The overland craze is out of control

[D.B. Cooper]

So then shoot for 25 or 30. I'd like to see them do it.

It seems to me that there is more efficiency these days, but that efficiency is plowed back into horsepower rather than increased gas mileage. For instance, where it may have been 20 miles/gallon with a 200 horse engine, now you get 20 miles/gallon on 300 horsepower.....I'm making up these numbers, but I hope you get the idea.

 

[Harvey]

It seems to me that there is more efficiency these days, but that efficiency is plowed back into horsepower rather than increased gas mileage. For instance, where it may have been 20 miles/gallon with a 200 horse engine, now you get 20 miles/gallon on 300 horsepower.....I'm making up these numbers, but I hope you get the idea.

I've seen this too. Especially disappointing from Toyota who has steadily increased the size of the Tacoma, it's almost a Tundra now and they have no truly small truck. Ford Maverick highlights what a choke this is.

 

[Brownski]

I think the hybrid Maverick is still the closest thing to what you’ve described wanting in the other thread

 

[Harvey]

I think the hybrid Maverick is still the closest thing to what you’ve described wanting in the other thread

If only it was available. And a Toyota.

 

[Campgottagopee]

What is the biggest hybrid truck? F150? Tundra? How big is it? Is your truck bigger?

Yes, 1/2 ton trucks are the biggest hybrids. 3/4 ton trucks sit higher off the ground due to heavy duty suspension. 3/4 tons are specifically designed for hauling, towing, and plowing. Sure, you can do all of that with 1/2 ton, but that's not truly what they're designed for. They're more for light payloads and towing. Hybrid technology is truly only for in town driving, not much of a difference would be found on the highway.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

That's just a bullshit excuse. I have an extremely low tolerance for "do as I say, not as I do" people. My post was aimed squarely at them.

You're really not getting the point.

I'd love it if we banned lifted trucks, and SUVs with grilles that come up to my shoulders but that's not happening. We're in a collective arms race. People don't want to put themselves and their families at risk so they buy a tank because they are in a sea of tanks. I don't have an SUV at the moment, and I don't like them, but at somepoint I'm going to get one cause as that Jalopnik link with the IHS safety test I posted earlier shows, low riding cars are death traps in a collision with the monsters of today.

And secondly why not put your skis on a roof rack or box? It's so much better then having them in the car, even if they can fit.

 

[Low Angle Life]

A heavier vehicle is going to have a greater impact on roadway infrastructure when compared to a smaller lighter vehicle. A larger, higher vehicle, particularly one built to todays safety standards is going to have much larger blindspots when compared to a smaller, lower vehicle. Those same larger, higher vehicles head lights often fall in line with the rear view mirrors or eye level of smaller, lower vehicles making it difficult for drivers of smaller vehicles to see when being followed or approached by a larger, higher vehicle. Menace to society? No, however these are three hard to dispute observations of why one could argue that the overland craze and larger vehicles on the road are at the very least an inconvenience to those who don't own one. Again, I will include I am a truck owner, free country do as you please but lest we forget that around 38% of all vehicle trips in this country are driver only. There are more efficient more logical ways to move a single person but I get it we live in a car centric culture and are more or less incentivized to travel in this manner.

Don't think thats virtue signaling or a holier than thou statement, but I do think there is a justification for negative feelings towards the ever increasing size and height of vehicles in North America. I also don't feel that its right to rag on anyone who is fearful of the roadways and larger vehicles, especially in a country where accidents including car accidents consistently fall into the top 5 causes of death. Spend some time on a road bike if you feel differently.

 

[Andy_ROC]

My response was specifically about the complaints about full size trucks/suvs and how they are supposedly a menace to pedestrians, other drivers, and the environment. Ripitz was singled out for obvious reasons as the guy rides his bike EVERYWHERE.
FWIW two weeks I got a brand new Hyundai Tucson (gave my Kia Sorrento to my daughter) because its what I wanted. I no longer cart around a family as my kids are grown and I no longer have a house so I'm not hauling crap around. My only requirement was that my skis fit without poking thru the center console. I have had full size trucks and suv's in the past and absolutely loved them, and if I had decided to go back to one it's really no one else's concern, especially when in the same paragraph they say they feel "forced" to get one because its the only way to feel safe on the road. That's just a bullshit excuse. I have an extremely low tolerance for "do as I say, not as I do" people. My post was aimed squarely at them.

Who said "do as I say, not as I do"?

 

[Campgottagopee]

I also don't feel that its right to rag on anyone who is fearful of the roadways and larger vehicles, especially in a country where accidents including car accidents consistently fall into the top 5 causes of death. Spend some time on a road bike if you feel differently.

Good gawd
Anyone who is fearful on the roadway shouldn't be there to begin with. When it comes to driving, just about anything, the throttle is your friend. When in doubt, throttle out.

 

[Ripitz]

SUVs with grilles that come up to my shoulders

Are you 4’ tall?