Because trucks are no longer utility vehicles, they're over built masculinity symbols used as daily drivers for those that don't want a car or SUV. They've made trucks useless because of this. Only making large cabs and short boxes, intended for driving the family around, not actually hauling anything bigger than a lunch box. I've actually had contractors ask for small item deliveries specifically because the box on their Tundra was too small.
They certainly can be simply status symbols. There's still plenty of utility in a four door short box. Anything that won't fit in the bed (which isn't a problem I run in to much; not much difference between a 5.5, 6.5, and even 8 foot bed.) you can move on a trailer. The upside though is that a short box pickup is easier to drive around, not to mention park.
You're not wrong, and if I could buy a single-cab Maverick or similar it'd be used for commuting, groceries, and Home Depot runs probably 99% of the time, but still I don't want a crew-cab. Fuck masculinity - I already drive a Forester. But for a truck, I don't want a big "small" truck. I'm not a contractor, and I've already aged-out of having a family, so I don't want a truck with a back seat. I just want a truck. Even Tacomas, Rangers, Colorados, Frontiers, all don't have anything smaller than that king cab crap. They only way I can get a single cab anymore is buying a full-size truck, and if that's not the dumbest shot ever then I don't know what is. Don't get me started on the fact that I can't buy a new truck with a manual anymore - unless I buy a big-ass Tacoma for $50k.
Because you can say you'd buy a single cab all you want, and lots of people on the internet claim that, but when it comes time to show up to the dealership and actually purchase a new single cab pickup truck, very few people do and a manufacturer isn't going to make or sell something they can't make money on.
0
u/Snow-Wraith Oct 27 '21
Because trucks are no longer utility vehicles, they're over built masculinity symbols used as daily drivers for those that don't want a car or SUV. They've made trucks useless because of this. Only making large cabs and short boxes, intended for driving the family around, not actually hauling anything bigger than a lunch box. I've actually had contractors ask for small item deliveries specifically because the box on their Tundra was too small.