smaller, cheaper
Just say better.
They are better vehicles and the ad campaigns for ‘bigger, more expensive’ vehicles are finally hitting their stupid wall.Now lets do SUVs next.
Here’s where they’re legal, and exactly how legal they are in the US
Many of the “legal” states aren’t all that legal, really.
Uh oh, better ban them!
Way ahead of ya!
Map: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/kei-truck-legal-states
No recorded law: 28
Legal: 19
Illegal: 2
https://keitruckconnect.com/us-states-you-can-drive-kei-trucks/
State-Specific Legality of Kei Trucks: The permissibility of these compact, fuel-efficient vehicles varies across the U.S., largely due to differing safety and environmental standards.
Are Kei Trucks Legal in California? In the Golden State, Kei trucks can be driven on local roads, but not on freeways. This is due to the fact that many of these vehicles are not equipped with EPA-compliant engines for highway use. However, there are no restrictions on their use for off-road activities. Their off-road capabilities make them a popular choice for those in need of a compact work or recreational vehicle.
Are Kei Trucks Legal in Texas? In the Lone Star State, the situation is a bit different. Kei trucks are not street-legal due to the state’s stringent safety standards for passenger vehicles. These trucks often lack standard safety features such as airbags and seatbelts, which can make them less safe in an accident. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If the mini truck is used for agricultural purposes or has been modified to meet the state’s safety standards, it may be allowed on public roads. In these cases, the necessary permits and inspections are required. Laws Governing Kei Trucks in other States. The permissibility of Kei trucks varies greatly across the U.S. For instance, in Alabama, you can use mini trucks on any public roads except interstate highways. The speed limit for these vehicles is 25 mph.
Florida allows registered mini trucks to operate only on streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. In Louisiana, you can use mini trucks freely with a speed limit under 55 mph. North Carolina allows mini trucks to be licensed and used on all NC roads.
In Washington, mini trucks are street legal. Wyoming permits mini trucks on any roads except for interstate highways. It’s important to note that none of the 50 states allow mini trucks on interstate highways. This is due to safety reasons and the fact that most Kei trucks can only reach a maximum speed of 65 mph, which is lower than the speed limit on interstates.
I think someone who tried to do that might just disappear in this day and age. Don’t ask gen-z, we won’t know.
My state did, otherwise I’d be driving one right now. A friend with a Subaru Sambar is being told hers should not have been allowed to be registered and is trying to fight it.
woulda been nice to know which state
for anyone else:
Map: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/kei-truck-legal-states
No recorded law: 28
Legal: 19
Illegal: 2
https://keitruckconnect.com/us-states-you-can-drive-kei-trucks/
State-Specific Legality of Kei Trucks: The permissibility of these compact, fuel-efficient vehicles varies across the U.S., largely due to differing safety and environmental standards.
Are Kei Trucks Legal in California? In the Golden State, Kei trucks can be driven on local roads, but not on freeways. This is due to the fact that many of these vehicles are not equipped with EPA-compliant engines for highway use. However, there are no restrictions on their use for off-road activities. Their off-road capabilities make them a popular choice for those in need of a compact work or recreational vehicle.
Are Kei Trucks Legal in Texas? In the Lone Star State, the situation is a bit different. Kei trucks are not street-legal due to the state’s stringent safety standards for passenger vehicles. These trucks often lack standard safety features such as airbags and seatbelts, which can make them less safe in an accident. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If the mini truck is used for agricultural purposes or has been modified to meet the state’s safety standards, it may be allowed on public roads. In these cases, the necessary permits and inspections are required. Laws Governing Kei Trucks in other States. The permissibility of Kei trucks varies greatly across the U.S. For instance, in Alabama, you can use mini trucks on any public roads except interstate highways. The speed limit for these vehicles is 25 mph.
Florida allows registered mini trucks to operate only on streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. In Louisiana, you can use mini trucks freely with a speed limit under 55 mph. North Carolina allows mini trucks to be licensed and used on all NC roads.
In Washington, mini trucks are street legal. Wyoming permits mini trucks on any roads except for interstate highways. It’s important to note that none of the 50 states allow mini trucks on interstate highways. This is due to safety reasons and the fact that most Kei trucks can only reach a maximum speed of 65 mph, which is lower than the speed limit on interstates.
I’ve wanted one of these for decades but the options are pay out the ass for import fees or buy a 30 year old model, neither fee great. Hate that my government is apparently dead set on all of us driving massive trucks and SUVs over realist vehicles
Hate that my government is apparently dead set on all of us
driving massive trucks and SUVsspending thousands to money lenders, auto manufacturers, and dealerships over realist vehicles.Doubly so if those parties are campaign contributors. Always follow the money.
If these don’t meet road safety requirements then it won’t get better
The giant American trucks don’t meet American road standards…
Yeah, but they’ve got better lobbyists.
The road standards are designed to protect the occupants, not the other users on the road.
This is a critical flaw with current safety and CAFE standards.
It’s almost as if car manufacturers and big oil write the laws to increase their own profit margins…
So people are tired of paying 60 to 90k for an f150 or a Dodge ram? You don’t say!
How long until these are banned ?
Regardless of bans, I’ve heard these cars are INCREDIBLY hard to import. Not only is getting permits for them difficult, but many places selling them domestically have gone around the laws regarding them, resulting in people’s Kei trucks being taken by the government and shipped back to Japan on their dime.
It’s not an easy thing to get into.
It’s already happening in some states
Already are banned in a few states, relegated to being registered as off road vehicles only.
I saw in the article that they are legal in 19 states. I did not see the off road vehicle bit. Interesting, and thanks.
We are the party of free market capitalism! We won’t allow rules to stop us from polluting the shit out of everything, we won’t allow rules that will make the world better! We only allow rules that block the competitors of our biggest bribers
Free market for me, not for thee.
This is it basically. People think free markets are bad for humanity, but all the problems are for when people just reach out and stop the free market from happening.
That’s government’s job: maintain an actually free market, where new people can come in and give people what they want, when the existing guys fail to do so.
It takes active input of energy to maintain that state of affairs. There will always be people who want to take control of it in unfair ways and get profit without providing the best value to the people, and it’s in our collective best interests to stop those people. So it’s legit to spend taxes on things like breaking up monopolies or maintaining infrastructure.
Free market doesn’t mean it happens naturally. It used to happen more naturally, because the total amount of power a person could wield over others was limited. But ever since we’ve had armies and ultra wealthy families and huge companies, all of which can exert power over individuals, a free market is a thing which requires government enforcement to maintain.
I think our problem might be that our government isn’t financially dominant. It is militarily dominant, and so it’s able to maintain the relative safety that comes from having a monopoly on violence. But the government doesn’t have a monopoly on financial power and so it can be overpowered by money.
We desperately need smaller vehicles to counter the behemoth light trucks that are in the road today. Everything about these kei truck bans just scream corruption and incompetence from politicians to domestic auto manufacturers.
They stopped making Honda Fits (in North America) because there was no demand.
This is true, yet I see a lot of them on the road and speaking for my circle of people I know plenty of people who want them. It’s a shame really as I was only left with the civic and that’s the same size as my old accord.
Do you consider a Honda Fit a light duty truck?
The topic of oversized vehicles is not limited to trucks.
In a post about small light duty trucks, and a comment about small light duty trucks, you’re pointing out that compact sedans are not popular. Would you like to point out some other true but off topic things? Most sedans are two wheel drive. SUVs are the most popular body style.
“No one is allowed to deviate at all in the slightest bit ever, to the obvious bigger topic!!!”
It’s entirely irrelevant to bring up one specific type of vehicle being cancelled because people didn’t like it, which can be for a shitload of different reasons beyond just size
“Light” trucks. A real light truck is something like the Toyota Hilux up through the 5th or 6th generation.
My S10 is a “light truck.” A Silverado 3500 is not.
Americans just love being the biggest on the road. Bigger is better in their minds. Maybe we put an extra tax on very large vehicles.
I’d love to see a comeback of vehicles like 1980s Toyota and Mazda pickups. Just a bit taller than sedans, good sized bed. I never understood the popularity of trucks that almost need a mini ladder to get into when they’re being used strictly in an urban or suburban setting.
We need to require special licenses for those behemoths.
I’d prefer they get banned entirely because there’s really no practical use for them that isn’t solved by some other commercial vehicle.
i’ve thought about that for high performance vehicles, but probably more important for very large vehicles. like a B/C license.
The other day an edible and an aliexpress misadventure really got me wondering “Why shouldn’t I have an electric cargo trike”?
It’s the biggest tricycle I can find!
Haha because it’s from aliexpress. I think it’s a great idea though. You can haul things. Don’t need roads. Looks cool. Good for the environment
I know. If one were made by a known entity and not the price of an actual vehicle, I would be very tempted.
Aliexpress with the bangers:
It’s not only Americans though. French car makers also sell big SUVs to everyone because it’s very important to have the biggest car ever when you bring back a small bag of groceries, or when you desperately need to be on top of the world in the traffic jams. I see those morons every day and it saddens me.
damn, i would have expected the french to have better taste in their vehicles
Nope, it’s over since the invention of SUVs and leasing cars. Nowadays everyone has a big car or an expensive car.
Does Citroen make SUV’s now? They must be smoooooooth
Or stop making fuel artificially inexpensive?
Tell me more
What ban?
Many US states have laws preventing people from registering these kei class trucks.
For example, https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/how-register-imported-vehicle
On that page
KEI-Class vehicles cannot be registered or titled in New York State. (Authority: Section 400-a of NYS VTL)
Is there a reason for the ban related to how the car is built or designed, or is it politics?
I think any person who has a hand in making those laws would say it’s for safety. Though I also think many people looking at it and comparing it to other vehicles that are allowed would call it politics/corruption/stupidity. I personally think it’s politics
Politics. If you can register a motorcycle or atv, there’s zero excuses for not being able to register a light truck like a kei truck. Honestly they’re basically industrial grade golf carts.
KIA*
This is the best summary I could come up with:
“My Kei truck can do everything a midsize pickup can do,” said Tyler Hiestand, who owns a home remodeling business in Pennsylvania.
Justin Merriman, who owns a brewery in San Antonio, uses his 1997 Suzuki Carry to haul kegs and cater events.
Most recently, Rhode Island state Sen. Louis P. DiPalma proposed legislation that would prevent the registration of additional Kei trucks in the future while grandfathering in current ones.
Because the trucks don’t meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, they’re legal to import only 25 years after having been manufactured.
Most states have no recorded law about Kei trucks, which often leaves guidelines up to local motor vehicle departments.
Even in states where Kei trucks are expressly legal, like Maine or Kansas, they’re often prohibited from highways or interstates where speeds exceed 55 mph.
The original article contains 667 words, the summary contains 135 words. Saved 80%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
How’s my /keitruck subreddit doing? I got banned from reddit as a different username at the IP level so I have no clue. I was thinking about starting it again here on our own instance but it’s been a struggle with de-googlelizing my life at the moment. But maybe someone else has one already? Time to leave that rotten place behind.
I’m sorry, why the fuck aren’t these street legal in more than half of the states? The article says something about safety, but these are street legal all over Europe where we have stronger safety regulations.
Also there’s something I can’t put my finger on about the journalist choosing a hero image of the van losing its cargo.
Probably because it’s not safe to drive them around giant pickups who can’t see over their hoods
But then it’s these giant pickups which are unfit and should not be road legal.
I’m sorry, their problem is that the massive trucks are somehow in danger because they weren’t designed to handle being hit by a vehicle less than half its size?
What a ridiculous statement.
That’s not what they are saying at all. They’re saying small vehicles aren’t even safe in crashes with other small vehicles, let alone with bigger vehicles.
They took a street legal Smart ForTwo…
Then crashed it into a little electric truck and a golf cart…
And they want stuff to be as safe as the Smart car.
This is how we got in this mess, an arms race of trying to feel safe around larger and larger hunks of metal on the road. Americans just have to endanger everyone else for their own peace of mind.
And yet Smart cars are legal.
Smart cars had to pass US crash test standards and have the appropriate safety equipment. The kei trucks that you can currently import and use are 25+ years old and wouldn’t have even passed US standards back then. Your legs are the crumple zone in these things.
I assume that new ones would have a chance, but it’d be expensive for a manufacturer to modify and certify for the US market. Small cars haven’t sold well here, and the profit margins are slim.
Maybe with the recent size and price increases in autos here, well see some movement. I’d love a modern Honda kei to go with my element.
The crumple zone thing is a bit grey as the USA sells and allows trucks like the Isuzu NPR/Chevy Cab Over.
How’s that different from driving a car roughly the same size?
Just noting as a reference these trucks are 11ft long, a Miata is roughly 20% longer at 13ft.
Doing comparisons like these don’t make sense when motorcycles and trikes exist.
I didn’t really intend for it to be a comparison or supporting the narrative these trucks are ‘too small for America’, I just find many people hear small truck and imagine “like a ford ranger but a little less”, as their starting reference point. Gotta go smaller, scale is tough.
My bad. It just seems like the low hanging fruit everyone plays off of.
We actually used to get vehicles close to this size. The Suzuki samurai (really a jimny) was sold here for a number of years. Geo sold a fair number of almost kei cars that Suzuki made.
I’m a fan of limiting them from interstate highways, but keeping them registrable. It’s just dumb they cite “safety” even though the law explicitly calls out they aren’t required to be safe. I just want a nice 25-45 mph city truck to lug dirty junk around.
But if anyone is curious, Douglas deBoard imported so many European cars in the 80’s that cut into the profits of Mercedes USA enough that they pushed the law through. Buying them in Europe and importing them was actually cheaper (in some aspects) than buying a US market one. And the imported cars were better equipped!
It wasn’t even about protecting American manufacturers or trucks. Mercedes has just always been a huge dick.
No lie. Gray market Mercedes were awesome. Way more powerful and you could get base models with zero cruft - manual transmissions and wind up windows.
Just for reference a Fiat 500 is roughly 9.75 feet long.
Maybe in the 70s, a modern 500 is listed at 11.6 ft
It looks like I got my info mixed up, thank you for the correction.
Europe and Japan all have freight trucks driving around, so I don’t buy that. The fact that many states won’t allow these is American truck manufacturing protectionism, nothing more. It’s the same reason you can only get a 3/4 or 1 ton truck from Ford, Chevy, or Ram (chicken tax).
Cab over engine freight trucks with excellent visibility, not jacked up chevys where your view of the ground starts 20 feet in front of you
And that’s precisely because the option isn’t readily available here. We can argue merits of different countries versus the US, but at the end of the day it is what it is unless something changes at the legislative level.
When say a contractor goes to purchase a work vehicle, the option is either a van, which have pathetic motors and hauling capabilities, or a pickup from one of the big 3 that can be outfitted with a utility body. Sometimes you can score one of those Isuzu cabovers, but they’re typically outfitted with a full sized box on the chassis, and they’re far and few between, and often more expensive. Vans are also stupid expensive, especially 4x4 models, because of the van life crowd. The options really are much more limited than other parts of the world, and I truly believe it’s to keep prices high and the money vacuum humming. Plus, you can find an older utility body truck for a fraction of the cost of a used van (I just did this 6 months ago; granted I’m in California, so my experience may not be the norm).
I ended up buying a Ram 2500 when looking for a work truck. I would’ve loved a 25/35 class van, but I need 4x4 (mountains, snow), and because of the premium those models fetch due to demand from the van life people, that wasn’t an option.
And I dunno about other people, but I know what’s in front of my truck at all times. It really isn’t that hard to mind your surroundings.
It’s all about the chicken tax.
The front view from a freight truck is better than that of a f150.
Ya. Everything’s expensive, so people buy the cheapest thing [with four wheels]. I don’t want folks on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum to think these are a safe option.
If(?) a ‘90s Honda sedan is safer but the Kei is new and looks cute, for the same price many will choose the less safe option.
Eight Californians die on our roads every day here and I can’t wait for some solutions. I really do empathize with everyone you readers care about (no oil companies, no just-for-funsies-truck manufacturers) - I hate the thought of crumpled and crushed human bodies.
What makes you think it’s not safe?
Just added something about that - articles & crash tests over the years. Was interested in little vehicles myself. Intrigued seeing them on college campuses.
Thin steel frame, no air bags, no crumple zones.
Check out the crash tests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roLcNwRi1Sk&t=40s
Ouch
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=roLcNwRi1Sk&t=40s
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Wow, the Kei truck does not fare well at all in that offset test!
Here in the states we have
legal corruptionlobbyists which the auto manufacturers pay to keep cheap vehicles from being used. And then the lawmakers claim safety concerns as the reason.Different crash standards in US and Europe. Most companies don’t even bother getting cars tested (designed?) in both because the market demands are so different.
This has got to be the most incorrect comment in the thread
Edit - ah wait no, Check this fuckin idiot
They don’t meet the us safety standards. It could mean a lot of things like lacking 5mph bumpers, air bags, abs, etc.
Doesn’t mean they aren’t safe.
Doesn’t mean they aren’t safe.
At just 31MPH a Kei truck gets absolutely clobbered in front offset and side impact safety tests, even against small vehicles like Smart Cars and the old (small) Ford Rangers. Like don’t bother calling an ambulance just the morgue kind of clobbered.
Kei trucks are neat vehicles and I’d like to have one but scientific testing shows that they are not safe.
yet people are killed / injured on european road at much smaller rate than in the US. the best US state is less safe than even the worst canadian province (and canada isnt even good). the US treats its roads like a car crash derby so it needs “higher standards”, but that approach is provably terrible. not only vehicules are huge and wasteful, but the roads remain horribly unsafe as well.
Just because a vehicle doesn’t meet us safety standards doesn’t mean they aren’t safe. It also doesn’t mean they are safe.
Also, aren’t these all 25 years old or older? Safety expectations should be lower.
European road safety regulations are significantly weaker than those in the US and Canada.
You’ve never been to Europe, lol.
I’ve lived in several European countries and also worked in compliance departments for auto manufacturers. You have zero clue what you’re talking about.
Yet you back up your claim with nothingness. Not quite sure how living in a country makes you an expert on regulations. Why didn’t you add substance? The compliance department in the companies I worked for wouldn’t be experts btw.
Pretty sure that’s not the case, had a little Google and it seems like I’m right, but I’m open to being corrected if I’m wrong or misunderstanding what you mean. Here’s evidence to support my claim:
https://etrr.springeropen.com/articles/10.1007/s12544-014-0131-7
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457518300034
Protectionism.
Speed restrictions.
Kei trucks were designed for use in dense Japanese cities, which is why they also work in European cities. They are nimble but have a low top speed. You’re not going 70 mph around a street corner for instance.
It would work in places like NYC for the same reasons, but remember that most of the USA is suburban or rural. You need vehicles that are capable of going fast if you’re going to get on a highway.
A possible workaround is to have a separate class for these, like mopeds or scooters, which are road legal but are not highway legal.
thats honestly a problem that can be solved with a small turbocharger and a slightly higher msrp, its not like they are ever getting close to the price of one of the huge ones.
That work around is what most states that explicitly legalized kei trucks have done, they can’t enter roads over 55mph. It’s a reasonable concession, you probably don’t want to take one over 50mph anyway.
Most places in the US are connected by 55 mph roads. I’d be hard-pressed to get anywhere but the city center in most places I’ve lived if I couldn’t use those roads.
Farm equipment and bikes use those roads all the time, and they go even slower, so I don’t think being able to keep up with traffic is a valid concern.
Note that I said over 55, rural connection roads should still be traversable since most are 55. Basically limits them from entering the interstate highways.
I live in one of the most rural states in the country, where loads to haul are generally large and the posted speed limit on the highway is usually 75 mph, and the de facto highway speed is usually 5-10 mph above that. No truck that can barely push 70 is gonna keep up with that. On top of that, you’re dealing with ice and snow on the roads half the year, so you’ll need to be able to deal with that too.
Southern California is entirely navigable by surface streets, but also too, there are plenty of vehicles going only 55 in the slow lanes, which is the speed limit for trucks anyway (though few pay attention to it). I have a '72 camper that can barely do 50, and I take it on the freeway several times a year.
In Illinois, at least, your motorcycle has to be 150cc to ride on the interstate. A Chinese GY6 scooter might be able to do 50MPH with a tailwind. You’d get killed on the interstate on one of those, yet, fully legal to do it.
You’d get killed on the interstate on one of those,
You guys in Illinois are crazy though. I learned very quickly how much that 55 MPH limit is a guideline and not a hard limit.
A long, long time ago, I used to drive from Kenosha, WI, to Wilmette (and later Northfield), IL, for work, down I-94, in a 1986 Honda CRX. Up until about Tower Rd., I was doing 105MPH every day, and people were passing me like nothing.
I was doing 105MPH every day, and people were passing me like nothing.
No they weren’t. Late 80s / early 90s cars didn’t GO that fast. Your CRX had a hypothetical top speed of 111MPH and in the real world probably couldn’t even reach the 105 you are claiming.
By comparison the 1990 Camaro Iroc Z topped out at 152MPH and the Mustang GT topped out at 140. The Corvette ZR-1 could reach 175 but those were vanishingly rare. 1990 Porsche 911 top speed was 157 MPH.
Since I doubt your commute included a race track filled with the highest end sports cars available in the year 1990 it’s likely you were surrounded by relatively pedestrian commuter vehicles that in no way shape or form were “passing you like nothing” while your CRX was flying along at nearly it’s maximum hypothetical top speed.
Hell many MODERN cars won’t reach 105 thanks to their speed regulators.
You weren’t driving at 105 and the people around you weren’t driving at 120+.
They might have been looking at the kph instead of mph. 65 mph (105 kph) with everyone passing sounds about right.
Depends on what part of Illinois you’re talking about, I’m from southern Illinois and we typically only go about 60/65 on highway and 75/80 on interstate. Chicagoans will honk and pass me while I am doing 80 through 2 lane construction zones, literally happened a couple months ago as I was driving to O’Hare for an overnight flight
Traditionally they’ve been banned because they don’t do well in crash testing, as they don’t have crumple zones or airbags. Here’s some testing from 2010 by the insurance industry arguing that they shouldn’t be on highways.
Where exactly are these legal in Europe? I’ve never seen one, we have small-ish trucks (that get bigger every iteration) but not this tiny, that I know of. Pretty sure they’re not legal in my country at least.
They’re definitely legal, they’re just not sold. I’ve seen them, but they’re generally sold by importer companies that sell JDM vehicles. A business in my area has a fleet of kei pickups
in Europe?
but not this tiny,You don’t know the Ape? It’s really everywhere in Europe.
No I didn’t, they might be everywhere but they aren’t very common (maybe in Italy…). I’ve seen the other small plagio truck (because that Ape is not a truck, barely a bit more than a scooter), but only a handful and it’s been like ten years since the last I saw, and they aren’t as small as these kei trucks (these are as long as a fiat 500).
They’re not really safe. They are generally front heavy, so there is a risk of rolling forward, no crumple zone safety stuff, more often than not the front suspension is under the seat and if that breaks it would shoot up into the cabin, and on top of everything they are pretty slow. They have more in common with an off road Polaris than a traditional truck, which is to be expected because they were mostly designed to be farm trucks. I’d much rather be in an older s10 than a kei truck in the event of a crash (and s10’s aren’t very safe). I think I lot of why they are so popular these days is because there aren’t really any light trucks anymore, and these are an alternative.
We should take a step back: why do we need all those safety standards in the first place? The reason is that we have such gigantic vehicles in the first place, and smaller ones simply cannot be safe on the same road. Level that all down and suddenly Kei cars are as safe as they need to be.
Not really. I compared it to an older Chevy s10 for a reason. Those were relatively small trucks that, while not always the most reliable, are still a pretty decent option for most people. Kei trucks are a smidge smaller, but are better on gas and frankly less safe. I don’t think this is a “get rid of bigger vehicles and this goes away” but of a “Kei trucks aren’t really any safer than an off-road golf cart and current regulations allows them on the road”. We need the safety regulations so less people die on Auto accidents, and kei trucks don’t really have to comply with even the basic ones.
The problem is not even big trucks. It is medium speed collisions with barriers. Kei trucks typically don’t have air bags or a crumple zone. They are designed for low speed driving on open roads.
I wrapped a 2017 SUV around a telephone pole and didn’t get a scratch. It’s not all about other cars.
I’d still own one if they were just banned on highways. The risk is probably pretty low on low speed city streets, where these would be most useful.
I actually considered it when I last looked for a new vehicle but besides being too expensive for what they are ($10k for a 90s cheap truck) they made a lot of compromises on them. For instance, on most the struts and springs are right under the seats, so if that breaks it would come right up into your legs. If the truck is rust and going over bumps, that is a non zero possibility.
As much as overpaying sucks, that thing is just asking to get obliterated on an American road.
Or just use them in cities or rural areas. Not everyone goes onto the freeway everyday.
Are American roads like one of those bumper car thingies of the amusement parks?
Used commonly in railway maintenance in Japan! This budget friendly truck is favoured by JR which want to cut budget on everything.
Any idea what that MOW truck is for? The second cab in the rear is really throwing me off.
For towing ?
If it was just for towing it wouldnt have a cab in the rear like that.
The 2nd cab is just so they can drive forward in either direction on the rail.
That’s nowhere in the same size class as OPs. It’s just the same style with a cab-forward design. It’s probably a 3-ton.
How about this?
That’s the same model. Its a much heavier duty truck than these little flitter trucks referred to in the OP.
I’m not sure what you’re not understanding here.
Should be correct now? Not really good at identifying car.
That’s more like it.
What is the too small for road safety thing? That’s pure bullshit, right? Smart cars are legal, how can these not be?
Give us cheap EVs and small trucks god damnit!!!
I guess it’s just the lack of any crumple zone, similar to the VW van your legs are essentially the crumple zone.
Yeah, I’d imagine it’s fine down gridlocked Tokyo streets where you might be doing 20mph.
Probably not so good in a 70mph highway collision though.
IIRC, these things exist to exploit a legal loophole around vehicle registration in Japan as well. Safety is not the highest concern lol
It might be more about what vehicles share the road. SUVs and pickups tend to cause the majority of fatalities in crashes because their bumper height basically being non compatible with cars and vans and their larger blindspots… That design might not play particularly well with the Keis in crash situations.
But that being said SUVs and raised pickups are menaces to road safety across the board and we should be looking at phasing them out.
Sounds like some lack basic safety equipment like seat-belts.
They don’t pass US federal crash tests, probably because of the lack of crumple zone, so they can’t be imported until they’re 25 years old. Which doesn’t make them any safer, but I guess rules are rules:
Because the trucks don’t meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, they’re legal to import only 25 years after having been manufactured. Then, it’s up to each state to decide whether to allow them on public roads.
I have one. No crumple zone. No airbags. Slow acceleration. Can’t reach highway speeds. No headrest.
But it’s my favorite car ever. I just treat it like I’m riding a motorcycle. I’m dead in an accident, so I try to be hyper-aware.
Nah I’m good.
I currently drive on a daily basis a Toyota Corolla… I purchased it for the sake of saving as much money as possible overall with said vehicle. I’m 6’0 245lbs - not obese mind you… and I’m genuinely tired of getting in and out of that car. Absofkinlutely NO way am I buying another sedan. Next vehicle is a big boy full sized SUV or pickup truck. I want to climb into my vehicle not damn near tear my knee just trying to get into my vehicle.
I’m 6’0 245lbs - not obese mind you…
Technically obese. You’d have to lose 25 lbs to not be obese.
Of course Obesity is defined by BMI, and BMI is probably not as good as BRI and you might be closer to healthy by waist circumference. However your weight is probably not as healthy as you might think it is.
I’m assuming he is some kind of weight training person, and given the squat from another post, strength athlete. Dude is most likely pretty jacked, not fat
Strong is not mutually exclusive with fat.
I have a friend who made ability to lift heavy stuff basically his whole identity. Correlated with that was at any gathering he made a big show of eating just way more than everyone else because he’s a “big guy” and his muscles demand that much. So long as he could lift, obviously he must be fit, he works out after all. Basically his concept of masculinity is lift the heaviest stuff and eat the most stuff.
Now he’s struggling with diabetes and liver problems, despite being crazy strong. Never did cardio, and ate way more than he needed.
Yes, BMI can be misleading and being a bit muscular can have a higher BMI and be healthier than BMI says, but odds are if you are up in the obese territory, you probably are packing a lot of visceral fat screwing up your gut.
So I’m not strictly a powerlifter. My first 15 years of gym training was for the sake of size (bodybuilding), once I reached a certain size I decided to move onto powerlifting for the sake of strength. However, in order to maintain my size I mix both powerlifting with bodybuilding, or what we call, “powerbuilding”. After two years of strict powerlifting, I noticed smaller muscle groups were getting outshined by other muscle groups and it was causing not just visual imbalances / asymmetry but also strength and stability imbalances (the heavier the weight the more strength you need in all working muscles and these muscles also need to keep me stabilized throughout the movement) which was impacting my bench press for example.
So at best, I can promise you, I’m not obese. Obese for me would be entering about 25% BF, which would push my weight to around 270lbs if not a little more than that.
LOL.
Haha, as I mentioned elsewhere, my assumption was you are jacked, not fat?
I sit at about 13% bodyfat at this weight, per DEXA scan. At 230lbs, I sit at the lower end of 9% bodyfat. Or at least that’s what it was last year. Once a year I lean out then get a DEXA scan done to compare percentages of bodyfat vs muscle mass, this gives me an idea, on paper, if my muscle mass has increased or not.
I’m about your size- I was comfortable in a Mini Cooper. I still regret trading it in.
Yeah shrug, I’m decently taller and heavier than you are, and my daily is a recent ford focus, and serves me well. Perhaps that Carolla is just a bad fit rather than the whole class of car?
How the hell do you get into your car? If I get into my Corolla without bending my other knee like I’m trying to tear ligaments and tendons, opposing knee will smash into my steering wheel.
I sit butt first into the driver’s seat, then rotate legs under the wheel, and then I’m in, no crazy knee positions etc
idk, I’m 6’6 and I despise having to drive full size pickups and SUVs. they’re made for short people to feel tall. A decent proportion I can’t even see street lights in lol.
The cars that have been good for me have been weird, like my s10 fits me better than any full size truck, outbacks and other cuv aren’t bad either, especially newer ones. I’ve heard there are sedans that are better fit for taller/bigger people, but I haven’t looked much there
Damn that’s crazy. I also own a Honda Odyssey (Mini-van) and that has a lot of room. I’ve driven in Yukons, Suburbans, Tahoes, Sierras, and Escalades, all of these vehicles feel incredibly roomy. However, I’d rather stick to Toyota, just haven’t gotten into a Tundra or Sequoia.
Sounds less like your car hurting you and more likely your lack of mobility. Try stretching?
I do mobility work for sure. In the realm of powerlifting, it’s necessary. Otherwise injuries will definitely occur sooner or later, regardless of the weight.
How often do you sit cross legged on the floor? A lot of stretching routines are basic maintenance but getting to actual comfort is a different thing entirely. Getting up regularly and relaxing into floor sitting while watching tv has done me wonders personally. The first while is rough though.
Don’t get an SUV or Raised truck. They might be comfortable but they are dangerous to other vehicles on the road.
I’m 6’4" and 250 lbs and I drive either a small Volvo station wagon or a VW GTI. I fit in them just fine and my knees aren’t a problem. Hell, the seats in my Volvo are so good I sit in them when my back hurts.
I want to climb into my vehicle and not damn near tear my knee
More evidence for my theory that the prevalence of SUVs and trucks is because old people can’t handle low cars, and old people are the only ones buying new cars at the moment.
Damn son, I’m not old haha
Your knees sound 65+
You’re buying a bigger car because your knees hurt, which is pretty old.
Well for a few reasons. Bulk groceries (Sam’s club / Costco), we use the van for that. Same thing when I need to purchase large items from hardware stores. Or even transport large items. But yeah, the way I get into my car, I have to bend my left knee in such a way that it sometimes produces a sharp pain in the inside of my knee. If I try to get into the driver seat like a woman, which is butt in first rather than right leg in first, I end up hitting the top/back part of my head on the top door frame.
If it was an integrity issue with my knee(s), I wouldn’t be squatting 500lbs+.
All of that is a pretty boomer mentality, my dude. I can fit tons of stuff in my two small cars and if there’s something huge I get it delivered or rent a truck.
Okay, I’m a boomer. A boomer that in hopefully a couple years (when the market gets back to normal) will finally own a truck <3
