Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Automotive
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-29-2016, 02:51 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
44,888 posts, read 59,869,542 times
Reputation: 60433

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTOlover View Post
Also most Pick-up trucks trucks back then were Regular Cab's or Extended Cab's (Really common till the early 00's) today modern PU trucks trucks tend to be more 4-door Crew Cab's which makes them seem much larger but also means they tend to have smaller/shorter truck beds as a compromise.

TBH it is odd to see Reg Cab or EXT. Cab PU trucks on dealerships lots in the higher up trims most are now just come in the Base entry level and W/T trims

I have a 2003 F150 Super Cab and a 2014 Super Crew. Both are 2 wheel drive.


The 2014 looks bigger but it's not. Neither wider nor longer. It is, however, taller (which took out the center hump in the back) and higher off the ground and the bed is a bit deeper. The front end is also a bit squarer than the 2003. Both taller and squarer make it look bigger. The bed on the 2003 is 6.5 feet while the 2014 is 5.5.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-29-2016, 02:58 PM
 
Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
11,154 posts, read 29,146,616 times
Reputation: 5479
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person View Post
I have a 2003 F150 Super Cab and a 2014 Super Crew. Both are 2 wheel drive.


The 2014 looks bigger but it's not. Neither wider nor longer. It is, however, taller (which took out the center hump in the back) and higher off the ground and the bed is a bit deeper. The front end is also a bit squarer than the 2003. Both taller and squarer make it look bigger. The bed on the 2003 is 6.5 feet while the 2014 is 5.5.
Yeah one thing I notice the today PU truck beds are deeper/taller then on previous trucks it also gives the false illusion of being larger then they really are but also means they are more useful from a payload perspective.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-29-2016, 03:37 PM
 
Location: MD's Eastern Shore
3,637 posts, read 4,767,955 times
Reputation: 6273
It seems a standard length PU is still the same length as it's always been. It's just now days the cabs have grown and cut into the length of the bed. And in reality, many don't need a full 8ft bed anyways. I know I don't. If I was hauling a lot of standard length lumber all the time it would be nice to have it all inside the bed with the tailgate closed, as it is now, the rare occasion i can always just leave the tailgate down or just slide what little I have over top the gate. It's much nicer having a bit of extra lockable/dry room inside. I couldn't imagine driving around a long bed mega cab PU as a daily driver. And that goes for the old crew cabs with full 8ft beds made in the 70's through 90's as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-29-2016, 05:06 PM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,258 posts, read 22,657,287 times
Reputation: 16398
There is a size limit in that so many buyers have a 20th century home with a 20th century-sized 'two car' garage that they want to be able to fit two vehicles into. So room for the small car to grow, but not so much for cars that were already larger to begin with.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-29-2016, 05:25 PM
 
Location: Southeast, where else?
3,913 posts, read 5,200,749 times
Reputation: 5823
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM View Post
In the late70s and early 80s there was a major downsizing of American cars. Through the years even the Japanese and Korean brands have grown in size. Those early Toyota Avalons are smaller than today's Camry. Those early Camrys are smaller than today's Corolla. Today's Yaris is nearly the same size as those 80s Corollas. Even the interior volume measurement by the EPA rates some of the compact sedans as midsize sedan. Even the body weight and horsepower numbers of today's compacts are on par with the 80s midsize sedans. At what point does the segments move up in categories? When does a Malibu, Camry, Accord, etc become full size? When does the Civic, Corolla, Sentra, etc become midsize? Today's FIAT 500 and Chevy Spark aren't much bigger than the Chevette, Fiesta, and Metro.



It's an entry market strategy....keeps mfg cost down while penetrating a market with said lower pricing...once the users are hooked, the cars started to balloon with features, comfort, and of course, price.


It work(ed). To your point, my 99 Camry is the size of today's Corolla roughly speaking....The backseat room, or lack thereof, of the older models proves the point.


The Americans did the same with later models although theirs still tend to suffer from mysterious rattles, noises and things the "dealer just can't fix" until the warranty expires......sigh...


You are right...look at a 1972 Civic (2 seater with the stick on the dash....yes, the dash)...and today's mega goliath civic by comparison...that one cost $1,800 back then...today's Civic???
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-29-2016, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Sector 001
15,932 posts, read 12,179,960 times
Reputation: 16097
80's and early 90's were definitely the low point for car makes in the United States.. small, ugly, and slow with few exceptions.. they have not aged well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-29-2016, 11:56 PM
 
Location: Poshawa, Ontario
2,982 posts, read 4,076,845 times
Reputation: 5622
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felix C View Post
But we do not return to RWD.
You live in Florida... Why do you need FWD??? lol

All I have ever owned is RWD and I live in Canada. It's perfectly fine in winter if you know how to drive.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2016, 12:34 AM
 
24,509 posts, read 17,967,651 times
Reputation: 40204
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annuvin View Post
You live in Florida... Why do you need FWD??? lol

All I have ever owned is RWD and I live in Canada. It's perfectly fine in winter if you know how to drive.
FWD is a cost and weight thing.

The whole fleet is subject to ever-stiffening Federal CAFE regulations. They're playing every possible game to shave weight and improve aerodynamics to improve fuel economy while giving the largest-possible cabin.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2016, 06:44 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,096 posts, read 80,136,113 times
Reputation: 56911
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD View Post
FWD is a cost and weight thing.

The whole fleet is subject to ever-stiffening Federal CAFE regulations. They're playing every possible game to shave weight and improve aerodynamics to improve fuel economy while giving the largest-possible cabin.
Yes, this is true, but the rear wheel drive and large size will always be there. The full size pickup is still the biggest seller, and they almost all have a large cab with full back seat. There are also the muscle cars which are selling well, such as Mustang, Camaro and Challenger. While some of the bigger V8 versions are subject to the gas guzzler tax, they are available with over 300 horsepower from a V6 getting 19/28-30 mpg, with rear wheel drive. Most of us with a muscle car have 1-2 other more efficient vehicles and when gas prices get high just drive them less and the others more. Manufacturers are still able to sell enough smaller, more efficient cars and hybrids to offset the
bigger/more powerful cars and meet the cafe standards.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2016, 07:13 AM
 
5,481 posts, read 8,500,794 times
Reputation: 8284
It seems to be an American thing. I know numerous people who go out and buy huge SUV's for no reason other than to have a huge SUV. One guy has no family. Just he and his wife yet he went out and purchased a 7 passenger SUV because he said "it feels roomy!". To each their own. I just don't understand the obsession with large vehicles (mainly SUV's) if you're not hauling or towing on a frequent basis.

I just upgraded from a Honda Civic to a new Accord Sport and even that feels quite large. Much larger than the Accords from the 90's and 2000's.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Automotive

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top