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Sign me up for all of these innovations in an actual production car. No idea why the whole market seems to be obsessed with ever-wider SUVs...

glimshe 12d ago
Because they are very comfortable. I'm not saying people should be obsessed about them, but that's part of why they are paying premiums for SUVs. Driving higher on the road on a wide car has a strong appeal for most people.
- swiftcoder 12d ago
  As someone who lives in an area of Europe replete with narrow roads between stone buildings... standard SUVs have grown ~20cm wider in the last decade, and it sucks
- crote 12d ago
  Ironically, larger crossovers have been among the least comfortable cars I have driven. Sure, they are a tad higher so someone with knee issues can more easily get in, but it seems most of the extra space they take up is somehow wasted. If you care about your rear seat passengers or carrying capacity, station wagons are far superior. The whole "higher on the road" thing is a red queen's race: if everyone is higher on the road, nobody is. You've got slightly better sight yourself until all the other people upsize, and in the meantime you are blocking everyone else's sight. Considering SUVs are more expensive, the only people winning are the car makers.
  - axus 12d ago
    A minivan has both high seating and tons of cargo space, after you remove the middle seats and fold the back ones.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 12d ago
  >Most people Did you mean fat people? I'm curious to know if the evolution of the average car size tracks obesity.
  - neom 12d ago
    My little sister is a very petite woman, and drives a massive SUV, when I asked her why she said it makes her feel safer, I suppose that is a form of comfort. I'm 6ft tall and skinny, that's not particularly tall, but if I was a driver, I'd certainly consider the leg/head room of an SUV.
  - sublinear 12d ago
    Is it only fat people who pay extra for more personal space on any other form of transport? I think there's a stronger argument that if you really don't want huge vehicles, you could at least improve ventilation. Air quality and temperature have a massive psychological effect. Anecdotally, I think most people were fine with a subcompact back in the day because they weren't so airtight and we used to even have crotch vents. So much comfort has been sacrificed over the years because of autistic designer bullshit like "road noise". It's why you can hop into an old Toyota truck (far smaller than modern SUVs) and instantly feel at ease and grounded. Fits like an old glove and that was always the point. You get improved road awareness and less highway hypnosis. You don't get that nervous system disconnect between your inputs into the car and the feedback. It feels more like an extension of your body and less like a spaceship or coffin on wheels.
    - fragmede 12d ago
      After 10 straight hours of freeway driving across Texas, give me a spaceship on wheels with "autistic bullshit" no road noise, please. Or better yet, something that drives itself. Don't get me wrong, I love a spirited jaunt through the mountains on four or two wheels, but the vehicle for that isn't the vehicle to drive in an almost straight line for 10 (or more!) straight hours.
      - sublinear 12d ago
        I don't think the vehicle is going to make a difference at that point. You shouldn't be driving so long without a break anyway! Thanks for demonstrating the attitude that got us here in the first place, though. In your reply, we have an answer for the rest of the world why americans buy SUVs.
- barrkel 12d ago
  There's more usable space in station wagons, as a rule. And personally, if I'm cornering hard, I prefer to be closer to the road, not higher up...
- JumpCrisscross 12d ago
  > Because they are very comfortable They're also convenient for hauling around toys. Being able to put my skis inside my car is nice in shit weather.
  - formerly_proven 12d ago
    That rather seems to hinge on vehicle length, not height. Unless putting in skis upright in the passenger seat is the goal.
    - swiftcoder 12d ago
      And to that point, station wagons tend to have better cargo length than equivalent-capacity SUVs as well. Where the SUV does win is height - but then again, if you regularly transport large boxes, some variant of minivan would be even better.
brandonagr2 12d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Cybercab https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Cybercab Cybercab is most efficient electric production car, 165 Wh/mile
- swiftcoder 12d ago
  > Cybercab is most efficient electric production car As impressive as the efficiency there is, I'm going to take issue with the "production car" part of this statement. It's not like I can walk into a dealership and drive one of those bad boys home either...
  - fragmede 12d ago
    Well, no. The whole point of the "cab" part is that you don't have to drive it yourself.
slumberlust 12d ago
The current safety and mpg targets for car manufacturers incentivize them to produce 'cars' of a certain size and weight to avoid compliance with stricter standards on smaller vehicles. As such, the manufactuers have incentivized customers to buy SUVs for a few decades now.

glimshe 12d ago

Because they are very comfortable. I'm not saying people should be obsessed about them, but that's part of why they are paying premiums for SUVs. Driving higher on the road on a wide car has a strong appeal for most people.

swiftcoder 12d ago
As someone who lives in an area of Europe replete with narrow roads between stone buildings... standard SUVs have grown ~20cm wider in the last decade, and it sucks
crote 12d ago
Ironically, larger crossovers have been among the least comfortable cars I have driven. Sure, they are a tad higher so someone with knee issues can more easily get in, but it seems most of the extra space they take up is somehow wasted. If you care about your rear seat passengers or carrying capacity, station wagons are far superior. The whole "higher on the road" thing is a red queen's race: if everyone is higher on the road, nobody is. You've got slightly better sight yourself until all the other people upsize, and in the meantime you are blocking everyone else's sight. Considering SUVs are more expensive, the only people winning are the car makers.
- axus 12d ago
  A minivan has both high seating and tons of cargo space, after you remove the middle seats and fold the back ones.
rcMgD2BwE72F 12d ago
>Most people Did you mean fat people? I'm curious to know if the evolution of the average car size tracks obesity.
- neom 12d ago
  My little sister is a very petite woman, and drives a massive SUV, when I asked her why she said it makes her feel safer, I suppose that is a form of comfort. I'm 6ft tall and skinny, that's not particularly tall, but if I was a driver, I'd certainly consider the leg/head room of an SUV.
- sublinear 12d ago
  Is it only fat people who pay extra for more personal space on any other form of transport? I think there's a stronger argument that if you really don't want huge vehicles, you could at least improve ventilation. Air quality and temperature have a massive psychological effect. Anecdotally, I think most people were fine with a subcompact back in the day because they weren't so airtight and we used to even have crotch vents. So much comfort has been sacrificed over the years because of autistic designer bullshit like "road noise". It's why you can hop into an old Toyota truck (far smaller than modern SUVs) and instantly feel at ease and grounded. Fits like an old glove and that was always the point. You get improved road awareness and less highway hypnosis. You don't get that nervous system disconnect between your inputs into the car and the feedback. It feels more like an extension of your body and less like a spaceship or coffin on wheels.
  - fragmede 12d ago
    After 10 straight hours of freeway driving across Texas, give me a spaceship on wheels with "autistic bullshit" no road noise, please. Or better yet, something that drives itself. Don't get me wrong, I love a spirited jaunt through the mountains on four or two wheels, but the vehicle for that isn't the vehicle to drive in an almost straight line for 10 (or more!) straight hours.
    - sublinear 12d ago
      I don't think the vehicle is going to make a difference at that point. You shouldn't be driving so long without a break anyway! Thanks for demonstrating the attitude that got us here in the first place, though. In your reply, we have an answer for the rest of the world why americans buy SUVs.
barrkel 12d ago
There's more usable space in station wagons, as a rule. And personally, if I'm cornering hard, I prefer to be closer to the road, not higher up...
JumpCrisscross 12d ago
> Because they are very comfortable They're also convenient for hauling around toys. Being able to put my skis inside my car is nice in shit weather.
- formerly_proven 12d ago
  That rather seems to hinge on vehicle length, not height. Unless putting in skis upright in the passenger seat is the goal.
  - swiftcoder 12d ago
    And to that point, station wagons tend to have better cargo length than equivalent-capacity SUVs as well. Where the SUV does win is height - but then again, if you regularly transport large boxes, some variant of minivan would be even better.

brandonagr2 12d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Cybercab https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Cybercab Cybercab is most efficient electric production car, 165 Wh/mile

swiftcoder 12d ago
> Cybercab is most efficient electric production car As impressive as the efficiency there is, I'm going to take issue with the "production car" part of this statement. It's not like I can walk into a dealership and drive one of those bad boys home either...
- fragmede 12d ago
  Well, no. The whole point of the "cab" part is that you don't have to drive it yourself.

slumberlust 12d ago

The current safety and mpg targets for car manufacturers incentivize them to produce 'cars' of a certain size and weight to avoid compliance with stricter standards on smaller vehicles. As such, the manufactuers have incentivized customers to buy SUVs for a few decades now.