And then there is the lack of outward visibility in a car. Ask anyone who owns a Camaro. If they're honest, they will tell you it's like driving a tank due to the inability to see out of the windows.
I never liked driving SUVs.
suvs/trucks are not cafe
I hear ya on the visibility thing. I once test-drove a GM coupe called the Pontiac G6. It was similar to the Camaro in that it had enormous C-pillars that made it impossible to do an over-the-shoulder look. I remember saying to the salesman, “Wow, I’ve been in this car like 2 minutes and I already hate it just backing up out of this parking space.” Sales guy literally said, “Think about though. We’re on a dealer lot. How often do you really need to back up out of parking spaces in your regular driving?” Uh, all the time, a-hole.
But it varies, though, based on styling. BMWs typically have good rear visibility, even in coupes due to their bubble-like shape (other than maybe something like the i8),
I always thought the truck SUV’s were more like the cars in the late 30’s.
I seem to see about as many four-door sedans on the road as anything else. Many different makes, but pretty similar in size and body style.
I’ve owned everything from pickup trucks, Yukon, even a Miata.
I prefer a car.
Exactly. I need to see whats going on around me.
The Ford Bronco is one tough rig. Rides good and as hell off road.
I can’t drive(on the Autism Spectrum), but if I could drive, I would drive a big old Truck.
A couple percent increase could just be from a push for EVs, which are mostly small to medium sedans, or from people buying ICE sporty cars because they may not be available in a few years.
Big jump in Tesla Model 3s, for example.
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2023-us-vehicle-sales-figures-by-model/
Having an SUV greatly limits one’s flexibility, particularly in regard to trying to keep windows intact, when in much of the country now.
Try driving a full size car. Most SUVs look alike. Ugly, dopey things with no personality. We have a Mecedes ML350 for transporting our dog. Otherwise we’d never own one.
I’ve never seen the usefulness of an suv. They’re inefficient, they tip over easy, I don’t get it. My daughter was going to get an SUV for her, her husband and their baby with another on the way, and I said hey why don’t you look at a minivan. She ended up with a Pacifica hybrid and she absolutely loves that thing.
I suppose if I lived in a ranch in the New Mexico desert, I’d probably have a four-wheel drive suv. But I don’t, and my daughter lives in the Seattle burbs.
I drive a 20+ year old Ford Explorer, wouldn’t drive anything else, love the visibility.
The glass in an SUV allows the homeless addicts to see your stuff and easily smash a window to steal it. Prying a trunk open requires effort.
Cars are about as useless as an air conditioner at the North Pole. The only reason I can see them making a comeback is that SUVs and trucks are just too expensive, and a sedan is all that a lot of people can afford.
A small SUV is an enormously practical vehicle for most people, they’ve replaced the family station wagon for practicality. Given my druthers, however, I’d never drive anything other than my Tundra pickup. I just can’t stomach the fuel mileage. Make a full sized pickup that gets 35 mpg and it’d be the perfect vehicle.
The roofs of passenger cars and other vehicles of 6,000 pounds or less are federally required to be able to withstand one and a half times their weight. There’s no such requirement for heavier light trucks, commercial big rigs, 18-wheelers, and tractor-trailers.
SUV Rollover Risk and What You Can Do to Avoid It [2023] - Avrek Law Firm www.avrek.com/blog/how-does-a-rollover-happen-and-what-you-
Jalapnik is owned by G/O Media, which was founded four years ago.
Interesting timing.
I always hit my head getting in or out of modern vehicles. I am only 5’4”; but I must be a giant compared to the car designers.