![[image] Both cars fit the same amount of people](https://feddit.de/pictrs/image/e42dc262-7043-4d72-b919-e2e83f8729d9.jpeg){kind=link}
Honestly this is absurd. These death machines shouldn’t be legal in europe. That thing doesn’t even fit in the parking space, even though the parking lot has the biggest spaces in the whole city. The Golf Polo is so small in comparison, it could even hide in front of the engine hood of the truck.
EDIT: It’s a Polo and not a Golf, I don’t know my cars, sorry for that!
This isn’t standard. Nothing about that vehicle is standard.
If it’s for lugging tools, get a van. They’re safer and better for the job.
If it’s for camping, get a van.
These trucks make no sense, other than financially to car companies.
Trucks have a higher towing capacity than vans, generally.
Trucks can fit awkwardly sized stuff in the bed, unlike vans. I’d love to have seen my dad drop a welded heat exchanger he worked on for an industrial boiler into a van with a bobcat.
Work trucks absolutely make sense.
The bed in that thing is probably about the same size as the bed of a kei truck. Most pickup trucks in the US typically have beds about that size. If you really need to tow something enormous you’re better off getting something designed for the purpose. People everywhere else in the world get around all the time with car-sized pickups like the older Hilux.
Only the US has such big pickups, and it’s because the EPA allows less stringent emmissions standards the larger the vehicle is, so I guess it works out cheaper to just make the truck bigger and not bother dealing with tight standards. So ironically the EPA’s regulation is creating more emmissions.
I’m afraid it’s not because there’s a good, rational reason to want a truck like that. It’s basically a side effect of lobbying and anticompetitive behaviour.
EDIT: Not Just Bikes has done a pretty good breakdown of the problem with oversized SUVs & pickups here: https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo
The economies between the two regions just aren’t fully comparable at the trade and industrial scale. Wholly agree that pollution is a problem. Wholly agree there are idiots with lifted trucks and mall crawlers for no reason. But 8’ truck beds are standard for tradespeople in America because they are extremely functional, and versatile. Making 2 specialized vehicles is more costly than making one versatile one.
The thing designed for that purpose is, indeed, a work truck.
Let’s keep in mind that the EU’s stringent environmental standards didn’t stop the disastrous reality of just how bad diesel has been as a pollutant for Europe, leading to worse air quality than most places in America.
Kei trucks can’t go very fast, and their load capacity isn’t nearly as much as a truck like this. They are really awesome though!
The bed in that thing is tiny compared to its size, and they are incredibly unsafe at speed. You don’t want them to go fast, especially not in the middle of a city.
My former boss I knew well owned a truck like this. He was the boss of an electrician company and used his vehicle for a great many roles, towing stuff, bringing electrical and repair equipment that was pretty large, and taking the family for vacation. So the only reason a person should be looking at a vehicle like this is if you have a lot of different things to do with it
In Europe, there is no good reason to own this. It doesn’t fit anywhere. There are other, better options in every single circumstance. Including pickup trucks that are designed for and fit our roads. These trucks are simply too big, they’re a menace.
In America, many trades do use trucks to transport things. Farmers may use a pick up truck like this to haul hay or feed in the back. Construction companies and contractors will use trucks to move small loads of dirt or gravel. Lumber and plywood. Concrete blocks. Building supplies, scrap metal or machinery.
The open bed does make it easier to load and unload stuff in the back that does not need to be covered, and can allow you to use a forklift. But at a certain point if you’re moving a lot of heavy stuff a flatbed truck is it going to be more effective.
Still, way too many people buy trucks and never use them. They are very expensive and a lot of people go heavily in debt in buying these fancy overpriced vanity trucks. I think they cost between $75,000-$100,000 these days!
Vans… Have like 100mm clearance. All work vehicles suck gass, but a single truck doesn’t scream “fuckcars” to me. The right tool for the job and such.
Whereas the hottest month in human history definitely screams “fuckcars” to me.
Only Americans ever think these are the right tool for the job. If you guys want to keep your trucks that kill people at an incredibly outsized rate, fire away. But they are a plague that most Europeans rightly want to keep out.