The full-size pickup truck has become America's best-selling vehicle by a country mile. But most Silverado, Ram, and F-Series buyers would be better served with a cheaper means of role-playing.
For all the people saying “I just want a small pickup to do x” I’ll point you to the recommendation at the end:
If you are only towing, off-roading, or hauling once a year, or never, it might be wise to consider a smaller vehicle, and rent or borrow a truck when you really need a truck. There are tens of millions of them out there. There are even amazing services like Turo or ZipCar out there that grant you access to a vehicle for just the time you want it, and may even deliver it to your door.
Have americans never heard of a trailer? It’s made for that exact use case and you don’t have to lug it around for years for the one time you need to use it. They are also super cheap to rent.
Exact reason why I really want to put a hitch receiver on my lil BMW z3. Half because it makes it more practical, and half because I just think it looks funny with a big trailer attached to it. Also I have hauled firewood with a trailer designed for a truck attached to a tiny Yamaha big Bear from the 80s. That if a lil 1 cylinder ATV can do that a 6 cylinder BMW z3 can absolutely haul a couch or two so long as there’s a spot to attach a trailer.
It’s not the go, it’s the whoah. You need hookups for brakes on the trailer itself, lights, turn signals. That’s to augment what you’re covering up with the back of the trailer, or the lack of mass in the tow vehicle, and the added weight in the rear can really stress the OEM brakes.
Annoyingly, many vehicles sold in the U.S. don’t have a tow rating except for large SUV’s and trucks. It makes it difficult to know if you can safely tow a trailer with your small crossover.
I owned a Honda HR-V a few years ago. In Europe, it was rated for around 1,500 lbs. In the U.S., they just slap “not recommended for towing” on it and tell you to buy something larger.
Thank you. That explains so much. I hear this “towing stuff” reason so often and I could never figure put what huge things people think they need to tow that isn’t possible with a normal car.
For all the people saying “I just want a small pickup to do x” I’ll point you to the recommendation at the end:
Have americans never heard of a trailer? It’s made for that exact use case and you don’t have to lug it around for years for the one time you need to use it. They are also super cheap to rent.
Exact reason why I really want to put a hitch receiver on my lil BMW z3. Half because it makes it more practical, and half because I just think it looks funny with a big trailer attached to it. Also I have hauled firewood with a trailer designed for a truck attached to a tiny Yamaha big Bear from the 80s. That if a lil 1 cylinder ATV can do that a 6 cylinder BMW z3 can absolutely haul a couch or two so long as there’s a spot to attach a trailer.
It’s not the go, it’s the whoah. You need hookups for brakes on the trailer itself, lights, turn signals. That’s to augment what you’re covering up with the back of the trailer, or the lack of mass in the tow vehicle, and the added weight in the rear can really stress the OEM brakes.
Annoyingly, many vehicles sold in the U.S. don’t have a tow rating except for large SUV’s and trucks. It makes it difficult to know if you can safely tow a trailer with your small crossover.
I owned a Honda HR-V a few years ago. In Europe, it was rated for around 1,500 lbs. In the U.S., they just slap “not recommended for towing” on it and tell you to buy something larger.
Thank you. That explains so much. I hear this “towing stuff” reason so often and I could never figure put what huge things people think they need to tow that isn’t possible with a normal car.