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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

by glimshe 21d 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 21d 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 21d 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 21d ago
  A minivan has both high seating and tons of cargo space, after you remove the middle seats and fold the back ones.
rcMgD2BwE72F 21d ago
>Most people Did you mean fat people? I'm curious to know if the evolution of the average car size tracks obesity.
- neom 21d 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 21d 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 21d 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 21d 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.
      - fragmede 21d ago
        That attitude is a physics problem reflected by culture. El Paso to Houston is a 10 hour drive. it's worse in Africa. Algiers to Marrakesh is a 15 hour drive. Djibouti to Johannesburg is 4.5 days. But Amsterdam to Berlin is only 7 by car/bus/train or 80 minutes by air. Seoul to Pyongyang is only three hours. Theoretically. The difference in the amount of people who live between those is vast though, and the rest of the world is used to horribly long bus drives, they're just too poor to complain anywhere you or I would frequent. Point is, EV self driving sleeper cabins are going to change the world, though self-driving hot tubs in major cities is liable to come first.
- glimshe 21d ago
  That's a silly stereotype. My wife is thin and loves SUVs for the extra leg and arm room, in addition to the extra driving height. That said, obese people will certainly enjoy the same benefits.
- swiftcoder 21d ago
  As a bigger guy, I don't really buy this argument. I have a mid-size SUV at the moment, and it has roughly the same legroom as a mini cooper (just higher off the ground). I'd much rather have the longer legroom in an estate car / station wagon (and when this car reaches an end, I will be going in that direction).
barrkel 21d 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 21d 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 21d ago
  That rather seems to hinge on vehicle length, not height. Unless putting in skis upright in the passenger seat is the goal.
  - swiftcoder 21d 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.

by glimshe 21d ago

swiftcoder 21d 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 21d 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 21d ago
A minivan has both high seating and tons of cargo space, after you remove the middle seats and fold the back ones.

rcMgD2BwE72F 21d ago

>Most people Did you mean fat people? I'm curious to know if the evolution of the average car size tracks obesity.

neom 21d 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 21d 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 21d 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 21d 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.
    - fragmede 21d ago
      That attitude is a physics problem reflected by culture. El Paso to Houston is a 10 hour drive. it's worse in Africa. Algiers to Marrakesh is a 15 hour drive. Djibouti to Johannesburg is 4.5 days. But Amsterdam to Berlin is only 7 by car/bus/train or 80 minutes by air. Seoul to Pyongyang is only three hours. Theoretically. The difference in the amount of people who live between those is vast though, and the rest of the world is used to horribly long bus drives, they're just too poor to complain anywhere you or I would frequent. Point is, EV self driving sleeper cabins are going to change the world, though self-driving hot tubs in major cities is liable to come first.
glimshe 21d ago
That's a silly stereotype. My wife is thin and loves SUVs for the extra leg and arm room, in addition to the extra driving height. That said, obese people will certainly enjoy the same benefits.
swiftcoder 21d ago
As a bigger guy, I don't really buy this argument. I have a mid-size SUV at the moment, and it has roughly the same legroom as a mini cooper (just higher off the ground). I'd much rather have the longer legroom in an estate car / station wagon (and when this car reaches an end, I will be going in that direction).

barrkel 21d 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 21d 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 21d ago
That rather seems to hinge on vehicle length, not height. Unless putting in skis upright in the passenger seat is the goal.
- swiftcoder 21d 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.