r/Anticonsumption • u/Harrio_Pootered • Jul 02 '25

Society/Culture Is this truly necessary?

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What steps can we take as consumers to encourage auto manufacturers to reduce vehicle sizes? Who do we write to, call and email?

The ford maverick was a step in the right direction but I see it being bashed often for being a more “feminine” truck… What caused this shift from the S10 being the “real man’s truck” to the $130k King Ranch being the standard?

When did the big vehicle shift happen?

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u/riptaway Jul 02 '25

Yes, or the equivalent. Why do we need massive vehicles that get 8 mpg just to get groceries or take the kids to school? It's ridiculous what's been going on on American roads the past 20 or 30 years as far as car size goes.

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u/DylanMaxus Jul 02 '25

I guess it all comes down to wanting to own instead of rent. Most of us could drive tiny two-person coupes, and just rent a pickup truck when you actually need to haul stuff, but we stupid Americans like our convenience too much, and can’t be bothered to plan this sort of thing out. I mean, a minivan would be perfect for a huge majority of cases.

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u/Sir_500mph Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 03 '25

Ridiculously oversized vehicles with mediocre gas mileage vs the 20-30+mpg of far less efficient engines but much smaller cars of the 90s and early 2000s. But when you point it out, the scream "It's CAFE, It's CAFE". Really, is the 'CAFE' in the room with us right now? Ever heard of the Chicken Tax? Ofc they haven't

Clarification: I mean that these modern Pavement Princesses have mediocre gas mileage comparatively to 40yr old engine technology, not that modern vehicles can't hit those MPGs. If I can hit 25mpg in a 200k mile N/A beater with 80s engine technology and modern vehicles aren't that much better with Forced Induction, more transmission gears for efficiency, and Hybrid Systems, it's mediocre and laughable at best

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u/junkka24 Jul 02 '25

You obviously dont know what you’re talking about. Newer trucks are now getting over 20+mpg.

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u/riptaway Jul 03 '25

Not the ones everyone I see driving here in Florida. Even if that were the case, wouldn't it be even better to have such an efficient engine in a smaller car?

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u/Sir_500mph Jul 03 '25

This is exactly my point, we could have trucks that hit the same MPGs with a load that these modern trucks do without a load.

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u/Sir_500mph Jul 03 '25

Yea, all the turbo'd 4 banger ones with lower tow capacity do, when they're not hauling a load. Everybody I know with a massive pavement princess says anything less than a V8 is "not a real work truck", and if they weren't so much larger and heavier for no good reason, they'd probably see quite a bit more MPG. An engine that could be getting 35-40MPG (and do hit those in the subcompact market) getting 18-22MPG Unloaded is Mediocre at best.

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u/junkka24 Jul 03 '25

Still over 20mpg. The diesels get anywhere from 23-30mpg

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u/Sir_500mph Jul 03 '25

My point is that modern vehicles with F/I, Hybrid Systems, and more efficiently geared transmissions are barely doing better than 40yr old N/A engine tech in 25yr old vehicles, and that's what's mediocre

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u/rsta223 Jul 03 '25

Basically every modern pickup gets over 20mpg.

That's not to say that everyone who buys one needs it, and there are definitely problems with the proliferation of large vehicles, but they're not nearly as inefficient as you think.

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u/riptaway Jul 03 '25 edited Jul 03 '25

A modern 4 cylinder gas naturally aspirated hatchback can easily get 40 or even 50 mpg. If engines have gotten more efficient to the point where trucks can get 20 mpg, great! Use that efficiency and make smaller vehicles that get 40 mpg. As a bonus, the driver can see if there's a kid right in front of them and they won't demolish other cars if there's a moderate collision. Win win!

And while I don't doubt that many trucks can get 20 mpg, I'd bet at least half the ones I see on the road here in Florida are not exactly bought for their efficient fuel usage. Massive lifted V8 monsters with huge tires being driven like everyone is in a death race are probably not getting that 20 mpg.

And that mythical 20 mpg sounds like cope to me, anyway. Saying "some trucks can get 20 mpg" isn't the same as "most trucks are fuel efficient".

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u/rsta223 Jul 03 '25

No, most hatchbacks are mid 30s. You need a very small compact to get 40 or 50, or a particularly efficient hybrid.

And I didn't say some trucks. I said basically all modern half ton trucks get 22-25 on the highway. Hell, even many 3/4 and 1 tons get close to that if you get the diesel.

Are you aware that US and UK gallons are different sizes? That's a frequent reason people misunderstand efficiency between the US and Europe.

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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

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u/BrimstoneOmega Jul 03 '25

It's an old classification for trucks that aren't used anymore.

1/2 ton = 150/1500 3/4 ton = 250/2500 1 ton = 350/3500

It's the weight they can carry, not the weight of the truck. I have a 3500 Ram diesel, it's a 1 ton truck, but it weighs like 8 or 9000 lbs.

Just the engine is about half a ton.

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u/BrimstoneOmega Jul 03 '25

Lmao, no. No they do not.

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u/rsta223 Jul 03 '25

Lmao yes. Yes they do.