Lamenting the decline of the car

[urbandreamer]

I looked at the new Bronco Sport - looks better than I thought it would although it's quite narrow/small. Tempted to take it for a test drive. I also like the new F150 interior, pretty comparable to RAM.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I looked at the new Bronco Sport - looks better than I thought it would although it's quite narrow/small. Tempted to take it for a test drive. I also like the new F150 interior, pretty comparable to RAM.

If the Bronco Sport is too small, the Bronco is probably the right size. I don’t know why the Bronco comes in two sizes. Two different names would be more appropriate IMO. But this is Ford who christened a tall EV wagon with a similar name to an iconic rwd coupe.

[logan5]

Apple getting into the self driving car business.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoe...h=59947c566801

I can see Apple dominating the car business just like the do the smart phone business. These cars will very much be an electronic device, and I can see Apple coming up with a passenger experience second to none.

[MolsonExport]

I hope the day comes, and soon, when people are lamenting the decline of the prickup truck.

surging like a cancer over the roadscape, spreading noise and pollution (as well as ugliness) and taking up way too much space everywhere, and, worst of all, behaving like the selfish pricks they are while on the road.

A face that even a mother could not love:

GrossMotors

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I hope the day comes, and soon, when people are lamenting the decline of the prickup truck.

surging like a cancer over the roadscape, spreading noise and pollution (as well as ugliness) and taking up way too much space everywhere, and, worst of all, behaving like the selfish pricks they are while on the road.

A face that even a mother could not love:
[IMG]https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-cont...Oregon-004.jpg[IMG]
GrossMotors

I don't see why they would. If you own one, they are a fantastic life upgrade. If capitalism doesn't fail completely, we should end up getting richer and once we figure out a non polluting pickup truck, they should in theory become more affordable to people.

That Chevy is ugly for sure though.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I hope the day comes, and soon, when people are lamenting the decline of the prickup truck.

surging like a cancer over the roadscape, spreading noise and pollution (as well as ugliness) and taking up way too much space everywhere, and, worst of all, behaving like the selfish pricks they are while on the road.

A face that even a mother could not love:

GrossMotors

Detroit has ever only figured out how to build one thing well: big, body on frame vehicles with V-8s. Instead of an Oldsmobile 88, its now a GMC pickup. No wonder Europe and Asia ate their lunch around the world.

[acottawa]

I understand there are certain professions and hobbies that make a pickup practical. But for random suburbanites who don’t haul anything they seem really impractical.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I understand there are certain professions and hobbies that make a pickup practical. But for random suburbanites who don’t haul anything they seem really impractical.

Worse is the people who live right in the city and drive one. A friend said its become a problem in their downtown condo as they are so oversized they don't fit in the space and make it virtually impossible for other to get when parked beside one. Unles you have smaht pahk you're screwed!

• Video Link

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I understand there are certain professions and hobbies that make a pickup practical. But for random suburbanites who don’t haul anything they seem really impractical.

Mine is used for work. But it's fricking awesome for fun stuff too. I had my doubts about their utility prior to having a truck, but once you get one you see why people like them. And they're not really impractical, especially in a Canadian city.

Stupid for a condo though, granted. Good reason not to live in a condo.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Mine is used for work. But it's fricking awesome for fun stuff too. I had my doubts about their utility prior to having a truck, but once you get one you see why people like them. And they're not really impractical, especially in a Canadian city.

I think my aversion to modern pickup truck design is how the one-upmanship has turned a truck into a caricature. They're no longer 'utility vehicles', but grotesque, over the top image machines.

Know what's a sensibly sized "full-size" truck? A Chevrolet Colorado. A Toyota Tacoma. Sure, you could go bigger for a handful of purposes I guess, but these things are comparable to the full-size trucks of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Detroit did this before in the 1970s. The beautiful, sleek cars of the late 1960s gave way to the opera-windowed whales of the 1970s adorned with tacky details. Cars so large they need 400+ cubic inches of V8 power to move them. Cars that were hideously out of tune for the era allowing the Japanese a foothold.

Peacocking themselves into extinction. Just like the barges of the '70s.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by wave46

I think my aversion to modern pickup truck design is how the one-upmanship has turned a truck into a caricature. They're no longer 'utility vehicles', but grotesque, over the top image machines.

Know what's a sensibly sized "full-size" truck? A Chevrolet Colorado. A Toyota Tacoma. Sure, you could go bigger for a handful of purposes I guess, but these things are comparable to the full-size trucks of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Detroit did this before in the 1970s. The beautiful, sleek cars of the late 1960s gave way to the opera-windowed whales of the 1970s adorned with tacky details. Cars so large they need 400+ cubic inches of V8 power to move them. Cars that were hideously out of tune for the era allowing the Japanese a foothold.

Peacocking themselves into extinction. Just like the barges of the '70s.

I know, I know, they are excessive. But having that excess genuinely is useful - shoving in 4 or 5 of us, ski gear or mountain bikes and luggage is no problem at all. Or sheets of plywood. The barges of the 70s did not have utility like trucks do, so I couldn't predict they are going anywhere. If they do, it will be replaced by something even larger and more practical. Maybe everyone will drive one of those 4x4 Mercedes vans.

[urbandreamer]

Maybe cars are making a comeback? Teslas are everywhere.

[Denscity]

Top 5 searched vehicles in BC in 2020:

1 Ford F150 (i blame the Interior lol)
2 Porsche 911 (city kids)
3 Ford Mustang
4 BMW
5 Mercedes

[urbandreamer]

I'm very tempted to buy the Bronco Sport - really like the size and styling after all. It's based on the Ford Escape which explains its niche - to compete with that hideous Jeep Renegade.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I'm very tempted to buy the Bronco Sport - really like the size and styling after all. It's based on the Ford Escape which explains its niche - to compete with that hideous Jeep Renegade.

Isn't it 4 cylinder? Seems pretty wimpy for an "SUV".

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Detroit has ever only figured out how to build one thing well: big, body on frame vehicles with V-8s. Instead of an Oldsmobile 88, its now a GMC pickup. No wonder Europe and Asia ate their lunch around the world.

That is so true. Basically, Detroit has completely withdrawn from the car market. Now there is even talk of Lincoln going car free in as short as one year. Except for niche vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Detroit simply cannot compete and more importantly does not want to. Also after decades of inferior products, even if they came out with a truly great car it still would not sell because everyone knows it would depreciate in value far faster than an import. Teslas are selling because they are NOT part of the Big 3.

Of course that business model still works as they make far more on SUVs & trucks than they do on cars, for now. What happens when their SUVs eventually get completely wiped out the market as well which we are already seeing as the biggest sellers are now the imports. This may seem impossible but if you were to tell someone in the 1960s that in half a century the Big 3 would be essentially out of the car market you would have been committed. Even in the 70s, imports from Japan & Korea were considered little more than glorified Tonka-toys.

In 20 years Detroit could be down to just truck makers.

[urbandreamer]

Originally Posted by theman23

Isn't it 4 cylinder? Seems pretty wimpy for an "SUV".

I like the 3 cylinder base model!

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I hope the day comes, and soon, when people are lamenting the decline of the prickup truck.

surging like a cancer over the roadscape, spreading noise and pollution (as well as ugliness) and taking up way too much space everywhere, and, worst of all, behaving like the selfish pricks they are while on the road.

It's not just the environmental issues of this upsizing trend. Municipalities are starting to see higher road wear. And after decades of improving safety trends with pedestrian collisions, those are starting to become more deadly again.

None of this gets better if F150s and Silverados are replaced with Cybertrucks.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

In 20 years Detroit could be down to just truck makers.

In 20 years, Detroit could be on their fifth bailout.....

[Doug]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I hope the day comes, and soon, when people are lamenting the decline of the prickup truck.

surging like a cancer over the roadscape, spreading noise and pollution (as well as ugliness) and taking up way too much space everywhere, and, worst of all, behaving like the selfish pricks they are while on the road.

A face that even a mother could not love:

GrossMotors

Add SUV's and minivans to that sentiment. If you need a big vehicle to move stuff, you are bringing too much stuff. I say this as a parent of six