Why do people buy trucks?
Well maybe it's not people. There are a TON of fleet trucks out there, and small construction companies like mine use pickups sometimes instead of vans. If I had the capital (and was looking from an open perspective) why would I consider purchasing a truck from Dodge or Chevy, or even one of the import trucks, when the Ford is doing the best? Truthfully though, I'd get a van as I believe those still have I-beam front suspensions. I like the indestructo stuff. You who know me know how I abuse my Focus, so you can imagine how I abuse vans. Actually, I have some pics of van abuse- the tongue of the trailer is like inches off the pavement.
Big throaty V8 or not, I pulled away from my partner's 05 with a 5.4 on the highway. Make all the sound you want, but with the aerodynamics of a brick wall, more than twice the weight, and 4 times the wheel weight- the little wagon grocery getter is the winner.
It takes a ton of hp to make a truck fast- like in the Lightnings. I have a friend with a Whipple changeover- and something like 550 hp on a dyno. That truck is silly (no drive in rain) fast.