And I hate their blue-rich eye searing headlights to.
I dunno. I had to drive a truck over the weekend, to move 3 cords of wood. I rented an F250, which is a big truck. It was useful to have; there’s no way that I would have been able to move that much wood with a smaller truck and trailer, and, if my driveway wasn’t so tight, it would have been nicer to rent a larger dump trailer (I’m pretty sure that I was over the maximum load rating on the trailer for each trip).
…But it’s not a fun truck to drive. Power is slow compared to the compact car I usually drive, and very slow compared to my motorcycle, steering feels sloppy, brakes are feel mushy, fuel economy is terrible, and it was so goddamn big that I had to drive very carefully to be sure that it wasn’t over any of the lines on the road. Aside from the ability to move a very heavy load–greater than a ton–it really doesn’t have much of anything going for it. I can’t imagine why most people would want one, compared to a vehicle that allows them to react quickly.
…Or compared to functioning public transit.
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Two things: First of course is one simply must have a nicer, bigger, more powerful truck than that guy.
The second thing is no, that F250 you rented wasn’t comfortable. You most likely rented an F250 XL. The XL trim is the lowest, meanest, least comfortable version of Ford’s trucks. The people who need their brodozer status symbol drive the fancy versions that have the soft carpet, power windows, leather seats, and a bed cover because lets be realistic, that truck bed will never carry anything more than groceries.
I have an F150 XL that I bought used. It was a rental truck from some hardware store called “Menards”. It has no carpet, no power windows, no tint, steel wheels, no extended cab, no crew cab, no CD player, just a bench seat and an 8ft bed.
OMG, Menards is fantastic, and I wish we had them in the state I live in now. :(
But yeah, base model truck. But even without the being a base model, the things that make it shitty to drive are still going to be shitty.
When I worked at a bank not too long ago I got to drive the company car once and its one of those van sized 3 row SUVs with a truck bed’s worth of space (probably a full 8 feet!) when the third row is folded down and holy cow that thing handled like a boat, accelerated poorly, breaked really hard and had a super disconcerting glide to the suspension.
I had to go pick up some packages for my department that the post office had said were a lot, but it turned out to just be like one seat’s worth of boxes, so i couldve just driven my own car and expensed the miles, so it was a waste of a trip for that giant boat
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As an American, it may have started with macho, but now it’s about safety. I drive a Volt and am frequently blinded by SUVs and Trucks in my rear view. If a 250 hits me… I’m probably dead.
Until legislation is passed limiting the height of a vehicle a regular person can drive there will never be any change. Maybe also height restrictions in certain lanes or regions would help.
Special licenses and restrictions on where we allow these cars is the only way forward.
Being blinded by headlights is already a solved problem for years now with matrix headlights. It is the US government that is full of old farts that don’t even understand what they are and how they work. We just need a government that can actually respond and update policy for new technology. Currently matrix led headlight tech is illegal in the US because of some headlight laws made in 1920…
A solved problem on a handful of luxury cars. We are years away from this feature being commonplace unless a law is passed.
Also, they are legal. https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1135084_us-finally-allows-use-of-modern-matrix-headlights
I think this is USA only. Maybe mention that in the title. They don’t sell half of those cars here.
I wish. More shitty American pickups in the Netherlands each year, further encouraged by a tax loophole.
I hope the gas prices bleed these fuckers dry…
Yeah I’ve seen Trucks more often in Sweden as well as other SUVs. The most common car used to be a station wagon of some sort but it seems to be more compact suvs now too
It’s the same in Australia. Tax incentives given to businesses during the pandemic mixed with a large influx of yank tanks available on the market means that there are heaps of these monster trucks getting around. I honestly don’t know how they cope, the roads and parking around here aren’t designed for such large vehicles and this is out in the countryside; I can’t see them fitting in narrow city streets.
I’m even noticing more trucks and SUVs in Japan now. There are very few of the super doody retard mobiles that seem very common in the US, but I have seen them, and there are plenty of people driving chunky Jeep and Mercedes trucks which still look too large for the streets here. I really hope there is not a trend, but SUVs definitely seem to be increasing in number.
Thankfully very small kei cars are still popular.
We just had a laugh about this this week at work - it’s just such a ridiculous size compared to European cars.
That is primarily a US problem. Here, a pickup owner is either a gardener or an excentric.
That’s true in the UK too, but SUVs sadly are quite popular
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It’s an arms race to not die in a car crash.
Story time. I was going back home yesterday when I saw this lifted F250 tailgating a Chevy sedan for going 5 over the speed limit (clearly the pickup wanted to go faster), so I can guarantee you that the Chevy driver will get something bigger if they can for their next car because having a monster truck right behind you seems t scare the shit out of most people so they feel safer in a larger vehicle.
I can’t even bother to give a shit if that were happening to me.
I’m in your camp for sure, but I can certainly understand the feeling of needing something bigger to protect yourself too. Those massive trucks driving like idiots are a safety hazard. That, and the fact that when your face is at bumper level, if something happens, no matter how correct you are, you’re still going to be pulling your teeth out of their fog lights.
Exactly. Even if we can’t ban cars everywhere, there should at least be restrictions on the bumper height of a vehicle as well as the headlight height. I know here in South Carolina, they just banned modified trucks called Carolina Squats but lately I’ve seen more of them (because “fuck the libs” or whatever), but the punishment is a ticket, they need to be impounded and the plates only returned once the modifications are removed and pass a safety inspection.
I think that compact SUV is an optimal car. It is not too big (sized like a normal car), it doesn’t consume too much fuel, you can drive to the countryside (with light offroad) and it has enough space for some load and passengers feel comfortable. It can have AWD but I think that differential block is more important than AWD.
There is no such thing as an optimal car, there are less wasteful cars. 99% of the time it will only transport a single person.
Hatchbacks and wagons are cool for similar reasons, but they are barely a thing over here, sadly. At least we got a couple offerings from VW I guess.
🤮
Unless you work in construction, or have a similar need for a pickup, fuck you for buying one.
Here’s a fun anecdote: I live in California, where these vehicles are (mostly) limited to those who need them. In 2018, I visited family in the midwest. We played a game of counting the pickups while walking a short trip from a hotel to a chain outlet. We hit 99 pickups by the time we got to the doors. I was irritated that we got to 99 and not 100 cause that would have been so awesome, but seriously. 99?! In just several minutes. People drive them for fashion, not for practical need.
Every pickup driver that doesn’t “need” a pickup is my enemy.
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People think the shape of a truck somehow works better in the snow
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How do you know what people need? Also, who are you tell people what they need? You don’t need to be in construction to get a truck. They are the best selling because they are the most versatile. You don’t need different vehicles for different situations.
How do you know what people need?
I know they don’t need a truck bed when it doesn’t have a scratch on it because they are not using it. I don’t know what they need, but a truck is clearly not fit for purpose in that case.
I know plenty of people that have and use trucks that don’t have scratched beds, they take care of stuff.
I’ve never seen one person like that, and I do work in construction.
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An honest response I’ve gotten when I ask why someone needs a big car.
Within the “truck” class of vehicles, EPA fuel efficiency standards are based on weight. It’s easier to build heavy trucks and SUVs that meet those standards, than light trucks.
Effectively, the US government legislated heavier trucks and SUVs.
Stop buying bigger and bigger cars.
I drive a station wagon because I need to fit two dogs in the booth plus and entire family in the same car. But this is a transitory need. At some point I’ll either get a small van, for carrying the dogs, or a small hatchback and have the backseats always folded down.
You should buy according to your true needs not market pressure.
" everyone should do thing!
But not me, I have a particular circumstance that means I need to exempt myself from the logic!
I plan to stop in the future but for now am certain!
"
Everyone buying these cars has some reason that matters to them. They all believe they need it.
Myself included (similar reason, dogs, kids, family out of state that we need to help often), but I have no illusions that I took the dirty way.
The key words here are “matters” and “need”.
I bought the car I have today because driving my small 4 door hatchback was no longer a feaseable endeavour when wanting to move the entire family all at once. It was an objective need, not something it mattered.
You can reply I didn’t need to get a family or the dogs. You’re right. But that actually mattered to me, regardless if it was an objective need.
As I said, I’m in the same spot.
My point is that 99.9% of large car owners have what to them seems like an objective need. Humans are super good at justifying our actions, especially to ourselves
I am the world’s last sedan enjoyer.
Or buy whatever the fuck you want, because why not make one part of your miserable life slightly more pleasurable by driving something that makes you smile. In the US, 99% of us need a vehicle to commute because we don’t have access to decent public transportation, so why not drive something you enjoy? Do I need a 500hp Mustang to get me to work and back? Hell no, but it sure does turn that commute into a few precious moments of happiness before I start the 9-5 grind.
I don’t even consider a station wagon a big car anymore. And I bet the vast majority of station wagon owners actually need the space. No shot the average SUV owner needs the weight for anything other than to feel “safe” in their tank.
Yes, cars have gotten bigger. And that’s bad, for a heap of obvious reasons. I guess that means we need to provide stronger push-back. Somehow.
CARB needs to be changed to not incentive bigger vehicles.
Well, we needed a vehicle that could fit two children and related sports gear and, ideally, haul bikes at some point, and the had the cargo capacity for the yearly road trip vacation with the extended family. A small SUV was the winner as no car measured up and a true truck was overkill.
Shocking though it may be, for many, the use case may be valid.
the yearly road trip vacation with the extended family
For a once a year event, renting is almost certainly cheaper than using a larger vehicle you don’t need for the rest of the year. Another option is driving two vehicles during the trip.
I’m interested in your reasoning behind cheaper.
Your assumption behind don’t need the rest of the year - do you believe there are zero scenarios where the wife and I are both out and about? Perhaps… working?
You’re correct - we could double the mileage / energy consumption, wear-and-tear, cognitive load, etc. on trips - or, we could not do something so ridiculous.
Your assumption behind don’t need the rest of the year - do you believe there are zero scenarios where the wife and I are both out and about? Perhaps… working?
I don’t understand what you are trying to say here. I was explicitly addressing road trips, not daily errands. Buy a smaller vehicle for dayly stuff and for a yearly road trip you can rent a larger vehicle than the one you use for daily errands. In the end it will save you money. What is the problem?
I was explicitly addressing road trips, not daily errands.
Feel free to highlight this explicit addressing.
For a yearly road trip you can rent a larger vehicle than the one you use for daily errands, and in the end it will save you money. What is the problem?
Setting aside, for the moment, you’ve myopically focused on a single facet of my scenario - the road trips -
Do you believe there are zero scenarios where the cost of potential SUV - cost of potential car <= (cost of rental * years of ownership)? Interesting.
Even a little more restrictive - do you believe there are zero scenario where the cost of a potential SUV which meets my feature requirements - the cost of a potential car which meets my feature requirements <= (cost of a rental * years of ownership)?
I am sorry for your limited ability to consider.
Feel free to highlight this explicit addressing.
I invite you to re-read my comment. I don’t see how it could have been more explicit:
[You] the yearly road trip vacation with the extended family
[Me] For a once a year event, renting is almost certainly cheaper than using a larger vehicle you don’t need for the rest of the year.
As for the rest, I will be happy to maintain a friendly conversation only as long as you return the favor. I will not get involved in angry internet arguments.
Thank you and have a great day.
Ah, I see your error - you imply the road trip rather than explicitly highlight it.
Fair enough - I had mixed you up with another poster and you did not deserve my frustration. My apologies.
Sounds like a normal car with a hitch was the correct choice you ignored.
Not really. We already have a 4-door with about as much trunk space as one can get and it wasn’t sufficient.
As a side note, how’s the view from that high horse?
Not the poster above, but I used to haul two dirtbikes on a large trailer behind my Ford Mondeo, and I could still fit 5 adults and about a month of groceries in the car. It cost me £350, and I sold it for £200 after 3 years and 65000 miles. Zero problems cruising at 80mph full laden without the trailer or 60mph with.
The guy I sold it to stripped it and used it as a dirt track racecar and it lasted him a whole season.
I’m slightly mystified why anyone would want to throw extra money at SUVs, there’s so much more to life.
I used to haul two dirtbikes on a large trailer
I have neither the storage options for, nor the interest in owning, a large trailer. I do have the option of selecting a vehicle which best suits my needs while fitting in my garage. I suspect that, were children and sports not part of the equation, I’d be perfectly happy with my Volt.
Oh, I didn’t own or store the trailer. I rented it when I needed it and just had a little hitch rack to take one bike most of the time. If I needed to only take two dirtbikes I’d have got a folding bike trailer which takes up hardly any space.
My point was that my midsize hatchback had the same internal space for taking things around as your SUV, just with less weight and fuel consumption. Unless your kids are larger than adult sized and you have five of them?
Oh, I didn’t own or store the trailer. I rented it when I needed it and just had a little hitch rack to take one bike most of the time.
Fair enough.
My point was that my midsize hatchback had the same internal space for taking things around as your SUV, just with less weight and fuel consumption. Unless your kids are larger than adult sized and you have five of them?
I’ve yet to see this bear out. I have a midsize hatchback - a Chevy Volt - which does not have close to the same space. There is an argument to be made for fuel consumption there, though.
I don’t know how big a volt is, they’re not sold here. How about if I likenned it to a 1995 Civic 5 door? I had one of those and it could carry nearly as much.
The discussion was about large oversize cars, so that’s what I was comparing the Mondeo to.
I feel like it’s worth pointing out that the car I drive is labeled as an SUV, and it’s smaller and more fuel efficient than a Mondeo.
Not every car labeled an “SUV” is huge three row beast. If your hatchback doesn’t bottom out going into a driveway now, we call that an SUV.
If you say you have a SUV in a thread about people having huge vehicles then is it surprising anyone reading that would think you meant you had a full-time one?
Anyway, to answer your question, if what is considered generally to be a small SUV is a Volvo X40, then the Mondeo was equally long but thinner, shorter, and about 2/3 the weight. I also had a 1995 Civic for a bit, which was lighter still and could carry nearly as much, though it couldn’t tow more than 500kg.
I didn’t actually ask a question or feel surprised about anything, just responding to your comment about “why would anyone buy an SUV”.
My car which is sold as an SUV is smaller and more fuel efficient than the car you lauded as an alternative.I don’t want a big car, and I didn’t get a big car. A massive Buick station wagon is a big car that isn’t an SUV, just like not every SUV is some jumbo monstrosity.
