this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Ford and Hyundai have tried to bring service to that market with the Maverick and Santa Cruz, respectively. My folks have one and love it, but I've found most people still complain because they "don't need that big if a truck" but then you mention towing/hauling capacity and they say "well why can't it just tow something small like an F150 does? I'm not trying to get a dually but if I didn't want to do X then I'd just get a car!" I suspect most people's "truck needs" would be accommodated but fomo and marketing leads buyers astray even when they already know what they want. Or they're fickle and just need something to complain about.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Ford and Hyundai have tried to bring service to that market with the Maverick and Santa Cruz

They didn't try very hard. The Maverick doesn't have a single cab or full size bed option and the santa cruz looks like a SUV with 1/4 of the back chopped off.

Here's a comparison of a 2008 Ranger vs. a 2022 Maverick to show what I mean better. They're roughly the same size but you lose so much with the Maverick.

2008 RANGER Height 67.7 in. Length 203.6 in. Width 69.4 in. Wheelbase 125.9 in.

2022 MAVERICK Height 68.7 in. Length 199.7 in. Width 72.6 in. Wheelbase 121.1 in.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

the 2008 ranger is such a nice truck. Maverick is just a minivan with an open trunk. Might as well just get a real minivan.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

I have a minivan and it carries everything we need. If I put down the back seats, it carries about as much ae a Ford Maverick, perhaps more. I can also fold or remove the middle seats for even more space, which is comparable to a full bed. The only thing it can't really do is take dumps of mulch, gravel, etc, but it can tow a trailer for that.

Minivans are fantastic.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

I drive a 98 Ranger XLT, it has a 5900 lb towing capacity. I'm pretty much going to keep fixing it forever.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I drove a 99 Ranger into the ground. It was absolutely fine in every way that truck people care about. Give us back our small trucks!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The Ranger/B2000, S-10, and first Tacoma were really the sweet spot for compact pickup trucks but you won't get them back, because all of them got killed by CAFE.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (3 children)

CAFE, safety, larger wheels, more gadgets. These mega corps do their research. Turns out the "real small truck lovers" are a vocal minority, or the things you say you want didn't include all the things you take for granted in every new car because they just...are.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

Not me. I'm content to be the minority. My truck is from '99 and newer vehicles annoy the shit out of me.

I don't want gadgets and I don't want to need a stepladder to get in it, either. 8' bed, single cab, crank windows.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

It's the same shit as with smartphones. "If people wanted a headphone jack/removable battery/SD slot/whatever then why are they still buying smartphones?" BECAUSE THERE ARE NO OPTIONS THAT HAVE WHAT THEY WANT. I haven't bought a phone since 2017 and I won't until forced into it by circumstances. We literally can't vote with our wallets because what we want isn't on the ballot.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Look up manufactured consent. When you mix American conservative male identity with American consumerism then it no longer matters that they would prefer smaller trucks. They will buy what's offered, at the insane price it's offered. (Pickup truck margin and dealer mark up is one of the highest)

So no, the mere sale of larger vehicles doesn't mean I'm in a minority. In order to get that data you'd need to have smaller pickups on offer at the same time.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (2 children)

What do you find people want to tow? I'm often at a loss when people bring this up because I've never once had a moment in my life where I was disappointed by the lack of towing capacity of my small car

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Camping. Boats. Moving furniture. Gay party floats. The list goes on.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What the heck do you need to tow for camping if you have a pickup truck? I can see boats, but boat people buy the towing capacity they need. Not the size of truck.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Is legal here to tow two trailers if the first is 5th wheel. You can bumper hitch a boat behind your camper. This take a fairly serious truck, and is why I have a 5th wheel trailer that's only 19 feet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, but the second you need a fifth wheel then you need a pickup truck bed to put the receiver in.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Well yeah. It looks funny when I only tow the camper, as my truck is 21 feet long, the camper 19, and with the fifth wheel setup, the truck appears to dwarf that camper.