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The Reason Why Are Trucks Getting Bigger

(toddofmischief.blogspot.com)
173 points yasp | 14 comments | 11 Aug 22 13:06 UTC | HN request time: 0.402s | source | bottom
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woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 13:50 UTC] No.32425520[source]▶
The author makes a correct observation (trucks are getting bigger to circumvent emissions guidelines, not solely out of ego), but fails to address the underlying market demand: as trucks have gotten bigger, they've also gotten "meaner"[1]. Emissions requirements don't require a truck to look like it's going to beat you up.

In other words: consumer ego (wanting to drive a big, mean looking truck) is an underlying pressure in the market, even if the sufficient mover for the current size explosion is emissions dodging.

[1]: https://jalopnik.com/we-need-to-talk-about-truck-design-righ...

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rayiner ◴[11 Aug 22 14:17 UTC] No.32425982[source]▶
How do you decide what looks “meaner?” This guy fixated on the Chevy Silverado design, but I don’t see what’s wrong with it. It looks more squared off and masculine, and less curvy and feminine, which is a design trend it shares with Apple’s latest MacBook pros. Is Google’s chrome book pixel mean? https://www.zdnet.com/product/google-chromebook-pixel/

I think what you’re actually observing is the counter-reaction to all cars looking like jelly beans due to aerodynamic styling driven by emissions regulations. A squared off looking car stands out in the crowd. I drive a Toyota 4Runner, which looks like an evil Japanese robot, partly for this reason (my wife hates the jellybean trend).

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1. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 14:38 UTC] No.32426387[source]▶
I don’t have a “wrong or not” claim to make. Only that trucks are manifestly more aggressive looking than they historically have been. Whether it’s a reaction doesn’t really factor into it.
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2. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 14:53 UTC] No.32426654[source]▶
Why did you censor “sack”? That’s not even a foul word.
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3. Izkata ◴[11 Aug 22 15:20 UTC] No.32427079{3}[source]▶
It's a variation of "grow some balls": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grow_some_balls
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4. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 15:23 UTC] No.32427125{4}[source]▶
I know that. I just don’t understand why you’d censor it. This isn’t Club Penguin.
5. meragrin_ ◴[11 Aug 22 15:24 UTC] No.32427156{3}[source]▶
I don't think it is meant as a censor, but to be illustrative.
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6. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 15:28 UTC] No.32427207{4}[source]▶
Illustrative of balls? That’s a new one.
7. bigbillheck ◴[11 Aug 22 15:36 UTC] No.32427342{4}[source]▶
If that were the case, shouldn't it have been 's@@ck'?
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8. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 15:45 UTC] No.32427476{5}[source]▶
Excellent point.
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9. ameister14 ◴[11 Aug 22 15:48 UTC] No.32427525[source]▶
I don't know about that - you can track the F150 over time and a 1980's F150 of pickup carrying pickup fame is significantly more aggressive looking than a 2022 F150.
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10. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 15:56 UTC] No.32427664[source]▶
Maybe we just have very different ideas about what aggression looks like, but the average 1980s F-150 looks downright homely to me. It basically comes equipped with a farmer in overalls and a wide-brimmed hat.

The 2022 F-150, on the other hand, has much more front-facing chrome, a much larger (and higher, and therefore dangerous to pedestrians) bumper, and much larger headlights. Some of these are probably good features! But they certainly feel more aggressive to me.

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11. Izkata ◴[11 Aug 22 15:59 UTC] No.32427706{6}[source]▶
It has since been edited, so apparently that was the point.
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12. woodruffw ◴[11 Aug 22 16:02 UTC] No.32427748{7}[source]▶
Mystery solved! Wonderful investigation, all.
13. ameister14 ◴[13 Aug 22 14:40 UTC] No.32450340{3}[source]▶
I don't think homeliness and aggression are negatively correlated. Look at a cauliflower eared fighter. You have an association of that kind of truck with farmers, but it could just as easily be rednecks with rifles. Doesn't have anything to do with the design.

The front of the truck is sharper angled, the hood is actually forward so it appears like a shark; the grille takes up a larger percentage of the front of the truck.

The modern F150 is rounder, with a smaller percentage devoted to the grille, and has a flat front. If you size up the 1980 F150 to the same size, it would be much more aggressive looking - you can actually see this because the 1980 truck, when lifted, looks positively mean.

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14. woodruffw ◴[13 Aug 22 22:28 UTC] No.32454412{4}[source]▶
You’re arguing possibilities, when all that matters is the cultural conception. Of course homeliness is not intrinsically tied to non-violence; all that matters is that the American conception of Farmer Joe is a homely, non-violent one. And Farmer Joe drives a beat up 1984 F-150.