The F150 Platinum compares to a Land Rover Range Rover.

basically it’s not a competitor because it’s not impractical enough.

You’re also getting a lot with the 4Runner though. I test drove a few Wranglers that were spec-ed to 31-32k and I wondered where the hell the money went because the interior not only doesn’t really look utilitarian, it looks downright cheap. Whereas with the 4Runner, at 34k, you pretty much get all the options that…

Or Toyota is previewing the new Supra/BMW but an awd version........Just thinking out loud.

That would be neato!

But the previous FTX was the Tundra. Maybe the 4 indicates an offroad version of that, perhaps to compete with the Raptor and Ram Rebel?

Half of that is perception, driven by automaker’s marketing budget.

I am genuinely curious about this and other similar applications like towing an RV. How will you tell it where your campsite is and where to put the trailer? Also, what about things like a large rural property without a designated parking area? How do you tell it where to park? There must be some manual control left…

Massive torque steer and 19 MPG on premium fuel, fun none the less.

I think there’s another reason for the popularity of SUVs besides safety. There’s a sort of “macho-ness” to them, the size, the 4-wheel drive, the towing capability, the chrome, etc., that is akin to the truck buying ethos. In most cases a van is a better choice, but the SUV wins out.

It will be really interesting to see how a level 5 autonomous vehicle handles a boat ramp.  

Minivans have a lot of space because of their shape but also because they’re some of the biggest vehicles on the road. Three row minivans are 200+ inches long, not everybody needs a vehicle that big.

For my grandparents (all 4 gone now) and my father-in-law, the higher height is better because it’s actually not too much effort to climb into an F-150 cab for the average-height person, especially with the running board (might be harder for short people). Getting out is then really easy because you just tilt your…

It is seat height not ride height that matters to that demo. Minivans etc can provide that.

Why can’t there be autonomous SUVs and pickup trucks?

High ride height will still matter because old people: they don’t like leaning over or climbing out.

If anything, self driving vehicles make it more worthwhile to own larger and larger vehicles. Like a Fiesta or Fusion, not interesting. Now get into things like the Explorer, Navigator, F-450, a Newell Coach! Hell yeah I’ll take self driving, might as well be standard!

I bought an SUV when my kids were preteen because it was like having a playroom on wheels that only needed to be cleaned once a month.

That requires income.