By CHRISTINE LYNCH
While driving around lately, there seems to be a greater number of pickup trucks on the road today and they’re driven by people from all walks of life. In the past, pickup trucks generally were used by farmers, ranchers and construction workers. It’s a much different demographic today. Those rugged professions still rely on a dependable pickup but so many other people now choose to drive one for various reasons. One justification is that today’s pickups no longer drive like a truck. They mostly have automatic transmissions, are lighter and easier to handle, smoother riding, and have quality A/C, heat, and sound systems. Trucks now come with all the bells and whistles that other vehicles typically offer: Flexibility, Dependability, Safety, And Fun.
There’s also increased interest in pickups because they offer flexibility with versatile cargo configurations. Maybe the cargo space won’t always be in use but on those days when something needs to be hauled, the truck stands at the ready for a big or small payload. They also have high-capacity towing power. The sturdy cab and the solid weight of a truck help provide safe traction for different road conditions. And, they are fun to ride in and to drive.
A big part of the upsurge in pickup sales is due to the truck industry marketing pickups toward women. Their design teams have reinvented the cab interior for looks and comfort previously unheard of in a truck. The sizes, styles and capabilities of trucks now have a huge range of options. There now is a style of truck for just about any type of driver.
Marketing To Women And Families
Noting that women were the more prominent drivers of minivans, marketing campaigns for pickups stressed that if you can drive a minivan, you can drive a truck and get all the extra bonus features that come with it. Statistics abound showing the steady increase in pickup sales starting in the mid-1980s to the present. The number of women purchasing full-sized trucks has grown enormously. That doesn’t properly reflect those women who don’t own a pickup outright, yet drive one regularly.
Women who have driven pickups state a variety of reasons for why they like them. Jane Zulkiewicz said she’s had pickups “basically since the early 1990s and never gone back.” What sold her was being a new home owner and a single woman. “I had to schlep all sorts of stuff around or make dump runs. It became more arduous to get others to help me.” She saw a solution in owning a pickup. “Getting a truck was a godsend in a number of weird ways.” For example, she’s into clamming and carts “all the buckets, nets and things; who wants to put that in a closed car?” Also, she’s a gardener, so she often loads up on compost and salt marsh hay. She wouldn’t want to stuff those bags into a car trunk, and cleaning up the truck bed is easy. “When I get it unloaded, I just spray the back of the bed and get on to the next thing I’m doing.”
So far, she’s “probably had four pickups.” She’s been “pretty consistent with the Toyota Tacoma,” keeping each as long as possible. “They really hold up well and have a good trade-in value.”
My beautician said she would definitely get a truck if her dad already didn’t have one she could use. Being a single mom, she noted she’s the one who has to get stuff moved around. When she needs a ladder, a run to the dump, or wants to load bikes, she asks for his truck. It’s easy for her to load and unload. She likes driving it, too, because it’s high up and it goes through snow better than her car.
Having to beg, borrow, or cadge the use of a pickup is standard for non-pickup owners. Moving into our home a few decades ago, we put out a call for friends with pickups and were most grateful for the help. Still driving a pickup, one of those friends recently purchased a less traditional Honda Ridgeline. Its unique unibody chassis lightens the vehicle for better mileage and maneuverability while keeping it strong enough for towing. His wife likes it, too, saying it rides smoothly and drives more like a car.
SUVs vs. Trucks
Going back a few decades, drivers had two main choices in vehicles: they could choose a sedan car, suitable for multi-passenger driving, or a truck with good cargo capacity and better handling in tough road conditions. Then the auto industry introduced the sports utility vehicle, or SUV. This was an effective bridge between cruising in a smooth-riding car and being able to load it up and take it on rugged terrain. A seemingly perfect solution, if a bit on the costly side.
Facing the SUV competition, pickup dealers might have felt the same way that bookshop owners and librarians felt during the onslaught of e-readers. Still, as with book use, after the initial novelty of the new technology wore off sales of pickup trucks also rebounded in proven measures. One reason is that truck designs adapted to be more family friendly. As Jesse Abbruzzese, a sales and leasing consultant at Falmouth Toyota, explained, pickups with double (also called crew) cabs, “have become the new SUV for many people looking to have a pickup truck with the capability of a SUV.” In fact, with a crew-style cabin (four-door models) there’s plenty of room in the back for the family to ride in style, including car seats.
Popular Brands
Presently, General Motors pickups claim to be the biggest sellers in New England, although the Ford F-Series reportedly leads national sales. Still, the popular Toyota, Dodge and Nissan sales also keep climbing.
Mr. Abbruzzese, who grew up in Falmouth, said, “We sell many types of vehicles but traditionally have sold a lot of trucks due to our location serving the Cape’s many self-employed trade workers.” He mentioned, “Many different Tacoma models are being offered in double cab” and all their trucks have “many new safety features.”
Accessories
Another big consideration for pickups is the ways they can be customized.
“There are many ways to outfit the trucks to the different needs of customers,” Mr. Abbruzzese said. One handy accessory he mentioned is the Tonneau cover. “It’s a popular option as it protects belongings from the weather, locks and folds up for access.”
These covers can be soft or rigid and come in a choice of styles that best suits the type of access needed. Decking can be layered to create storage compartments. Bed sliders and rack carriers provide easy access. Oversized mud flaps and bumpers give better protection for the bed. For those doing night work, additional light bars for the front bumper and cab top can turn the dark of night into bright daylight.
Some of the improvements don’t please the longtime pickup owner, however. An old friend, originally from farm country, drove a pickup from his early teens. Now retired, he purchased a new truck and keeps having philosophical arguments with the “new-fangled computer dash that wants to take control of his vehicle.” Hopefully, he’ll eventually appreciate some of the features.
His polar opposite is my son-in-law, who loves all the features on his new truck. Whether for work or play, he uses his beefy work vehicle for all its worth. He’s regularly towing thousands of pounds on a huge trailer for work jobs or pushing it up hills off-roading to the best fishing spots. He extols all the latest upgrades, citing frames that don’t rust, the reinforced chassis built with high quality steel and good responsiveness to the road. For maximum hauling, up to about 8,000 pounds, he has torsion bars. He said this truck can take high-torque stress, citing that the same model actually towed the space shuttle. This summer, he purchased a hard-shell camper top both for safe gear storage and for spontaneous camping trips. A bonus with that top he discovered is that it makes the truck more aerodynamic, thereby cutting fuel costs. He summed it up by saying, “Today’s trucks are harder to break and they hold their value.”
Pickup trucks are an investment, but for a growing number of drivers it’s a smart investment to consider.