I agree with the sentiment of this post, but to be fair, you can also carry 3 or 4 passengers in the left vehicle, as opposed to only one in the right.

The main problem is the US fuel economy regulations actually encourage manufacturers to build bigger trucks and SUVs so they get classified into a category that has looser fuel economy requirements.

Just gonna keep on posting this

To anyone claiming that the bigger one is the safer one ...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-06/what-drove-japan-s-remarkable-traffic-safety-turnaround

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24499113/

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-the-most-car-accidents

From the Bloomberg & NLM articles

From a safety perspective, kei cars have a lot going for them when compared with American-style SUVs and trucks. Their light weight generates less force in a collision, and their stubby front ends reduce driver blind spots. Research suggests that their occupants are equally safe as those inside full-sized vehicles.

95% of the craftsmen I know have panel vans. Easier to both organize and secure tools and materials, more overall room.

Since Americans are obese, it makes sense that their cars are too.

I was the only guy at the marina showing up in a compact Nissan. Got a lot of shit for it from the raised up pickups.

Yet I always had that extra $20 for beers.

It's a mystery.

Yep. I'm an American tradesman and the trucks that the guys drive are way too beefy for what they actually do.

I've gotten by with small Toyota trucks, and rav 4s..much to the chagrin of the good old boys. Should have seen their face when I rolled up in a prius...till I tell em I get 50 mpg easy.

I would love a small little truck like this one in the photo.

Willing to bet right is owned by a true worker doing real work and left is some trumpet who uses that ugly tank to drive to Walmart to buy toilet paper.

This is why I loved my Nissan d21 when I had it

This is a simillar truck compared to what I had

Trucks the same size as the right one are the norm in East Asia. Trucks like the left one are basically non-existent. (There are trucks of the same size or bigger here, but they don't waste so much space on the passenger seats.)

Kei trucks due have the issue of not being great to actual haul things in the mountainous areas (a tradeoff of the small engine). They make a non-kei version that has a bigger engine for situations like that.

That being said, I think if roads and such were bigger here (Japan), we'd definitely seem more American-style vehicles. Miyazaki (Ghibli) had lots of environmental themes in his works and it wasn't because people were doing a great job of taking care of the environment. I have seen American trucks driving around Tokyo (which is silly because they can't even fit down some streets) as well as sports cars and even hummers. Yeah, some are driven by foreigners, but there are still plenty of Japanese who import and drive US vehicles. The second biggest thing stopping that is the cost of getting it over here, inspected, registered, etc. Some humans just want those and want to show off their status and Japanese people are just people, after all (as much as the internet loves to pretend otherwise).

I get the point your trying to prove but i don’t think it’s fair to compare these 2 as they are meant for different things and also brings in the assumption that all American craftsman vehicles are 2500HD’s, which is not true.

Now I agree, people using the one on the left specifically as a daily driver is actually overkill and are not using it for what it’s supposed to be used for. The one on the left is a 2500HD. They are SUPPOSED to be used for hauling and carrying equipment. The crew cab is meant to also transport the crew that is for said equipment.

The one the right is specifically meant what appears to be lighter duty use and hauling. I agree that people should use the right tool for the job. I find the one on the right to be very practical. But for the sake of this post as a means to compare Japanese craftsman vehicles to American.

You should actually show something actually comparable. Like a ford ranger with a standard cab. Which might be about the same size and power. Maybe even the same bed size. Not something that has HD (Heavy duty) in its name.

Anything American should be avoided. Their food is full of sugar, cars are big and useless and internet companies always try to screw their users.

Excited for when American trucks just become literal tanks. Seems to be the trend since everything here constantly needs to be bigger bigger bigger for suburbanites. Who needs yards when you can have bigger houses? Who needs a healthy environment when you can drive gas guzzling giants? We're so unprepared to deal with climate change it's depressing. I want to believe that our culture will eventually naturally see the value in smaller, simpler things, but the trends haven't changed yet and I don't see why they would.

I do woodworking and have gotten by with my Subaru but occasionally need to pick up 4x8 sheets of plywood, OSB, or even drywall for the house. An electric kei truck would be perfect. I'm rooting for something like the Canoo or Telo EV truck to make it to market

"Horses are man extenders" -Ken Barbie [The Movie]

I agree with the idea with the exceptions of towing capacity, passenger capacity, and possibly (probably) bed weight capacity.

But if you’re one guy that doesn’t tow anything and needs to haul a few sheets of plywood, sure, it makes sense.

I fvcking love kei trucks but one counter point - a lot of US is shitty rural roads at 50-60 mph (80-95kmh) plus freeways at even higher speeds. Kei trucks are more of a city thing and just wouldn't fare well here. They are however very popular on university campuses.

The Japanese one would be fun for use in New York City. LOL. Easy parking, easy to navigate double-parked clowns. It just needs a bed cover to lock down anything purchased.

Unlisted benefit of the one on the left is you can fit more people in it.

Unlisted benefits of the one on the right are

1. lower center of gravity, so taking turns is easier.
2. smaller blind spot

As an American, I've written to multiple manufacturers, foreign and domestic, to bring/build the smaller Kei trucks but I have never heard any response except for Ford that basically sent a brochure for their F150 that has 'more space' for 'getting work done'. I would love these for practicality but the cost of importing a used one was MUCH higher than buying a normal truck/suv here. :(

Since it's become legal to import these Kei trucks and vans, I've been loving the pictures of them all over the place. I have no need to haul cargo around, but I'd definitely love one of these things if I did in the future. I just don't like that you're only allowed to buy 20-year-old vehicles like this due to import laws.

Really wish I could get my hands on one of these. The import process is so complicated it makes it barely cheaper than a domestic used truck.