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I do, but the Silverado is much more comfortable. Not to mention I'm not pulling my travel trailer with a mid-size.
And quite comfortable on long drives like we do in Alaska. I often travel from Fairbanks to Chitina, or to Valdez during the summer, and prefer driving the Silverado because it is so comfortable and solid on the road, plus I can drive off the road and take a nap in the bed topper. We are talking about 600-mile and more round trips, and nearly 800 miles if driving to Los Anchorage
Besides that, I can take camping gear and the rest, a cot for sleeping on, small BBQ grill, propane, a large ice chest full of foods, water, tow a UTV loaded trailer, and so on. For short drives to work and back, I drive a Corolla.
I think you have a great point, but how does Europe get by with raising families, traveling, etc. without huge empty pickup trucks or three row SUVs. We Americans are not that much fatter (maybe 50-100 pounds?) than the typical European? It’s a very odd phenomenon.
Now that you mention it, during the summer months in Alaska we have a great number of German and other European travelers driving European motorhomes and large trucks with campers. They travel through Canada before arriving here. Some of the motorhomes are made by Mercedes Benz. I imagine that it's a lot more comfortable for these tourists to spend weeks or months on the open Canada and US roads on large vehicles they can sleep in and cook.
But the main thing about large trucks and SUVs is that the comfort level on long distance driving is superior to smaller vehicles. It is the same when driving a large automobile such as some of the large Chrysler-made or a Cadillac.
I am also 6'2" tall, and if I try to sit in one, my head has to be bent down and my head is solid against the roof. My feeling like a lot of others is the mid size sedan is made for midgets, not full grown men.
I've got a Silverado and a Smart Car. Lol! I use the Silverado for traveling long distances and pulling a trailer. Around town I like driving the Smart Car and average around 45 mpg. Small cars make sense for single/double commuting short distances. This would satisfy at least one car for a lot of people. States/federal governments could provide incentives such as allowing HOV lanes to be used by vehicles of a certain class like the Smart with a single driver. Obviously there would need to be a healthy debate as to what type of vehicles would be allowed to use the lanes.
I am also 6'2" tall, and if I try to sit in one, my head has to be bent down and my head is solid against the roof. My feeling like a lot of others is the mid size sedan is made for midgets, not full grown men.
I'm 6'2". I own an Outback which is a lifted Subaru Legacy wagon. I'd fit just fine in a Legacy sedan. I'm Hertz Five Star. I rent Hertz "F" cars all the time. Camry. Altima. Malibu. I had VW GTIs as my daily driver for 15 years. I fit in those just fine. I had more legroom in my GTIs than in my SUVs.
Would I drive a Sentra or a Corolla? Hell no! I don't fit.
The reason people in all walks of life, are driving pickups, is the modern sedan is so small it no longer fits their needs. They are so small and hard to get into, that there is no way I can drive one, and even though my wife and I are both in our late-late 80s, we often have more people in our F-150 and Explorer SUV than you can get into one of those little clown cars. Reason I call them clown cars as at the circus they used to have a little car like that drive into the middle ring and clown after clown would emerge.
The family sedan is long gone, and they want to have something large enough to carry a family plus purchases when the families go shopping.
People drive them for safety. People also look at statistics, and find the chances of getting serious injuries, or killed in today's little cars are 4 times what they are in a pickup or larger SUV.
People in snow country, also want the 4X4 or AWD, so they get that in the SUV and Pickup.
Tall people buy them, as they can not sit up in the modern sedan, and buy the Pickup or medium/large SUV, because they cannot sit up in the modern Sedan. I know, as I am a long bodied 6'2" man. My wife and I have driven a pickup and a SUV since mid 70s.
I think you have a great point, but how does Europe get by with raising families, traveling, etc. without huge empty pickup trucks or three row SUVs. We Americans are not that much fatter (maybe 50-100 pounds?) than the typical European? It’s a very odd phenomenon.
Europeans, or more specifically Scandinavia since I know more about that part, have fewer children, better public transport, and great bike lanes all over the place, even in some rural areas. Last time we were there, though, the cars were larger than the ones shown earlier in the thread. They weren't SUV sized, but they were plenty of good. mid size or larger cars on the roads. The ones with the tiny cars are not hauling their families around in them. They do, however, tend to buy only the size car they need and rent when they need something bigger. That's the difference.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
I am also 6'2" tall, and if I try to sit in one, my head has to be bent down and my head is solid against the roof. My feeling like a lot of others is the mid size sedan is made for midgets, not full grown men.
WHAAATTT? I'm 6'3" and have zero issues. Are you all body and no legs?
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,694,502 times
Reputation: 3203
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkf747
Europeans, or more specifically Scandinavia since I know more about that part, have fewer children, better public transport, and great bike lanes all over the place, even in some rural areas. Last time we were there, though, the cars were larger than the ones shown earlier in the thread. They weren't SUV sized, but they were plenty of good. mid size or larger cars on the roads. The ones with the tiny cars are not hauling their families around in them. They do, however, tend to buy only the size car they need and rent when they need something bigger. That's the difference.
BTW, I saw lots of small pickups there too.
I'd agree that a lot of families drive wagons in Scandinavia. Lots of Volvo Vs and XCs. I have an XC70 D5 myself when I am in Reykjavik and it is the perfect size and god mileage to boot.
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