOBA game sub-headlining the review "It's not for FPS players."