I like the idea of a small truck, but these don’t really cut it for anything but farm and backroad use. They are just too underpowered; we’re talking an engine the size of a motorcycle engine. I’m an American living in Japan and 90% of the traffic issues are caused by these and the similarly spec’d passenger vehicles. They are good for the utilitarian use that they were designed for, but are not capable commuter vehicles. These are not the solution for weening people off of the oversized trucks in America.
Side note: One of the comments on this video led me to look into CAFE regulations. Basically, the reason manufacturers in America don’t offer S-10 or other small trucks anymore is because the EPA requirements are more lenient the larger the vehicle is. So instead of the regulations incentivising efficient, small vehicles as intended, manufacturers ditched the small trucks all together and went with larger, less efficient trucks. This seems to me like something that could easily be solved legislatively or maybe even at the EPA level. Here’s a great, quick video on this. https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=Bc29YLqWEuSvcHEB
I like the idea of a small truck, but these don’t really cut it for anything but farm and backroad use. They are just too underpowered; we’re talking an engine the size of a motorcycle engine. I’m an American living in Japan and 90% of the traffic issues are caused by these and the similarly spec’d passenger vehicles. They are good for the utilitarian use that they were designed for, but are not capable commuter vehicles. These are not the solution for weening people off of the oversized trucks in America.
Side note: One of the comments on this video led me to look into CAFE regulations. Basically, the reason manufacturers in America don’t offer S-10 or other small trucks anymore is because the EPA requirements are more lenient the larger the vehicle is. So instead of the regulations incentivising efficient, small vehicles as intended, manufacturers ditched the small trucks all together and went with larger, less efficient trucks. This seems to me like something that could easily be solved legislatively or maybe even at the EPA level. Here’s a great, quick video on this. https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=Bc29YLqWEuSvcHEB
The Ford Maverick is a step in the right direction. More power than a kei by a mile.
It’s still bigger, but not as large as the mega trucks. Plus it’s actually affordable for the working man.