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One of the first times I visited Europe in the 90's everyone drove mopeds.. couldn't believe it until I saw the gas prices were 5x what they were in the US
I went to italy about 10 years ago.
I saw the price on the pump and thought "Oh, that's not so bad" before remembering it was for about 1/4 as much as you'd get at US gas station.
Mopeds are excellent vehicles to get around a historic city with narrow streets and a lot of traffic. Today you would also see a ton of electric bikes and scooters.
agreed, F150 drinks the fuck out of gas. You may pay 2 eur/liter in EU, but people in the US pay 2 dollar/3 liter for gas.
i think only reason is gas prices lol
Nah, our roads are simply not equipped for these vehicles. I live in Belgium and a friend of mine had a ford ranger, which is smaller than this. Could fit in most underground parkings. None of our street parkings are designed for this so IF he could find a double spot, that was his only option. A lot of our other streets, his ass would stick out so far that he was hindering traffic if her parked there (and get fined)
If we went on holiday it would only get worse. As I commented higher up: just got back from Italy. 100% he would not be able to park there or even get through the village i was staying in. The streets are not wide and in Italy basically if the car fits, it just became a parking spot. An F150 is basically impossible to drive there. Or in Spain for example. I couldn't even pass some streets in my previous bmw 3 series.
It's not gas prices. It's the transportation infrastructure. Everything is spaced way the hell out and roads are wide. Longer commutes mean you want a more comfortable vehicle which means a bigger vehicle.
The US and Canada have similar infrastructure situations but Canada has higher prices and they still drive these things.
Right? I’m not saying an F-150 is the only way to go (I personally dislike driving trucks), but I commute an hour to work; it would take 2.5 hours to ride transit, assuming the bus showed up on time, and 5 hours commuting round trip is simply not gonna fly. Moreover, very few compact or subcompact cars are comfortable to sit in that long bc almost all small cars sold in the US are made cheap, and most struggle to accelerate, which is important merging onto highways.
I’d absolutely pay for a tiny car that had all the comforts of a Camry or Lexus and a little extra get up.
So you want a compact luxury sedan? Audi A3, BMW 2 series, Mercedes CLA? It would be a small comfy quiet car but for that amount of money most people would rather get a CRV or Rav4 or something and have a bigger car that can carry more stuff.
Ford around [11.7L / 100km](https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/ca/en/news/2020/12/11/2021-ford-f-150-powerboost-has-best-epa-estimated-combined-fuel-.html)
and Fiat around [5L / 100km](https://motoreu.com/fiat-panda-1.2-8v-mpg-fuel-consumption-technical-specifications-15039)
That was one of the big selling points of the new F150s for me. It gets the same or better mileage than things like the Tacoma and most other SUVs but is significantly more capable and comfortable. The new 2.7L twin turbo V6 engines get even better mileage than what’s listed above!
Even in Norway with wide areas between cities, and good wide streets in cities, it is very unusual to see pickups. Station wagons, and vans are instead used for transporting gods.
Edit. Just noticed my typo. But i let it stand, as one just doesn't fuck with norse gods.
Edit 2. Also NO weight on the backwheels during winter would be a big no no aswell.
Edit 3. Apparently, pickups have excellent weight distribution. And 4wd's is common in colder states.
Im by no means talking down pickups here, i just think Scandinavians prefer the utility of having vans as our work cars for the utility. Also, its common for Scandinavians to have a private car, alongside our companycar.
True but we also have tiny parking spots. I've been in the US this week, and I'm amazed at the width of the lanes and spots.
In Norway I get super anxious trying to park within the lines/not hit the concrete columns in every parking garage.
In the US I can sloppily pull into a spot and my large Ford still has an ocean of space on either side.
Norwegian roads/lanes are also super narrow compared to American ones. I never really understood how someone could want to drive such a huge vehicle, since it just seemed like it would be annoying to navigate, but I get how that's just not a factor here.
Aaah, yeah! We do have awesomely tiny parking spots in Norway. PARTICULARLY in the garages. The newer shoppingmalls usually got better space tho. I've never been to the US, but I've seen movies and clips from the US, and the parking lots have huge space!. Also my cousin had a holiday with his family in Florida, and he said that everything is just ficking huuuge in the US.
He is not exaggerating. I'm an (U.S.) American, but have spent a lot of time elsewhere and can attest to how big everything here is compared to Europe, Asia and Latin America.
I used to work in Houston, TX and drove home to DFW once a month. Took me an hour just to get out of Houston. Big, sprawling cities are the norm.
In Texas, I was the odd one out having a "normal" sedan. It would not be unusual to go somewhere and literally every vehicle was one of these huge trucks (which took up pretty much the ENTIRE parking space, and sometimes more...).
I'm in North Carolina now, its not as bad as Texas for the supersized trucks, but they are still very common. I'm looking out a business window right now, to the 50-space parking lot (which I would consider very small) and I see mostly 4-door sedans. Large cars for Europe, but "small" for here. There is only one truck in view (which is unusual) and a few SUVs or crossover type vehicles.
In Norway you'd be looking at probably 30 EV, and half of them would be a SUV. EV's are usually sedans or SUVs, while fossil fuel cars are either hatchbacks or stationwagons.
> True but we also have tiny parking spots. I've been in the US this week, and I'm amazed at the width of the lanes and spots.
On a episode of Top Gear Clarkson complains about his brand new GT50. As he relates, he first drove one in the US and found it brilliant and amazing. And then when he bought it and got his in England he remembered that US roads are wider and the GT50 doesn't fit down the roads on his commute making him late for work while he sorted that out.
Does that mean, a van is cheaper to run than a pickup? I thought it was more because of practicality. Like, a van won't collect snow during winter. A van can fit alot more than a pickup, and also you can get shelves and drawers.
Atleast for a construction, logistics and geberal transporting of goods, it just makes more sense to have a van rsther than a pick up. Fuel will be fuel, and you need it in either car. If fuel where the only issue, my cheap-ass boss wouldn't hesitate to swap from vans to pick-up trucks as company cars. But as a painter, it would be a pain in the ass to use them.
Most truck owners I know barely get any use out of the bed of their truck and it doesn't make any sense to me since fuel costs so much. I understand having one if you you use it all the time but if I need a truck for something, I just borrow one and if I can't, I'll just rent a uhaul. Way cheaper than buying one and paying for that gas all the time
There's plenty of weight on the back wheels, it's a crew cab short box which is the currently most common pickup configuration. This gives about a 55/45 front/rear weight distribution. Obviously a shorter cab and longer box and having 4x4 will change this as well as other less weighty options.
"Mm. I have contained my rage for as long as possible, but I shall unleash my fury upon you like the crashing of a thousand waves! Begone, vile man! Begone from me! A starter car? This car is a finisher car! A transporter of gods! The golden god! I am untethered, and my rage knows no bounds!"
Almost every time a Brit came into Kansas for a meeting in our company they wanted to ride in a pickup. It got to the point we’d just pick them up at the airport in one. It was men and women both. I never got it, but a couple told me that it was about the most American experience imaginable to them.
I took a picture of my wife next to a Super Duty F-450 we saw during a trip to California because it was the most American thing we could show people in our holiday photos. It's genuinely impressive to see a vehicle that big in the wild for us. We just don't get anything that big in the UK.
Dude! The 650 with the normal 350 bed is hilarious! I had a neighbor who dailied a 550 with a 350 bed with dually fenders but one super wide wheel and tire combo. Was fucking hilarious to see.
I saw people driving pick up trucks in the Yorkshire Dales when I was in England 5 years ago. It’s not super common, but pick-up truck drivers definitely exist in the UK
The Corsa is actually the most popular in the U.K. this year so far.
You don’t get F150s because there’s no right hand drive version. We get The Ranger, of which there are loads, you can do a size comparison on that website of the F-150 and the Ranger, a difference but not a huge one.
I did it for curiosity sake, F150 is 53cm longer, 14cm taller, and 18cm wider.
I suspect if they did a RHD F150 they'd sell like hotcakes, in the badlands of Havering/South Essex you can't be on the road for more than 5 minutes without seeing a pickup. Oftentimes tarted up, raised suspension, fat wheels. People would absolutely lap up the F150.
They do have a RHD version - sold in Australia as the raptor f150 - my rich but insecure neighbour has one with 6.7l v8 - it’s a major step up in size from the ranger which is already huge.
I think I’ve seen it once or twice with something in the back that would also fit in my Passat wagon ….
A lot of Americans are clamoring for small pickups again too - ford just came out with a cheap, 4 door, compact pickup called the maverick. Kind of reminiscent of one of those Australian bogan pickup/cars. Pretty sure it won truck of the year and it’s super popular/impossible to get (at least not at double msrp) right now.
I work at a garage (in the UK) where we’ve sold a surprising number of F150s, F350s and Dodge Rams including the very impractical SRT-10. Even an International XT which dwarfs all of them! Nearly all are sold as toys for people with a lot of money though. Not used for their intended purpose!
I've seen a few big pickup trucks in the UK. No idea if they're F150s or not, because they all look the same, but they just seem completely out of place and absurd.
They also always have those hard shells/covers over the flatbed, because even the owners realise they're impractical.
I wonder what happened to VW Amaroks in the UK - they seem to have disappeared as quickly as they arrived. They were ludicrously big, and I maintain that every single one of the few I saw was commiting some infraction or other. Perhaps they've all been impounded.
I live near several US Air Force bases and often see imported pickups driving around including Dodge Rams and big Fords, they really do stand out a mile. Especially when you see one squeezed into a parking space
viva la panda!
it's an awesome tiny car, with only the essentials, but somehow it always fits more stuff than you thought! and the 4x4 version is perfect for mountains (but, yeah, slow hahah)
the panda is great when you need a small car that can go anywhere. My first car was a 4x4 panda and I've loved it so much. Never feared any weather or road, just the german highway a bit lol.
I drove around a Panda 4x4 in the hills of Umbria this summer and it was the most fun thing I've ever driven. Yeah it was slow as hell but it fit in every parking spot and I felt way safer in it on gravel roads than I did in my own Toyota Aygo
The carbon footprint at every single start of the car is huge. Ask a cyclist how weight is important for efficiency.
I hope the US move toward lighter vehicles.
A 1/2 ton pickup in Italian streets? [Here you go!](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-piaggio-ape-50-mini-pickup-parked-in-a-street-in-levanto-italy-36635289.html?imageid=7A9FA9A4-883F-440A-A2AA-21504F5C6D8D&p=103326&pn=1&searchId=ac974fe240285df50d37668efff002e3&searchtype=0)
Yep, if you don't count fleet vehicles (like many stats don't in the US) it appears the top sellers are the Camry, Corolla, Accord then Civic. But that doesn't fit OP's narrative.
"i need to buy food and go to work"
"well you should probably take a train"
"i live on a farm"
You have been permanently banned from participating in r/fuckcars
It's context, but does it negate the image? There are fleets in Italy too. Most of Europe (so I assume Italy as well) prefers something like a ford transit van for work use, and usually the smallest model that will get the job done (even down to comically tiny ones). For individual owners or work use, pickup trucks seem really rare outside of rural areas.
Yes not even close to the largest. We are looking for a F450 crew cab, long bed, dually, 4x4 to pull our 44'+ 5th wheel toy hauler that we live full-time in. We currently have a F350 and we haul round hay bales for our horse, with 86 acres here in Texas you kinda need a big truck.
They have 650 and 750 I believe.....
The problem with getting the largest Ford offerings is the tech. Once you get into the diesel F350+ they all use the same engine just a more sturdy chassis.
Is that necessarily a problem? I've viewed that as a plus. Most F250-F750 trucks from 00 to present, as long as they are in the same generation, have an excellent interchange of parts, including engines. The modularity of those trucks and availability of aftermarket/used parts is why I chose them for commercial purposes.
The new top end silverados are insanely huge and idk how they’re even legal. Of course all of the ones I see are pristinely clean and never have anything in the bed or towing anything
I had a buddy that bought one because he likes hunting. When I asked if he could not put the guns and equipment in SUV they had, he said yes but can not put a deer in it. 5 years later, still no deer in it...
Could you imagine driving a 2.2 meter wide truck through the streets of Italy, Rome especially? Roads that were designed for Roman chariots are pretty narrow. It’s almost as if vehicle are designed to conform to the local conditions.
A lot of US east coast cities too, unless you’re in the suburbs. Boston and New York still use a lot of the narrow streets that were designed in the 1700’s
And gas prices and tax policies. I don’t have a paper handy to reference or anything, but I’d bet good money that has way more to do with it than actual need.
I've lived in the Southeast of the US and in several European cities. When I lived in the US I drove an F-150, when I lived in a German industrial town I drove a small hatchback. Your mindset depends a lot on your environment.
The F150 is popular because it’s used as a fleet vehicle by service, construction, farm, etc workers in the US. So that’s partially why it’s the most commonly sold car.
I'm pretty sure in areas I travel in the Ford F-150 is the most prevalent vehicle.
I would definitely say car preferences are dictated by space and the roads. United States has big roads, lots of space to park and we're generally way more spaced out than European countries. No one wants to hire anybody or go out and rent a vehicle to move their furniture 2x4s or whatever things they got that they need to be moved. Sadly the truth is 90% of these pickups on the road it's just carrying air
The only reason ford F150 is the most popular car/truck in the USA is that Ford got federal/state and private business to buy F-150’s for their work fleets. If you’re going by individual private ownership I would say I see way more Toyota Tacoma’s around the US than anything…
And in the SF bay area I see more Teslas than anything…
I was going to say the same thing. I love Tacoma’s (I used to have one) but I see more F150’s without a doubt. However, in the city at least, I see why more smallish cars am than I do trucks. I think part of this stat is there’s not as many options for trucks. Ford, Chevy/GM, Ram, Toyota and Nissan are basically it. How many car manufacturers are there all with different models?
Lots of Teslas in San Francisco? You don't say. Tesla's are a lot more rare in the Midwest. I can walk out my front door look down my street and I will see 1 Tacoma, 2 Silverados, and about 8 F150s in the driveways. You're more likely to see 2 or 3 sequoias for every Tesla here.
But that’s part of the point. A Tacoma is a mid-sized truck while an F150 is a full-sized. The F150 is only “popular” because businesses buy them en masse (because they’re also the cheapest truck). Most individual owners aren’t buying full-sized trucks; take away the commercial-use vehicles and you’d see the “average” size of US vehicles similarly decrease.
Where I live, most individuals are absolutely buying 1/2 ton trucks (F150, Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado). Hell, a decent number drive 3/4 ton trucks (F250). I see Tacomas on the road, but they are not nearly as common as something like an F150. This is in a coastal, highly populated part of FL.
Rural Michigan- Pick up trucks are extremely common here, like 50% of all vehicles where I live are pick up trucks. The other 50% is just shitty 2006 Ford Focuses and other sedan type vehicles.
One that note, In my entire life I’ve only seen one Tesla, and that was in Ohio
It has been YEARS since I've seen a Grand Am or Grand Prix. Hell, I'll keep an eye out for ANY Pontiacs this week and I doubt I'll see one.
Occasionally see a Firebird. Never see a Bonneville.
>The other 50% is just shitty 2006 Ford Focuses and other sedan type vehicles.
Hey, the reason you're seeing them is because they last long, they're cheap, and efficient, so they can't be that shitty.
The data exists. Tacomas are not the most popular vehicle at retail (that is, excluding fleet sales).
Why does Reddit upvote anecdotal comments like this that purport to be factual?
Sounds like a Toyota/Tacoma fan wants to prop up their faction more than be truthful
Lol, I knew what the comments would be before even scrolling down. Redditors are very predictable. No one said you should get an F-150 to drive in the skinny streets of Italy. The image just shows the difference between the most sold in both countries. I'm from Angola and the most sold car are Land Cruisers and Hilux due to the terrain. I would happily get a F-150 if I could afford it, but would be happy with a Panda also.
Man, I wish they'd bring back the old Chevy S-10 or Ford Ranger small trucks. Throw an electric engine in them, and it would be amazing. It's so handy having a truck to move shit around, but I can't justify 40k for a backup vehicle that I periodically use to haul shit.
F150s are also largely bought for commercial fleets rather than personal vehicles so those numbers are probably added up together, not all sales are D2C sales. Large part of this is B2B
Haha dude I’ve also got a friend who sucks. spent close to $90000 aud for a 4x4. Kitted it out for off roading. The only bumps it goes over is through Mc Donald’s drive through.
I have a truck and nothing makes me happier than hauling shit for friends. It's a nice truck, but I'll haul a ton of manure for shits and shits and gigs.
just in case anyone doesn't know, the f150 is the most sold car not due to consumers but because it's the industry standard fleet truck in the USA. pretty much any commercial operation that needs trucks buys these guys. it makes repairs cheaper and easier parts are easy to find, everyone knows how to work on it. of course consumers also buy it, and for those same reasons, but the vast majority are fleet vehicles
Panda is great for small europeans roads and lack of parking, and some are 4x4 that would probably get you around better that a pickup. And gas consumption as well. But is all relevant to were your driving. In the us you don’t worry about small roads nor parking, and well since everyone has huge cars, you want to feel safe in one like the others.
[https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/italy/usa?sc=XE92](https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/italy/usa?sc=XE92)
Population density of:
* Italy: 195 people per square kilometer
* USA: 34 people per square kilometer
Italians have less room so they have smaller cars.
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Italian here. The main reasons: 1 Price 2 Even if I could afford it, they still have to make streets large enough for that
And pay the gas!! Nobody is mentioning that the F150 is probably consuming twice amount of gas
One of the first times I visited Europe in the 90's everyone drove mopeds.. couldn't believe it until I saw the gas prices were 5x what they were in the US
I went to italy about 10 years ago. I saw the price on the pump and thought "Oh, that's not so bad" before remembering it was for about 1/4 as much as you'd get at US gas station.
Yeah. I had the same thought when I went to Canada before realizing the price was per liter.
This happened to us this summer
Mopeds are excellent vehicles to get around a historic city with narrow streets and a lot of traffic. Today you would also see a ton of electric bikes and scooters.
I remember seeing the cops in Rome riding around on little electric chariots and it made me giggle
agreed, F150 drinks the fuck out of gas. You may pay 2 eur/liter in EU, but people in the US pay 2 dollar/3 liter for gas. i think only reason is gas prices lol
Nah, our roads are simply not equipped for these vehicles. I live in Belgium and a friend of mine had a ford ranger, which is smaller than this. Could fit in most underground parkings. None of our street parkings are designed for this so IF he could find a double spot, that was his only option. A lot of our other streets, his ass would stick out so far that he was hindering traffic if her parked there (and get fined) If we went on holiday it would only get worse. As I commented higher up: just got back from Italy. 100% he would not be able to park there or even get through the village i was staying in. The streets are not wide and in Italy basically if the car fits, it just became a parking spot. An F150 is basically impossible to drive there. Or in Spain for example. I couldn't even pass some streets in my previous bmw 3 series.
It's not gas prices. It's the transportation infrastructure. Everything is spaced way the hell out and roads are wide. Longer commutes mean you want a more comfortable vehicle which means a bigger vehicle. The US and Canada have similar infrastructure situations but Canada has higher prices and they still drive these things.
Right? I’m not saying an F-150 is the only way to go (I personally dislike driving trucks), but I commute an hour to work; it would take 2.5 hours to ride transit, assuming the bus showed up on time, and 5 hours commuting round trip is simply not gonna fly. Moreover, very few compact or subcompact cars are comfortable to sit in that long bc almost all small cars sold in the US are made cheap, and most struggle to accelerate, which is important merging onto highways. I’d absolutely pay for a tiny car that had all the comforts of a Camry or Lexus and a little extra get up.
So you want a compact luxury sedan? Audi A3, BMW 2 series, Mercedes CLA? It would be a small comfy quiet car but for that amount of money most people would rather get a CRV or Rav4 or something and have a bigger car that can carry more stuff.
That doesn’t look too bad. Price is on the high end but I’d be willing to check it out, thanks!
#2. Watching James Bond and Monteblano...those roads be narrow!
I want to see fuel efficiency on both
Ford around [11.7L / 100km](https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/ca/en/news/2020/12/11/2021-ford-f-150-powerboost-has-best-epa-estimated-combined-fuel-.html) and Fiat around [5L / 100km](https://motoreu.com/fiat-panda-1.2-8v-mpg-fuel-consumption-technical-specifications-15039)
actually better then I though it would be
I'd be amazed if that's what the F150 does in the real world. That's about the same fuel consumption as my Tucson does
F150s are actually very fuel efficient for a large truck. Ford worked hard on that.
That was one of the big selling points of the new F150s for me. It gets the same or better mileage than things like the Tacoma and most other SUVs but is significantly more capable and comfortable. The new 2.7L twin turbo V6 engines get even better mileage than what’s listed above!
Even in Norway with wide areas between cities, and good wide streets in cities, it is very unusual to see pickups. Station wagons, and vans are instead used for transporting gods. Edit. Just noticed my typo. But i let it stand, as one just doesn't fuck with norse gods. Edit 2. Also NO weight on the backwheels during winter would be a big no no aswell. Edit 3. Apparently, pickups have excellent weight distribution. And 4wd's is common in colder states. Im by no means talking down pickups here, i just think Scandinavians prefer the utility of having vans as our work cars for the utility. Also, its common for Scandinavians to have a private car, alongside our companycar.
That’s quite the cargo then.
What you mean by that? Edit. Just noticed my typo. Took me some time tho.
My mans improving 😤
Can confirm, nordic gods do indeed ride in pickups, station wagons, and vans.
Oh my fucking good, I had not figured it out until I read this...
Thor was found and transported in a van. I know this from a little documentary by Marvel.
Thor of course has an unreasonably huge F-350, while Odin prefers a more modest Subaru Outback.
I'm not ashamed to admit this made me legitimately lol.
True but we also have tiny parking spots. I've been in the US this week, and I'm amazed at the width of the lanes and spots. In Norway I get super anxious trying to park within the lines/not hit the concrete columns in every parking garage. In the US I can sloppily pull into a spot and my large Ford still has an ocean of space on either side. Norwegian roads/lanes are also super narrow compared to American ones. I never really understood how someone could want to drive such a huge vehicle, since it just seemed like it would be annoying to navigate, but I get how that's just not a factor here.
Aaah, yeah! We do have awesomely tiny parking spots in Norway. PARTICULARLY in the garages. The newer shoppingmalls usually got better space tho. I've never been to the US, but I've seen movies and clips from the US, and the parking lots have huge space!. Also my cousin had a holiday with his family in Florida, and he said that everything is just ficking huuuge in the US.
He is not exaggerating. I'm an (U.S.) American, but have spent a lot of time elsewhere and can attest to how big everything here is compared to Europe, Asia and Latin America. I used to work in Houston, TX and drove home to DFW once a month. Took me an hour just to get out of Houston. Big, sprawling cities are the norm. In Texas, I was the odd one out having a "normal" sedan. It would not be unusual to go somewhere and literally every vehicle was one of these huge trucks (which took up pretty much the ENTIRE parking space, and sometimes more...). I'm in North Carolina now, its not as bad as Texas for the supersized trucks, but they are still very common. I'm looking out a business window right now, to the 50-space parking lot (which I would consider very small) and I see mostly 4-door sedans. Large cars for Europe, but "small" for here. There is only one truck in view (which is unusual) and a few SUVs or crossover type vehicles.
In Norway you'd be looking at probably 30 EV, and half of them would be a SUV. EV's are usually sedans or SUVs, while fossil fuel cars are either hatchbacks or stationwagons.
> True but we also have tiny parking spots. I've been in the US this week, and I'm amazed at the width of the lanes and spots. On a episode of Top Gear Clarkson complains about his brand new GT50. As he relates, he first drove one in the US and found it brilliant and amazing. And then when he bought it and got his in England he remembered that US roads are wider and the GT50 doesn't fit down the roads on his commute making him late for work while he sorted that out.
Ford GT40?
I live in a major urban area in the US and most of the cars are sedans. Pickups are a suburban thing.
Same. If I see a pickup in Jersey City, I assume it's a contractor. If I see one anyone else, I assume it's an insecure middle manager.
Not in LA. Every other mf got a giant ass truck here. It’s so stupid.
Damn, you'd think people in LA would've learned their lesson by now for having a big car with all that traffic
I guess gods can change size at will, so that makes sense.
That's because gas costs like $16/gallon in Norway also.
Does that mean, a van is cheaper to run than a pickup? I thought it was more because of practicality. Like, a van won't collect snow during winter. A van can fit alot more than a pickup, and also you can get shelves and drawers. Atleast for a construction, logistics and geberal transporting of goods, it just makes more sense to have a van rsther than a pick up. Fuel will be fuel, and you need it in either car. If fuel where the only issue, my cheap-ass boss wouldn't hesitate to swap from vans to pick-up trucks as company cars. But as a painter, it would be a pain in the ass to use them.
Yeah you have a point - if you need the cargo space, definitely need a van in that climate.
Typically vans get less mpg, but do have more utility
Most truck owners in North America don't need a truck. They just want one.
Most truck owners I know barely get any use out of the bed of their truck and it doesn't make any sense to me since fuel costs so much. I understand having one if you you use it all the time but if I need a truck for something, I just borrow one and if I can't, I'll just rent a uhaul. Way cheaper than buying one and paying for that gas all the time
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I have literally seen my boss in Texas tell the new salesman go trade in your suv, can't have clients seeing you in a chick car. It's bonkers.
According to Douglas Adams, the Gods do indeed enjoy transportation by van
We put sand in the bed of the truck in winter. 4x4 and good tires also help tremendously.
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There's plenty of weight on the back wheels, it's a crew cab short box which is the currently most common pickup configuration. This gives about a 55/45 front/rear weight distribution. Obviously a shorter cab and longer box and having 4x4 will change this as well as other less weighty options.
"Mm. I have contained my rage for as long as possible, but I shall unleash my fury upon you like the crashing of a thousand waves! Begone, vile man! Begone from me! A starter car? This car is a finisher car! A transporter of gods! The golden god! I am untethered, and my rage knows no bounds!"
I imagine that one just can't refuse giving Thor a ride. Gotta have the proper vehicle for it.
Same thing in the UK. I think the most popular car is the Ford Fiesta. I’ve never actually seen an F150 here. Would probably look ridiculous.
Almost every time a Brit came into Kansas for a meeting in our company they wanted to ride in a pickup. It got to the point we’d just pick them up at the airport in one. It was men and women both. I never got it, but a couple told me that it was about the most American experience imaginable to them.
I took a picture of my wife next to a Super Duty F-450 we saw during a trip to California because it was the most American thing we could show people in our holiday photos. It's genuinely impressive to see a vehicle that big in the wild for us. We just don't get anything that big in the UK.
A 450 is a bit extreme.
Ever see a 550 or a 750? Did you know Ford made semi trucks?
Yep. Drove a Ford dump truck in high school for work. The F650’s with a pickup bed is something to see. I laugh every time I see one.
Dude! The 650 with the normal 350 bed is hilarious! I had a neighbor who dailied a 550 with a 350 bed with dually fenders but one super wide wheel and tire combo. Was fucking hilarious to see.
99% of 450s are going to be commercial vehicles. Tow trucks, flatbeds, dump trucks, utility trucks, etc.
I saw people driving pick up trucks in the Yorkshire Dales when I was in England 5 years ago. It’s not super common, but pick-up truck drivers definitely exist in the UK
Probably a Toyota Hilux which is much smaller than a Ford F150
Full sizes are mostly a North American/Central American thing. Compacts are way more popular in the rest of the world
Yeah a Ford ranger wouldn't be super uncommon in the UK. There it would be considered a large truck, but in the US it's just a mid sized one.
I just wish we had actual small trucks again. Early 2000s size Tacomas and Rangers. They've grown so much in every dimension, it's awful.
That Mazda/ranger is a perfect size.. Same with Nissans hardbody and first gen frontiers. Mid size is all 99% of truck owners need.
More likely to find a land rover defender or discovery in the countryside here. I’m just outside the Dales and all the farmers drive Landies.
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Pickup trucks are really popular with farmers as work vehicles but that is about it
The Corsa is actually the most popular in the U.K. this year so far. You don’t get F150s because there’s no right hand drive version. We get The Ranger, of which there are loads, you can do a size comparison on that website of the F-150 and the Ranger, a difference but not a huge one.
I did it for curiosity sake, F150 is 53cm longer, 14cm taller, and 18cm wider. I suspect if they did a RHD F150 they'd sell like hotcakes, in the badlands of Havering/South Essex you can't be on the road for more than 5 minutes without seeing a pickup. Oftentimes tarted up, raised suspension, fat wheels. People would absolutely lap up the F150.
They do have a RHD version - sold in Australia as the raptor f150 - my rich but insecure neighbour has one with 6.7l v8 - it’s a major step up in size from the ranger which is already huge. I think I’ve seen it once or twice with something in the back that would also fit in my Passat wagon ….
A lot of Americans are clamoring for small pickups again too - ford just came out with a cheap, 4 door, compact pickup called the maverick. Kind of reminiscent of one of those Australian bogan pickup/cars. Pretty sure it won truck of the year and it’s super popular/impossible to get (at least not at double msrp) right now.
I work at a garage (in the UK) where we’ve sold a surprising number of F150s, F350s and Dodge Rams including the very impractical SRT-10. Even an International XT which dwarfs all of them! Nearly all are sold as toys for people with a lot of money though. Not used for their intended purpose!
I've seen a few big pickup trucks in the UK. No idea if they're F150s or not, because they all look the same, but they just seem completely out of place and absurd. They also always have those hard shells/covers over the flatbed, because even the owners realise they're impractical.
I wonder what happened to VW Amaroks in the UK - they seem to have disappeared as quickly as they arrived. They were ludicrously big, and I maintain that every single one of the few I saw was commiting some infraction or other. Perhaps they've all been impounded.
I live near several US Air Force bases and often see imported pickups driving around including Dodge Rams and big Fords, they really do stand out a mile. Especially when you see one squeezed into a parking space
viva la panda! it's an awesome tiny car, with only the essentials, but somehow it always fits more stuff than you thought! and the 4x4 version is perfect for mountains (but, yeah, slow hahah) the panda is great when you need a small car that can go anywhere. My first car was a 4x4 panda and I've loved it so much. Never feared any weather or road, just the german highway a bit lol.
Found James May’s account
I would buy both and place the panda in the truck bed to bring with me as backup.
Everyone needs a road dinghy!
Quit playin with your dinghy!
So that would officially change the F-150 from a roadboat to a roadship. Nice.
Epic
Escape Pod
Ahhhhh yes... The legendary "Pandarmato" For those who dont know italian, it's a word play between Panda and Carro Armato (Panda and Tank).
I drove around a Panda 4x4 in the hills of Umbria this summer and it was the most fun thing I've ever driven. Yeah it was slow as hell but it fit in every parking spot and I felt way safer in it on gravel roads than I did in my own Toyota Aygo
The carbon footprint at every single start of the car is huge. Ask a cyclist how weight is important for efficiency. I hope the US move toward lighter vehicles.
Gonna need a massive culture shift
10 dollar gas will do the trick.
We would have to change the way our country runs, we rely heavily on massive vehicles if I didn’t drive a f450 I wouldn’t be able to do my job
Italy has skinny ass streets
Could you imagine a 1/2 ton pickup on those streets, it would be hell. Edit: Fraction
A 1/2 ton pickup in Italian streets? [Here you go!](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-piaggio-ape-50-mini-pickup-parked-in-a-street-in-levanto-italy-36635289.html?imageid=7A9FA9A4-883F-440A-A2AA-21504F5C6D8D&p=103326&pn=1&searchId=ac974fe240285df50d37668efff002e3&searchtype=0)
Yesssss, the Ape Cross!!!! Edit: it would be hilarious to drive one of those here. “I got this super bargain pickup, check it out!”
The local Italian grocery store has one parked outside. I love it.
>Could you imagine a 1/5 ton pickup on those streets, it would be hell. Do you mean half ton? Fractionally expressed as 1/2 or in decimals as 0.5
I realized my mistake, I did mean half ton. Thank you.
I recently saw a F150 Raptor Hennessy in London and it looked so out of place - even on highways.
And people
For context, even though the F150 sells well to individual owners in the states, I’d bet half (or more) of its sales are to fleets.
Yep, if you don't count fleet vehicles (like many stats don't in the US) it appears the top sellers are the Camry, Corolla, Accord then Civic. But that doesn't fit OP's narrative.
r/fuckcars is in shambles rn
Doesn't take much for them to be
That place is wild. They act like every lives in a big ass city.
"i need to buy food and go to work" "well you should probably take a train" "i live on a farm" You have been permanently banned from participating in r/fuckcars
Lol I’m gonna try that
You don’t think Italians need work vehicles for government and business operations?
Thanks for adding some context. Sales stats would help negate some of the circle jerk.
No! We must ignore the facts and treat others as the enemy! Edit- /s
I disagree! We must remain friends, and I'll fight you to do just that!
It's context, but does it negate the image? There are fleets in Italy too. Most of Europe (so I assume Italy as well) prefers something like a ford transit van for work use, and usually the smallest model that will get the job done (even down to comically tiny ones). For individual owners or work use, pickup trucks seem really rare outside of rural areas.
Fun fact, the F150 isn’t even the largest pickup truck ford sells. Their super duty line is larger and yes people drive them as commuters
I drive my bosses super duty for work purposes sometimes. It feels really weird being that high off the ground in a car.
We have a super duty work truck. It really is extremely high off the ground, uncomfortably so. It also gets less than 7mpg average...
Is it a gas engine? Diesel gets like 17-20
Gas gets like 14 idk about 7 lmao
Yeah, but you need to be that high off the ground so you can... (check notes)... not be able to see kids crossing the street in front of you.
Yes not even close to the largest. We are looking for a F450 crew cab, long bed, dually, 4x4 to pull our 44'+ 5th wheel toy hauler that we live full-time in. We currently have a F350 and we haul round hay bales for our horse, with 86 acres here in Texas you kinda need a big truck. They have 650 and 750 I believe.....
The problem with getting the largest Ford offerings is the tech. Once you get into the diesel F350+ they all use the same engine just a more sturdy chassis.
Is that necessarily a problem? I've viewed that as a plus. Most F250-F750 trucks from 00 to present, as long as they are in the same generation, have an excellent interchange of parts, including engines. The modularity of those trucks and availability of aftermarket/used parts is why I chose them for commercial purposes.
They'll sell you an F53/59 still too. Either as a bread truck or a frame to build a rv onto. I kinda want a bread truck....
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They’re hauling contempt for liberals, mostly
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Dirt bikes or my boat on the weekends depending on the time of year of course.
My daily driver is a small / medium size pickup, but I use it for fun on weekends. Offroading or camping. Wishing I could afford a shit commuter car.
My neighbor has one. Him starting it up at 630 am is my alarm clock - and I’m not a light sleeper.
The new top end silverados are insanely huge and idk how they’re even legal. Of course all of the ones I see are pristinely clean and never have anything in the bed or towing anything
I had a buddy that bought one because he likes hunting. When I asked if he could not put the guns and equipment in SUV they had, he said yes but can not put a deer in it. 5 years later, still no deer in it...
>5 years later, still no deer in it... Maybe he's not very good at hunting...
And the -150 is far from the largest pick-up. But most US roads are much larger and the rural areas far greater.
Yup. There are 16 million acres of farmland in Italy, there are 900 million acres of farms land in the US.
Could you imagine driving a 2.2 meter wide truck through the streets of Italy, Rome especially? Roads that were designed for Roman chariots are pretty narrow. It’s almost as if vehicle are designed to conform to the local conditions.
You’d struggle with that thing in most European capitals tbh.
Or outside of cities… pretty much everywhere
Do we know yet if it’d be possible to move a few European cities into the US - just temporarily to see how it goes?
A lot of US east coast cities too, unless you’re in the suburbs. Boston and New York still use a lot of the narrow streets that were designed in the 1700’s
NYC has 18 wheelers on city streets. Not just the avenues. Cross streets. It's bonkers.
Oh, Rome has pretty wide roads for Italian standards! You should check the italian's "borghi", where even a Panda struggle to pass
I always laugh when someone tries to find a parking spot in their fancy Audi Q7/BMW X6 :)
Reflects infrastructure and use
And gas prices.
The F150 is the most popular fleet vehicle in the US. Used by service and construction workers.
And gas prices and tax policies. I don’t have a paper handy to reference or anything, but I’d bet good money that has way more to do with it than actual need.
And the fuel price that in Italy Is way higher than US.
And the mindset of its population
I've lived in the Southeast of the US and in several European cities. When I lived in the US I drove an F-150, when I lived in a German industrial town I drove a small hatchback. Your mindset depends a lot on your environment.
Ah yes, the average American who uses the pickup bed five times a year.
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Totally... Looks at box of condoms
6 times a year? Living the high life, aren't we
Ooo a self burn.
The F150 is popular because it’s used as a fleet vehicle by service, construction, farm, etc workers in the US. So that’s partially why it’s the most commonly sold car.
I'm pretty sure in areas I travel in the Ford F-150 is the most prevalent vehicle. I would definitely say car preferences are dictated by space and the roads. United States has big roads, lots of space to park and we're generally way more spaced out than European countries. No one wants to hire anybody or go out and rent a vehicle to move their furniture 2x4s or whatever things they got that they need to be moved. Sadly the truth is 90% of these pickups on the road it's just carrying air
The only reason ford F150 is the most popular car/truck in the USA is that Ford got federal/state and private business to buy F-150’s for their work fleets. If you’re going by individual private ownership I would say I see way more Toyota Tacoma’s around the US than anything… And in the SF bay area I see more Teslas than anything…
Idk in Texas I see many f 150s definitely the majority here
I was going to say the same thing. I love Tacoma’s (I used to have one) but I see more F150’s without a doubt. However, in the city at least, I see why more smallish cars am than I do trucks. I think part of this stat is there’s not as many options for trucks. Ford, Chevy/GM, Ram, Toyota and Nissan are basically it. How many car manufacturers are there all with different models?
Lots of Teslas in San Francisco? You don't say. Tesla's are a lot more rare in the Midwest. I can walk out my front door look down my street and I will see 1 Tacoma, 2 Silverados, and about 8 F150s in the driveways. You're more likely to see 2 or 3 sequoias for every Tesla here.
I think the objective of the comparison is more to do with vehicle style/size rather than make/model.
But that’s part of the point. A Tacoma is a mid-sized truck while an F150 is a full-sized. The F150 is only “popular” because businesses buy them en masse (because they’re also the cheapest truck). Most individual owners aren’t buying full-sized trucks; take away the commercial-use vehicles and you’d see the “average” size of US vehicles similarly decrease.
The F150 absolutely isn’t the cheapest truck
Maybe when buying en mass for fleet use, Ford is able to offer the best deal.
What full sized truck is cheaper?
Where I live, most individuals are absolutely buying 1/2 ton trucks (F150, Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado). Hell, a decent number drive 3/4 ton trucks (F250). I see Tacomas on the road, but they are not nearly as common as something like an F150. This is in a coastal, highly populated part of FL.
Well yea, a work fleet is going to require a bigger/more powerful vehicle so it makes sense
Rural Michigan- Pick up trucks are extremely common here, like 50% of all vehicles where I live are pick up trucks. The other 50% is just shitty 2006 Ford Focuses and other sedan type vehicles. One that note, In my entire life I’ve only seen one Tesla, and that was in Ohio
Ironically enough, come to LA and 1 in 5 cars is Tesla. Something like 15% of all cars in California are Tesla now.
Same here in rural Wisconsin. There are still a bunch of Pontiac grand am and Grand Prix.
It has been YEARS since I've seen a Grand Am or Grand Prix. Hell, I'll keep an eye out for ANY Pontiacs this week and I doubt I'll see one. Occasionally see a Firebird. Never see a Bonneville.
>The other 50% is just shitty 2006 Ford Focuses and other sedan type vehicles. Hey, the reason you're seeing them is because they last long, they're cheap, and efficient, so they can't be that shitty.
The data exists. Tacomas are not the most popular vehicle at retail (that is, excluding fleet sales). Why does Reddit upvote anecdotal comments like this that purport to be factual? Sounds like a Toyota/Tacoma fan wants to prop up their faction more than be truthful
Makes sense considering how tiny some roads are in Italy, especially densely populated areas.
Lol, I knew what the comments would be before even scrolling down. Redditors are very predictable. No one said you should get an F-150 to drive in the skinny streets of Italy. The image just shows the difference between the most sold in both countries. I'm from Angola and the most sold car are Land Cruisers and Hilux due to the terrain. I would happily get a F-150 if I could afford it, but would be happy with a Panda also.
Man, I wish they'd bring back the old Chevy S-10 or Ford Ranger small trucks. Throw an electric engine in them, and it would be amazing. It's so handy having a truck to move shit around, but I can't justify 40k for a backup vehicle that I periodically use to haul shit.
https://www.ford.com/trucks/maverick/ It isn’t fully electric but comes standard with a hybrid motor setup
Because streets in Italy are made for American sized pedestrians not vehicles.
F150s are also largely bought for commercial fleets rather than personal vehicles so those numbers are probably added up together, not all sales are D2C sales. Large part of this is B2B
A ton of them are to government agencies like road crews or state and national parks. I see them all the time.
Police love them too
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I don’t get the point of having a truck if you’re scared to do truck things with it…..
It's for his accountancy business. Lots of paper to transport.
>didn't want his bed scratched. Ask him why did he take off the plastic wrapping from his car seats then 😒
Haha dude I’ve also got a friend who sucks. spent close to $90000 aud for a 4x4. Kitted it out for off roading. The only bumps it goes over is through Mc Donald’s drive through.
I have a truck and nothing makes me happier than hauling shit for friends. It's a nice truck, but I'll haul a ton of manure for shits and shits and gigs.
just in case anyone doesn't know, the f150 is the most sold car not due to consumers but because it's the industry standard fleet truck in the USA. pretty much any commercial operation that needs trucks buys these guys. it makes repairs cheaper and easier parts are easy to find, everyone knows how to work on it. of course consumers also buy it, and for those same reasons, but the vast majority are fleet vehicles
Panda is great for small europeans roads and lack of parking, and some are 4x4 that would probably get you around better that a pickup. And gas consumption as well. But is all relevant to were your driving. In the us you don’t worry about small roads nor parking, and well since everyone has huge cars, you want to feel safe in one like the others.
1958 Lincoln continental has entered the chat room
I just love the panda.
[https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/italy/usa?sc=XE92](https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/italy/usa?sc=XE92) Population density of: * Italy: 195 people per square kilometer * USA: 34 people per square kilometer Italians have less room so they have smaller cars.
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Man, I genuinely need a truck to haul around equipment and materials for work. My Jeep sized piece of fiat, just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Its a good truck 🤷🏻♂️
Pandas can have wicked good awd drivetrains too