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Yes, agreed. The US has a strange obsession with massive cars. However it was not the european style small cars I ment when I referred to small cars but rathe

Yes, agreed. The US has a strange obsession with massive cars. However it was not the european style small cars I ment when I referred to small cars but rather the 4000 USD electric cars, the article is refering to. Those you do not see in Europe at present. In fact, the only Chinese EVs I have seen are the MG ZS EV and Volvo Polestar - both big cars. The small electrics are things like the VW Up electric and the Fiat 500 electric, both European.

mikewarot 6y ago
>The US has a strange obsession with massive cars. It's not strange... it's survival (plus federal regulations about crash safety, bumper height) require the size vehicles I'm used to here. (The SUV thing is just crazy, though) It is not unusual in the USA on a road trip (vacation) to drive 1000 km/day (or more) at 120+ kph. How is something smaller than a 1999 Honda Civic (1100kg) going to safely share the road with 40000 kg Tractor-Trailer rigs? Here's the smallest car I ever owned... it was silver, with a hatchback... I loved that car, and miss it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_(sixth_generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_(sixth_generation)
- alisonatwork 6y ago
  There are plenty of trucks in Europe. There's even a whole computer game series based around it.[0] Lots of Europeans go on driving holidays. They even take caravans ("travel trailers"). Caravans are so common that they're a running joke on popular car shows like Top Gear.[1] It is true that generally people don't tend to drive as long distances in Europe as they do in the US, but it's not unheard of to drive 1000km on holiday. It's not as if everyone in Europe spends their lives pootling around cobble-stoned towns in Fiat 500s with a crusty baguette sticking out the window. There are large highways and plenty of heavy traffic. I think the difference is that people in Europe tend not use their oversized vehicles as daily drivers. Many people don't even own a large car at all, preferring to rent or borrow one for specifically when they do go on holiday. Driving a large car seems like less of a status symbol in Europe. I don't buy that it's a safety thing for Americans, when most Americans are just driving their SUVs to the shops or to work every day. [0] https://eurotrucksimulator2.com/ https://eurotrucksimulator2.com/ [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTnrpL1Uw0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTnrpL1Uw0
  - mikewarot 6y ago
    Ok, what do you mean by large car? In the US, a car is specifically NOT an SUV, nor a Truck. In my mind, that conjures up a 1972 Buick Electra Station Wagon. They are 2320 Kg, more than 2 of the 1999 Honda Civic. https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/full-size_buick_7gen/le_sabre_4gen_wagon/1972.html https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/full-size_buic...
    - alisonatwork 6y ago
      I understand the term "car" to mean pretty much any personal/family vehicle with an engine and four wheels. I don't think that's an unusual understanding of the word. The (American) Car and Driver magazine features stories on SUVs and pickup trucks too. Most "car" dealerships in the US sell all of these vehicle types.
      - mikewarot 6y ago
        This misunderstanding is because I'm old and when I grew up there were cars, pickup trucks, and Trucks. The language has mutated and I didn't notice. SUVs in the US are out of hand, I totally agree with that. I thought you were saying that our Sedans are huge.
        alisonatwork 6y ago
        I'm also old (ish), and I do admit that the "American cars are bigger" argument has gotten less convincing as time has gone on. Even if we just look at cars, it seems the small/compact end has been getting larger, in Europe as well[0]. It would be interesting to see if the move toward larger cars in general has been offset by the increase of "sub-car" vehicles like electric tuk-tuks, e-bikes and so on. [0] https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/investigation-why-are-cars-becoming-so-wide https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/investigation-wh...
    - ghaff 6y ago
      Less commonly with a pickup truck but plenty of people will refer to their SUV, especially if it's a crossover as most are these days, as their "car." I suppose a large car, in the strict sense of the word, these days would be something like a Lincoln Town Car.
- UncleMeat 6y ago
  If you are comparing to Tractor Trailers, why would car size matter? Even a really chunky SUV won't do anything against a sixteen wheeler.
  - mikewarot 6y ago
    If you hit a Semi Trailer from behind, it would matter... a small vehicle might go UNDER the trailer, decapitating the occupants.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 6y ago
      There's a bumper-height bar on the trailer to prevent that.
benlumen 6y ago
Don't ever change the massive car obsession. To Europeans used to small, cramped spaces - the great open roads and huge comfy cars of America are much appreciated. I actively avoid driving in the UK. I adore driving in the US. edit: Downvoting an outside perspective, how very Reddit!
kop316 6y ago
American here: to offer a counter perspective, I am not at all opposed to a small car. However the last time I went shopping and looked at a smaller car, they were more expensive and more gas hungry then the car I ended up getting. (This was ~8 years ago? Maybe it has changed since then). I was actually surprised to see that.
- TLightful 6y ago
  Citation or that's bullsh!t. If the car you ended up getting was large, as implied, I'd be interested in looking at how sh!te the small car must have been.
  - kop316 6y ago
    https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/smart_fortwo_2014 https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/smart_fortwo_2014 https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/167786-2014-chevrolet-cruze-diesel-review https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/167786-2014-chevrolet-cr... Here you go. I can persoanlly attest that the diesel Chevy cruze easily gets 45-50 mpg. I also paid less for it than a smart car. Like I said, I was not opposed to it, but I'm not spending more for a smaller car that is more fuel inefficient.
    - TLightful 6y ago
      Ok,that's fair. But I don't accept the smart fortwo as a typical small car. If those are its numbers, then its a horrible car, both in terms of mpg and everyday practical use. It looks good as a quick city run around and that's it. In Europe, a typical small car might be a Toyotal Yaris or Peugeot 208, both hitting 70-90mpg https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/toyota/yaris/hybrid/143518/mpg https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/toyota/yaris/hybrid/14351... https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/peugeot/208/owning https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/peugeot/208/owning
      - kop316 6y ago
        > But I don't accept the smart fortwo as a typical small car. Yeah that was why I had that disappointment, I was expecting gas milages closer to what you said. If I could get a car like that in the States, that would be awesome. I would love to get a car that gets 70-90 mpg.

mikewarot 6y ago

>The US has a strange obsession with massive cars. It's not strange... it's survival (plus federal regulations about crash safety, bumper height) require the size vehicles I'm used to here. (The SUV thing is just crazy, though) It is not unusual in the USA on a road trip (vacation) to drive 1000 km/day (or more) at 120+ kph. How is something smaller than a 1999 Honda Civic (1100kg) going to safely share the road with 40000 kg Tractor-Trailer rigs? Here's the smallest car I ever owned... it was silver, with a hatchback... I loved that car, and miss it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_(sixth_generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_(sixth_generation)

alisonatwork 6y ago
There are plenty of trucks in Europe. There's even a whole computer game series based around it.[0] Lots of Europeans go on driving holidays. They even take caravans ("travel trailers"). Caravans are so common that they're a running joke on popular car shows like Top Gear.[1] It is true that generally people don't tend to drive as long distances in Europe as they do in the US, but it's not unheard of to drive 1000km on holiday. It's not as if everyone in Europe spends their lives pootling around cobble-stoned towns in Fiat 500s with a crusty baguette sticking out the window. There are large highways and plenty of heavy traffic. I think the difference is that people in Europe tend not use their oversized vehicles as daily drivers. Many people don't even own a large car at all, preferring to rent or borrow one for specifically when they do go on holiday. Driving a large car seems like less of a status symbol in Europe. I don't buy that it's a safety thing for Americans, when most Americans are just driving their SUVs to the shops or to work every day. [0] https://eurotrucksimulator2.com/ https://eurotrucksimulator2.com/ [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTnrpL1Uw0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTnrpL1Uw0
- mikewarot 6y ago
  Ok, what do you mean by large car? In the US, a car is specifically NOT an SUV, nor a Truck. In my mind, that conjures up a 1972 Buick Electra Station Wagon. They are 2320 Kg, more than 2 of the 1999 Honda Civic. https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/full-size_buick_7gen/le_sabre_4gen_wagon/1972.html https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/full-size_buic...
  - alisonatwork 6y ago
    I understand the term "car" to mean pretty much any personal/family vehicle with an engine and four wheels. I don't think that's an unusual understanding of the word. The (American) Car and Driver magazine features stories on SUVs and pickup trucks too. Most "car" dealerships in the US sell all of these vehicle types.
    - mikewarot 6y ago
      This misunderstanding is because I'm old and when I grew up there were cars, pickup trucks, and Trucks. The language has mutated and I didn't notice. SUVs in the US are out of hand, I totally agree with that. I thought you were saying that our Sedans are huge.
      - alisonatwork 6y ago
        I'm also old (ish), and I do admit that the "American cars are bigger" argument has gotten less convincing as time has gone on. Even if we just look at cars, it seems the small/compact end has been getting larger, in Europe as well[0]. It would be interesting to see if the move toward larger cars in general has been offset by the increase of "sub-car" vehicles like electric tuk-tuks, e-bikes and so on. [0] https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/investigation-why-are-cars-becoming-so-wide https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/investigation-wh...
  - ghaff 6y ago
    Less commonly with a pickup truck but plenty of people will refer to their SUV, especially if it's a crossover as most are these days, as their "car." I suppose a large car, in the strict sense of the word, these days would be something like a Lincoln Town Car.
UncleMeat 6y ago
If you are comparing to Tractor Trailers, why would car size matter? Even a really chunky SUV won't do anything against a sixteen wheeler.
- mikewarot 6y ago
  If you hit a Semi Trailer from behind, it would matter... a small vehicle might go UNDER the trailer, decapitating the occupants.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 6y ago
    There's a bumper-height bar on the trailer to prevent that.

benlumen 6y ago

Don't ever change the massive car obsession. To Europeans used to small, cramped spaces - the great open roads and huge comfy cars of America are much appreciated. I actively avoid driving in the UK. I adore driving in the US. edit: Downvoting an outside perspective, how very Reddit!

kop316 6y ago

American here: to offer a counter perspective, I am not at all opposed to a small car. However the last time I went shopping and looked at a smaller car, they were more expensive and more gas hungry then the car I ended up getting. (This was ~8 years ago? Maybe it has changed since then). I was actually surprised to see that.

TLightful 6y ago
Citation or that's bullsh!t. If the car you ended up getting was large, as implied, I'd be interested in looking at how sh!te the small car must have been.
- kop316 6y ago
  https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/smart_fortwo_2014 https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/smart_fortwo_2014 https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/167786-2014-chevrolet-cruze-diesel-review https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/167786-2014-chevrolet-cr... Here you go. I can persoanlly attest that the diesel Chevy cruze easily gets 45-50 mpg. I also paid less for it than a smart car. Like I said, I was not opposed to it, but I'm not spending more for a smaller car that is more fuel inefficient.
  - TLightful 6y ago
    Ok,that's fair. But I don't accept the smart fortwo as a typical small car. If those are its numbers, then its a horrible car, both in terms of mpg and everyday practical use. It looks good as a quick city run around and that's it. In Europe, a typical small car might be a Toyotal Yaris or Peugeot 208, both hitting 70-90mpg https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/toyota/yaris/hybrid/143518/mpg https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/toyota/yaris/hybrid/14351... https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/peugeot/208/owning https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/peugeot/208/owning
    - kop316 6y ago
      > But I don't accept the smart fortwo as a typical small car. Yeah that was why I had that disappointment, I was expecting gas milages closer to what you said. If I could get a car like that in the States, that would be awesome. I would love to get a car that gets 70-90 mpg.