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The end of cool small cars

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Re: The end of cool small cars

#71

Post by leokennis »

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]

* Count the number of things you can do with a huge truck but cannot do with an MPV or van * Count the number of people who do the things listed above * Count the sales of huge trucks and of sensible MPV's/vans * Note the discrepancy

Re: The end of cool small cars

#72

Post by leokennis »

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…

It's a race to the top of the safety spectrum in which my 8 year old son on his bicycle can only participate as a guaranteed loser.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#73

Post by Aromasin »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #12
Aromasin wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same in the UK. SUVs and large off-road vehicles are taking over. The Range Rover seems to be the car of choice for every wealthy middle-aged mother on her morning school run. Just recently, one of them managed to careen hers into kids outside their school, killing a number of them [1]. Low emission zone are becoming more ubiquitous, which combats the issue to some regards, but I question why anyone but a farmer need…

The interesting thing to me is that all the 'rational' arguments given by SUV buyers (more storage, easy of entry, larger interior space) are without exception much better in any family MPV instead of SUVs that invariably are also pretty shit off-road vehicles. Literally just more weight and waste, zero function other than satisfying the buyers reptilian brain.

Agreed. I've been a passenger in plenty of them; many of them don't seem any bigger on the inside than a hatchback, with very similar boot space. It's all pointless, superficial bodywork that makes the demand for them seem even more egregious to me.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#74

Post by RamblingCTO »

Arnt wrote: post #8
RamblingCTO wrote: post #5

Don't worry, they are disappearing in Europe as well, mostly (imho) thanks to ever stricter security standards. I read that it's very hard to design a small car that adheres to modern standards.

Source?

Quick googling:

https://europe.autonews.com/sales-segment/automakers-fight-r...

> "New CO2 rules will require automakers to fit thousands of euros of tech to each car," Max Warburton, an analyst at research and brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein wrote in an April report. "Big cars have the price points and margins to cover these costs. Small cars simply do not. These segments may soon be abandoned by many manufacturers."

Re: The end of cool small cars

#75

Post by rocgf »

tmnvix wrote: post #52
rocgf wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

I don't really understand why everyone in this post is so hung up on this.

As long as there is no regulation in a particular area, obviously each actor will look out for their own interest. I wouldn't even call it selfish, it's just the natural order of things and an example of the tragedy of the commons. Nothing more, nothing less.

The fact that people here act as if learning how to drive better and getting an SUV is an either/or choice is ridiculous.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#76

Post by tabiv »

daisystanton wrote: post #67

Ughhhhh -- yes, I constantly dream of a pickup truck on a car-size chassis, and often mentally hack off the back of cars on my jogs to imagine what they'd look like as trucks (my version of imagining girls naked ;-)) * The Auzzies had an old version of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle) * There's an awesome Tesla pickup truck mod that I'd buy long before the Cybertruck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=…

The closest thing we have these days is the Ford Maverick. It's a ute! They're not very available though.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#77

Post by blamazon »

etempleton wrote: post #40
FranzFerdiNaN wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bigger means like a Ford Focus or so, not a fucking SUV. Nobody ever needs an SUV. If you need more space to move stuff just get a van.

A lot of SUVs are more or less the same thing as a minivan. The minivan, like the station wagon is a casualty of its own success. Both became synonymous with boring domestic middle class family life.

The recent Kia Carnival (name for US market IIRC) is an interesting response to this phenomenon. It's a true minivan that's just styled as if it's an SUV.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#78

Post by ewgoforth »

This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azI3nqrHEXM explains why small pickup trucks can't really be sold in the USA anymore. This explains the drive to larger pickups, but I don't know what explains the drive from cars to trucks/SUVs.

We were considering a wagon when we bought our last vehicle, an SUV. The ability to occasionally carry more than five people was the deciding point. I believe crash standards prevent the selling of wagons with a "wayback" anymore.

Re: The end of cool small cars

#79

Post by leokennis »

forinti wrote: post #15
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 have a 2016 Fit and had a first generation Fit before that. They are the most reliable cars I've ever had. I'm a fan of the Toyota Yaris too. It's such a shame they were discontinued.

My first car was a 1999 Yaris, bought in 2014 for €1,250 with 320K on the odometer. Shifting gears sometimes took some force but otherwise drove like a dream...and the "holographic" gauge-screen-thingy was brilliant. Oh, and the back bench which you could slide backwards and forwards to choose between trunk space or leg room!

The best thing is, I sold it in 2016 with 400K on the odometer for €1,000...likely it's still chugging along nicely as we speak :-)

Re: The end of cool small cars

#80

Post by arethuza »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #12
Aromasin wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same in the UK. SUVs and large off-road vehicles are taking over. The Range Rover seems to be the car of choice for every wealthy middle-aged mother on her morning school run. Just recently, one of them managed to careen hers into kids outside their school, killing a number of them [1]. Low emission zone are becoming more ubiquitous, which combats the issue to some regards, but I question why anyone but a farmer need…

The interesting thing to me is that all the 'rational' arguments given by SUV buyers (more storage, easy of entry, larger interior space) are without exception much better in any family MPV instead of SUVs that invariably are also pretty shit off-road vehicles. Literally just more weight and waste, zero function other than satisfying the buyers reptilian brain.

I recently had my car written off (a small SUV) and due to lack of availability of replacements I replaced it with a similar sized hatchback. Now I find myself thinking why on earth I had an SUV - I'm unlikely to purchase another one as the hatchback is cheaper, roomier inside and handles much better.
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