Why have American trucks gotten so huge recently? I’ve heard something about the laws changing but why would the laws require them to be larger?
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Cars as a whole have gotten larger in the US. The main reason the pickup truck has gotten so large is because they have a lot of extra luxury items to make them more comfortable. Old trucks had bench seats and rear passengers sometimes sat sideways on flip down seats. Now they have plush leather with longer cabs to give more leg room. Cars are also far more electronic than they have ever been. All the bells and whistles take up space. Last, cars are extremely loud. Cars have added a lot of bulk to make them seem less loud on the inside
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Look at tax and safety laws. If a 4000+Lb vehicle is more profitable than a smaller one due to utility category taxes, then expect more big ones. The safety laws applied to econo-boxes are different than on SUVs (another taxable vehicle category) so you get things designed to fit those. Ditto MPG and emission laws.
Vehicle regulations are written by people with ties to the industry. The regulations sound good, but effectively ban affordable cars so every vehicle is big, complicated, and expensive.
I miss the 02 S10 I had — paid $5k for it used, was damn near unbreakable. 5 speed manual, did everything I needed.
It’s the same trend that’s been around in our culture decade after decade “bigger is better”. The same trend of trucks is the same trend powering everyone and their mother buying an SUV whether they need it or not.
Even the new 2022 Ranger is comically oversized for anyone that remembers what a real light duty truck was supposed to be about. Safety regulations aside, people want to cram as much luxury shit as possible into these things thinking they need it.
I miss barebones, small low tech trucks that you could beat the hell out of, but still maintain and use for 15 years without a problem.
It is what customers want. Most Americans are buying trucks for the comfort, safety, and ego boost, not because they’re hauling bags of concrete or drywall for home improvement projects.
One of the things that a lot of the comment seem to be missing is how fuel efficiency regulations are written in the US. The regulations are somewhat tied to the vehicle wheelbase (distance between front and rear wheels) where larger wheelbase can have lower efficiency. Pickups generally are not that efficient due to size and shape so instead of improving to meet the standards, car companies made the trucks bigger so that the standards are easier to meet.
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