The big problem -- pun intended -- is that vehicles are de facto required by law to be huge.
Imagine if we had cars that were built like cars from the 80s -- smaller, lightweight, tons of visibility, minimal equipment -- but with modern engine technology and a few of the electronics that don't add much weight, but add a ton of functionality (like 360-degree cameras).
I'll take the road noise, less interior comfort, and all the rest, just for a basic... car.
I'd love to have a modern reboot 80s compact pickup that wasn't a bloated mess like the new Ford Ranger.
Hopefully they make a version that isn't absolutely gigantic. I've wanted a basic, no-frills 4x4 pickup truck with a 6 foot bed for years now. Problem is, they're all gigantic. And, they all have back seats!
Ford released a new Ranger, which is nearly large as everything else out there. In the late 80's / early 90's there were all types of small trucks on the road (including the ranger). Now, there's zero options in US for something that resembles those vehicles.
Currently, I drive a compact SUV (Honda HRV), which does nearly everything I need. But, I have to line the hatch in a tarp when I deal with anything dirty. I'd love a truck version of this car, but the options are just absurdly large.
I don't think that's accurate, vehicles are being made larger to get around emission limitations. I'd love a new small truck like what Toyota used to make and ford f150/ranger's used to be ~10-20 years ago, but such vehicles just don't really exist anymore.
I'm guessing you either don't remember or didn't see what SUVs and light pickup trucks looked like in the 80's and 90's, but there is absolutely a lower bound on size that is way below where we are today.
I really want true compact pickups to make a comeback. Back in high school my girlfriend had a 79 Ford ranger. Put a modern AWD and airbags on that thing and it's my dream car. Great mileage, some towing capacity, and an actually useful bed, without becoming a massive unwieldy thing.
Something that I can use 95% of the time to get groceries and not feel like it's overkill, but toss a couch, dirt bike or beehive in the back when the situation calls for it.
Small pickup trucks used to be popular, when I was a kid most pickup trucks weren't much larger than a station wagon, but the government fucked it up by setting MPG requirements lower for larger trucks, incentivizing manufacturers to go big. At this point consumer tastes have adapted to the market and small trucks probably wouldn't sell well even if the regulations were fixed to make them feasible.
For my part, my tastes never changed. Modern pickup trucks are hideous giant blob abominations. But that's not the way most people feel anymore.
Eh, doesn't have to be this way. What we need are smaller, lighter trucks; this message seems to have been missed by Ford who have released a new Ranger that's bigger than the F150 used to be.
The annoying thing is that, at least in the US, trucks are just getting bigger and bigger.
Small / compact trucks like the Toyota Tacoma have become much bigger, and other models like the Ford Ranger disappeared and have been reintroduced in larger sizes.
This is annoying, because the previous gen size of the Ranger (e.g.) is a really great and useful size. Most people who could use a truck don't need the giant "full size" models, and yet the market ignores them.
In the US, small trucks disappeared because of the EPA mandates for fuel mileage. The idea that there is no market for them is plain wrong. Even small trucks like the ranger got much larger because the engines are not efficient enough to meet the EPA mileage and emissions requirements for small wheel base vehicles.
The idea that the move to larger vehicles is due to an arms race or due to insecurities is simply wrong. It may appear this way but the truth is that mileage requirements drive design including wheelbase. The EPA requirements are frequently revised and are too aggressive to allow any of our beloved small cars and trucks to exist on the road today in any form.
It's government regulations that made trucks get this big, most people simply buy what is available in the form factor they like. Trucks are the most popular form factor in the United States (with pickups a close second)[1], and the manufacturers keep making the cars bigger because of the poorly written CAFE laws[2]. I, and I suspect most Americans with pickups, would prefer to purchase one the size of a '90s F-150 as compared to the monsters of today but manufacturers can't or won't sell me one. Making up some macho strawman to attack actually obfuscates the problem and makes discussing solutions more difficult.
You can't have small ones due to the market-distorting effects of the CAFE standard for fuel economy. Small pickups are worse than little compact sedans, but would get lumped in with them and mess up the manufacturer's average fuel economy. Large pickups are in a different category, so they don't count.
So people thinking about stuff like "Human induced climate change" are actually at fault here, causing more giant trucks to be in use. It would be good to lay off on the regulations; stuff always goes wrong.
I've always driven a small car and it's what I prefer to drive. They're easy to handle, I like being able to not worry as much about navigating tight curbs, and fit into smaller or "small car only" parking spaces, etc.
But man, sometimes I pull up beside one of these absurdly huge modern trucks and I'm basically just staring at their wheels. It's terrifying to think if I collided head-on with one of these, they'd probably just run me over. Or the entire truck body would shave off the top of my car, along with my head.
It makes me want to upgrade to a stupid big vehicle too, just for my own safety.
I find it super frustrating. There's been leaps forward in fuel efficiency, but car manufacturers compensate by making trucks and SUVs bigger and heavier. The newer trucks can fit a third adult in the front seat comfortably. I hope the Ford Maverick is successful enough that more manufacturers start making "little" trucks again.
Imagine if we had cars that were built like cars from the 80s -- smaller, lightweight, tons of visibility, minimal equipment -- but with modern engine technology and a few of the electronics that don't add much weight, but add a ton of functionality (like 360-degree cameras).
I'll take the road noise, less interior comfort, and all the rest, just for a basic... car.
I'd love to have a modern reboot 80s compact pickup that wasn't a bloated mess like the new Ford Ranger.
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