[robbyking]

What's interesting to me is that in my experience most car enthusiasts feel the same way.

Even though I don't have a lot of interest in car culture, I'm a big fan of the Smoking Tire Podcast, and the host -- who has his own Porches, Lamborghinis, etc. -- has said multiple times that he thinks most people who drive trucks would be better off in a station wagon, and most people who drive SUVs would be better off in a sedan (edit: he actually said minivan, not sedan). (His daily driver around LA is a scooter.)

Obviously there are exceptions, but it makes sense to commute in a commuter car.

[mywittyname]

Guy with Lambo telling normies what they need. Sounds like yet another out-of-touch rich __ telling people how they should live their lives while living large himself.

I recently replaced my aging Prius with a Rav4, and the versatility improvement is so dramatic. We went from renting/borrowing trucks and vans about every month to not needing one yet. The extra few inches in every direction multiplies together to be rather significant. Plus, it has a roof rack.

I'll hang onto my sports cars, but my daily driver is forever going to be a crossover. This thing beats every hatchback, liftback, sedan, and wagon I've ever owned in every utility metric.

[tristor]

Small crossovers (CUVs) like the RAV4 are literally hatchbacks that are lifted. How does this beat a hatchback in any way? An equivalent volume hatchback has all of the exact same utility, and has better driving dynamics and is safer due to a lower center of gravity.

The main reason people like driving crossovers is that it raises their seating and viewing height relative to other vehicles on the road because we're in one of the dumbest arms races ever with vehicle height, where anybody who buys a sensible car loses.

[jewayne]

I drive a crossover myself, but if you do the math, driving a cheap sedan and renting a truck when you need it is often WAY cheaper.

I remember when a neighbor bought a new washer/dryer and gave their old set away to whoever would haul it away. A couple came to get it in one of those huge late-model bro-dozer pickups. This was a ~$60K vehicle. All I could think is that there's NO WAY that couple was ever going to score enough free stuff to make up what they spent on that vehicle.

[davewritescode]

I don't know why you're aggressively attacking this guy, it sounds like agree with most of what he says.

The Rav4 is basically the kind of car most people should get instead of a lot of what's popular today. The Rav4 is a hatchback on tall suspension. What car enthusiasts want is the hatchback without the lift because tall cars don't handle as well and to top it off, are usally less efficient.

Road wear is a cubic function of weight and our roads, I think it's reasonable to ask why cars have gotten so big and who's going to pay for the increase in damage done to our roads?

[skeeter2020]

better yet, the minivan! I bought one, very reluctantly, when we were exepecting our third child. I really tried to get something else but the soccer-mom Honda was the most comfortable and performant. Now my kids are starting to drive and I get the van all to myself - it's awesome! going biking? just put it inside and don't worry about highway, weather or security for an after ride beer. Need building supplies? go camping? hauling the family on a long road trip. And I'm now into essentially "free miles" with the age and still awesome condition. My biggest fear is any accident will have the insurance company write it off and I'll get nothing towards the current generation of sub-optimal, over-priced vehicles.

[devilbunny]

My sister hit driving age when I was a senior in college. My parents took my car away from me to give to her, and so for about two months I drove my mother's old minivan.

It didn't exactly wow anyone with how cool it was, but on move-in day I had a lot more friends than I remembered from the year before (we had taken the rear bench seat out and left it at home, so I had tons of cargo space).

[yakireev]

An honest question from someone without a car or a driving license: why exactly were you renting/borrowing these SUVs and trucks? Where does the need come from, what were you transporting?

[davewritescode]

Home Depot will rent you a Ford 250 for an 75 minutes for $19. I've done this a few times and it's a great option for the once or twice a year you actually need to haul something heavy.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/rental/load-n-go-truck-rental/31...

[Clubber]

>Sounds like yet another out-of-touch rich __ telling people how they should live their lives while living large himself.

That's all the internet is now.

[iamthepieman]

I agree and I think I'm in the minority of people who are better off in a large SUV.

We have 7 in our family so need a minivan at the least. I don't think they make station wagons with 7 seats anymore. We live in a climate with long winters so we need at least one AWD/4WD vehicle so at least some of us can get out. And we tow a trailer so need the capacity. Having one vehicle that does it all is more cost-effective for us.

At this moment though, we have a 12 passenger commuter van that is horrible in the snow and can barely pull the trailer, and a compact hatchback as our all-weather vehicle. That means we can't all go somewhere in inclement weather so we're in the market for the aformentioned SUV.

[tristor]

Sounds like you are actually an exception that proves the rule. Unfortunately the average buyer of a crossover/SUV has at most 4 passengers in the vehicle, and most vehicle-miles driven are single-occupant. Both uses which are better served by other vehicle types that have less negative externalities.

I don't think SUVs should cease to exist, but we should stop subsidizing them with broken CAFE rules that incentivize manufacturers to make SUVs/trucks/crossovers to the exception of cars, and price them accordingly. Most Americans don't have 7 people in their family, so the most common vehicle on the road shouldn't be designed to accommodate an exceptional circumstance at many other costs to society.