Chevy explains why everybody wants a truck

[russianswinga]

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/01/chevy-colorado-you-know-want-truck-focus-group-video/

I'll just leave this here ...

Why should you buy a Chevrolet pickup? Well, aside from technology and stuff, you'll want to park a bowtied truck in your driveway because it makes you look more handsome, more resourceful and more likely to own an awesome pet (your author, who drives a Mini Cooper S and owns the world's best mutt, disputes this last finding). Or, that's at least what the maker of the Colorado would have you believe.

How did Chevy come to these conclusions? Well, they assembled many groups of people and showed them pictures of the same guy. The only difference was the vehicle in the background, with one pic showing a badgeless, silver Toyota Corolla and the other showing the new Chevy Colorado.

[wepner]

I think zombie apocalypse is the only really valid point. But if it ever goes down there are going to be a lot of unclaimed trucks that you could borrow.

[MoneyCat]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.  If you need a truck for hauling stuff for a project, just rent one by the day at Home Depot.

[surfhb]

This is hilarious.    It's a joke video right?

[solon]

one guy is living, the other guy is existing

Not sure what to make of that. How do we know one guy is only existing? And how do we know it isn't the other guy?

[Luck12]

If this ad is real, it's just one more piece of evidence that people are stupid. 

[fantabulous]

Maybe I don't understand guys, but according to the ad Chevy should just sell fake beards, strap-ons, and testosterone supplements.

"Like a rock"

[solon]

What about all the questions they didn't ask, like:

Which man is happier?
Which man only has the appearance of happiness?
Which man is in debt?
Which man has fewer worries?
Which man is defined by his possessions?

[surfhb]

I thought it was a piece from The Onion but apparently it's for real.   Very funny (in a sad way). :)

[BlueMR2]

I think zombie apocalypse is the only really valid point. But if it ever goes down there are going to be a lot of unclaimed trucks that you could borrow.

Indeed.  Don't buy the truck, spend the money on a rifle and some ammo.  You'll have your choice of trucks during he apocalypse.  :-)

[russianswinga]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.

Work - yes. Making it up a mountain pass in the snow? NO. A used Subaru with AWD will do that just fine - a Legacy if you're into sedans, a Forester if you need higher ground clearance. Want to get really fancy? A 2008 BMW 335 Xi sedan with a twin-turbo 6-cylinder and all-wheel drive will set you back $15K and make it up that snowy hill VERY quick. That price is for a California car too, so no rust damage. All that luxury and still 3x cheaper than a new pickup truck. Did I mention Xi packages on a BMW come with heated seats? ;)

[MoneyCat]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.

Work - yes. Making it up a mountain pass in the snow? NO. A used Subaru with AWD will do that just fine - a Legacy if you're into sedans, a Forester if you need higher ground clearance. Want to get really fancy? A 2008 BMW 335 Xi sedan with a twin-turbo 6-cylinder and all-wheel drive will set you back $15K and make it up that snowy hill VERY quick. That price is for a California car too, so no rust damage. All that luxury and still 3x cheaper than a new pickup truck. Did I mention Xi packages on a BMW come with heated seats? ;)

What does the BMW do about all the rocks?

[vegasdude]

I'd still take the Carolla in a zombie apocalypse. Cars and trucks will be easy to find. Gas will be scarce.

[VirginiaBob]

I had a truck and kind of miss it since I actually heavily used the truck bed.  But it was a little 4 cylinder Chevy S-10.  The trucks these days are gigantic.  My brother visited us once when we were in the hospital with his truck (I think it was an F-150), and he must have had to go back and forth 8 times just to pull into the spot in the parking garage.

[russianswinga]

I'd still take the Carolla in a zombie apocalypse. Cars and trucks will be easy to find. Gas will be scarce.

In an apocalyptic-type scenario where you are likely to find abandoned vehicles blocking major highways, your best bet is a touring or adventure type motorcycle.

[Elderwood17]

I had a truck and kind of miss it since I actually heavily used the truck bed.  But it was a little 4 cylinder Chevy S-10.  The trucks these days are gigantic.  My brother visited us once when we were in the hospital with his truck (I think it was an F-150), and he must have had to go back and forth 8 times just to pull into the spot in the parking garage.

I once had an office that looked over a public parking lot.  It was amusing to watch the truck and mega SUV owners make multiple maneuvers to get into a parking spot.  Generally they had to back in (especially the males) and often working for a front row spot when the third row was wide open. 

[VirginiaBob]

I had a truck and kind of miss it since I actually heavily used the truck bed.  But it was a little 4 cylinder Chevy S-10.  The trucks these days are gigantic.  My brother visited us once when we were in the hospital with his truck (I think it was an F-150), and he must have had to go back and forth 8 times just to pull into the spot in the parking garage.

I once had an office that looked over a public parking lot.  It was amusing to watch the truck and mega SUV owners make multiple maneuvers to get into a parking spot.  Generally they had to back in (especially the males) and often working for a front row spot when the third row was wide open.

I hate in parking garages when you are sitting idle waiting for all the vehicles in front of you trying to get the closest spot possible (elevation wise), and of course backing into those spots.  Meanwhile, just go up a level or 2 and you can park right next to the elevators.

[Jack]

The trucks these days are gigantic.

No kidding. My wife can't even drive a full-size truck because her feet don't reach the pedals!

(And she's not all that short, either -- she's 5'3".)

[BeerBeard]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.

Work - yes. Making it up a mountain pass in the snow? NO. A used Subaru with AWD will do that just fine - a Legacy if you're into sedans, a Forester if you need higher ground clearance. Want to get really fancy? A 2008 BMW 335 Xi sedan with a twin-turbo 6-cylinder and all-wheel drive will set you back $15K and make it up that snowy hill VERY quick. That price is for a California car too, so no rust damage. All that luxury and still 3x cheaper than a new pickup truck. Did I mention Xi packages on a BMW come with heated seats? ;)

What does the BMW do about all the rocks?

And the approach angle, departure angle, ground clearance, lack of easy or adequate recovery points, etc. 

[horsepoor]

My favorite part is when they finally get in the truck and one woman exclaims "oh, it feels like a car!". So... You want a dude who drives a car-like truck instead of an actual car.

[dragoncar]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.

Work - yes. Making it up a mountain pass in the snow? NO. A used Subaru with AWD will do that just fine - a Legacy if you're into sedans, a Forester if you need higher ground clearance. Want to get really fancy? A 2008 BMW 335 Xi sedan with a twin-turbo 6-cylinder and all-wheel drive will set you back $15K and make it up that snowy hill VERY quick. That price is for a California car too, so no rust damage. All that luxury and still 3x cheaper than a new pickup truck. Did I mention Xi packages on a BMW come with heated seats? ;)

What does the BMW do about all the rocks?

And the approach angle, departure angle, ground clearance, lack of easy or adequate recovery points, etc.

I'm guessing approach angle, ground clearance, and departure angle are no problem.

[eyePod]

What about all the questions they didn't ask, like:

Which man is happier?
Which man only has the appearance of happiness?
Which man is in debt?
Which man has fewer worries?
Which man is defined by his possessions?

This is great. Did you see the commercial in the early 2000's that had a guy in a typical happy suburban neighborhood that said something like "i'm living the perfect life because I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!" I'm going to dig around for it now.

[eyePod]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r0HX4a5P8eE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I can't embed it I guess so here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE

"Somebody help me."

[dutchcheap]

The truck is red and the sedan is silver. The people are reacting to color and assigning the
positives to the truck. Reverse paint schemes and see what their reaction is. Ever heard of
a silver power tie ? 

[GetItRight]

My favorite part is when they finally get in the truck and one woman exclaims "oh, it feels like a car!". So... You want a dude who drives a car-like truck instead of an actual car.

Truck guy could get an El Camino for a fraction of the price, lower repair costs, similar MPG with a bigger more powerful engine, and have a larger bed for more utility. Rather than get some junky expensive car-truck that fails miserably at both you may as well get a car that has the utility of a small truck.

[Silverado]

Unless you need a truck for your job or if you live in an area with really bad winters in which a truck is necessary to make it up the mountain passes in the snow, then there is very little reason to own one.

Work - yes. Making it up a mountain pass in the snow? NO. A used Subaru with AWD will do that just fine - a Legacy if you're into sedans, a Forester if you need higher ground clearance. Want to get really fancy? A 2008 BMW 335 Xi sedan with a twin-turbo 6-cylinder and all-wheel drive will set you back $15K and make it up that snowy hill VERY quick. That price is for a California car too, so no rust damage. All that luxury and still 3x cheaper than a new pickup truck. Did I mention Xi packages on a BMW come with heated seats? ;)

I spent four winters in Watertown, NY and the best driving ever was when I T-boned some guy who ran a stop sign in my 4wd truck and had a rental car for a month. FWD Mercury Mystique. Awesome in the nasty weather. Pulling through intersections instead of a push pull. Loved it.

[Bob W]

What about all the questions they didn't ask, like:

Which man is happier?
Which man only has the appearance of happiness?
Which man is in debt?
Which man has fewer worries?
Which man is defined by his possessions?

This is great. Did you see the commercial in the early 2000's that had a guy in a typical happy suburban neighborhood that said something like "i'm living the perfect life because I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!" I'm going to dig around for it now.

. Loved both these. 

[RWD]

How did Chevy come to these conclusions? Well, they assembled many groups of people and showed them pictures of the same guy. The only difference was the vehicle in the background, with one pic showing a badgeless, silver Toyota Corolla and the other showing the new Chevy Colorado.

The truck is red and the sedan is silver. The people are reacting to color and assigning the
positives to the truck. Reverse paint schemes and see what their reaction is. Ever heard of
a silver power tie ?

I'm also thinking that this is a poorly set up test. There are a lot of differences between the two besides "truck vs. car". Badgeless, different brands, different model years(!), different cost, different colors, and I think the picture of the truck is studio quality.

If you really wanted to prove that people prefer the impression of the pickup then you need to get rid of the variables. The Colorado starts at $21k, so let's pick a similar priced Chevy sedan. Looks like the closest one in price is the $22.5k Malibu. So if they pictured the guy instead with a red 2015 Chevy Malibu with the photo being of similar studio quality then you could call it a fair comparison.