# Jeremy Clarkson vs the Ford F-150 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950 "2015-08-15T22:54:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/41 "2015-08-16T16:38:23Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Basically, he’s dead on. F-150s are crap for their cost and as an engineering solution for their actual drivers. There are people out there who need a heavy work vehicle, but they aren’t really optimized for that task either (they lack 4 wheel drive, etc - making an F-150 into a work vehicle requires heavy modifications in many cases) You seem to have less of an idea what you are talking about than Clarkson. If that is possible. Of course the F-150 has 4 wheel drive! Clarkson was talking about the hot rod Lightning version from years ago and you have expanded his comments to include all F-150s. The very base model is only 2 wheel drive but almost all of the ones that I see out here in the real world rural Western US are 4 wheel drive. Real 4 wheel drive, not all wheel drive. My wife drives a 2003 Lariat, heated leather seats and the towing package and when I am allowed to drive it during hunting season I find it to be possibly the tightest vehicle I have driven. Wash-boards, ruts, logging roads, it does not rattle at all. Even after all these years. We haul a ton of pellets for the wood stove and stuff it for camping and it still drives great. I am looking forward to her purchase of a new model so I can keep the 2003 for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/42 "2015-08-16T16:49:55Z")
Pointing out American idiocy was part of Clarkson’s schtick. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/43 "2015-08-16T17:01:40Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Let’s not forget about the idiots that install the [truck bed covers](http://www.pickupspecialties.com/Tonneau-covers/Ranch_fiberglass/image005_small_small.jpg) making them virtually obsolete. This assumes that the only use anyone could have for a truck is to haul large things. I know many people with bed covers that work perfectly for what they need. Just three off the top of my head are a specialized maintenance guy with a bed cover with a ton of tools under it, a signmaker who hauls signs under his and a firearms instructor that hauls rifles. They all three need more space than a car can provide but, for whatever reason, prefer the cover to a full camper top. A bed cover may keep you from hauling a washer and dryer but it provides a huge space of protected storage that a truck without it doesn’t have. Without the cover, a truck would be just as useless to them as one with a cover is to you. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/44 "2015-08-16T17:08:46Z")
I drove a pick up from 99 through 11. They’re great. They have more room for a guy like me, 6’6" 320. I don’t currently own one because I like in a big city and driving them here is a nightmare. Everyone I know who actually uses is pick up has a cover on the bed, either the shell or the flat, otherwise all of your tools have a tendency to disappear. My borther-in-law is one of the two people that currently take the hit for me not owning a pick up and I’ve had to borrow his 30 plus times so far this year not counting the day when I load up my CJ-5 to the point it probably unsafe since i don’t want to bother him or he’s busy. I can’t imagine a life where you only use a pickup once a year. I’ve always got a construction project going on or one of my friends do or we want to haul the boat up to the lake to go fishing or I’m loading up the gear for a festival. Between comfort and usability I’m always surprised more people don’t own pickups. That being said if I was going to buy one I’ve heard that Chevy has their small pickup coming with a diesel this year that would improve fuel economy, torque with only a minor sacrifice to comfort and utility. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/45 "2015-08-16T17:16:50Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > I see two kinds of pickup drivers in South Texas. > > Those with pre-2000 models that have never been inside a carwash, usually with a very banged up bed full of tools, lumber, or workers. Real pickup drivers. > > And more commonly, those with brand-new trucks that have extended cabs and pristine beds, which have never hauled anything heavier than a Double Whataburger. Drugstore cowboys. Yeah, people tend to buy POS trucks for work, and drive the nice ones for their family. Probably like that most places. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/46 "2015-08-16T17:29:53Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Interesting. So by that logic, that you must work in the industry to be able to legitimately have an opinion, then only **dada2fish** has any right to post in this thread. No, but you have to have successfully done more with a car or truck besides drive it into the ground and bitch about it. I’ve been a state inspector, and done lots of automotive work without designing and building them. I’m more qualified to talk about cars than Clarkson is, but I’m not as entertaining. > [@leftfield6](#): > > But the reality is, outside of the construction or maintenance industies, most people who use their pickup for a DD don’t do those tasks more than one or twice a year. And, yes, lugging around in a oick-up when a car would better suit your purpose is rather ridiculous. I’m going to guess you pulled that number out of your ass. When I stopped needing a pickup every couple of weeks, I sold it and got a sports car. I’ll assume that most pickup drivers generally use them as trucks, because pickups aren’t much fun to drive. > [@leftfield6](#): > > Clarkson pointing it out has become a bit of a **Lightnin’** rod (see what I did there) in this thread, because he’s an easy guy to dislike. But it doesn’t make what he says any less true. As a daily driver, the F150 is not as good a vehicle as 95% of the cars out there. BECAUSE it is a truck. There is a reason no production car is currently manufactured with body on frame technology. And there is a reason that trucks still are. That makes them well-suited to carrying stuff, but less well suited to being a safe, comfortable, highly performing daily driver. But as was pointed out, it makes a dandy truck, because it is one. Clarkson is wrong about that, and comparing it to a car isn’t really a sane comparison. Of course, TG stopped being a useful show about cars many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/47 "2015-08-16T19:34:51Z")
Planet Money did a podcast a while back on why there is so little choice when it comes to pickups in the US. The chicken tax, I believe. terrifs were imposed on American chickens (in Germany?) because they were too cheap, and the German poultry industry was suffering. We retaliated by putting a terrif on imported trucks, essentially giving US automakers a monopoly. You can get a Toyota pickup, but they’re even more expensive than a Ford. Anyway, we have owned 2 f 150s, and currently have a 250. We can’t really do without a truck, we do lots of construction, own a small farm, have a boat and a tractor that sometimes need hauling, etc. They’re decent trucks. Comparing them to a car is completely missing the point. BTW, you can absolutely get f 150s with 4wd, so I have no idea where that objection comes from. It’s one of the cheaper full size trucks you can get. If you need a truck, it’s as good an option as any for the price. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/48 "2015-08-16T19:38:44Z")
But the Toyota Tundra is manufactured in the US, so presumably the tariffs don’t apply to it. If it’s more expensive than the American pickups, I’d assume that’s because Toyota is pricing it that way. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/49 "2015-08-16T22:06:23Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Pointing out American idiocy was part of Clarkson’s schtick. Since we now have John Oliver to fill the role of “smug Brit who thinks it’s his job to tell Americans what to do” we no longer need Clarkson. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/50 "2015-08-16T22:29:20Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I owned a 2005 F150 for about a year. I can’t really argue with any of his criticisms. It’s ride had an odd ability to be both floaty and harsh. The door panel was coming loose with less than 20K on it. I had to have the windshield removed and reset twice, under warranty, because of leakage. I don’t have the repair orders, having passed them on to the next owner, but I beleive that thing went to the dealer for repair at least 6 times in the one year I owned it. I still have my 2005 F-150 and have had no issues with it. It was perfect for us because our family of 5 fits, plus we can haul bikes, Scouts’ camping equipment, brush we’ve cleared, stuff from Home Depot, etc. I’ve never watched Top Gear, so I can’t comment on his opinion. Maybe he has less use for a truck than I do. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/51 "2015-08-16T22:49:43Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Planet Money did a podcast a while back on why there is so little choice when it comes to pickups in the US. The chicken tax, I believe. terrifs were imposed on American chickens (in Germany?) because they were too cheap, and the German poultry industry was suffering. We retaliated by putting a terrif on imported trucks, essentially giving US automakers a monopoly. You can get a Toyota pickup, but they’re even more expensive than a Ford. > > Anyway, we have owned 2 f 150s, and currently have a 250. We can’t really do without a truck, we do lots of construction, own a small farm, have a boat and a tractor that sometimes need hauling, etc. They’re decent trucks. Comparing them to a car is completely missing the point. BTW, you can absolutely get f 150s with 4wd, so I have no idea where that objection comes from. It’s one of the cheaper full size trucks you can get. If you need a truck, it’s as good an option as any for the price. That was a great Planet Money [episode](http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/12/414029929/episode-632-the-chicken-tax)! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/52 "2015-08-17T00:04:18Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I owned a 2005 F150 for about a year. I can’t really argue with any of his criticisms. It’s ride had an odd ability to be both floaty and harsh. The door panel was coming loose with less than 20K on it. I had to have the windshield removed and reset twice, under warranty, because of leakage. I don’t have the repair orders, having passed them on to the next owner, but I beleive that thing went to the dealer for repair at least 6 times in the one year I owned it. Exactly like the 1975 F-150 at my company in '76-'77. I won’t say that it was used up being driven three times a week for two years, but it looked and ran like shit. > [@Muffin](#): > > Pointing out American idiocy was part of Clarkson’s schtick. And has he ever liked an American car, except his Ford GT? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/53 "2015-08-17T02:02:36Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > That was a great Planet Money [episode](http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/12/414029929/episode-632-the-chicken-tax)! Thanks, I was posting from my phone, which is just the worst for linking anything. I love Planet Money, just about everything they do is interesting. > [@Dewey Finn](#): > > ``` > But the Toyota Tundra is manufactured in the US, so presumably the tariffs don't apply to it. If it's more expensive than the American pickups, I'd assume that's because Toyota is pricing it that way. > > ``` You’re right, I was just going from memory of a podcast I was listening to while doing other things. Tundras are more expensive than F150s, and I think rightfully so. (Both of our daily drivers are Scions, I’m a big Toyota fan, they last forever.) Unfortunately they hold their value like crazy, and we buy trucks to beat the hell out of them, so new isn’t a good option. I really wish there were more foreign options for trucks, none of the American ones thrill me. When you need a big, cheap truck to haul heavy shit, it’s gonna be domestic. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/54 "2015-08-17T14:55:42Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > You’re right, I was just going from memory of a podcast I was listening to while doing other things. Tundras are more expensive than F150s, and I think rightfully so. I don’t agree. the only reason the Tundra seems “more expensive” than the F-150 is because the base model Tundra has a higher equipment level than the base F-150. the base F-150 XL comes with a V6, vinyl seats, no CD player, no power door locks or windows, no carpet, etc. the lowest-spec Tundra still has power everything, CD, touchscreen, USB, all that stuff. and on the high end, you can’t even option up a Tundra Platinum to the _starting_ price of an F-150 Platinum. > [@](#): > > I really wish there were more foreign options for trucks, none of the American ones thrill me. When you need a big, cheap truck to haul heavy shit, it’s gonna be domestic. you can blame consumer preferences. we used to have a ton of small trucks to choose from, then people quit buying them. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/55 "2015-08-17T17:00:39Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I don’t agree. the only reason the Tundra seems “more expensive” than the F-150 is because the base model Tundra has a higher equipment level than the base F-150. the base F-150 XL comes with a V6, vinyl seats, no CD player, no power door locks or windows, no carpet, etc. the lowest-spec Tundra still has power everything, CD, touchscreen, USB, all that stuff. and on the high end, you can’t even option up a Tundra Platinum to the _starting_ price of an F-150 Platinum. > > you can blame consumer preferences. we used to have a ton of small trucks to choose from, then people quit buying them. Ok. When last we looked at used Tundras vs used f150s, the f150s were substantially cheaper. It’s been several years since we were in the market for a light duty pickup, so things may have changed. We can’t afford a new pickup, period, so it’s used or nothing for us. I think the Tundras are probably a better, more reliable truck, but I’m biased because our Toyota cars have been much more reliable than our American trucks. I suspect they hold their value better for that reason. I don’t have an opinion about small tucks, as they’re not big enough to meet our needs and never have been. I can probably get just about as much crap in my hatchback as you can in the bed of a mini truck. (I can get 8’ 2x4s in my Scion TC, but not very many of them and it’s rough on the interior.) Our current F-250 (2002, 7.3 engine) has been pretty good. It’s got a long bed that I can lay plywood flat in and still close the tailgate, it has a lot of power, and the engine should last another 200K miles. I would not want it as my daily driver, but it’s a decent work truck, and as far as I know I can’t get a similar foreign truck in the States for the same money. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/56 "2015-08-17T17:39:34Z")
A pickup truck is a wonderful thing. If the bed is empty it isn’t that efficient to drive around. But with the bed full it fills a role that most other vehicles, especially cars, cannot. If you aren’t an everyday truck user I think the best way to take advantage of one is to know someone who will lend you their truck on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/57 "2015-08-17T17:53:02Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > And has he ever liked an American car, except his Ford GT? I think his first praise about an American made car was during the [Muscle Car Road Trip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQVAHTED1X4&feature=iv&src_vid=-aU09WT5rXg&annotation_id=annotation_2433461451)to Bonneville flats. His comment on the Corvette, after praising the excitement, handling, and proper manual gearbox: “Well done, fat man from Kentucky!” He is even very [favorable about the 2014 Corvette](http://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-review-2014-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-convertible/). I think Clarkson just doesn’t like trucks in general. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/58 "2015-08-17T23:34:53Z")
Does that mean we can call him “fat man from Yorkshire?” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/59 "2015-08-18T01:01:44Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Ok. When last we looked at used Tundras vs used f150s, the f150s were substantially cheaper. It’s been several years since we were in the market for a light duty pickup, so things may have changed. We can’t afford a new pickup, period, so it’s used or nothing for us. I think the Tundras are probably a better, more reliable truck, but I’m biased because our Toyota cars have been much more reliable than our American trucks. I suspect they hold their value better for that reason. I don’t have an opinion about small tucks, as they’re not big enough to meet our needs and never have been. I can probably get just about as much crap in my hatchback as you can in the bed of a mini truck. (I can get 8’ 2x4s in my Scion TC, but not very many of them and it’s rough on the interior.) ah, well, used changes the picture. I’d expect there are a lot more used F-150s out there so simple supply and demand would say they’ll be cheaper. > [@txtumbleweed](#): > > I think his first praise about an American made car was during the [Muscle Car Road Trip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQVAHTED1X4&feature=iv&src_vid=-aU09WT5rXg&annotation_id=annotation_2433461451)to Bonneville flats. His comment on the Corvette, after praising the excitement, handling, and proper manual gearbox: “Well done, fat man from Kentucky!” > > He is even very [favorable about the 2014 Corvette](http://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-review-2014-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-convertible/). > > I think Clarkson just doesn’t like trucks in general. Here’s the thing: #1 Clarkson is an asshole. #2, he’s an automotive “journalist.” Most such people are enthusiasts, and they write for other enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the vast (_vast_) majority of car buyers are NOT enthusiasts, and buy what they want because they want it. not because some guy on a TV show or website said it’s .2 seconds faster to 60 mph and has slightly more precise handling than its closest competitor. Ford sells 700,000 F-series trucks every year. None of the people buying them give a shit what Jeremy Clarkson thinks. Toyota sells 400,000 Camrys every year (in the US.) None of the people buying them give a shit what Clarkson thinks. car enthusiasts love to pretend that they’re way more important than they are. But they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950/60 "2015-08-18T01:48:58Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > And has he ever liked an American car, except his Ford GT? He must not hate America too much, he puts Briggs Cunningham stripes on some of his vehicular creations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremy-clarkson-vs-the-ford-f-150/727950.md?page=4)