Australia has made some really cool rides over the years. Wish it could stay that way. I'm sure many here in the States would appreciate a Ranger like the red one pictured.

I want one.

@Mark Williams
This is bound to stir the hornets nest ;)

Why not? The global Ranger and BT-50 were voted the best pickups in the world. They are Australian.

I will take that ford ranger in the backround

Anyone who has spent time overseas can quickly tell you that Americans are in the minority when it comes to our love of big trucks. That being said I love my big truck that can haul all 7 of us (plus a guest) and tow almost anything. It is impossible to get three car seats wide in a Highlander.

I would think that the Australian Ute is closer in concept (a car turned into a pickup) to the old Ranchero than either the current Ranger or F-150 (purpose-built pickups).

@NorthernMN
The big trucks are nice.

But the reality is since the 'olden days of yore' families have become smaller.

The average family with it's 1.7 kids might not require 3 across the back seating.

I do know my BT50, which is essentially a global Ranger would be less comfortable with 3 adults across the back seat.

But, how often does most (not some) require the 3 across the back seating.

I do think the large vehicle is more a cultural issue than a necessity issue. I do hope the Colorado does well. It will give Ford some competition which is lacking in the US pickup market.

The newer midsizers have had an emphasis placed on rear seat comfort.

The Ranger would be a great addition to the US market. But, like Ford stated it will take sales away from the F-150.

If anyone has traveled to the US you will see that most pickups haul air with one passenger, not tow trailers, with 3 abreast in the rear.

From the comments on PUTC you would think if you were an overseas reader you would assume that the US is full of pickups towing trailers.

This just ain't the case.

As a yank living in Oz, and an ex F150 owner, I miss my Ford. I now drive a 09 Colorado here, and it is a fine machine, but the power coupled with comfort and the long bed made the F150 one of the best trucks i have ever owned.

I think Ford will reconsider selling the Ranger in the US if the Colorado sells well. The aluminum F150 is going to be similar in weight to a Ranger anyway. But there is also something appealing about the Ranger. Perhaps the next Ranger will be aluminum and regain that weight advantage.

That cream colored Ford looks fantastic. With a V8 to boot.

GIT R DONE!

It is a shame that Ford Australia is closing down in 2016, followed by GMH and Toyota, no more Australian car manufacturing after they close.

@Big Al

While it is true that most big trucks haul air with only one occupant most of the time, I would not have it any other way with my big truck even if I my need for it's towing capacity was not needed. That is personal preference for those times we do need that space. It is like 4x4 systems. Most people hardly ever have the need to use their 4x4, but that one time you do need it makes it all worth it. Same for big trucks. Most of the time it is just the wife and I, but there have been plenty of times where my big truck came in handy either with a cab full of people or a cab full of cargo. From a cab full of buddies going on a fishing trip while towing the boat to being able to putting a 65" flat screen in the back cab to take it from San Antonio to Houston without worrying if someone would steel it if it were in the bed.

That does not mean I don't like smaller vehicles like the Ranger because vehicles that size are ideal for off road if you were not hauling or towing a lot. It is just that there are times I need more space then what they offer from time to time, and the times I do need it makes it worth the extra costs for me. I see the "half ton" as a perfect size for what I want while a 3/4 or 1 ton being way too much. I guess you see it the same way with your BT50 in comparison to the size my F150. Although I do have my Jeep for those times my truck is not needed. However it gets worse fuel mileage and not that great to drive off roads due to the modifications. I think when I get the Wrangler diesel, I will do less mods to keep it more street-able for those times I don't need my truck.

@All1, Jeep is rumored to build a Jeep pick up as well. Maybe with a small Diesel?

However it gets worse fuel mileage and not that great to drive *on road due to the modifications

I wish for nothing else, but seriously, how long has Jeep been contemplating another pickup? Too long! Piss or get off the pot!

@FYI,
@All1
This engine will have unbelievable MPG in your Wrangler and maybe in your new Jeep pickup.

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/02/jeep-pickup-spotted

Posted by: zviera | Feb 25, 2014 5:46:29 PM

Yup! Now you've gone and done it! I hope that's not some sick pre-April-fools joke. The AEV Brute is a dream truck, but way over priced for any average Joe. Do it right Jeep! And throw in a diesel to boot!

@BAF0 - Most any car you see on the road has just the driver and maybe a passenger. And these include 4 door sedans, 2+2 coupes, minivans, SUVs, cross overs and station wagons. And do you really think car trunks are full all the darn time? What a waste, right? Why even have car trunks???

Even dedicated commercial trucks are empty most of their time on the road. So what? Yeah I own more truck than I need most of the time, but it pays dividends when I need all its capacity in a pinch. And opportunities fall into your hands that might not have, once you own a truck. That includes small trucks too. You know this.

When people have big items to give away, they call the guy with the biggest empty truck available and ready to go. I've scored on more free things than I could possible list. Mountains of free fire wood, fine lumber and other building materials. Running ATVs, dirt bikes and riding lawn mowers. Upgrade appliances, furniture, hot tubs, pool tables. Pinball machines, arcade games... For FREE!!! But it's obviously better to have a trucks and not need it, than to need a truck and not have it. You know this...
But people that buy small trucks are using them to their full capacity just as much as full-size pickup owners. Probably less so. What do you do for a living or recreation that keeps your BT50GT loaded most of its time on the road? Do you use it to commute to work? I thought so...

But it's not that most truck owners require 3 across seating very often. You also don't want to be sitting shoulder to shoulder with your friends. Unless you're REALLY friendly... But it's the lack of true "crew cab" legroom that kills the deal for many that might otherwise consider a mid-size truck. Even if you don't mind sitting shoulder to shoulder in a narrow mid-size, full size crew cab legroom would be nice. Mid-size crew cabs have similar seating to extra cab full-size, except super narrow. You might as well get regular cab mid-size for yourself alone, and a full-size truck for the real crew cab.

@ DenverlllMike It's BOF only he can buy a truck or car and drive it emty and think we all should with sissy enigines.

The pick up trucks I see on the freeway. On the weekends are full size towing trailers. Especially on long weekends like we just had. Presidents day three day weekend. Just sit on I 15 and watch. lol

If I did not need a truck to tow. I would be driving a sports car.
Probably a 69 Plymouth Road Runner with a 440 Magnum 4 speed hurst shifter. Hemi Orange with black interior.
http://www.carpictures.com/vehicle/03KNM135346963/Plymouth-Road-Runner-440-vitamin-c-orange-1969#

@Xpat
You must be a newcomer to Australia and haven't driven on the roads yet. Why don't you just go out and buy a F-150 or F-250 or F-350............?

@ALL1
I wasn't discussing what and how you do something. I was talking broadly. You aren't indicative of the US population.

Actually no one who blogs on this site could really be deemed a 'normal' pickup person. As most are pickup fans.

So I do expect some far out comments.

Even in Australia we do have many utes and pickups towing. But most don't.

Most are grocery getters, just like the US.

I mean, why would you buy a pickup if you don't use it's utility first and foremost? Also, some do buy for the extra space in the back. But many are used as family SUVs, just like here.

Oh, by the way, I'm not stating in no way that full size trucks aren't wanted in the US.

That's the nice thing about pickups, they are practical enough for work use, but nice enough to use as a daily driver, go to church on Sunday, and go on road trips with (with or without the RV behind it). It's just what the farmer's wife ordered!

@DiM
You originally stated you own 2 F-150s which you use for the heavy charity work load you have delivering stuff for the needy.

You stated you were interested in buying 2 F-650s one day with the V-10s to replace your F-150s.

At a later date I questioned you about the above and you answered the below.

"I only own two tow trucks and a F-150".

I asked what you owned because of the difference in your 'life' stories.

Your life is in a constant flux. How much money do you lose on all of those vehicles you seem to trade in every few months?

Now you have a fleet of trucks. Wow, the US economy must be powering.

Or, in your "make believe world" the vehicles you own change with the story/blog you are delivering.

Hmmmm........are you lying? Again?

@DiM
You stated they were the ONLY two vehicles (F-150s) you owned, ie, you owned no other vehicles.

The same goes for the 2 tow trucks and F-150.

I want to see a great story from you. You can spin some real bull$hit.

Make the story worth reading.

@DiM
Don't forget how you only have just enough money to survive on and you only have a 10 square home with 2 old F-150s.

@BOF (Actually no one who blogs on this site could really be deemed a 'normal' pickup person. As most are pickup fans.) I may not be best buds with ALL1 but we both use half ton trucks for work. A few others that do not comment on here much use their 3/4 and 1 tons for full on work.

@BAF0 - My life story would make for a painfully boring read indeed. I don't know why it's so darn interesting to you or why you're obsessed with me personally, but it's a very, very long story. I'll e-mail to you if you want. No need to waste everyone's bandwidth here mate.

But just to say, you're no different than the Americans you make fun of. You're an aerospace engineer, or so you claim, but it's OK for YOU to truck around a bunch of air. Except you haul around tonnes of hot air...

@johnny doe
Did you read the words 'most people'.

I don't think some of you guys realise that people tend to associate with people of the same interests.

Even the region you live in influences your views. It would be safe to say that most of us have friends that have pickups and we talk pickups with them, irrespective of country. This is no different to people who ski, bike, trek, hunt, fish and etc.

This article highlights a classic example of an iconic vehicle for a nation that is going to no longer exist as it was. The ute.

We will still have utes, but different utes. These newer utes have even been designed and developed in Australia the land of the ute, by the very manufacturer that made the ute a prominent Australian vehicle.

But these new utes are superior in FE, moving families, towing, ability to carry loads, off roading and comfort. Our Australian ute has seen it's day. It just wasn't suitable to the newer and changing world.

Yet this very company has changed the ute for a ute manufactured overseas. Do you not think what's occurred in Australia will not occur in the US?

Do you not think this very company will make use of an 'alternative' pickup for your market?

I really do think some of you guys are very naive.

You can sit there beating your chests about pickups and what YOU think they mean to America. What they really mean is the survival of a company not a nation.

Because America was around prior to pickups and will be around after pickups change. Just like the road barges of old.

No different than Australia.

Australia and every other nation on earth has light commercial vehicles. Light commercial vehicles have been around since the chariot was invented.

@Big AL

How is that you (a foreigner) can tell us Americans how things are in our own country. How long have you lived in the US to be able to tell us how it is here and what is "normal"? What kind of pompous big head do you think you have that you think you can tell Americans how things are in their own country for everyday people? You say we are only stating things from our own experiences and region(which happens to be in America) yet you are doing the same. Aren't you yourself just spewing what YOU(a foreigner) think of what full size trucks mean to America just as you claim we Americans are doing.

I live in Texas which is US's biggest truck market. It is so big in fact that more trucks are sold here than the next three markets (California, Oklahoma, and Florida) combined. Even in urban areas trucks are everywhere unlike most other states major metropolitan areas where they are few and far between. Once you get out of the big cities and into the smaller cities or rural towns then full size truck vastly outnumber cars. It is safe to say that truck manufacturers think about the trends in Texas when designing new trucks along with other things. Outside of the cities, Texas in nothing but farm/ranch land or oilfield. Yeah, there are a few midsized trucks here and there, but most are in the city. We need full size trucks because midsize truck just won't cut it to get the job done. You will have a hard time moving a tractor implement with a midsize. There would be no payload left after installing an 80 gallon auxiliary diesel fuel tank for fueling your farm equipment in a midsize truck. You could NOT haul a 40' goose neck full of round bails in a midsize. Taking the horse to vet would be rather hard to do. You would also get laughed at for trying to haul cattle to the market in a midsize truck. All these things are done by the farmers and ranchers in Texas on a routine basis just like most of the farmers in California and the ranchers is Oklahoma. This why those other two states are big truck buyers too. Farmers and Ranchers already have enough vehicles and buying one just for work and another for personal is not economical.

Another thing is the construction and other businesses that need the use of full size trucks. America is built on small businesses and a lot of the people that own there own small businesses use there full size truck for work and personal use. This is very common here in the housing market and it would not be economical to own a light commercial vehicle and have another as a personal vehicle. Most have a full size truck to use for both, and having a midsize is just out of the question for most because it does not have the capability. You can't tow a skid steer to job site with a midsize. You are very limited on the amount of tile you can bring in a midsize. I know you will say that is what a light commercial vehicle is for, but you forget that most don't just use their vehicles for work and how embarrassing would it be showing up in a van to take a potential customer or family out to dinner. The full size truck fits both of the rolls well without needing another vehicle.

We also need/want the full size for our personal use. You can't have a cab full of buddies a bed full of ice chests and beer(cough, I mean gear) while towing Blue Wave boat down to Copano Bay in a midsize. You can't haul a 3,000 lb race car along with about another 1,000lbs of tools in an enclosed trailer along with the rest of the family down to the race track in a midsize. You can't tow a Jeep and/or a RZR plus your wife, dog and camping gear (fire wood, tents, ice chest) in the truck in a midsize. You can't haul three dirt bikes in the bed and a cab full of friends to the track in a midsize. Take a look of how many RVs are going down the road being towed by full size trucks. I can go on an on of what you can't do in a midsize, but you get the point(or should). Even though our bed and cabs are empty most of the time, we did not buy our full size for those moments. We bought them for those foreseen moments when we will need that space and/or capability. We are happy to pay the extra cost and extra fuel for those moments.

You may want to say that I am not a normal American, but you can't say I am not a normal Texan with a truck. If you want to argue that point then I ask you to come down here and just stand on any corner of Texas and look. You will see the countless boats being pulled by a full size trucks. The irrigation water pipes being pulled by the farmer. The cattle being sent to the market by the rancher. The contractor taking the cement mixer, tile saw, and other tools to the next job. You will see the roofing company owner taking the shingles to the dump. You will see that buddy helping his friend that does not have a truck move into his new apartment. Most of the time you will see that guy that is alone in his truck with nothing in the cab or nothing being pulled, but he bought that full size truck to do what I just stated above at a moments notice.

You may want to tell me this is not normal here, but I would say you don't know America or even Texas. You might want to say that we don't need our big trucks, but that doesn't matter because you are not us or even in the US. I am not saying a smaller midsize pickup does not have it's place in the market or that no truck owner would want them, but for you to say it will wipe out the full size pick up here in the US is bull. We truck owners in America have different requirements out of our trucks then you guys do and some things are more important to us then you. You can try to tell me I am naive and not a normal truck owner all you want. There is a reason why full size trucks have dominated the US market. A reason you will not fully understand unless you live here so spare me what you as a foreigner thinks of what is normal here.

I love the looks of that white Ute.

@ALL1
It's actually not as hard as you would think what is the most probable outcome in the US regarding the future of pickups.

If you are relatively new to PUTC you wouldn't have known this is an area of interest to me. I don't really care about specific brands.

My interest has been on what influences trends.

People on these website try and tar me with anti, pro, non, un and many other prefixes, but I'm not. I just call it as I see it.

1. Your comment on 'what do I know about the US' is quite novel. I do travel throughout the US and have much family in the US. I also spend many weeks, regularly up to 3 months a year in the US.

2. Texas isn't the US. Where I live we have a higher ratio of pickups than Texas. But that doesn't mean the rest of Australia is the same.

3. Your views are subjective. What you state I don't deny, but I do think you are overplaying the significance of what you are putting forward. Use data, trend data, use current and future regulations and tariffs in your assessments. Use other examples to weigh your views against what already occurred.

Make a balanced judgement.

Don't try and justify a comment saying this can't occur because we are Americans'. That is already a denial and refusal to be objective.

4. Just look at your most recent debates, V6 Eco Boost vs V6 turbo diesel. You think that's normal, but go back 15 years and talk like you do now in relation to current vehicles on the pickup market. You would have been jeered off of PUTC, like you are trying to do to me.

People would have asked you what drugs are you on if you stated that F-150s would become very popular with a turbo'd V6 and Ram were selling turbo V6 diesels in 10-15 years.

5. Looking into a crystal ball I see the full size market decreasing in size. V8s will become much scarcer. Mid size will increase in volume. Midsize means all midsize SUVs, CUVs, pickups, etc.

What will cause this is economics and regulation and tariffs. I'm only talking 10 years from now. The US is setting up FTAs with countries that will remove the chicken tax. This will increase the volume of lower cost vehicles onto the US market.

The Canadian's with their opening up of their vehicle market with the Europeans will also influence the US to make changes.

EVs and hybrids will reduce in price, but nowhere nears the cost of a traditional pickup. Aluminium pickups will increase the cost of pickups, this will make them less affordable.

This isn't saying that full size trucks will disappear. People will find an alternative. Like we have in Australia. Holden and Ford can't afford to manufacture a competitive V8 ute. It's not that the vehicles are disliked. So don't confuse what people aspire to to what can actually be achieved.

Just look at the current and up and coming changes for US pickups. It's quite large.

Pickups in Australia and the US will exist, but not as we know them. Look at the changes that's occurring in both countries.

The change has already started, several years ago.

The utility of a pickup is the reason I own one. It is much harder to haul tall and heavy objects in most crossovers. Yes you can get a trailer but if you do not have space for one or your community restricts them then this is not an option. Size of a truck is not as important as if it is the right truck to meet your needs. As this article states that the necessity of having a vehicle that can work on a farm or a ranch but use to go to church or meetings is what created the ute.

@BAF0 - The small truck craze/fad/invasion was a trend, while full-size trucks have little to do with passing fancy. They have little to nothing in common with small trucks in that respect. Still your mind scrambles to find suitable replacements for when and if full-size trucks disappear or fall to a small niche market. But why replace full-size truck with another full-size alternative, up to commercial medium duty? What we have works. Has worked for 80 years running. No other vehicle multitasks like a full-size truck. Work, play, everyday family truckster, recreation, luxury, keep dreaming... And hate it all you want over there. We'll still keep buying full-size trucks. Latest round of advancements proves they're here to stay...

@Denver Mike--Full size half ton pickups of today are much larger than they were 20 years ago. Today's half ton is more like a 3/4 ton. Not only have compact trucks grown in to midsize trucks but full size has grown also. How much bigger does the average person need? 10%, 25%, maybe 50%? I could probably live with the size of the full size pickups of 20 years ago but I do not need something approaching the size of a semi. I don't really want a ladder to get into the back of a truck bed. Maybe the truck makers need to lower the bed, shorten the front, and keep the bed size and cab size the same. Not everyone needs or wants to drive a pregnant whale.

You are correct the full size pickup of today has little in common with the small trucks of the past. Today's pickup has more in common with a Peterbuilt than a Tacoma. Even the grill of today's pickups resemble a Peterbuilt.

@Jeff S
I really think DiM is 'losing the plot' as we call it here in Australia.

His comments has no bearing on any of my comments during this discussion in this article.

What he does highlight is the unwarranted fear he displays by making the comments he makes.

His constant lying matches his threads that he is having trouble adjusting to an ever changing society.

I think he creates a new and different world everyday, just so he can make it through without ever facing reality. What a sad way to be as a human.

It might be time he sought medical attention, maybe medication will reduce his anxiety.

@Jeff S
I think I've worked out DiM.

Microsoft has a series of computer games all with the title of SIMS. SIMS, come from the word simulation.

These come in a variety of themes, ie, SIMS (regarding people and day to day life). SIMCITY, where you make a design a city of your own creation.

Well..........DiM, plays Towtruck SIMs, RV SIMs, Camping SIMs.

Since these games are US based they only use US pickups and trucks.

Everyday or week or so he gets bored with, say, RV SIM and changes to Towtruck SIM. When he gets sick with that he'll play Fedex SIM (Fedex has might have rights to Microsoft;)

Big Al--Anyone who thinks that the truck market will not change is not facing reality. The truck market is changing with the Ecoboost V6s, aluminum bodies, truck manufacturers seriously looking at diesels as an option in midsize trucks, and Ram offering a diesel as an option. These are significant changes and more significant changes will occur. As you have said that the aluminum bodies will raise the cost of trucks. As prices go up there will be many that will look for alternative choices. This is not to say that everyone will stop buying trucks, just that there will be less demand for them than there is now. How much no one knows but it will happen.

@Jeff S
This will raise much debate in the future as well.

It almost appears as if the pickup manufacturers are trying to determine what is the best route to take with pickups.

They don't seem very confident themselves.

There are currently 5 strategies from 4 manufacturers.

Especially in the US with the pickups highly protected, this new future might make or break one or two of the pickup manufacturers.

@Jeff S
But, there is one large market still making pickups with a more constant and predictable direction ;)

@Jeff S

It is Peterbilt, not Peterbuilt. Sorry to be so OCD about it, but it is my employer. At least I have calmed down since I worked at Cummins and had to always correct people that called it Cummings.

@All1--Thanks, sorry. I will remember Peterbilt. Nice trucks! Not trying to insult Peterbilt, they are great trucks.

@Big Al--Ford will probably survive but I could see GM being acquired by another manufacturer. Chrysler is doing better under Fiat but there are no guarantees. I could see Ford eventually being the only domestically based manufacturer. It is not just cars and trucks but manufacturers of other goods will have to be more competitive in a global market. The World is getting smaller with globalization. It is much harder to build a product for just one part of the World.

@ Big Al

I don't care how many times you say you visit the US, you still are a foreigner trying to tell people that live here how it is in their own country. I am not relatively new to PUTC and have been reading for quite a while. I have only just recently started posting. I have also read many of your post on TTAC. Although you seem to contradict yourself at times from what you say over there to what you say over here. It is almost as you are trying to get a rise just to have a debate which I imagine you enjoy very much based on what I have seen. Anyways, back on subject.

The topic started with NorthernNM when he stated his love for his big truck and it's versatility. He was doing nothing wrong by stating how he loved his big truck yet you deemed it necessary to tell him that he does not need his big truck (like a bully) and how you think " large vehicle is more a cultural issue than a necessity issue". It is almost like your goal to sell people on midsize trucks with diesels in them when they mention their love for their big truck.

I in turn posted that while I agree with you that most people with big trucks haul air most of the time, it is not for those moments that we buy them. It is for those moments that we do need the versatility and power that big trucks have to offer. Hell, I even thought I kept it civil(which I was trying to) with you in that post to try to make up for our past run ins.

Then in classic Big Al fashion, you proceeded to tell me that you(a foreigner) know more about my people than I do. That I am not a normal truck owner and neither is anyone on this site (accept for yourself). That you know more about what we like than we do.

My next post went even further as to why we love and buy our big trucks. Also how a midsize will not work for everyone especially those that really need more capability. Now you are stating my views are subjective(like yours aren't) as to why we buy our big trucks and you are even trying to change the subject (yet again) from why we buy big trucks to how economic, regulations, and tariffs will change what the truck is.

How the hell did we go from "why us Americans love our big trucks" to "How laws will make the market change". I was not talking about how laws will make the market change and it was not the topic that I first started. Quite frankly I agree with you on that point that trucks will change. To say otherwise would be blind ignorance.

However, I started this because you jumped NorthernMN because he said he loves his big truck, and began to chastise him for it. I was just explaining to you why we love our big trucks, and how you do not understand that. Although you should at least try to understand this because trying to tell us we are wrong for liking our big powerful trucks is wrong. Making us feel bad for driving them is wrong. Trying to sell us on only what you like is wrong. I get that you love small diesel trucks and I am not knocking that. All I ask is for the same in return, and that does not just go with me because you are starting to sound like these fanboys with only the acceptation that you are for small diesel trucks.

@ALL1
I'm a foreigner?

You are new to this site.

@Big Al

You are a foreigner to the US just as I would be to Australia. I am not and have not insinuated that you were a foreigner of this PUTC.

@ALL1
I'm a US citizen. Born in Long Island, NY. Went to school in South Jersey ;)

First, look at how I interact with you. Do I trash you? No.

Look at how I interact with the likes of DiM, zaveria, HemiV8, etc. See the difference.

Even myself and papa jim have a little quarrel now and then.

I don't agree with all that Lou or Jeff S states or for that matter NorthernNM.

So, get off or your high horse.

@ Big Al

NEW YORK CITY? Well, that explains A LOT about your thoughts on trucks.

Here's the deal. You get off your high horse and I will get off mine. However, you jump all over another person for just saying how much they like their big truck like you have multiple times and all bets are off again.

Deal?

@Jeff S - Over all 1/2 bed dimensions are still the same as 20+ years ago, except they're smaller with crew cabs, which are fairly new to 1/2 tons (or since about Y2k). So current 1/2 ton trucks haven't gotten any wider, although they do sit higher from bigger diameter wheels and tires (thanks to bigger brakes). And higher bed sides, of course. Extra cabs haven't gotten much bigger than 20+ years ago, same with crew cabs. They remain the same.

It's the regular cab 1/2 tons that grew approx 7" longer (including 3/4 tons and up, GM and RAM regular cabs) for seats that recline much further for the sake of comfort and for added storage behind the seats. The nose (front clip) of all trucks (including mid-size) had to grow/extend a few inches for the sake of aerodynamics.

The flat noses of 20+ years ago had to go. You could say it's progress, moving forward. They're changes consumers asked for. And it's the consumers that actually buy new full-size trucks that demanded said improvements.

Those that are unhappy or put off by the changes probably weren't in the market for a new full-size anyway.

I like the high sides of my F-150. A step would be nice, but I really like the increased capacity inside the deep bed. And that means loose power tools, equipment and supplies remain out of sight when parked away from everybody. It looks like an empty bed from across the street. And I hate tonneau covers.

I'll agree the massive, floor to ceiling front ends on current trucks are getting kind of hideous with each new refresh/generation. Hello GM... I don't know what the situation is there. Likely a combination of pedestrian safety and aerodynamics at play.

@ALL1
Nope.

If I feel a comment is worthy of passing judgement, I'll pass my judgement.

Boy, you didn't read what I wrote did you?

I have never tackled you. But be it as you wish.

@DeverMike/Paul/Tom Lemon/Greg Baird/TRX4Tom/Dave/Hemi V8/Tom Terrific/sandman 4x4/lautenslager/zveria/Bob/US Truck Driver/Glenn/Jason/Hemi Rampage/smartest truck guy/Maxx/SuperDuty37/Ken/Ron/johnny doe/jim/ALL1/Frank/Idahoe Joe/The Guy/AD/Casey/papa jim/Young Guy/BeeBe/Steve/Chris/The truck guy/Alex/Mr Chow/Yessir/All Americans or whoever you want to call yourself.

Quit the crap, really.

It's getting long in the tooth.

You want to debate, but it has to be on your terms.

Learn to debate with good information, then we might be able to have a decent debate.

Opinions are good, but if they are only your view to support the UAW, then how good are they. Look at what you guys have done to Detroit.

Terror tactics (union tactics) don't work on me.

If PUTC wants the UAW or whatever to control this site I suppose it's their decision.

It's not kids like I've been told by PUTC.

They don't seem to care. So this will go on.

@Big Al

So this..........

"Anyone who has spent time overseas can quickly tell you that Americans are in the minority when it comes to our love of big trucks. That being said I love my big truck that can haul all 7 of us (plus a guest) and tow almost anything. It is impossible to get three car seats wide in a Highlander."

.........requires you to pass your judgement? Wow! I see nothing wrong with that and don't believe it deserves a 100+ word lecture on how wrong he was to like his big truck.