No pickup trucks in the UK

[Jetronic]

That's certainly a very European thing to ask about fuel economy before anything else. Obviously, the extremely high taxes on gas forces them to think this way, but it's apples to oranges comparing a full-size American SUV with a 5.7L V8 in the U.S. to a compact European hatchback with a 1.2L L4 in Germany.

Not really... the 1.2L L4 brought them from their residence to the airport, the 5.7L V8 from the airport to the residence. They did basically the same job....

 

[4WD]

Just to add to all the above reasons, if a 1/2 pickup costs $50k in the US, could you imagine what the equivalent would cost in the UK?

There are even PU’s where I live where $50k is 1/2

 

[RTexasF]

I was in England for a week some years back. I saw a Dodge Ram, it was owned by a member of the US military.

 

[Jetronic]

Just to add to all the above reasons, if a 1/2 pickup costs $50k in the US, could you imagine what the equivalent would cost in the UK?

Here in Belgium, american cars (new) tend to cost 2-3x more than in the US. So not much value in it at all. I seem to remember 100k euro camaro's on offer, about a decade ago. That's not including the tax to get them registered. I believe the same car in the USA was about $35k.

 

[GSCJR]

A visitor from Italy asked my co-worker, who happens to drive a pickup, "Why does everyone drive a pickup here?"

 

[Kira]

Talkin' US cars in Europe? You'll inevitably hear someone say, "It's always a Chrysler product".
My experience throughout the UK, Germany, Hungary, Scandinavia, France and Switzerland proves that out.
Switzerland Post's yellow chrome Jeep Cherokees are tops.

I believe the rewiring/expansion of the British Isles phone system was done with a fleet of specific Dodge trucks which became an iconic feature of the landscape.

Once I helped an English carpenter find a transmission for a V-10 RAM product. He made solid oak (as in: HEAVY) town notice boards.
He needed the capacity.
While we communicated, I learned we shared a common 'truck desire'; a box with three fold down sides like some Asian wee trucks.
You can carry things way over the boxes' dimensions with this feature.
I'm sure such a feature would have all the prissy-wissies over here complaining about wind noise at speed.

I loaned my '76 Chevy Nova to an English gal who, upon seeing it said, "Oh my God, it's huge".
She traversed New Hampshire on a Sunday on her way to Boston (to see The Bull & Finch) and said, "New Hampshire was closed".
She was funny.

 

[Pablo]

Brits laugh at USA people who use their large PU trucks for nothing but commuting. They kind of have a point. I told them at the time all the other stuff I use my truck and they understood. So they only laugh at people who live in rented flats who commute in trucks.

 

[KGMtech]

Not been to UK, but to Germany, France and Italy many times and there are not any pickups there either - at least not common. Roads in the city are much narrower and tighter, fuel is much more expensive. Small but high vans like Ford's transit connect are popular for city service people, etc - then to bigger vans like sprinters. Van bodies with a flatbed on them are somewhat popular as well, which fills the "pickup truck" need. I presume Britain is the same.

I've been to Germany 4 times for business, the only PU I saw was as I was being driven to airport in Frankfort, it was a black Dodge Ram Duallie(sp) with the full Bull horns on the front hood, and painted on the tailgate in english was " F--- Fuel Economy" it was doing about 160km/h and passed the micro bus I was in. Never seen anything like that in all my travels in Europe.

 

[KCJeep]

A visitor from Italy asked my co-worker, who happens to drive a pickup, "Why does everyone drive a pickup here?"

I don’t know either. My subdivision and work lot ( an IT company) is loaded with them. A war over who can make the biggest cab with a tiny bed, often sporting a tonneau cover. Makes no sense to me given the high cost and awful mpg.

I’ve never been to the UK but having just finished season 2 of Clarksons farm I’ve seen exactly 3 pickups in the whole thing, all Mitsubishi and probably diesels.

 

[MacManus99]

Even the same models of vehicles are generally offered with smaller engine choices that would be considered “dangerously underpowered” by people on this side of the pond for some odd reason.

People on that side of the pond generally seem more willing and likely to use the full range of throttle and RPM the their engines provide.
I've seen far too many people, especially here in the Midwest, attempting to merge in a busy highway while doing all of 40mph. Only reason I can think of for playing that dangerous game is they're too shy with the skinny pedal.
In my short time spent in France and Germany, people seemed to waste very little time getting up to speed. It was definitely a refreshing change of pace. Then again, it's scary to think about what would happen if every Karen and Kyle tried that here in their 400+hp 6000lbs SUVs that are most often used to transport just themselves.

 

[01rangerxl]

Oddly enough France seems to have the most typical American pickups in Europe. There are enough for truck shows. I remember on another site I used to visit a member from France had an F-250.

 

[SC Maintenance]

A visitor from Italy asked my co-worker, who happens to drive a pickup, "Why does everyone drive a pickup here?"

I think the heritage of pickups in America is that as a nation we urbanized much later than Europe, and when we did the suburbs quickly became a thing rather than people cramming into condo's or flats. So great grandad drove a pickup on the farm, and when grandad moved to the suburbs he took the old pickup, then bought another, and so your dad also drove a pickup which you grew up riding in, so now you drive one too.

 

[KGMtech]

I think the heritage of pickups in America is that as a nation we urbanized much later than Europe, and when we did the suburbs quickly became a thing rather than people cramming into condo's or flats. So great grandad drove a pickup on the farm, and when grandad moved to the suburbs he took the old pickup, then bought another, and so your dad also drove a pickup which you grew up riding in, so now you drive one too.

With all fairness to your point, the OEM's have moved the PU far away from it's original standard form. The PU your Grandfather had came with rubber floor covering, maybe AM radio, hand crank windows, manual locks, bench seat, only 2 doors and no sound insulation at all.

 

[SC Maintenance]

With all fairness to your point, the OEM's have moved the PU far away from it's original standard form. The PU your Grandfather had came with rubber floor covering, maybe AM radio, hand crank windows, manual locks, bench seat, only 2 doors and no sound insulation at all.

Growing up the family car was a Ford LTD that had no AC, hand crank windows, rubber flooring, vinyl bench seats front and back - seats 6! and had a full frame, a V8, and a Ford 9 inch diff. So it is no different with cars.

My dad also had a old single cab pickup and all five of us would pile in - no seatbelts needed. So it sat 5 technically, even though it had 1 bench seat

 

[supton]

I think the heritage of pickups in America is that as a nation we urbanized much later than Europe, and when we did the suburbs quickly became a thing rather than people cramming into condo's or flats. So great grandad drove a pickup on the farm, and when grandad moved to the suburbs he took the old pickup, then bought another, and so your dad also drove a pickup which you grew up riding in, so now you drive one too.

Not sure if I agree? I wasn’t around in the 70’s, vague memories of the 80’s. But I do believe big station wagons were the norm in 60’s and 70’s, shrinking a bit maybe in the 80’s. But mpg concerns grew, and station wagons were never cool, so I think there was a collision with minivans, SUV’s and CAFE. Minivans were arguable better than station wagons at moving people and stuff, but not towing. SUV’s did none of that well, unless if you had to go offroad, but had the cool factor. Pickups morphed into a solution that could cover all the bases? ignoring the fact, like all compromises, it too has its own issues.

Not that one can always detect rhyme nor reason when it comes to consumer tastes.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Not sure if I agree? I wasn’t around in the 70’s, vague memories of the 80’s. But I do believe big station wagons were the norm in 60’s and 70’s, shrinking a bit maybe in the 80’s. But mpg concerns grew, and station wagons were never cool, so I think there was a collision with minivans, SUV’s and CAFE. Minivans were arguable better than station wagons at moving people and stuff, but not towing. SUV’s did none of that well, unless if you had to go offroad, but had the cool factor. Pickups morphed into a solution that could cover all the bases? ignoring the fact, like all compromises, it too has its own issues.

Not that one can always detect rhyme nor reason when it comes to consumer tastes.

While no doubt OEM's have hastened the personal use of pickup trucks with better design, but they could do the same in Europe, except Europeans don't gravitate towards pickup trucks at all - so it doesn't happen. Pickup trucks in the USA are cultural, and the culture stems from history.

 

[supton]

Pickup trucks in the USA are cultural, and the culture stems from history.

An appeal to those who worked the land, and the open spaces of the USA? Large areas of land, and the need to move things, often? I could see that.

 

[Jetronic]

if big is good, bigger is better and biggest is best. You can't really find cars that are as big as pick ups so......

 

[Jetronic]

While no doubt OEM's have hastened the personal use of pickup trucks with better design, but they could do the same in Europe, except Europeans don't gravitate towards pickup trucks at all - so it doesn't happen. Pickup trucks in the USA are cultural, and the culture stems from history.

The only reason we have pick ups at all (most are diesels or if on gas they run on LPG) is that they are taxed as goods vehicles so based on their payload capacity. which is nothing compared to real trucks and marginally more than a regular car.

 

[SC Maintenance]

An appeal to those who worked the land, and the open spaces of the USA? Large areas of land, and the need to move things, often? I could see that.

Here is a typical 1990's F150 commercial. Towing a horse trailer, splashing through the mud, building a house, pretty girl. All the things people dreamed of while driving to their miserable cubicle job in the city.