5 ms·
tldr: regulations and people are getting fatter.
by ggoo 7y ago
tldr: regulations and people are getting fatter.
- exposay 7y agoRegardless of regulation and body size, I would still prefer wider cars than narrower cars.
- mhh__ 7y agoI don't mind a wide car as long as it's not one of these absolutely fuck-ugly SUVs. They're a plague. Go to any remotely rural place in the UK (especially if it's rich) and you'll see SUVs and 4x4 with no more than 2 people in them usually - basically just because there are some leaves on the ground, despite all the millions of Dollars, Euros and Pounds that have been spent on making normal cars safer, grip better and more efficient. Edit: I fully expect to be seeing some Tesla Cybertrucks assuming they come to mass market.
- riffraff 7y agoThere are SUV in freaking European _capitals_, with a single person on board. The day we start taxing asphalt occupation at near insanity level will always be too late.
- stagger87 7y agoIs it because there are leaves on the ground? Or because it is worth the extra price to occasionally have the ability to drive 6 people around or haul all your gear up to the mountain safely or to feel safer on the road?
- mhh__ 7y agoThe people I have in mind have multiple cars, and (where I have in mind) there are no mountains.
- jedberg 7y agoMy wife likes to drive an SUV because of the high vantage point of visibility for the driver, and because it's easer to put kids in a car seat when you don't have to bend over. There are reasons people like SUVs other than "leaves on the ground".
- dabeeeenster 7y agoAt the expense of literally everyone else on the road
- jedberg 7y agoHow so?
- flyingfences 7y agoTo begin with, your high vantage point means that everybody else driving reasonably-sized cars has trouble seeing around you.
- jedberg 7y agoIronically that's why we had to get one in the first place. However, in the US, SUVs and Pickups outnumber sedans, so the majority of people sit at the same vantage point.
- dabeeeenster 7y agoSUVs kill more people.
- jedberg 7y agoI don't think that's a casual relationship though. SUV drivers are probably more distracted because they are more likely to have kids in the back, they might just be worse drivers, etc. Too many factors to say if it's the SUV's fault.
- notJim 7y agoPeople complain about SUVs with a lot of apparently unnecessary capability (4x4, holding lots of people), but the nature of car sales is that you kind of have to buy one that covers all use cases, because it's the only one you're going to have. I.e., maybe most of the time it's just you in the car, but you want to be able to haul you and your spouse and your parents around when they come to visit. Or you mostly commute to work, but want 4x4 for when you go skiing. This is why long term, we need to move away from car ownership and toward something like Zipcar for all. In that world, you would just rent whatever vehicle you needed when you needed it. Step one is making it not just possible, but preferable to not own a car.
- frenchyatwork 7y agoMost people don't need SUVs to go skiing, just good tires, chains, and a shovel. There's a good chance you'll need these things even if you have an SUV. Also mhh__ was talking about rural UK. They don't have ski hills there (at least not ones with snow). People complain about SUVs because 1. They are large and get in the way. 2. Their lights are high up, so they blind you when they tail-gate you at night. 3. They often have poor drivers, possibly because they have large blind spots, possibly other socio-economic reasons.
- r_klancer 7y ago4. They tend to hit pedestrians and cyclists above their center of gravity, so they knock you down under the wheels instead of up and over the windshield
- matt_the_bass 7y agoI feel the same way. I have a VW Atlas. It’s big but I often take advantage of its size including road trips with 4 adults, two kids in car seats, and luggage. I think I use the volume of it enough to justify a large vehicle versus renting one when needed. Unfortunately I can’t afford To also have a small car for the times I don’t need the volume. I definitely feel a little guilty when there are only 2 people in it.
- yellowapple 7y ago
- exposay 7y agoI have just upgraded to an SUV. Love it! I would not go back to anything smaller!
- toast0 7y agoI've got a narrower than average car, and it's nice to fit in garages, tight parking spaces, narrow ferry lanes, etc. The seats are a little narrow, but not too bad. For some reason they built it so the turning radius is worse than a mini-van though.
- thorwasdfasdf 7y agoThis! sometimes I think it would be nice if they produced a low cost small car like the 1960s mini. with today's productivity they could build a simple version for quite cost effective. But, regulations mean it's completely impossible and so the cost of cars and their size keeps going up.
- roflchoppa2 7y agodude have you been in a classic mini? its literally a coffin. that being said i like trying to drag race mustangs in my buddies one. Check out Kei Cars in Japan.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoA coffin that fits 4 adults and a German Shepherd in the estate bit. That's quite snug, but no worse than a Polo, Beetle, Fiesta or 2CV of similar era. But like most cars it spends most of its time carrying just one or two adults, maybe a bit of shopping, when it has ample room.
- ceejayoz 7y ago"Snug" tends to mean "limited crumple zones and side airbags", which tends to mean "death trap" in a significant accident.
- growlist 7y agoI personally know of someone that suffered permanent short-term memory loss from a terrible crash in an original mini. A woman pulled out in front of him without looking properly, his car was pretty much completely destroyed, and he was lucky to survive. It's all well and good to praise their size and practicality, but they come at a heavy price.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoIn the same era few cars would see you better off. A Polo or Escort would be similarly totalled, a big Merc or Volvo would often happily demount the engine and punch it back into the cabin taking your legs with it...
- Goronmon 7y agoNot just fatter though, taller as well.
- souprock 7y agoIf you're having this issue, I recommend the Fiat 500L. It works for my 6'9" son, with room to wear a hat.
- _ph_ 7y agoI am driving a 2007 VW Golf. You could make it easily 15 cm smaller by cutting off the center console between the front seats without sacrificing any safety. Of course, the rear bench would be comfortable for 2 only, but that already applies to it as it is. So one could design nice 4 seated cars - especially if they are designed electric only, removing most of the need for the center console, as there is no gear shifting.
- microtherion 7y agoNot sure I buy the "getting fatter" part of the reasoning. I'm 6'2", 245lbs, and I can drive a Smart Fortwo quite comfortably.
- megablast 7y agoSure, but that car doesn't make you feel skinnier.