While I agree that most lifted trucks are silly, and "hauling coal" is plain stupid, the article is rather disingenuous. Back in the 1990s, the 1980s, and even the 1970s, there were large pickup trucks - being used by blue collar workers. So posing a compact-size truck from the '90s against a full-sized truck from today is hardly a realistic comparison. Likewise the pic of the aftermarket-lifted truck next to the Lexus is misleading.

The fact is, cheap gasoline enables absurd trucks like the new 700hp Dodge Ram with its 8mpg average real-world consumption. If the USA priced gasoline more adequately, to take into account CO2 emissions, nobody would be driving monster trucks.

As for the Prius - the Institute of Automotive Engineers did a full lifecycle analysis several years ago and showed that when everything is factored in, a Prius actually creates more environmental damage than an old diesel Landrover. Its "green" credentials are pure marketing, not reality.