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It’s time for Americans to embrace small cars
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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That doesn't make any sense. What does duration of transit have to do woth how large your vehicle is? The article didn't say clown cars.
I'm 6'2" (188cm) and I drive a tiny little '05 Mazda 3s, for 1.5 hours each way to work/home. It's not an issue at all. If anything, I'm honestly LESS comfortable in larger vehicles.
Would I like to drive less? Definitely. Working from home during Corona was fantastic and I was so much more productive.
How are you less comfortable in a large vehicle? I'm the same height and driving a Corolla my head would hit the roof sometimes. Getting in and out of a Civic felt like I was human origami. I got a Forester and it is so much more comfortable. My partially disabled dad loved being able to just slide into the seat and swing his legs in without having to drop down and struggle to get his legs folded in or out.
You have kids? Pets? Long work commute? A small car makes having to balance any of these (especially together) difficult. Sprawling suburbia makes commutes and driving anywhere suck, you want Americans to get smaller cars? Build better city infrastructure so that I don't need to use the car 98% of the time I need to leave the house. If I don't need to use it as much I can deal with less comfort and a smaller car.
Make sense now?
Uhh nope. None of those are good reasons to have a massive vehicle. Especially long work commute...thats completely irrelevant.
How many Americans do you think are going to be able to afford two or three vehicles?
If you have a family and any pets , it's very difficult to travel around anywhere. At most, people are going to get a car that can fulfill as many needs as possible. Just because YOU can get around comfortably in a smaller car, doesn't mean someone else will be. Different families have different needs.
Also a Mazda 3 is not that small, neither is a Corolla.
Not anymore they're not. Not in the U.S., at least.
Neither of which will be big enough to travel with. A family with kids and a dog is a crammed vehicle. If I can't afford a larger car, I'm going to get something that's less cramped and uncomfortable when theres a full load like that.
If you have 20 kids and a great Dane I guess you're right. If you have 2 kids and a dog that's on you.
Motherfucker, 15% of American males don't even have friends, 95% of you don't need an SUV. You think people in other countries don't have jobs and families and cities? Christ, pull your head out of your ass and look out a window once in a while.
I can see why...
Yeah, poor stupid Americans.
Getting in and out of a higher-riding vehicle with an upright seating position is more natural and comfortable, particularly for the elderly and/or infirm. Furthermore, we have engineered away most of the drawbacks of crossovers and SUVs.
Based on the numbers of SUV's and large trucks on US roads I'm going to assume 90% of your population is elderly or infirm.
Vast majority are obese, close enough to infirm.
I agree that most people don’t need SUVs. And even more don’t need a truck. But few others are forced to drive as much nor as far as Americans on a daily basis, so we don’t give a shit if people in other countries with robust public transport sometimes have to drive places in their (comparatively) small countries with their families.
TIL that a dubious 15% is also === 95%.
Edit: that is to say, this isn’t as simple as “LOL Americans fat, Americans dumb.” The same old Euro arguments don’t work on this one. Civil planning is completely fucked here. It isn’t just bad, it is actively hostile to non-drivers.
And SUVs in particular can get these massive tax advantages that cars don’t get. Same with some models of truck. Plus, marketing is highly effective and nearly totally unregulated like so much else over here.
You have morons giving themselves brain damage for the right to own gas stoves, and we have similar morons suffocating themselves and everyone else by insisting they need huge vehicles. And the government actively encourages it.
Aww. Someone got angry lol.
Don't be so disingenuous as to assume that just because I enjoy cursing that I'm angry, you just make yourself sound like a fucking idiot. Especially when you don't respond to the message with anything of substance, like a belligerent child.
I'm not responding to an insufferable little bitch. Either learn to talk like an adult and, you know, be somewhat respectable, or get use to being treated like a child. Byeeeeee
The stick is so far up your ass it's pushing shit out of your mouth, careful there.
Because I don't want to engage with someone? Do I owe that person a response? Please. If this is such an important discussion to have, please stand in for me.
If self awareness was a disease you'd be the healthiest person alive. How much of a coward do you have to be to run away from mean words? It's a bullshit excuse, you can't attack my message so you try to disingenuously dismiss it without consideration. Pathetic.
Lol, don't get angry because I don't want to engage with you. You're an angry little man that came in hostile. I just don't want to waste my time on someone like you. Sorry bud. Be nicer next time.
No, because now this has become entertaining. You so easily riled up. 😂. Please. Keep going.
I enjoy telling you how much of a moron you are, if you want to keep getting told then I'll keep telling you. You still haven't gotten back on topic after all because youre not competent enough to participate.
Fuck you both. Take this petulant shit back to reddit.
Hilarious comment chain, but does show the need for disabling inbox notifications. Probably went in that long because each wanting to leave the last word after being notified of a response and being caught in a loop for a while.
Just buy a station car? It’s hot more space than I’ll ever need and I have all of the things you mention. Small does not equal clown car you know.
No it doesn't make sense but thanks for patronizing me.
All I see here is you barking back the truck industry's talking points to me. I know plenty of people with kids and pets and small cars and guess what? They are used to it and don't hate it.
Your entitlement is the difference, let's not make any mistake about this.
Entitlement over what? I drive a crosstrek mate. I can't get into a smaller car otherwise I'm leaving the kids behind. Your arguing with a single person. The reality of PEOPLE is that they won't change unless they don't need cars as much.... it's only logical mate.
Right because all these small vehicles only have two seats, I keep forgetting the only small car options are old mr2, fiero, and rx-7's. SILLY ME