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We would have gotten a sedan last summer but we live in a place with serious winters and have a cabin in the woods on gravel roads so a little higher clearance and AWD is a must but didn’t want a big SUV...wanted a more luxury vehicle after years of trucks and jeeps.
I really wanted a Volvo but the nearest dealer is on the other side of the state.
Tried the Rangerover, Jaguar, Porsche, Acura, Mercedes, Lexus and Audi. Never thought I’d go for a Lexus and the weird front end gave me pause. But it turned out to be what I was looking for dealer gave us a great deal.
It feels like a sedan ride to me but since I haven’t had a sedan in so many years, I probably don’t remember well.
I suspect they'll make a comeback. More horizontal room is more useful to me than vertical room, so the crossover doesn't really do a lot for me. I'd rather have a full sized SUV. In any case I don't particularly care what the latest trends are. I own my car and I'm not going to waste thousands of dollars to trade it in just to try something different.
I think most people have a large crossover, pickup truck, or minivan as their family or over-the-road-vehicle, but they still have a small sedan or hatch as a second/commuter vehicle. I suppose now people can drive something like a Ford EcoSport or a Toyota CHR instead of a Focus or Corolla and they’re about the same length and get 10% less fuel economy or so.
This is consistent with my observations. But it's also worth realizing, that not all people have families, large pets, or plethora of stuff to move. Some people enjoy spirited driving. Others prize maximizing gas mileage. Others are closer to 5'-0" than 6'-0", and actually feel more comfortable getting into a coupe or sedan, than a truck-based vehicle.
I want to have a sensation that I'm actually driving the vehicle, rather than it's driving me. This means something small and light, with a traditional manual transmission, and ideally rear wheel drive. If the car gets stuck somewhere, I want for it to be sufficiently light-weight, that I could push it. If it won't start, I want for it to be sufficiently light-weight, that I could push start it. Notice a theme here?
My girlfriend and I, and our typical appurtenances (whatever is in the back seat - if there is one; trunk, etc.) weigh well under 400 pounds combined. Let's think about that. <400 pounds of total vehicle payload. Why would I want to drive a 4000-pound vehicle? An 800-pound vehicle makes far more sense. Maybe 1000 pounds. Those aren't really available, so I settle for a 2200-pound Miata. Anything larger would be ridiculous. Am I alone in such thinking?
This is consistent with my observations. But it's also worth realizing, that not all people have families, large pets, or plethora of stuff to move. Some people enjoy spirited driving. Others prize maximizing gas mileage. Others are closer to 5'-0" than 6'-0", and actually feel more comfortable getting into a coupe or sedan, than a truck-based vehicle.
I want to have a sensation that I'm actually driving the vehicle, rather than it's driving me. This means something small and light, with a traditional manual transmission, and ideally rear wheel drive. If the car gets stuck somewhere, I want for it to be sufficiently light-weight, that I could push it. If it won't start, I want for it to be sufficiently light-weight, that I could push start it. Notice a theme here?
My girlfriend and I, and our typical appurtenances (whatever is in the back seat - if there is one; trunk, etc.) weigh well under 400 pounds combined. Let's think about that. <400 pounds of total vehicle payload. Why would I want to drive a 4000-pound vehicle? An 800-pound vehicle makes far more sense. Maybe 1000 pounds. Those aren't really available, so I settle for a 2200-pound Miata. Anything larger would be ridiculous. Am I alone in such thinking?
A Miata won't do what I need a car to do for me. I carry more than one extra person on a fairly regular basis. I do have a convertible for fun driving, but since my wife decided that 40 years of driving manuals was enough, this time it had to have an automatic, which ruled out the Miata because an automatic Miata sucks. And I buy SUVs for utility, so my current SUV is a 2500 series 4x4 Suburban that tows my 9500lb travel trailer with ease. I don't daily drive it so it doesn't have to be small and fuel efficient, though my daily driver sedan posted earlier is also not small and fuel efficient (but it's cheap to own).
I am getting to the point however where getting in and out of (especially out of) a low slung sedan, coupe, or convertible is tiring and physically difficult. A crossover or normal SUV tends to have it's hip point for the seats right where it needs to be for easy ingress and egress, not just for me, but for passengers. I loved driving my Range Rover for that reason. Just easy to get in and out of and more utility than a wagon or hatchback. So there's a very good chance that the next vehicle to replace my 740i will be a performance SUV if there are no comfy EVs on the market at that point. (I loved my Volt, but it was hard to get in and out of, as well.)
4) I would go crazy if I had to use a pickup as a daily driver. Pickups aren't the "ultimate do-everything" vehicle. In fact, they're the opposite - they do almost everything incredibly poorly. Anyone looking for the "ultimate do-everything" vehicle needs to look no further than a minivan.
The minivan is thevehicle of the past. Ford and GMC no longer build them, and Chrysler still builds one at this time, but not built in the USA. Phased out, and soon so will the sedan be gone.
The big thing is, they have shrunk sedans, and other cars in size to the point that a tall man or woman cannot even sit up in one, let alone drive one. They are now just sardine can size vehicles. Their ability to carry people is so small, that to be able to haul a family or number of people, has shrunk to the size that they no longer are adequate for those that are switching to SUVs and Pickups.
The car people call the large SUVs and Pickups, the most dangerous vehicles in the world. Not dangerous to the Pickup and SUV passengers, but for the people in the modern cars that run into them. They call these the most dangerous vehicles in the world, instead of calling those small modern cars the most dangerous as they are the cars people are dying in.
got zero interest in driving a big ass pick up or an SUV (unless I'm hauling the hounds around). Drive a Buick Lacrosse. It's roomy, comfortable and an exceptionally smooth ride. But here in Texas, everybody else drives a Silverado or F-150.
The big thing is, they have shrunk sedans, and other cars in size to the point that a tall man or woman cannot even sit up in one, let alone drive one. They are now just sardine can size vehicles. Their ability to carry people is so small, that to be able to haul a family or number of people
You keep saying this and it makes me thing you don't know what shrunk actually means.
A new Civic is the size of an 80s Accord. The civic is a compact car, the accord is a mid sized car.
A new Taurus is marginally bigger than a 1989 Taurus: Headroom is the same, Hip 56 v 55, Leg 44 v 42, Shoulder 58 v 57
It goes like this all throughout the industry. Cars are either a little bigger than they were 35 years ago, or a whole lot bigger. Cars have not gotten smaller.
As Americans have gotten fatter, cars have gotten bigger.
Ford just announced that they will discontinue production of the Fiesta and the Taurus. They say everyone wants a pickup or SUV.
I myself will always opt for the sedan. Better ride, safer, much better gas mileage. It would be my luck that when I buy my first pickup, gas will go up to $4 a gallon within the month.
As always, everything is cyclical. In 2 years, Ford will be killing themselves because they will have to retool and bring back the sedan and try to sell off billions in low MPG vehicles.
I’m more of a station wagon kind of guy, but since there are but a couple of options available that haven’t been raised up and had a crossover label slapped on them I’d be fine with the superior handling and ride of a sedan. Since they have fallen out of favor you almost certainly would be able to deal better on price at the dealer which works out great for those of us who prefer them.
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And I buy SUVs for utility, so my current SUV is a 2500 series 4x4 Suburban that tows my 9500lb travel trailer with ease. I don't daily drive it so it doesn't have to be small and fuel efficient, though my daily driver sedan posted earlier is also not small and fuel efficient (but it's cheap to own).
