33% Of Gen Z Calls Your Pickup ‘Try-Hard’ While 52% Consider Truck Nuts A Red Flag
A recent survey asked Americans 30 and younger what they thought about various vehicles. You may not be shocked that Generation Z considers the Porsche 911 “cool” and the Chrysler PT Cruiser “cringe.” Or that budget-friendly cars are “cringe.” But it might intrigue you how the opinions of pickup trucks are evolving.
The surveyors asked the respondents how they viewed each vehicle class. The majority of respondents did have a positive reaction to pickup trucks, but almost a third consider trucks “try-hard.” That’s Gen Z slang for a desperate or phony person who makes an exaggerated effort to impress others. For comparison’s sake, just 25% of respondents consider a sports car “try-hard.”
The survey also asked Gen Z which modifications to a vehicle they consider “red flags.” An exhaust modified to be extra loud earned a 66.3% vote. Oversized wheels: 55.4%. Truck nuts: 52.1%. Street racing modifications: 47.2%. Lots of bumper stickers: 43.2%. Lift kit: 37.7%. Dark-tinted windows: 29.4%.
So is the perception of pickup trucks with oversized wheels and lift kits changing? Or is it trucks themselves? One interesting aspect of the survey was when Gen Z was asked what specific vehicle models it considers “cringe.” The overall winner is the most famous truck of the past five years: the Tesla Cybertruck. In total, 73.8% of respondents put that vehicle down as “cringe.”
