That was two words.
I’d much rather drive the Miata. There’s a reason that when I was forced to purchase a car after almost 20 years without one, I opted for a Miini Cooper. Sure, they’re cute, but I was ecstatic to look it up and find it was only about an inch larger than my first car, a 1983 Renault Alliance MT.
Small cars rule.
Smart car here :-D
I miss my mini. With the rear seats folded down, it had a surprising amount of cargo capacity.
I’m pretty sure the scales are different. Look at the door handles: regardless of the size of the vehicle, anything that interact with human beings should be roughly the same scale and the door handles just aren’t.
Not to say that American truckls aren’t ridiculously oversized of course, but that photo looks doctored to me.
Nope, most of these trucks hoods are taller than my Velosters roof. Driving is fkn scarry these days.
You can check it yourself here
And compared to my current car
Size seems accurate.
Based on measuring the images, they seem about right. The F-250 is the full width of the image (1,002 px). The MX-5 is 605 px, so just over 60% of the length of the F-250. If we do the same maths with the lengths provided in the image (6.35 m and 3.95 m) we get 62%. If the scale is wrong it’s by a pretty negligible amount
Regarding the door handles, the MX-5’s door handles aren’t made for hands. Their hinge is parallel to the actual door hinge and they’re made to be used with one finger instead of a whole hand, so while you were right to notice the difference it’s actually because the MX-5’s door handles really are very unusually small
The whole point of that site is to compare sizes of cars. Plug in whatever you want to compare: https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/mazda-mx-5-1989-roadster-vs-ford-f-250-2023-4-door-pickup-crew-cab/
Can’t believe I had to scroll to the bottom to find a link, and it’s not even a top level comment…
Thank you for this. Gonna compare my 350Z Roadster to a NA Miata. (edit: Never mind lol, it’s not even on the website. They have the 370Z, though…)
Miata door handles are built for fingers and not a whole hand. The scale is correct.
Well, I’m an avid cyclist and left the US 25 years ago, and if that’s really the kind of behemoth that roams the streets in the US today, I’m glad I did.
I also miss tiny cars that feel like I’ve strapped on a super suit
people have been posting photos of such vehicles in europe and other places where nothing is designed to accomodate such a large truck and its a miserable look that they were allowed in at all
The shift to these ridiculously large trucks is partially consequent of the poorly-implemented Obama fuel economy regulations. The regulations were determined by wheelbase and tread width, which disincentivized manufacturers from making mid- or small-sized trucks. The bigger they made them, the less restricted they were by fuel economy. Larger vehicles also ease constraints on engineers; they don’t have to struggle fitting a lot into a small body. Once large trucks became the default offering, they morphed into the annoying cultural “status” symbol we know today.
Anyway I have a Miata MX-5 and I love my tiny car.
I also love your tiny car, even when I see one from behind the wheel of my slightly less tiny Civic, which I adore.
Long before that though, back when SUVs became popular because they were trucks and didn’t have to obey sedan fuel economy. This was back in the late 90s
The CAFE act caused most of these changes and was signed by Clinton in the early '90s. Obama may have made things worse, but the roots of the problem go back much further
CAFE standards date to 1975
Ahh, didn’t realize that. I guess Clinton expanded them?
Say it with me folks!
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer!except for the one I saw today with the wheels tilted so only the inner edge of the tire touches the ground
No no, Miata is always the answer. Clearly, Miata is in that case answering the question “how do I look like a bellend without spending too much money, and clearly communicate that while I understand mechanics, I probably shouldn’t”.
Miata
I would consider anything “slammed” no longer viable as a vehicle since they can’t clear a speed bump. I don’t even think they should be road legal because your reaction distance dramatically increases with those setups.
But I need my insanely large blacked out, lifted, with black rims, f-250. I have to get 3 bags of groceries.
Of course off-road capabilities are required. How else would I drive on nicely paved suburban roads?
Just always gotta be prepared for the one day a year snow stays on the ground. Even in June.
Guess what destroys offroad performance though?
An insanely long wheelbase coupled with a top heavy design…
Well, it’s marketed to the same people who think that a Cybertruck is an offroad vehicle.
The Miata sold well because it was cheaper than an Alpha Romero. Unfortunately, everyone came to realize it would be in the shop exactly as often, practically negating any benefit.
In what world? The Miata is ridiculously reliable until you start ignorantly modifying it.
Well, I live on earth. I can’t speak to whatever planet you’re from.
Says the guy comparing one of the most reliable sports cars with one of the worst.
I mean these are also two different types of cars. But it is actually so weird to see even two cars of the same type made in different times next to each other. It’s like somebody unintentionally moved the scale slider of the level editor.
I don’t want to defend the overly supersized truck too much, but I do want to point out that even these are two different class of vehicles. Sure, you can cram 4 smallish people into that old Ford Ranger, but nobody is going to be comfortable or happy about it. Also, that small ranger has far less cargo and towing capacity.
Of course, a good chunk of truck owners do not need that much capacity and big trucks are just a toy/status symbol to them. Which is stupid. But there are use cases where those trucks are actually needed, and a small Ford Ranger won’t cut it.
That said, I do wish we could get more small pickup trucks again. The maverick is a good start.
I tried to compare to a '90s F-150, but that site doesn’t have one.
Also FWIW, anecdotally around here small trucks seem more likely to be used as work trucks than [now greater than] full-size ones. My '90s single-cab Ranger was pretty clearly a former work truck (given how beat up the bed was and the fact that it came with a toolbox), for example, and I use it mainly for hauling and towing. Small trucks can, in fact, “cut it” in a lot more situations than people give them credit for.
For these kinds of comparisons people have to cherry pick and cannot compare similar class trucks because similar class trucks haven’t really changed in 30 years
If you compare the size of a base 1990 F150 https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/1990/features-specs/
To a base 2025 F150 https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/2025/features-specs/
The 2025 is 6 inches shorter, barely an inch taller, and barely an inch wider. Or in terms of percentages: -3.1%, +1.1%, +1.2% respectively
What has changed in 30 years is it was common back then for an average consumer to buy a “regular” cab two door truck with a 6 foot box, four door behemoths were rare. If you wanted a 4 door truck you had to get the F350
Today it’s the other way around, it’s rare to see a single cab F150 and now you can get a 4 door F150
Yeah, the problem isn’t that the big trucks exist. There is a place for them, always will be. But they shouldn’t be a commuter vehicle, the majority of owners never use them for their intended purpose, and even those that do need a truck rarely need one of the size they get.
Most definitely. The fact that the four door 5 foot box exists is hilarious to me in a sad kind of way.
I occasionally get made fun of for owning a 22 two door Ranger, that I bought a “tiny” truck. Honestly I hate how big it is, but I wanted a truck that would be my single vehicle, something I can use for DIY house projects, commute in, go camping/off roading, and take on cross country road trips. Custom ordered it with the specific features I wanted all for ~40k, meanwhile the guys giving me shit for it are paying just as much for a truck with less features, it never leaves the city, and waaaaay more expensive at the pump.
Morons
in australia, i make sure to kick and dent every yank tank i see parked. its not often - we have more of the smaller pickups (though we call them utes)
Geez, how much compensating do they need?!? Is it that bad? Like, button-mushroom size?
“It’s the only thing that makes me feel significant in a society that I struggle to understand” - Large truck owners (if they were literate)
I’ve tried to get in a Miata once. Had to put the top down and my eye level was over the windshield.
6’2 and owned a smart for years.
6’2 and I lay down and sleep in my smart during my lunch break.
I’m 6’4" and have driven tons of cars and owned a few. Stepping into a proper pickup was the first time I thought “oh, a vehicle designed for me.” I’m also a carpenter, so it is essential to my work. Memes like this are low hanging fruit.
Yes, we do have a size problem in the USA. Is everyone that drives one of these trucks a selfish, tiny-dicked, backwards-thinking asshole? No, and honestly, the majority of the people that I know are like me and need a work vehicle like this. More than half of them are in a union. We can point out the absurdity of the size wars when it comes to American vehicle design, but stop picking on pickup trucks.
I’m 6’4 and easily fit in my mx-5. And you know for a fact at least 90% of those trucks are grocery getters “because I like to drive up high, it makes me feel safer, and more of a shitbag”
I’m 6’4" as well and I fit in just about everything that’s not clearly a compact car. I fit fairly well in Honda and Toyota sedans, and drove a Civic until 2018, when I bought a Tesla Model 3. That was okay, I fit but it’s low, too low for my tall legs really getting in and out Traded that in recently and got a Polestar 3, which is a larger SUV.
Big work vehicles aren’t the issue, as long as they’re used for that purpose, it’s the pavement princesses that are the problem. The ones that rarely or possibly even have never seen a day or work. They’re all over the place.
There are a lot of owners of these pickups that use them as their primary vehicle and grocery getter. Then they try to justify needing the truck because of the two days a year they actually use the bed to bring something back from Home Depot or towing a trailer. Both of which have daily alternatives available either through a rental company or from the store itself.
You tall folks should pick VW New Beetles. An average-sized person can wear a top hat while driving one of those because the roof is so domed.
(If you must drive at all, of course – obviously, the real best choice is a bicycle with infinite headroom.)
Plenty of tall people drive small cars. Can’t you just use a smaller truck?
Amen.
“Everyone needs to drive a vehicle, even the very tall.”
My problem is usually width. Most vehicles aren’t built for anyone physically wider than average (while yes, i am also overweight, id still have this problem no matter what). Some office chairs give me hip pain, and most armrests can’t be adjusted out far enough to not be digging into my ribs.
There’s also just nowhere for my left leg to comfortably go in an automatic, at least with a manual i had the clutch to keep that leg moving.
I’m 6’4" and fit in my 19 just fine, I have MAYBE an inch of head room left with the top up. Now the solstice I tried to get on? No fucking way. Was it an NA?
Edit: sweet reference on the handle.
I’m 6’, but I have a comparatively long torso, so I generally have the seat set as low as possible in a sedan to be at a comfortable height, and even then, my head nearly touches the ceiling. Life before height-adjustable seats was interesting.
Are we still doing phrasing?
the “i don’t need a big car, my dick is big enough” bumper sticker needs to make a comeback.
Because body shaming is the best retort we have?
Yeah fuck 'em. The venn diagram between those drivers and MAGA snowflakes is almost a circle. Shaming the one thing they hold dear to their mental stability is the least I can do to fascists.
If you need to explain to Trump why many american cars do not sell well in Europe just show him this image. Chances that he’ll get it is higher than zero at least.
I cannot imaging driving around this hulk of a car all day. How would I even find parking space?
I miss mini-trucks. Compact size cab with full size bed, engine from a sedan and 4wd. Good economy, much cheaper, great utility, better handling, less dead children, and a lot more fun out on the trails.
Caustic masculinityfear of smol pp ruins everything.It’s just marketing. Australia shares a lot of American culture and we still have car based utes, though larger vehicles are also becoming popular here
The amount of times I’ve looked at the Aussie and Japanese markets and just sat jealous…
Sometimes it’s not good here. We only have 25 million people and we drive on the left, so we miss out on quite a few vehicles
I strongly agree. One thing to add to your list: easily being able to lift things in and out of the bed, even from the side.
I used to work with a guy who had a Tachoma that he loved and he only used it for offroading. He kept a pair of spare axles in the bed to swap out on the trail if he snapped one.
Never knew we were body-shaming people & yet here we are.
Speaking of Mini-Trucks, I actually see them in use in my area a lot (usually the 3-wheeled variety)
Pp size matters not, big truck people are still afraid.
