I would wager it is only the retail market where the non-crew-cab is nearly extinct. A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car.
> A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car.
Not to country folk—kids ride in the bed. Or crammed in the middle if there aren't too many of them and they're still fairly small and you're lucky enough to still have a bench seat.
I have. I had a pillow. Went about 45 miles. I don't recommend it.
Edit: The ride really wasn't so bad, but it wasn't exactly comfortable, and it was a bit awkward. I recommend riding in a factory installed seat with a seat belt. For safety.
Hasn't been my experience. Rural or not, everyone I know has a crew cab now. Supercabs are not uncommon, but the minority for sure, and single cabs are so rare that they catch your eye. Mostly because the fundamental design of modern trucks was clearly not intended for a single cab, so it looks chopped.
Even in the work market they want the crew cab: for the crew to ride around in. I've been the person on a crew who had to ride in the middle seat of the small truck, I never want to again.
Pickup trucks aren't for carrying a family around. The whole point is to have a large open cargo space for building materials, equipment, etc... If you want to haul a family use a sedan or minivan. Those back seats in crew cabs are always cramped and uncomfortable anyway. They are a terrible tradeoff, and yet the entire automotive industry has gone all in on them.
What if you need to haul things while simultaneously carrying a family around? I don't find them to be a terrible tradeoff at all, and I expect that the reason the entire automotive industry has gone all in on them is because I'm not an outlier in that regard.
Because you can drive such a truck https://preview.redd.it/jxpnmzv586e81.png?width=1024&auto=we... if you do not need to transport a family and a sedan and those two will weigh less and have better combined gas mileage than american larger truck. If you relax the assumption that you always transport both a family and a truck load you allow for more powerful trucks and still come out ahead.
In addition you do not need to waste gas if either capability goes unused and the mileage of transporting people won't depreciate the more expensive truck faster.
Not to country folk—kids ride in the bed. Or crammed in the middle if there aren't too many of them and they're still fairly small and you're lucky enough to still have a bench seat.