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CAFE regs also killed the station wagon (estate for you Brits) in the US. Being regulated as cars, station wagons murdered the manufacturers' averages - but min

CAFE regs also killed the station wagon (estate for you Brits) in the US. Being regulated as cars, station wagons murdered the manufacturers' averages - but minivans, which barely existed in the US (other than the VW Bus) before the mid-80s, were light trucks and so had different (lower) standards. My mom's 1987 minivan got worse mileage than the 1980 station wagon it replaced, and the only advantage it had was that its interior was taller and so moving things was easier. (I ended up driving it for a few months in the mid-90s, right around move-in for my senior year of college. I was suddenly everyone's best friend for a few days.)

ponector 3y ago
Are wagons killed? Many european cars have versions both sedan and wagon. Wagons just not popular anymore. Look like everyone wants a SUV these days.
- gottorf 3y ago
  > Many european cars have versions both sedan and wagon. BMW's 3- and 5-series wagons are no longer sold in the US. Audi only has the A4 and A6 Allroad versions. Mercedes-Benz has only the E-class wagon remaining. Volvo, long the king of European wagons in the US, recently restored two models. So yeah, unfortunately for the most part they're out. > Look like everyone wants a SUV these days. This is true. Most of those wagons that were phased out became equivalent SUV models.
  - ponector 3y ago
    My point was that not CAFE regulations killed wagons in US but simple market force. Wagons are still alive, they are manufactured globally, just not selling well in US. Same story with compact cars like Toyota Yaris.
    - devilbunny 3y ago
      Luxury brands can price the tax for failure to meet CAFE standards into their sticker; an extra thousand isn’t going to make or break an E class sale, but it’s going to matter for a Malibu wagon.
aidenn0 3y ago
What I've always wondered is: Does the larger footprint lead directly to a taller truck? Is is it just that an F-150 that is as tall as a 1990 Ranger would look silly or something? The 1990s Buick Roadmaster Estate is not just 17" shorter in length than an F-150 Super Cab with a 6.5' bed, but also 17" shorter in height, which makes a sharing the road with these trucks bad (even before they are raised, which seems relatively common). My dad wanted an 8' bed standard cab for his work and got an old one with almost 200k miles and I was slightly surprised to see it wasn't a step-up cab, while it seems like all modern trucks are. [edit] The Roadmaster Estate is also 8" shorter in height than the Ford Maverick, despite having a longer length; granted the Buick keeps its maximum height for a longer part of the length, but it has a shorter hood, and from the cab-back the Maverick doesn't go under 50" until the bumper.

ponector 3y ago

Are wagons killed? Many european cars have versions both sedan and wagon. Wagons just not popular anymore. Look like everyone wants a SUV these days.

gottorf 3y ago
> Many european cars have versions both sedan and wagon. BMW's 3- and 5-series wagons are no longer sold in the US. Audi only has the A4 and A6 Allroad versions. Mercedes-Benz has only the E-class wagon remaining. Volvo, long the king of European wagons in the US, recently restored two models. So yeah, unfortunately for the most part they're out. > Look like everyone wants a SUV these days. This is true. Most of those wagons that were phased out became equivalent SUV models.
- ponector 3y ago
  My point was that not CAFE regulations killed wagons in US but simple market force. Wagons are still alive, they are manufactured globally, just not selling well in US. Same story with compact cars like Toyota Yaris.
  - devilbunny 3y ago
    Luxury brands can price the tax for failure to meet CAFE standards into their sticker; an extra thousand isn’t going to make or break an E class sale, but it’s going to matter for a Malibu wagon.

aidenn0 3y ago

What I've always wondered is: Does the larger footprint lead directly to a taller truck? Is is it just that an F-150 that is as tall as a 1990 Ranger would look silly or something? The 1990s Buick Roadmaster Estate is not just 17" shorter in length than an F-150 Super Cab with a 6.5' bed, but also 17" shorter in height, which makes a sharing the road with these trucks bad (even before they are raised, which seems relatively common). My dad wanted an 8' bed standard cab for his work and got an old one with almost 200k miles and I was slightly surprised to see it wasn't a step-up cab, while it seems like all modern trucks are. [edit] The Roadmaster Estate is also 8" shorter in height than the Ford Maverick, despite having a longer length; granted the Buick keeps its maximum height for a longer part of the length, but it has a shorter hood, and from the cab-back the Maverick doesn't go under 50" until the bumper.