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In a word? Ground Clearance. That's my .02 anyway. That, and seating. The rampant popularity of Pickup trucks tracks closely with the popularity of double cabs.
We do have the Ridgeline which does well enough, and is Ute-ish.
Its towing capacity is 3500 lbs from what I could see, and that's not a lot in comparison to Silverado, RAM and Co. It's also not enough for the purposes that full-size trucks are needed for in infrastructure construction and maintenance, heavy industry, cattle farming, ranching etc.
I have no doubt that it's a fun to drive vehicle, though it does come at a price point where you could buy a lot of very nice other cars, too.
I bet it's no good for carrying 12 people or driving on unpaved roads in Siberia, either. Clearly there's no point in them existing.
I wonder how much the obesity epidemic plays into these types of decisions? At 5'8", 160, I have no problem being comfortable in a Subaru Baja-sized vehicle. If they didn't put a stupid storage/cup holder in the middle of the back row, my whole family could easily fit in it.
I guess the car companies have to factor in that the average American is no longer my size though when investing hundreds of millions into production costs.
Personally, I don’t understand why the old American standard, the “station wagon” isn’t more popular. I have a 2008 Audi, S4 Avant (their name for their “wagons”). It has the performance and handling of a sports sedan with the ability to haul my boxes of stuff whenever. I think Volvo might be the only company selling something similar these days. Audi doesn’t import the S4 Avant to the U.S. anymore.
I comes down that there is no demand for them the US market is one of large pickups and suvs. And no auto maker is going to set up a plant to only run a few thousand vehicles no profit and that’s what they are in business for.
I'm no expert on vehicle "platforms", but wouldn't some of the mid-sized SUV's be perfect as a platform for a new UTE?
The Hyundai rumored Santa Cruz is supposed to be based on the new Santa Fe body. That vehicle has actually been built as a concept. There's a rumor surrounding the Ford Focus platform as well, which is obviously even smaller. Those are the two most likely to ever actually appear.
I'm just desperate for a replacement for the "perfect" vehicle I finally found, unfortunately 15 years after it was built and 12 after the last of the model.
Many, many years ago, an automotive writer had an article in Mechanix Illustrated (IIRC, one of those type magazines, anyway) comparing the cost of doing an IROAN (Inspect, Repair Only As Necessary) program on his over-100-thousand-mile-car with the cost of a new vehicle. He rebuilt the engine and transmission, inspected the differential, inspected all wheel/axle bearings, had the upholstery redone, and a paint job. He basically restored the vehicle to near-showroom condition for less than 2/3 the cost of a new one of similar characteristics.
What would it cost to rebuild your "perfect" vehicle, compared to the cost of a replacement, IF you can find one?
Think about it.
I bet it's no good for carrying 12 people or driving on unpaved roads in Siberia, either. Clearly there's no point in them existing.
I responded to someone specifically saying that vehicle is powerful enough in response to me saying utes aren't powerful enough for heavy duty industrial use.
My larger original point being that they're too limited for many commercial purposes, so the fact that their design doesn't seem to be attractive to the mainstream American buyer of utility vehicles is a significant problem and likely cause of why they're not available in the U.S. car market.
What would it cost to rebuild your "perfect" vehicle, compared to the cost of a replacement, IF you can find one?
Think about it.
I'm certainly going to keep it on the road until it craps out completely. Thankfully my mechanic is my stepfather (almost 40 years running his own shop) and I have friends for issues he doesn't want to tackle. BUT, I also live in NY where rust is a serious issue on older cars. Our roads are heavily salted in the winter, and to make matters worse, I don't have a garage to store it in. So far, it doesn't appear to have any major issues on that front, but it is only a matter of time.
Us 'Merikans are all big, tall fat b-tards and don't want those puny little 3rd World toys. (Plus, all the safety crud required in the US would kill most small Utes. Blame the NTSB!)
I'd kinda like a Maloo, however. Those look cool as fark!
I comes down that there is no demand for them the US market is one of large pickups and suvs. And no auto maker is going to set up a plant to only run a few thousand vehicles no profit and that’s what they are in business for.
Yeah, I understand that. What I don’t understand is why there is no demand for them. I’ve had a number of SUVs and they are fine but not real driving machines. I guess there are a lot fewer people than I would have thought that like performance driving experiences. Yet I see plenty of performance sedans and coupes, but no performance “wagons”. Dodge and Cadillac had offerings for a while but they’re gone too. I just have no understanding of the tastes of the average American car buyer apparently.
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