Why Americans Are Obsessed With Big Cars REACTION | OFFICE BLOKES REACT!!
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What they don't mention is that while the trucks have gained weight, they've also gained a lot in capability. Payload & towing numbers, as well as engine power for both gas & diesel are significantly up over the last 10-15 years. They're also cramming a lot more tech & luxury amenities into these at the high-end, which also adds weight. For example, my 2013 F-350 has a backup camera as an option. One. The new 2023 Super Duty trucks can have up to 23. You can also get a massive moonroof, big touch screens, heated, cooled, & massaging seats....
Yep. Growing up, I always thought I'd be caught dead before wanting a truck like this. Then one day in my early 20s I sat in the cab of my friend's enormous Ram 2500 on our way up to the mountains for a camping trip, everything we could possibly need stuff in the bed with room to spare, and had the same amount of room as I did when I would ride in my parent's Ford Econoline, while also being WAY more comfortable. Ever since then, I understood the appeal, and have been trying to rationalize a reason to fork out the cash.
@Marthyboy88 My rationalization (hopefully a reality in a few years) is that I'll be keeping the truck for 10-20 years, so it'll be worth it long-term to get what I really want.
they also cost as much as a small house used to lol
Where you live and what you do makes a huge difference too, some places the roads are so rough a small car couldn't handle it. You need that clearance and weight to get around. And of course if you are using it as a real working vehicle you need something that can haul and handle off road. We use every inch of our 8ft truck bed and load our 350 down to the max hauling hay and using it around the farm. It's a necessity to have a truck that can put in a hard day's work for a lot of people.
Yuuupp. Oilfield here. Mid-sized SUVs and small pickups won't cut it, much less a sedan. Have to have the clearance, power, and hauling capability of at least F-150.
You'd lose a compact car in some of our potholes.
Of course, that might go further toward filling them in than the government managaes...
Modern pick-up trucks are where it's at if you can afford them and their fuel. For example: You can get a 60k dollar Dodge Ram 1500 that has the interior and comfort of a luxury car while having a large roomy back seat and the capability of hauling and towing much more than any car or SUV along with durability. While quite expensive these days, pick-up trucks are the 'jack of all trades' vehicle....worth their price. Some of them, with V-8's, even average around 20 mpg. Not awful.
The extreme seasons in the north of the U.S. and Canada also affect your auto choice.
In rural sections all over North America it also affects your choice because of your need to haul stuff and your need to “power through” rainy, muddy, dirt roads when they’re bad.
American here - I'm 6'4" tall and 280 pounds. Small cars are practically useless for me. It is hard for me to get in and out of them. And at 58 years old, it doesn't get any easier the older I get. I drive a 2010 Ford F-150 4-wheel drive with an extended cab (which has a small rear door on each side that opens backward) with an 8' long bed. I use my truck for work and for pleasure driving. I need to be able to haul things in my truck, and I also need to tow a trailer sometimes. The truck bed allows me to put a standard 4' x 8' sheet of plywood flat in the truck bed, between the wheel wells, and still be able to close the end gate. This is important to me.
My truck is in the shop for two days and I am using a rental car. It is what is considered a mid-size sedan with 4 doors. I can't wait to get my truck out of the shop. At my size, it is quite difficult to get in and out of the car (getting my legs under the steering wheel, and the seat doesn't go back far enough). Also, the car is much lower to the ground than my pickup truck, so it is much harder to lift myself up and out of the car. I don't have to do that with my truck. I step up down to get out of my truck. Just the way I like it.
Also, I must add that I feel (and am) much safer driving my F-150 than a small car. I am mechanical engineer. Any mechanical engineer knows that "F=ma" (Force = mass x acceleration). If there is some sort of accident, the people in the larger vehicle usually fare much better than the people in the smaller vehicle. Better to have the vehicle with the larger mass.
I feel vulnerable in a small car after I almost died in a wreck back in the 90s. I've driven trucks or SUVs ever since.
Ironically a SUV will flip over way, way easier than a car.
Except the statistics says opposite
@@nepaliyuva408 SUVs are naturally far more susceptible to rolling over than any other passenger vehicles, and designs with weak roofs can make rollover accidents considerably worse.
@@HamburgerHelperDeath I don’t disagree
I feel safer and have had no issues in almost 30 years
20:50 - Dave’s subtle grin. That’s some impressive restraint. Good on ya, Dave.
I noticed that. 👍🙂
He stayed a lot more composed than I did, that’s for sure.
There is something about bigger cars that is just way nicer. I just traded in my 2012 Audi A6 for a brand new 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee literally 5 weeks ago and I am in love with that thing.
im about to trade my 14 cherokee for a 14 a6 lol
North America and the middle east love big cars because they have room for them. Unless restricted through taxes or literally driving space, most people prefer larger vehicles. Big pick-ups was akin to a cowboy and horse, there is a romantic attachment to them in the US, Canada and Mexico. But modern trucks have grown so much more sophisticated, complex and modern. They can be more than utility vehicles, to downright luxury vehicles, most costing around $60K - $100K depending on trim. Factor in their high utility and low deprecation, and it makes sense for a lot of people.
I love my 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 extended cab (4 full doors) with a full 8' bed. Seats 6 big people comfortably. Love the sight distance I get, can see over cars, allowing me to clearly see traffic conditions far ahead. It weighs over 7k lbs. on it's own. All I know is when big hits small, big wins. It's 20 ft long, so U turns are not easy, will drive up 8 inch curbs without batten an eye. Got the first year truck HEMI, still running like a champ.
One of the huge reasons that people go for large pickups is for the utility they provide. The bed allows you to carry a lot of stuff, the big truck alone lets you haul a lot if you need to. Plus, with many being 4x4 and due to their size in general, they are way better at driving when off-roading or during harsh weather.
I drove tiny cars for too many years, and now I drive a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria (think "police car"). Mine is the civilian version with leather seats and all that non-cop stuff, but the same engine, so it's quick when I need it to be. It's so comfortable it's like driving a big fat leather recliner down the road...I love it.
Great car!
Growing up, my parents had the Lincoln version, called the Town Car. It was so comfy. The suspension is also insanely soft, so the car would bounce a lot, but you never felt a harsh bump.
Man......truth! My road-trip car is a Hyundai that gets like 45mpg. My dad has been a Cadillac man his whole life. I definitely notice the comfort "recliner" feeling when I ride with him. It's like floating on air down the road compared to my car, and so quiet.....no road noise at all. But I'm only in the lower 48 for two months or so out of the year so having a small car that I keep in storage that gets amazing mileage works for me. I also have a motorcoach that can pull the smaller car if I want to RV around for a while. I live in Alaska and have a 4-wheel club cab pickup that I use up here.
The Crown Victoria is one the most love cars for people that has one, even though they're no longer made I know that our police officers that drive's one love's it, specially now they're being replaced with Ford Explorers (they call them 'Exploders'), they make sure that all maintenance schedules are kept up, no more crown Vic's available for replacement.
If you get into farm country and small towns in the country you mainly see trucks because alot of people need them for farms my dad and I both drive diesel trucks because we need them for our farm so it's uncommon to see small cars around where I live
Same here where my family and I live. You have to have at least an F150 to do anything because we live on a small ranch and need the power of our diesel-engine truck. Also on the roads and highways, it's the number of lug nuts on the tires. The more lug nuts the bigger the vehicle.
You can tell how skewed the crash data is in the way they present it. They say for a thousand-pound increase the fatalities are forty to fifty percent more but that's not in the the vehicle that has increased by 1,000lb it's in the smaller vehicle. You're much more safe in a large vehicle then you are in a small one
What they keep purposefully avoiding and thus "lying by omission" about is
that it's more fatal for the Other guy Not You in your giant pickup, you are safer even if you hit another big pickup.
I agree
I drove a tiny car for years. I was constantly annoyed by never being able to see past the vehicle in front of me. This is one of several reasons I got a pickup truck. The others being the utilitarian purpose and I just like the way they look(which is why most people buy whatever car they do)
People would bully me in a smaller car, then I got a lifted 4 door Jeep and other drivers would avoid me like the plague lol
@@aj897 that’s because Jeep drivers are absolutely insane most of the time lol
I’m not a fan of huge trucks but even I’ve moved up from small cars to compact SUVs. Being higher up does improve visibility and the extra seating and storage space while still having good MPG made it a no-brainer for me. My first car ever was a little Pontiac G5 and as much as I loved that car, can’t see myself ever going back to something near that size.
I’ve got a 94 Chevy Silverado and it’s just tall enough to see the road and just small enough to where I don’t stand out in traffic lol.
I was in a bad accident a couple of years ago in my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. My car was totaled, but my son and his three friends walked away without a scratch. The airbags banged me up a bit, but they definitely saved my life. I went right out and bought a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s not as big as many of the trucks and SUVs out there, but it’s the perfect size for me. I love that car!
In Alaska I have a 4 door F350 Ford truck that has studded tires on it for 6 months out of the year in winter. That's just the type of truck I need here. In the lower 48, where I spend a couple of months a year, I have a Hyundai that gets about 45 MPG and an RV motorcoach that gets about 10MPG, LOL. Obviously the Hyundai is the long distance road trip car and the motorcoach is the hanging out in the USA car. My truck is rugged as hell and gets well-used hauling loads of fish in the summer, wood in the fall, and you name it any other time of the year. The 4-wheel drive is necessary in both the summer and the winter, dealing with trenched out roads from spring thaw, driving on wet beaches during low tide, and mountains of snow in the winter. My Hyundai won't go anywhere in an inch of snow, LOL.
Being from the oilfield in SE New Mexico I have questions for Europeans/Brits (is that offensive?)...
1. How do you go on weekend trips without large vehicles? Are weekend family trips a thing?
My wife has a Jeep wagoneer (full-sized SUV) so the two kids, two huskies, and luggage can all fit for trips to the cabin or wherever.
2. What do you do when you need to haul something? Or do you never need to haul stuff?
Just the other day we cut a bunch of dead wood and took it to a few family members' houses. Needed a trailer and 4x4 truck for the access/towing.
Not just that but I'm always using my truck to move all sorts of things like furniture, lawn mowers, boxes, mountain bikes, skis, and large purchases like TVs, refrigerators, washer/dryer. People in places where large vehicles are dominant don't really have many affordable delivery options/services for these kinds of things.
I had more questions but forgot!
I have to drive pickup trucks for work purposes, but I much prefer a small hatchback. It's awesome being able to dart around, and park anywhere I want.
Gas is about $2.80 where I am in Texas right now but it got really high last year. Especially in Utah and California. We recently traded our car in for a bronco. Everytime I see someone driving a little euro looking small car here I wonder if they have a death wish. Just don’t belong in some areas. This is a very outdoors based area, a lot of big trucks suvs .
They didn’t talk about the safety features they put in trucks. They have the cameras, and sensors in trucks now to help with that. But my opinion is, if you can’t drive a big truck properly then you shouldn’t drive one.
Only people living in a big city would complain about large vehicles. Trucks have a lot of utility use and if you can also use it as a daily driver that's all the better.
I live in Texas and driving long distances is normal. I can drive from one end of my city to the other in an hour all Highway. Having a large spacious comfortable vehicle with a large engine makes the commuting more comfortable.
I prefer an SUV once I started driving one. Absolutely can’t go back to a regular size car. I like being higher up too.
Much of it has to do with the size of the U.S. and our roads. We have room to build bigger roads, and we aren't old enough to have 700 year old cobblestone alleys for a road system like in Europe.
I love our Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn. It's nicer than my Mercedes in a lot of ways.
Front blind spots are no joke. I once got into one of my work trucks in a grocery parking lot, drove forward less than a foot into an empty spot, and immediately ran into a shopping cart someone left in front of me. I couldn't even see it until I got out and walked to the front of the truck. It was a Ram 3500 dually fifth-wheel, pretty big, but not the biggest. I'm 6'1", so I see over the wheel just fine.
360° walk-arounds bub! Plus these days sensors help you with that 😁
I know a *lot* of people's cars are tied to their egos regardless of types. I truly don't care about any of that or even brands. I just focus on my current needs in a vehicle. I live in a small southern town at this time, but do travel multiple times a year. My first car was a Buick Century made the year I was born that my parents thought was safe for a new driver. It was a very decent size car to haul around my younger siblings and, occasionally, friends. My second vehicle was hatchback version of the Nissan Versa (they later changed the name to Versa Note). It was my only brand new vehicle as my parents wanted me to have a completely problem free car since I was going to university 1,200 miles away. The seating areas were surprisingly roomy, but next to no storage space. My current vehicle that I drive daily is Hyundai Tucson. It has both an okay seating areas and okay storage area. My second current vehicle is a Ford F-150 SuperCab so I have seating room if needed. People laugh when I tell them, but I mostly got it for my pets. I have number of "normal" pets and exotic pets. It is much easier to haul them in their pet carriers and/or their required items in the bed of the truck and, occasionally, a trailer. It is a 4 wheel drive truck so it is helpful in some situations. I have thought about also purchasing a small car for better gas mileage since I been working at second location farther away the last three years, but it is not something I really need.
I just bought an F150 Tremor so I can landscape my own yard, haul furniture and equipment up to our cabin, and go off-roading a little bit here in Colorado. I had a Focus ST for 7 years, and as fun as that was, trucks grant a greater degree of freedom that allows you to do more things if that's what you want to do. I don't have to call and organize people to haul and drop off sod, or plants, or lumber, or equipment, I can just go get it myself. A lot of those problems either don't exist in Europe, because they have easier logistics, or you just wait. When I look out at what America has done with untamed land in the last 100 years, I have to grant a lot of that progress to people who wanted to live bigger and freer, a lot of countries around the world don't extend that level of freedom or capability to their people. Take for example Russia-what an incredible amount of land that they really haven't developed that much or that well, because their people really can't. So it's easy for demographers and thinktanks to shit on large American vehicles, but they're quite literally allowing everyday citizens to build and improve this country on an individual level.
100% Agree.
Smaller cars with standard transmissions became very popular during the gas crunch of the 70s and a lot of people switched to them to save on gas. Now you'd be hard pressed to find any car that has a standard transmission. I can promise you that other than farm kids, there are no GenZ and very few Millennials that can even drive a stick. LOL
I have a Toyota 4-Runner (pretty big). Currently the back seats are down and the back is entirely filled by a box containing a set of patio furniture I just picked up at Home Depot.
I used to have a very small car, but when I bought a new one I got a large SUV. Reason? I bought my grandmother's farm in eastern Kentucky. It's in the mountains. My little sub-compact was *wheezing* up those hills and had about six inches of ground clearance. It just didn't work. I bought my 4-Runner after researching ground clearance and reliability for all the various options. It was a thoroughly considered decision of what vehicle would be able to handle steep slopes and rough ground.
When they said fatality was higher for big trucks, that might applies more to whoever has collided with a big truck. it takes a whole lot more to total a big truck than a little 2 door car. They can get totalled at only 20 miles an hour.
Get in a new big truck. Drive it for 5 min. You get it. You'll want one as well.
Once you drive a truck you never wanna go back to something smaller
in southern California gas is right around $5 a gallon currently but it has been up to almost $7 in the last year. Oil companies feel they need to make up for profits lost during the pandemic resulting in record profits for them.
I'm Canadian (although the car culture and road infrastructure between our country and the U.S are very similar). I've always owned cars and half size pickups, while my other family members have owned cars/SUV's/Minivans - However as a mechanic, I drive and work on all sizes of vehicles every week.
My current vehicle:
- 2016 Nissan Frontier Crew cab w. long bed (4.0L v6 engine / 5 speed auto transmission / 4wd) ~ 261HP / 281 lb-ft Tq
Prior vehicles that I've owned:
- 2007 Nissan Sentra (2.0L 4cyl engine / CVT transmission / FWD) ~ 140HP / 147 lb-ft Tq
- 2004 Ford Ranger Ext Cab w. 6ft bed (3.0L v6 / automatic transmission / 2wd) ~ 148HP / 185 lb-ft Tq
- 2008 Ford Ranger Reg. Cab w. Long bed (3.0L v6 / Manual transmission / 2wd) ~ Same as above
- 2002 Chevrolet S10 Ext. Cab w. 6ft bed (4.3L v6 / Automatic Transmission / 2wd) ~ 190HP / 250 lb-ft Tq
*Sorry for the confusing power figures - Canada operates primarily using the metric system, however there are a lot of applications where we use imperial figures as standard
I Drive a Ford F150 4wd ,the ride is so comfortable, you would be amazed at the comfort on the highway coasting down the rode at 75 about 2000 rpms ,it's like floating on air . I love long trips in it where I drive for around 1500 to 2000 mile trips . No road noise fuel economy around 17 to 18 mpg as long as I stay out of the turbos boost .
I'm an older guy who used sit in my dads lap as he let me steer his new '67 Olds Ninety Eight. I've been driving a long time. Since then I've owned\driven everything from an old V.W. Beetle to Semi Tractors. Plenty bikes as well. In the end I'm a king cab or even crew cab pick up truck fan. Most useful\safest and even comfortable, of 'em all.
Americans hear this: 1) we put up with expensive gas because we are sheep and dont' confront the politicians or oil companies about being riped off and 2) ditto because we don't have proper wide roads. I understand all the miniature towns in bumblefuck-on-thames with cobblestone but there is no excuse with tiny major highways in the 21st century. North Korea and Abu Dhabi manage to have wide highways and the UK can't?
I've got a 2nd generation (2001) RAM 2500 4x4, 8 liter V10 Magnum, quad cab (four door but the rear doors are half size), 8' bed, 6" lift, and 37" tires. We live in the rugged Arizona desert, so a 4x4 is really ideal because we have no paved roads for miles in any direction. It tows our 10K pound travel trailer without breaking a sweat while still getting 8 MPG. When my wife drives it, she gets an attitude that she calls "bad bitch energy" because for her its an adrenaline rush over driving her Mazda CX-5 SUV. LOL
I've always had smaller cars until a couple of years ago when I bought the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado I'm driving now. I love having endless amounts of room for passengers and cargo, but even in American parking lots it can be annoying sometimes
We all have mid to large vehicles in my family. I drive a Nissan Rogue, my dad has a Chevy Silverado, and my mom has a Toyota sienna
Probably a throwback to when American families were still huge. Pile five or six kids and their parents into a station wagon for a trip to the beach, and still have room for all the coolers and folding chairs! 😂
i have always driven trucks, my current tank is the extended editiom at 36 gal f150
"Scared to drive a bigger car"??? We're scared to drive a small car. They look like if they have a head on collision with a butterfly they will lose, whereas, if I am driving a bulldozer, I can run over everything.
Did this guy really try to tell me driving my truck is more likely to be fatal than if i were driving a subcompact? Last, first, and so far only time i crashed a truck, the other dudes honda had his headlights end up in the bed of my truck, and while he got towed, i drove away. With some new headlights, might i add.
As a Texan I love my big truck!!
It's a Tundra 4x4 with a 38 gallon tank. I get around 10 mpg in the city and 8 mpg when towing.
Would I give it up for a more fuel efficient vehicle? Hell no I wouldnt!!! I need it for towing,if I want to take a road trip we'll take the Wifes Tacoma 4x4 which gets over 22 mpg.
In a pick up while it is more fatal then a small car the safety it provides offsets the nearly guaranteed death if you ram into a tree or something.
Like if your getting shot the bigger car or Truck will shelter you better then a compact would not to mention its also just fun to sit higher or lower then other people.
Like even my grandma drives a suv.
She says it's the most comfortable driving she's had.
American here that's been driving for decades. I've never owned a car larger than a compact car, and I've never owned an automatic transmission car. We don't all like/have huge gas(oline) guzzling vehicles.
Being in a truck is so comfortable tbh, idiots can't kill you by driving stupid. Been rear ended lots of times, almost never any damage
How would I haul my dirt bike, 4 wheeler, firewood, 20 bags of mulch, lumber, lawn mower, or get up the mountain in the winter without a 4 wd. Pickup ?
For me and many others, it boils down to safety. We've all been traveling on the expressway and seen a collision or the aftermath of one. The SUV's shrug it off and the cars are crushed.
Not all SUVs and there some smaller cars that have great safety records. I drove a mini for many years and felt very safe in it but once I bought an SUV there was no going back
You need big cars to accommodate big people
I sold a 2011 Ram 2500 crew cab diesel (7" lift on 37" tires - about 7.5 feet tall) in September. Ordered a 2022 F450 crew cab last year, but the order was converted to a 2023 in October. Our small vehicles are a Lexus GX (sold in the UK as the Toyota Landcruiser) and a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe.
I hate pulling smart cars out of my grill
I have 2 very large vehicles a 2003 suburban 3 row seats and a 2018 GMC quad cab both 4 wheel drive I like the visibility and ability to go out in any weather
A part of the industry here in the States that the video does not mention very much is how social status and trends still affect purchases very similar to how it did in the 60s. Plus it varies in different regions in the country, for example in the rural south trucks always have been and always will be number one, followed by SUVs, then smaller cars (sedans). In the big cities its still very similar but you tend to have much more SUVs and Sedans, much like I would imagine it is in Europe.
The main thing now affecting the industry is affordability and readability. The cost of all cars has jumped through the roof due to the rise in the cost of living and the rise in the cost of energy. So much so that the used car market has over taken in alot of ways the new car market. This also has to do with reliability. Most new cars don't last nearly as long as older ones do due to the electronics and technology that is stuffed in them. In all honestly, most people that I know could do without all the "extra stuff." But this is the reason why that cars from the hight of the industry (50s, 60s & 70s) still run so well and still are so popular. Plus with these newer cars you cannot work on them nearly as much by yourself and as a result have to take them to a dealership where the costs are sometimes outrageous compared to doing repairs and maintenance yourself.
Culture has changed so much over the past 70ish years that is caused the auto industry and the culture around cars to shift so much. But us Americans loving big cars has alway been a thing and always will be.
That video acting like its a damn world-ending crisis just because we are buying bigger vehicles. Most ppl dont want to drive a damn Yaris or smart car.
Obsession is the wrong word here. It creates a negative stigma. If the US is supposedly obsessed with big cars, then Europe and Japan are obsessed with small cars. Goes both ways in terms of the framing.
I pick a car that serves all my needs and it’s been a crossover ( small SUV) I can get groceries, carry my dogs( huskies), plants, dirt, gravel, sand bags, and the car is still very nice inside n out! Plus I hate little cars - you can’t fit more then 2 people comfortably , can’t really carry much in them and they aren’t safe in a wreck.
I've driven cars and pick-ups and live in a cold climate with a lot of snow. I drive a small compact car and I'll never go back to one because it's just not very practical and harder to drive in my area. Whenever I want to do anything that requires items (tailgates, camping, trips, errands, side jobs, ect) my car is useless and struggles with the frequent snow. My friend's new pick-up also gets BETTER gas mileage compared to my small car by quite a lot. My next vehicle is 100% a truck again.
The Nissan Qashqai is called the Nissan Rogue in the US.
The "family car" aka "The Stationwagon" is a prime example of regulations. I think they stopped making them in the 90s. "The Soccer Moms" now all drive SUVs and Vans....Van's.....
In 2015 I met a couple of 'Brits' driving Route-66. They rented a Candy-Apple-Red Mustang Convertible and were having a great time.
My family has owned a bunch of huge cars. We had a conversion van in the early 2000s, my dad used to have a V10 F-250 superduty, a suburban, and a Toyota sequoia. Now i have a RDX and my dad has a Tundra
Bought my first truck last year, F150. Love it.
I’ll never go back
My first car I bought in 1992 was a beautiful blacktop 1972 Plymouth Fury. 360 engine block. Could not afford the gas today for a car that size.
I bought my 97' Dakota because full size American trucks were bigger than I wanted and imports trucks were to small. No regrets, still driving it. I really still do miss my 62' VW Baja.
The size category of a car in the US is based on the interior space. Because of more technology and better quality materials, the average car from today is at least 50% heavier than cars from the 70's or older and way more survivable in a wreck. GM actually did a crash test where a classic '60's Chevy was in a head-on collision with a modern car that looked a lot smaller. The old car was folded nearly in half, where the modern car's passenger space was untouched and the driver and passengers would have walked away without a scratch.
Not only do modern cars have better fuel economy, but they have a LOT more power, too. The US car companies pulled a lot of shenanigans with their HP ratings. For the muscle cars, they actually put out more power than listed to fool the insurance companies, but they were still weaker than cars with half the displacement made today.
@1:39 Gas is short for GASOLINE. You know the fuel that is extracted from petroleum (crude oil) and used to run gasoline engines.
those people who say "it's regulations,or lack there of that makes trucks bigger." is wrong during the 90s just about every pick up sold were small with small engines, and guess what?! they didn't sell very well, and they weren't very practical at a work enviroment. the one thing that really confuses me as far as the price of petrol in the UK, why not start back up those BP drilling platforms in the North Sea and bring in more crude and natural gas, that way the UK can sell the excess to Europe.
America's big vehicle craze is also caused by regulations. I used to want a small truck, but they banned them. You are required to make them a certain size.
Today's typical pickup is more like a SUV with half a roof because the bed is getting smaller and smaller as the passenger area gets larger and larger. When I was a teenager, our father bought us a stripped down Ranger with a five speed manual transmission. Luckily, it had air and an AM-FM radio with a tape deck, but the windows and door locks were manual. The truck was narrow enough that either of us could stretch to roll the passenger window up or down or lock or unlock the passenger door without leaving the driver's seat. Today's "Ranger" is larger and heavier than an F-150 from the early 00's. We also had an Isuzu Pickup and later, a Nissan pickup. You can't find trucks that small any more. They were still handy enough to pull a trailer or haul appliances. Today's Ford Maverick is about as large as the Ranger we had, it might be larger and definitely heavier. Another downside to today's cars is the reliance of bolting on a turbo to make a 4 cylinder as powerful as a V-6 or V-8. Ironically, the 4 cylinder Mustang with the ecoboost 4 cylinder gets worst fuel economy than the V-6 or V-8 and has a shorter lifespan because it's working itself harder to put out the power. Just get a V-6 or V-8, you'll save money short term and in the long run for fuel and repairs.
There are 276 Million vehicles registered in the United States and of that number there are 3.9 Million trucks/SUV's. That is roughly 1% of vehicles. So "Why Americans are obsessed with trucks" should not be the title of the video. There are more people driving trucks in the UK per capita than the United States. So whoever made this video should make one on the UK next lol.
Where are you getting your numbers?
I love our big trucks and don't want that to change....ever!
Penis still tiny though.
When I retired, I registered a Freightliner FLH Semi Truck as an RV and used it as a daily driver for years. Truck was six years old and cost me $20k american. Most pickups don't even have a shower in them!
The more north you go, the larger the vehicles become.
I'd be stranded at home for half the damn year if I had a tiny car in Minnesota.
"More dangerous to the environment"
I really just wanna tie down a hippy next to a furnace and shove coal in it all day long
Here in Texas you seen girls with Jeeps and guys with lifted trucks lmao. I love my vw eos, i always misjudge the size of it whenever im parking and i can even out accelerate larger vehicles on the streets.
It's because our roads were made for cars, not donkey carts.
I own 97 a suburban and it’s a perfect vehicle. Nothing gets in its way and it has tons or torque plus I have enough space in the back to run a small mobile business while still having 8 seats available. Literally more cargo space that most New York apartments.
"Much more fatal" is a total "green" lie. You want your kids in a Escalade, RAM, or F-250 or a Ford Focus or Clio when it gets T-boned form the side? Case closed.
I have a jeep, but I do hook a trailer to it if I am hauling wood, large items, etc.
Personally I want a vehicle that is higher up off the road. I live in far Northern Wisconsin and with the winters we have we need all wheel or 4 wheel drive. It isn't a luxury, it's necessary. It is more expensive for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. But we don't get to take 6 months off while the weather is sketchy at best! It's a trade off we accept for where we live. If climate crazies had their way we'd all be driving electric mopeds in February... I think they should all have to live in our neck of the woods for at least five full years before they try and push their nonsense on the rest of us! Have a great day!
The woman complaining about big cars is full of shit...let her spend one winter in Indiana and tell me that a truck has not pulled her out at least one time...not to mention the fact that farmers live in most of these states and trucks are a plus and big vehicles are manditory if you want to get around anywhere besides an interstate...these invronmental people have completely lost their minds....I have never owned a small car and consider them death traps...a big vehicle has the reinforcement to protect...you will be smashed if you get into an accident with a small car...I saw a ford focus completely destroyed by hitting a deer...I mean really...comon...if you are going to make an argument...at least make a true argument.
I just bought a new car today! Just a little Nissan Kicks. I can’t drive those big mamma jammas anymore. But I’m from Chicago, had a big ass truck when I lived in the Upper Peninsula. There’s a need for them in certain places.
The Nissan Qashqui in America is know as the Rogue sport. A smaller version of an already compact suv
This is biased as hell. Those same people who complain about being unsafe because of bigger vehicles, are the same ones texting, emailing, etc... which is more dangerous. And to their point of us plebs are just buying bigger vehicles to compete with each other? Status? Sure maybe some, but the more practical reason is that we NEED bigger vehicles for towing stuff. America is massive compared to Europe. They don't have the need to tow crap as much as we do.
There’s definitely plenty of fake truck owners out there who do it for status but yeah for 99% if people it’s all about utility, nothing to do with “status”
most of americans call fuel "gas" we don't call it petrol, yeah it's between $3.22 to $3.35 in my area i don't know what that would be in pounds
i have a 1989 f150 with an 8 foot bed, i drive it around here in Boston and we have small roads here but i have no troubles with it, its one of few non-commercial trucks you'll see in the city. I also have a 1983 k5 blazer, im pretty postive that that would be a popular truck in the uk because of how short it is but it is still pretty wide.
Is it orange and white?
@@user-lf7nf3kl7t its red and white but the red is a little off, single cab and its LOUD, i have stickers on the back window and black wheels
@@cartergambone2730 You work on the Everett/Chelsea line near the casino? I think I see you around in the summer haha.
@@user-lf7nf3kl7t no i dont work near there but i definitely drove around there
@@cartergambone2730 Ahh, I see. I thought you worked at Circle Auto Body near Vito's Shop. I was going to say, I'm the guy who owns the lowered red 02' Dakota and gold Cadillac. Must be a different truck I see down there and getting gas on Ferry street sometimes.
I've wanted a Hummer H1 ever since I was a kid. But owning a huge vehicle in city settings is just a nightmare.
I switched from a Corolla to a RAV4. Very reasonable size considering the examples in that video. I do miss the go-kart handling and the old school handbrake of a 20 year old Corolla. But the increased space, visibility, and comfort is just undeniable in a crossover SUV. First mod I put in the new car was a front facing camera that I can have on at all times.
I feel like even small SUVs like the RAV4 have gotten bigger over time. I have GMC Terrain and it is basically the modern iteration of the GMC Jimmy or Chevy S10 Blazer and it is much bigger than it’s predecessors. It has a small engine and not a lot of power but it is extremely comfortable and gets pretty good gas mileage. I always drove a small car before I got the Terrain and I would hate to go back from an SUV to a car.
Yes, when RAV4 started production in 1994 of 1995 model year, it was barely a 4seater at appx 147in long, 66in wide, 65in tall. Now 180in long, 73in wide, 65in tall, nearly the same dimensions as the Highlander when it launched in 2000 for 2001 model year.
The Rav4 is now the size of the 4Runners from back in the day.
@@1776SOL Oh wow that is a big increase. It happens so gradually I don’t notice it until I really pay attention or think about cars we had back in the 90s.
@@BP-or2iu I can see that but it doesn’t seem like 4Runners have changed very much.
@@NikkiCox81 They’ve gotten considerably bigger and more boxy. Still drive like shit and eat up all your gas and have unattractive interiors.
Only "passenger" car Ford still makes is Mustang, everything else is SUV and trucks. Escape is not smallest any more, they have Ecosport now
Having family in Scotland, and having spent much time visiting the UK in my summers many times... the UK population views a vehicle as primarily just a mild luxury of transportation, as Europe's population is far more densely configured than the US. Europe's city planning and public transportation allows for many to live a decent quality life without the necessity for a vehicle. However, in the US w populations far more spread about, and far greater distances necessary to travel without the existence of an efficient public transportation system outside of urban cities. The result is that US citizens view a vehicle as an extension of their autonomy and essentially their right to free movement and right to a decent quality of living. Due to the US being far more suburbanized and rural than urbanized European nations... vehicles in the US are viewed of as almost second homes. Therefore, more room, storage, luxury, power, durability, etc are all more highly valued in vehicles in the US, than in the UK or Europe. A vehicle in the US is the ultimate form of "independence" and "self reliability". It was more meaningful to me when I got my license, than when I graduated hs. In the US, if you do not have the means or access to a vehicle, most wouldn't even bother obtaining their license until they acquire access to a vehicle. Which is also why turning 16, obtaining license, and receiving a vehicle are all associated with one another in the States.
16:56 I love that truck, wow
Ford doesn't even sale a car here in the states any more besides the Mustang, all SUV's or trucks. I'm doing my part new Ranger 4x4, but I do have a small car too it's a Corvette :)
I'll be 28 this year and I've never owned a vehicle in my life, nor really know how to drive. Just never could afford a vehicle, plus driving scares me
This lady in the video says regulations are less stringent for heavier vehicles -- by what metric??
If it's mpg, then no shit! Heavier vehicles require more fuel consumption to move because they're... heavier lol.
In my experience full-size SUVs hit a max of about 20 mpg on the highway, whereas sedans can do probably 30+. That doesn't mean it was any easier to create the 20 mpg SUV than the 30 mpg sedan.
Trucks with four wheels in the back are called dualies.