4 ms·

On the other hand, 54% of rural people live within a metro area. TBH this cuts both ways. I've dug deep into this data using satellite imagery. From a "qualitat

On the other hand, 54% of rural people live within a metro area. TBH this cuts both ways. I've dug deep into this data using satellite imagery. From a "qualitative" stand-point, most Americans live in what midwesterners would call cities or suburbs. A Smart Car or Yaris or whatever will do just fine for commuting from rural Floyd County into Atlanta. Been there, done that. It. Is. Fine. Conversely, a fully-size sedan is the minimal useful car if you want to go the ~10 blocks or whatever from Michigan Ave to the beach in mid January. Again, been there and done that. It. Is. Not! Fine. This is less of a urban/rural thing and more of a weather/climate thing.

nradov 6y ago
I suppose it's subjective but driving a little penalty box like a Yaris on longer trips is a miserable experience, especially if you're tall. It's cramped and has poor NVH experience.
- KozmoNau7 6y ago
  I suspect you haven't driven any small cars for a long time, would that be correct? I have an Opel Corsa (supermini/subcompact) rental car right now, and it's both roomy, quiet and comfortable. The little 1.4L engine gets to motorway speed a lot faster than you'd think, plus it's quiet and smooth, really very little vibration felt at all, not even at 50kph in 5th gear. The front seat pulls back enough that I literally cannot reach the steering wheel or pedals, and I have plenty of headroom (178cm/5'10"). Modern cars in all segments are generally comfortable and quiet, because that's what people want.
  - nradov 6y ago
    The Opel Corsa isn't sold in America so I'm unfamiliar with it but I had driven a variety of other small rental cars during the past few years before the pandemic. I even own a small car myself and it's good enough for short trips but for longer drives my large CUV is far more comfortable.
    - throwawaygh 6y ago
      I owned a subcompact car and an suv. The suv was mostly for the long hauls, and I never drive the smaller car more than 30 minutes. We got rid of the suv because we realized it’s cheaper to just rent the few times of the year we really needed the extra space for those long hauls. Fwiw :)
- throwawaygh 6y ago
  I think in the coming decades we'll see some low/mid-market offerings that are comfortable for folks about 6' or so. Comfort and fuel efficiency are not necessarily conflicting.
- bumby 6y ago
  >poor NVH experience I suspect this is more related to the quality of the build rather than the size of the car

nradov 6y ago

I suppose it's subjective but driving a little penalty box like a Yaris on longer trips is a miserable experience, especially if you're tall. It's cramped and has poor NVH experience.

KozmoNau7 6y ago
I suspect you haven't driven any small cars for a long time, would that be correct? I have an Opel Corsa (supermini/subcompact) rental car right now, and it's both roomy, quiet and comfortable. The little 1.4L engine gets to motorway speed a lot faster than you'd think, plus it's quiet and smooth, really very little vibration felt at all, not even at 50kph in 5th gear. The front seat pulls back enough that I literally cannot reach the steering wheel or pedals, and I have plenty of headroom (178cm/5'10"). Modern cars in all segments are generally comfortable and quiet, because that's what people want.
- nradov 6y ago
  The Opel Corsa isn't sold in America so I'm unfamiliar with it but I had driven a variety of other small rental cars during the past few years before the pandemic. I even own a small car myself and it's good enough for short trips but for longer drives my large CUV is far more comfortable.
  - throwawaygh 6y ago
    I owned a subcompact car and an suv. The suv was mostly for the long hauls, and I never drive the smaller car more than 30 minutes. We got rid of the suv because we realized it’s cheaper to just rent the few times of the year we really needed the extra space for those long hauls. Fwiw :)
throwawaygh 6y ago
I think in the coming decades we'll see some low/mid-market offerings that are comfortable for folks about 6' or so. Comfort and fuel efficiency are not necessarily conflicting.
bumby 6y ago
>poor NVH experience I suspect this is more related to the quality of the build rather than the size of the car