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The big problem -- pun intended -- is that vehicles are de facto required by law to be huge. Imagine if we had cars that were built like cars from the 80s -- s
by donw 4y ago
The big problem -- pun intended -- is that vehicles are de facto required by law to be huge.
Imagine if we had cars that were built like cars from the 80s -- smaller, lightweight, tons of visibility, minimal equipment -- but with modern engine technology and a few of the electronics that don't add much weight, but add a ton of functionality (like 360-degree cameras).
I'll take the road noise, less interior comfort, and all the rest, just for a basic... car.
I'd love to have a modern reboot 80s compact pickup that wasn't a bloated mess like the new Ford Ranger.
- ramraj07 4y agoUhm not seeing your point? Cars are made to keep who’s inside alive, and you can’t do that with paper thin walls that made the original mini. No law makes an SUV a requirement though. That’s just people getting greedy while the roads are getting larger allowing them to see no difference driving large vehicles.
- buscoquadnary 4y agoI live in an area that is sparsely populated and has hard winters, oftentimes plowing isn't going to happen soon if it happens on the day of a snow storm. I also have several children that I need to transport to various places. I have yet to find a mini-van that is able to handle appropriately in the snow and conditions I am likely to face, and a smaller vehicle can't carry my family. Just because you can't think of a reason doesn't mean someone who does something you disagree with is morally deficient.
- joadha 4y agoTIL that only two minivans (the Sienna and the Pacifica) offer AWD. That surprised me! And incidentally (getting back to the original point of the article), both models feature a pretty flat front-end for a minivan. I wouldn't be surprised if they are considered among the least pedestrian-safe vehicles of the class.
- jackvalentine 4y agoThey're not required by law to be huge - they're required by law to be safe, which being larger ends up being a side effect. Sure a 2022 Toyota Corolla is gigantic compared to a 1985 Corolla, but it's nothing compared to a 2022 F150. The best selling 'car' in North America. I know which one I'd prefer to be hit by.
- Ferrotin 4y agoThat means yes, they are required by law to be larger. It was also because a fuel economy rule change.
- jackvalentine 4y ago> That means yes, they are required by law to be larger. Larger, but not huge as I said. The gigantism of the best selling cars of 2022 isn't because of the law it's because of consumer preference to the detriment of everyone else.
- Temporary_31337 4y agoHave you even seen a Smart car or a Toyota Aigo which has all the required safety parts? So tell us exactly which safety parts are so huge again ?
- prmoustache 4y agoThey are respectively larger than cars that had similar interior space 40 years ago. Saw a review of an old peugeot 505 wagon. It was way smaller than the current Toyota Camry but you could fit 8 persons and still have larger storage capacity.
- hawski 4y agoAt the same time Toyota Aygo is no longer produced. There is now a Toyota Aygo X - a crossover/mini-suv. From what I have read companies stopped producing most of those smallest cars, because to make good margins within what is required by law in terms of safety and CO2 emissions it does not make much sense to produce small cheap cars anymore.
- asdff 4y agoI have a car like that. 2017 toyota yaris. 13 feet long and 2300 lbs like a toyota from 1995.
- KennyBlanken 4y agoEuropean cars have to pass Euro-NCAP crash standards which include pedestrian safety tests. It's not the mass or overall size that's dangerous to pedestrians, it's the nose/hood profile and height.
- ehaliewicz2 4y agoMy 2021 miata isn't really much larger than a 1989 miata.
- wiredfool 4y agoIt weighs 300lbs more, or 15%.
- ehaliewicz2 4y agoIn terms of mass it weighs more (depending on model, it can be as little as 200lbs more), but it's not actually much larger in terms of size. I think it is actually smaller in some dimensions.
- timellis-smith 4y agoI live in the UK, and the last car I bought was a SEAT Ibiza with a 3 cylinder 1 litre engine. I get 4.5l/100km or 52 mpg on long trips. 98% of the time my engine does under 2500 rpm. I have absolutely no need of anything bigger and my car has all the comforts I require. I was also able to buy it for cash. I've never quite understood the desire to own a large car with all its concomitant costs.
- gadders 4y agoHow large is your family?
- timellis-smith 4y agoJust one kid. To be clear we do own another car which is an old Skoda Octavia Greenline also bought for cash. Its efficiency is pretty incredible even if it is a 'dirty diesel'.
- ajuc 4y agoSmart is smaller than most cars made in 80s, and modern compact/city cars are still reasonably light. It's just that somehow SUVs became fashionable. I can't understand why.
- pif 4y ago> Smart is smaller than most cars made in 80s Well, if you compare a car for a couple to a car for a family...
- Broken_Hippo 4y agoModern sedans are way smaller than the sedans of the 80's: Have you seen a Ford Crown Vic from that time frame - or driven one? (my dad had an 85, and was the first car that I was allowed to use). Modern cars aren't required to be huge, in other words. Car companies profit on SUV's more than smaller cars, though, so that's what they push. It helps that they are popular - which is realistically what has happened to the Ford Ranger. Larger bodies are more popular.
- pif 4y ago> Imagine if we had cars that were built like cars from the 80s ... I'd happily but such a car for the city, if it was cheap enough to be able to afford a more serious car for long journeys.
- throwaway0a5e 4y agoYou probably wouldn't know the difference between a 1980s car and a modern car if the modern amount of NVH reduction was thrown at the 1980s car.
- pif 4y agoAs long as the interior is large enough...
- cozzyd 4y agoHow often do you go on long journeys? Rental is an option...
- pif 4y agoNo thanks, not for me. I like having my car sitting in my driveway for when I need it.
- ridgered4 4y agoIt occurred to me a few weeks ago that it was kind of nonsensical that there are tons of safety requirements that have added a lot of cost and complexity to a basic car (arguably this is a very good idea) yet you can still ride a motorcycle around legally. I don't know about you but I'd rather drive to work in a 1980 honda civic than a motorcycle, if only to stay out of the rain. But it isn't legal to sell a 1980s style civic anymore.