4 ms·

My reasons: 1. It still snows and ices in suburbia, and suburbia isn't always flat. So while not fjording a creek AWD and higher clearances are useful. 2. Lon

My reasons: 1. It still snows and ices in suburbia, and suburbia isn't always flat. So while not fjording a creek AWD and higher clearances are useful. 2. Long road trips are not doable in a cramped sedan for a family of four. 3. SUVs are popular so it is easy to find one and it is easy to sell one when you need to. Only a handful of car companies still sell a minivan today. 4. Cargo area balance with passenger area 5. Occasional towing 6. Car seats have become so large that they often do not fit safely in a backseat of a sedan or hatchback. All in all SUVs are incredibly well balanced vehicles for the average family needs.

adrr 4y ago
What about crossover which is just a hatchback sedan with a higher lift?
- macinjosh 4y ago
  See #2 and #6
  - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
    The current generation Toyota RAV4 has more rear legroom, and (if you trust cars.com's review on these matters) fits contemporary child-seats better, than a BMW 5-series sedan. Packaging matters.
    - s1artibartfast 4y ago
      The Toyota RAV4 is a SUV
      - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
        You say potato, I say: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35082527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35082527
      - adrr 4y ago
        It's based on Toyotas Corolla platform where traditionally SUVs are based on a truck platform. Weight of a crossover is closer to a sedan than regular suv. Rav4 is 3500 pounds where a bronco is 4500.
        midoridensha 4y ago
        >It's based on Toyotas Corolla platform where traditionally SUVs are based on a truck platform. "Traditionally", but that's not the modern usage. SUVs haven't been built on truck platforms for many, many years now; that was the 90s. "Traditionally", a "phone" is a device that plugs into the wall and has a rotary dial for placing calls using numerical codes. These days, a "phone" is a very different device.
        adrr 4y ago
        Best selling suv right now is the bronco and it’s based on T6 platform which is a truck platform. There’s also Ford explorer , Chevy equinox and traverse, Toyota Highlander and 4runner, Jeep Cherokee and wrangler, Then you have all the highend suvs like rangerovers, gwagons, etc.
        NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
        The point is that a Toyota RAV4 (and anything else in the compact crossover segment) is, functionally speaking, much closer to a Corolla than it is to a Suburban. You're getting 30 mpg (combined) vs. 33 mpg for a Corolla; curb weight is within a few hundred pounds; the RAV4 is actually shorter in length than the Corolla. It is basically a Corolla estate with a higher ride height and different body styling/packaging. More relevantly to the original comparison: a RAV4 is shorter, lighter, and gets better gas mileage than a BMW 5-series, in addition to having more rear-passenger legroom and easier child-seat fitting.
- NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
  There's an interesting point there. My wife looks at our RAV4 and says "it's an SUV"; I say "it's a crossover", Toyota markets it as a "compact crossover SUV"; it's based on the same TNGA-K platform as the Camry; is actually shorter than the Camry (but taller) and weights essentially the same.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  No, it's not, it's a hatchback car with a higher lift. There's no such thing as a "hatchback sedan". A sedan (or "saloon" in the UK) is a car with 4 doors and a trunk (or "boot" in the UK) (which is an entirely separate compartment from the passenger compartment).
pard68 4y ago
Thanks all that makes sense
herbstein 4y ago
I'm 25. Grew up in Denmark. I don't recognize many of these as legit explanations for why a station wagon/estate -- a sedan with a squared off trunk -- isn't suitable. > It still snows and ices in suburbia, and suburbia isn't always flat. So while not fjording a creek AWD and higher clearances are useful. SUVs are becoming status symbols here too but you're kidding yourself if you think AWD is in any way needed for snow driving. In the Alps the majority of cars are still sedans and station wagons, same as Norway and Sweden, even during the snowy winters. If anyone pushing the car enough to need AWD on public roads they likely shouldn't be driving in the conditions in the first place. > Long road trips are not doable in a cramped sedan for a family of four. We regularly drove just under 400 kilometers (each way) to visit my dad's family in a Peugeot 406 station wagon. I was 19 when they got rid of that car. My dad is 195 cm, my mom is 175, and us three kids were all tall for our ages. The reason to get rid of it wasn't lack of space but the electric wiring going haywire. We even did roadtrips when going on holidays. From Denmark to Sicily on a 3 week vacation with plenty of space to spare in the trunk. > Cargo area balance with passenger area SUVs have comparable trunk volume to station wagons. > Occasional towing You can tow stuff with sedans/station wagons too. The towing capacity to SUVs sold here is comparable to regular cars. The size of the car really doesn't matter much. Only engine, frame strength, and braking power. You can find those things on regular cars just as well. I've moved plenty of times. Rent a big box trailer for a day and you're golden, which I assume is the same procedure in the US? A standard Volvo V60 is allowed to tow 2000 kg, that's just around 4400 pounds. I have a feeling most people wouldn't need more than that.
- orwin 4y ago
  Talking about the alps, I saw way more 4x4 on their roofs on the side than regular cars. And it was 4 years ago, when SUVs were less in demand. I remember when 'big car, small...' was a popular saying in my country, I'll try to rehabilitate it.

adrr 4y ago

What about crossover which is just a hatchback sedan with a higher lift?

macinjosh 4y ago
See #2 and #6
- NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
  The current generation Toyota RAV4 has more rear legroom, and (if you trust cars.com's review on these matters) fits contemporary child-seats better, than a BMW 5-series sedan. Packaging matters.
  - s1artibartfast 4y ago
    The Toyota RAV4 is a SUV
    - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
      You say potato, I say: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35082527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35082527
    - adrr 4y ago
      It's based on Toyotas Corolla platform where traditionally SUVs are based on a truck platform. Weight of a crossover is closer to a sedan than regular suv. Rav4 is 3500 pounds where a bronco is 4500.
      - midoridensha 4y ago
        >It's based on Toyotas Corolla platform where traditionally SUVs are based on a truck platform. "Traditionally", but that's not the modern usage. SUVs haven't been built on truck platforms for many, many years now; that was the 90s. "Traditionally", a "phone" is a device that plugs into the wall and has a rotary dial for placing calls using numerical codes. These days, a "phone" is a very different device.
        adrr 4y ago
        Best selling suv right now is the bronco and it’s based on T6 platform which is a truck platform. There’s also Ford explorer , Chevy equinox and traverse, Toyota Highlander and 4runner, Jeep Cherokee and wrangler, Then you have all the highend suvs like rangerovers, gwagons, etc.
        NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
        The point is that a Toyota RAV4 (and anything else in the compact crossover segment) is, functionally speaking, much closer to a Corolla than it is to a Suburban. You're getting 30 mpg (combined) vs. 33 mpg for a Corolla; curb weight is within a few hundred pounds; the RAV4 is actually shorter in length than the Corolla. It is basically a Corolla estate with a higher ride height and different body styling/packaging. More relevantly to the original comparison: a RAV4 is shorter, lighter, and gets better gas mileage than a BMW 5-series, in addition to having more rear-passenger legroom and easier child-seat fitting.
NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
There's an interesting point there. My wife looks at our RAV4 and says "it's an SUV"; I say "it's a crossover", Toyota markets it as a "compact crossover SUV"; it's based on the same TNGA-K platform as the Camry; is actually shorter than the Camry (but taller) and weights essentially the same.
midoridensha 4y ago
No, it's not, it's a hatchback car with a higher lift. There's no such thing as a "hatchback sedan". A sedan (or "saloon" in the UK) is a car with 4 doors and a trunk (or "boot" in the UK) (which is an entirely separate compartment from the passenger compartment).

pard68 4y ago

Thanks all that makes sense

herbstein 4y ago

I'm 25. Grew up in Denmark. I don't recognize many of these as legit explanations for why a station wagon/estate -- a sedan with a squared off trunk -- isn't suitable. > It still snows and ices in suburbia, and suburbia isn't always flat. So while not fjording a creek AWD and higher clearances are useful. SUVs are becoming status symbols here too but you're kidding yourself if you think AWD is in any way needed for snow driving. In the Alps the majority of cars are still sedans and station wagons, same as Norway and Sweden, even during the snowy winters. If anyone pushing the car enough to need AWD on public roads they likely shouldn't be driving in the conditions in the first place. > Long road trips are not doable in a cramped sedan for a family of four. We regularly drove just under 400 kilometers (each way) to visit my dad's family in a Peugeot 406 station wagon. I was 19 when they got rid of that car. My dad is 195 cm, my mom is 175, and us three kids were all tall for our ages. The reason to get rid of it wasn't lack of space but the electric wiring going haywire. We even did roadtrips when going on holidays. From Denmark to Sicily on a 3 week vacation with plenty of space to spare in the trunk. > Cargo area balance with passenger area SUVs have comparable trunk volume to station wagons. > Occasional towing You can tow stuff with sedans/station wagons too. The towing capacity to SUVs sold here is comparable to regular cars. The size of the car really doesn't matter much. Only engine, frame strength, and braking power. You can find those things on regular cars just as well. I've moved plenty of times. Rent a big box trailer for a day and you're golden, which I assume is the same procedure in the US? A standard Volvo V60 is allowed to tow 2000 kg, that's just around 4400 pounds. I have a feeling most people wouldn't need more than that.

orwin 4y ago
Talking about the alps, I saw way more 4x4 on their roofs on the side than regular cars. And it was 4 years ago, when SUVs were less in demand. I remember when 'big car, small...' was a popular saying in my country, I'll try to rehabilitate it.