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The end of cool small cars

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Re: The end of cool small cars

#51

Post by adhesive_wombat »

dybber wrote: post #24
dusted wrote: post #2

I've noticed a large increase in what I call "idiot cars" in Denmark too, these giant monstrosities that seem impractical in every way except for driving through smaller cars and making sure the driver survives whatever incompetence lead them to buy it in the first place. I feel it might be time to legislate this, there are perfectly legitimate reasons to drive a very large car, like, you live 100 miles from the near…

Often these big cars even have a quite small trunk, e.g. compared to a station wagon. Soon though, a few car makers will release electric station wagons (e.g. Peugeot e-308). Many danes already drives station wagons, so I hope people will start buying those kind of cars instead of SUV's.

Apparently, according to a guy trying to put in a higher offer on a car already sold, used estate cars in the UK are now selling at a premium because people who actually want such a car for its practical benefits, including farmers (a battered Volvo V70 and then XC70, which isn't a crossover like the XC60[1], is a common sight on a farm) struggle to find them because the market is full of shiny "wank tanks" with the boot space of a chunky hatchback coming off leases.

[1] and now the ridiculous XC40, for which they discontinued the "actually a car" V40, three years after also discontinuing the XC/V70 entirely.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#52

Post by tmnvix »

rocgf wrote: post #23
dusted wrote: post #2

I've noticed a large increase in what I call "idiot cars" in Denmark too, these giant monstrosities that seem impractical in every way except for driving through smaller cars and making sure the driver survives whatever incompetence lead them to buy it in the first place. I feel it might be time to legislate this, there are perfectly legitimate reasons to drive a very large car, like, you live 100 miles from the near…

> you're an idiot helping to accelerate the problem as this now becomes a weapons race on the road This is a very harsh take for something that is legal and widespread everywhere across the world (at least Western world). You have to try really hard to pretend you don't understand why this is happening. It's a race to the top of the safety spectrum, and for good reason. Traffic accidents are among the single biggest…

Safety for me, but not for thee...

Some people don't even get to make a choice, they just suffer the consequences (e.g. children and others that can't drive for whatever reason). As vehicles have been getting bigger, pedestrian deaths have been going up. I don't think it's mere coincidence.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#53

Post by leokennis »

mysterydip wrote: post #41
leokennis wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love my 2010 Honda Jazz (called Fit in the US). Small, can carry loads of weirdly shaped stuff, roomy enough for two adults and two kids, unbreakable. And on summer holidays I rent a roof box for about €100/week so I can fit all our luggage.

I'm in the market for my next car (new or used), and I'd prefer something small like the fit/jazz. But I have 3 kids instead of 2, which seems like my only options from the last decade are MPVs or SUVs. I'd love to be wrong, though.

The back bench of my Jazz easily fits three kids (and had three seatbelts) comfortably for normal trips.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#54

Post by etempleton »

grunder_advice wrote: post #22

I don't believe that it is the end. Because small cars make more sense than big ass SUVs from a whole lot of angles: safety on the roads, energy efficiency, parking, traffic in cities, cost for the consumer. It is a policy failure that we ended up in this situation, a hard one to fix, but I still think that it is inevitable that we will revert to smaller vehicles, eventually.

I generally agree with you, but small cars are a lot less safe on a highway with tractor trailers and big SUVs around.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#55

Post by seanmcdirmid »

kolektiv wrote: post #26
Stranger43 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of this is that anything electric needs to be an order of magnitude heavier and significantly large to achieve any range due to the much lower energy density of batteries. It's possible to have small electrics but those often have short ranges and most of the big ugly things you see on the roads in DK is kinda hybrids or follows the trend set by the hybrids. The real way to deal with the SUV nonsense and not hu…

I've got a Tesla Model 3, which a) has a perfectly decent range, up near the top of the general class, and b) isn't a huge car. It's not a small car but a sensibly mid-sized car - significantly smaller than the ridiculous SUVs I weave in between. Electric is a non-factor here; in fact, one of the fundamental things that Tesla gets right, which other manufacturers of electric vehicles studiously ignore, is aerodynamic…

The model 3 and BMW i4s are both classified as compacts in the American system (same as Honda accords). The leaf, bolt, and i3 are sub compacts (civic class).

I have an i4 now, and I really feel the extra 2 inches in width it has over my previous Acura ILX (basically a fancy Honda civic). None of the sub compact EVs have very good range yet.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#57

Post by bad_alloc »

1231112315123 wrote: post #44

There's actually a new class of cars that doesn't go by the name: L7e. L7e is the EU's name for light electric cars. 90 km/h top speed, 200 km range. Cheap. While small "cars" might disappear, I think the L7e class will see a lot of improvements.

This still leaved the gap for small cars you can cram 4 people inside + some luggage unfilled. Also, are manufacturers taking L7e vehicles seriously, or are they styling them like toys still? Early EVs suffered form car companies deliberately making them look non-serious.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#58

Post by hnbear »

Given how horribly the biggest trucks drive around me (NYC suburbs), I’m all in favor of treating trucks like trucks.

If you’re over 3000lb then you get speed limited to 55, require additional driving licensing for the heavier, more cumbersome special purpose vehicle, etc.

Treat trucks like trucks and encourage behavior in the direction that’s societally appropriate.

The cars overtaking me the most are 5,000lb F250s and 2500s doing 80+. They’re the same ones racing on 25mph residential streets, and over taking school buses.

The size and protection is a moral hazard that causes incredibly bad behavior.

And that’s before you get to the morons with the serious lifts and 35”+ tires, deliberately rolling coal as they drive around.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#59

Post by sw104 »

redeeman wrote: post #20
dusted wrote: post #2

I've noticed a large increase in what I call "idiot cars" in Denmark too, these giant monstrosities that seem impractical in every way except for driving through smaller cars and making sure the driver survives whatever incompetence lead them to buy it in the first place. I feel it might be time to legislate this, there are perfectly legitimate reasons to drive a very large car, like, you live 100 miles from the near…

[flagged]

Very defensive reply.

Many people use Range Rovers to simply drop their kids off at school, to drive to work, or to transport groceries.

If you're really for people leading active lifestyles, maybe those such people should get their kid to walk to school.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#60

Post by redeeman »

sw104 wrote: post #59
redeeman wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Very defensive reply. Many people use Range Rovers to simply drop their kids off at school, to drive to work, or to transport groceries. If you're really for people leading active lifestyles, maybe those such people should get their kid to walk to school.

and you probably use an extremely overpowered device for checking your email, but perhaps you also use it to do other things?
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