The Crank: More proof pickups are dumb

By John LeBlanc I’ve never understood North Americans’ fascination with pickup trucks as daily transportation. They’re too big, too thirsty, and, well, they handle like trucks. But what do I know. Just last month here in the Great White North, Ford’s F-series pickup truck was the most popular new vehicle sold—car or truck. Sure. If you’re a rancher, plumber or candlestick maker—in other words, really need all the capacity a full-size truck to make a living—hey, fill your Kodiak steel-toe boots and drive one of these behemoths. I’m guessing, though, the majority of Canadian new pickup truck buyers could get along quite nicely with a smaller, better driving and more fuel-efficient vehicle as their daily ride. Of course, automakers love pickups. The relatively stone-age technology needed to meet lower fuel economy and safety regulations than what cars need to pass means little investment on pickup makers’ part, which translates into big profits. And now a report from Forbes shows that not only are trucks lousy cars, they also don’t make much sense financially. Dubbed “Most Overpriced 2010 Cars,” the piece lists the most overpriced (duh!) new cars sold in the U.S. based upon market value price versus MSRP ratio and customer satisfaction data from Consumers Reports. The result? Surprise, surprise, the three most overpriced new vehicles are a trio of full-size pickups: Ford F250 (worth 25.2 per cent less than its $25,300 U.S. MSRP), Nissan Titan (worth 23.6 per cent less) and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (worth 23 per cent less). So there you go. More proof that if you don’t need one to make a living, driving a pickup as your daily ride is a pretty silly proposition. So riddle me this, Crank readers: Why do Canadians still drive these automotive dinosaurs? [Source: Forbes]

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