For me, a cargo trailer is something else I have to buy, register, fix, and store. A truck isn't really any more expensive than any other vehicle which can carry 5 people comfortably. A Ford Maverick is comparable in cost to a small car, a Ford Ranger is comparable in cost to a mid-sized car, and a Ford F150 has more passenger room than pretty much anything that looks like a "car".

They’re not comparable in running costs though.

A Subaru Outback can tow 3,500 pounds. Enough for a small fishing boat, pop-up camper or utility trailer and gets 30 mpg when not towing and rides better.

A Ranger or F-150 can’t match that economy, but they beat it in towing for sure.

To get 3500 lb towing in an Outback you have to get the turbo engine which is only available a few trim levels up from the base and the EPA says you'll average 26MPG combined. A Ford Ranger 4x4 gets an EPA combined estimate of 22MPG.

A turbo Outback starts at $35k as you have to go a few trim levels up to get the turbo engine. A base 4x4 crew cab Ford Ranger starts at around $32k.

An F150 hybrid, although definitely higher in purchase price, gets an EPA combined rating of 23MPG, but can tow and haul a significantly larger amount than even a Ranger.

It all depends on what you want to do as to what vehicle you should purchase. The benefit of modern pickup trucks is that they CAN do all the things a normal car can do, plus they can do lots of towing and hauling chores, and the fuel economy penalty really isn't that significant.

In my experience actual fuel economy can vary quite significantly from EPA ratings. The F150 hybrid gets great fuel economy for what it is, but on the highway it’s still not that great and it costs quite a bit more. Something comparable to a $35k Outback would be over $50k.

Not just that, but I can imagine in an EV future having trailers that work as a reserve battery/range extender as well. There would need to be some major redesign to make them handle better than a cargo trailer, and probably redesign the charging ports on the cars as well as 100 other things. But it would be a great way to blunt some of the compromises with owning a teeny roadster.