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this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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Those two vehicles are different. The one behind carries more people, can tow greater weight and with the right tyres probably has better capabilities off-road and in poor weather (floods and snow, for example). If the owner only needed it for the boot space then they'd be daft to get the bigger one (and probably wouldn't, due to fuel efficiency) but how does anyone here know what the owners need them for? Judging by looks is rather passé these days isn't it?
Most owners don't need them. Else why is there not a single one of these cars on the roads in the entirety of Europe? Are we so different?
Europe licenses trucks and trailers differently than in the U.S. An American one-ton pickup can tow at a combined weight of up to 26,000lbs in most states on a standard Class D license. The same license you need to operate a Honda Civic. This weight would require a commercial license in Europe, raising the bar for entry.
The lengths of trucks and trailers is also regulated more heavily due to smaller European streets. A vehicle rated to tow a 26,000lb load in Europe would need to be much shorter in length to abide by these regulations. This is why you only see “cab-over” style “lorries” in Europe.
What follows is my opinion on some additional factors:
It’s more affordable for Europeans to hire a professional driver for heavy loads owing to the short distances between destinations. It’s also less likely that your average European owns land or has a need to haul a heavy load to maintain said property.
I don't think the spotless white f250 parked in what looks like a strip mall parking lot in a warm climate is doing any off roading or driving through snow.
You've got a point about towing/load capacity, but the large majority of the time I see those big 4 door pickups driving around, they have one passenger, an empty bed, and no trailer behind them.
So you're not American right? Over here large pickup trucks are literally the most popular selling vehicles. But only a small portion of these people actually use these things for anything they'd need one for. Half of my apartment parking lot is large pickup trucks. They pollute, they're less safe, they're a waste of money, and they crowd parking space.
Even among the minority of people who regularly do things necessitating a pickup, only a small fraction of those need these huge heavy duties.
I'm not mad at the rural guys with these trucks hauling heavy equipment and trailers around out in the country. It's the urban and suburban people who don't need them at all is what gets me. If you need a pickup truck once or twice a year you can rent one for a day for ridiculously cheap.