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Americans tend to drive larger cars than other nationalities. These cars use more fuel. Most of these people do not need large cars and would be fine with small

Americans tend to drive larger cars than other nationalities. These cars use more fuel. Most of these people do not need large cars and would be fine with smaller ones that use less fuel. Therefore, by choosing larger cars, they're using more fuel than necessary. An explanation is that only care about their own comfort, not the environment.

abwizz 3y ago
tbf a lot of murricans live in rural environments where a truck does indeed make sense because of the lots of unpaved roads. city dwellers not so much
- patmorgan23 3y ago
  Not really, American is pretty urbanized. Less than 20% of the population lives in rural areas. Yet the most popular vehicle for the past few years has been the ford F150. It's not being bought by rural or working class people, it's a luxury status symbol now.
  - abwizz 3y ago
    > American is pretty urbanized. Less than 20% of the population lives in rural areas i'd like that number put into perspective, but it does not feel like on the low end. > Yet the most popular vehicle for the past few years has been the ford F150. It's not being bought by rural or working class people, it's a luxury status symbol now. thanks for the insight! but i struggle with the combination of "most popular" and "luxury status symbol"
    - sigilis 3y ago
      On that last statement, see iPhone for an example of a ubiquitous luxury status symbol with it occupying the top three slots for smartphone sales by model. However, it is not accurate to say that rural people are not buying F150s, they like status symbols as much as the next person and it does fit the requirements if someone wants a truck. Sometimes people who live in urban areas like to pretend that no one lives outside of cities except cows and guns. 20% is still quite a few people at about 60 million. Not a exactly a rounding error.
- fennecfoxy 3y ago
  As a Kiwi now living in the UK, "unpaved roads" are not an excuse for the American excess found in vehicles like the F150, F350 etc. Unless you're literally crawling over raw grassy hills, a standard sized Japanese car (like a civic etc) will still do gravel roads just fine.
fennecfoxy 3y ago
Unfortunately that trend is going international as I see other countries also starting to buy up huuuuge SUVs etc. My childhood in NZ was like, medium sized perfectly reasonable Japanese cars on the road, some small-ish (by American standards) utes where people needed to haul a month's worth of groceries back to the farm. Now everyone & their Mum is driving an SUV in the UK (where I'm living now) and this is made even more obscene by the narrow, historic roads here. And you look at the inside of these plush, rounded range rovers designed not for crawling up a mountain but the urban commute and if you're lucky enough to spot one not being driven by a single occupant (also common), expecting ridiculous cargo and passenger space and...no, they've just somehow managed to fill the space with more nothing. 2-2.5 tonnes of nothing. A >3L engine to move your nothing around. Even American friends of mine here agree & laugh at "oh v6/v8 is common and they're 3-7L and yet aren't really that efficient at making power".

abwizz 3y ago

tbf a lot of murricans live in rural environments where a truck does indeed make sense because of the lots of unpaved roads. city dwellers not so much

patmorgan23 3y ago
Not really, American is pretty urbanized. Less than 20% of the population lives in rural areas. Yet the most popular vehicle for the past few years has been the ford F150. It's not being bought by rural or working class people, it's a luxury status symbol now.
- abwizz 3y ago
  > American is pretty urbanized. Less than 20% of the population lives in rural areas i'd like that number put into perspective, but it does not feel like on the low end. > Yet the most popular vehicle for the past few years has been the ford F150. It's not being bought by rural or working class people, it's a luxury status symbol now. thanks for the insight! but i struggle with the combination of "most popular" and "luxury status symbol"
  - sigilis 3y ago
    On that last statement, see iPhone for an example of a ubiquitous luxury status symbol with it occupying the top three slots for smartphone sales by model. However, it is not accurate to say that rural people are not buying F150s, they like status symbols as much as the next person and it does fit the requirements if someone wants a truck. Sometimes people who live in urban areas like to pretend that no one lives outside of cities except cows and guns. 20% is still quite a few people at about 60 million. Not a exactly a rounding error.
fennecfoxy 3y ago
As a Kiwi now living in the UK, "unpaved roads" are not an excuse for the American excess found in vehicles like the F150, F350 etc. Unless you're literally crawling over raw grassy hills, a standard sized Japanese car (like a civic etc) will still do gravel roads just fine.

fennecfoxy 3y ago

Unfortunately that trend is going international as I see other countries also starting to buy up huuuuge SUVs etc. My childhood in NZ was like, medium sized perfectly reasonable Japanese cars on the road, some small-ish (by American standards) utes where people needed to haul a month's worth of groceries back to the farm. Now everyone & their Mum is driving an SUV in the UK (where I'm living now) and this is made even more obscene by the narrow, historic roads here. And you look at the inside of these plush, rounded range rovers designed not for crawling up a mountain but the urban commute and if you're lucky enough to spot one not being driven by a single occupant (also common), expecting ridiculous cargo and passenger space and...no, they've just somehow managed to fill the space with more nothing. 2-2.5 tonnes of nothing. A >3L engine to move your nothing around. Even American friends of mine here agree & laugh at "oh v6/v8 is common and they're 3-7L and yet aren't really that efficient at making power".