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Its true a lot of SUVs/CUVs are overpriced poser vehicles that have little to no offroad capabilty or even 4wd/awd, which means you still have to deal with those pesky dirty chains on the mountains. Sometimes a minivan may make more sense(except in heavy snow/ice conditions) but most people do not want to be seen as a minivan mom or dad for that matter unlike back in the 1990s.
WRONG!!!!
Here in mountain snow country, 75% of all vehicles will be SUV or pickups. In winter we put on winter tires made of softer rubber to increase grip on ice and snow, lug treads, and metal studs that move us safely in snow and ice conditions, with 4 wheel drive or AWD. Even when chain law is in effect, we do not use chains as law classifies us same as using chains, and they are equally effective.
And with these tires, we can still move when 2 wheel drive with chains are stuck.
Here we have another problem that kill a lot of people....Deer Accidents. Many of us install deer guards to protect our families. Average damage hitting deer with ca r $12,000 plus. With SUV or Pickup and deer guard the cost of running through a car wash.
The insurance institute recently recommend if you live in an area with lots of pickups and SUVs, do not buy a car due to the higher death and injury rates for cars.
Same reason one is less inclined to DD with a Ferrari F40 or Rolls Royce. They realize what they bought and will likely do the dirty work with something else.
It's a mere representation of what they do, or what they like. Functional, but in a non-participatory kind of way
A lot of this isn't necessarily "dirty work" but rather service intervals, reliability and cost/miles. There are plenty of mid to higher end Porsches around here used for DD. Ferrari, for example, has a notorious history of reliability problems, short service intervals, and high cost of maintenance... but most owners are not as concern about those things until they consider it for DD.
Sedans are going by the way side like vans and station wagons mainly due to fad driven marketing in an image conscious US market. SUVs and Trucks project a different lifestyle for a market where the typical consumer is often suburban, grocery/errand, yuppie who wants something that stands out from what their parents drove.
The only difference is that the modern SUV tail end slopes forward rather than being vertical. Like you, I’ve always been a fan of trucks and real SUVs, my first pickup was in 1973, and first SUV a 1990 Bronco, both new.
Pretty much and that didn’t start happening till recently. But..... like the Ridgeline. It has a bed it’s a pick up truck. Hell Ford and Jeep had a unibody truck in the early 60s and 80s (respectively) and people call those pick ups. But a lot of people say the Ridgeline isn’t a “real†truck. It may not have the capabilities of a full size truck, but then again a lot of buyers don’t use their trucks to the full extent of the capabilities. Hell my Syclone couldn’t carry over 500 pounds in cargo and it was not rated to tow anything. At all. Yet it’s a pick up truck.
It’s just funny to me how people see their crossovers as this “new†innovation.
I also was a "work truck and van" guy for decades so we always had either a full size van and a minivan and also pickups (compact and full) and even a 12 ft stake body.
I used to joke that there were really only 4 or 5 vehicles made that could satisfy most everyone.
one sedan model
one station wagon
one minivan
one pickup
we could add a compact of each, but it's really just a matter of fads and marketing after that.
I'm going to pick up my 2019 VW Sportwagen later today...to replace the ancient subaru. The machine is that much lower that putting heavy things on the roof racks should be vastly handier....
I do remember when I first saw the PU Trucks that never had anything in them. It was just like when I first looked at an SUV at the Ford Dealer....I scratched my head and wondered why? It had a sweet (expensive) hard cover on the back of it. Seemed like a coffin maker got ahold of the design and pimped it out.
Sedans are going by the way side like vans and station wagons mainly due to fad driven marketing in an image conscious US market. SUVs and Trucks project a different lifestyle for a market where the typical consumer is often suburban, grocery/errand, yuppie who wants something that stands out from what their parents drove.
True, but one wonders how people still apply their "image" where 90% of other vehicles on the road cannot be distinguished from theirs?
I guess maybe it's the old "rather be the same than different" or a subconscious "these must be good because everyone else has one". I must admit that is a tempting thought even for me.
But then the engineer in me kicks in and I think about the center of gravity and the MPG and stuff like that....you know, real things!
I think the manufactures prices on Sedans is what kills them.
Go to a Chevy Dealer and a Impala, that seats 4-5 very comfortably and has a huge trunk is going for $30-42K loaded, the same price as the Blazer ($27-50k) which seats 5 or Traverse ($30-50k) that seats 7 or 8, so its easier for a sales person to push a mom into the SUV than the Sedan.
Same with a Fusion sitting next to an Edge, Taurus next to an Explorer, or Avalon sitting next to a Highlander.
If they are very similar in price, many might just go for more cargo room, even though most people that dont carry more than 4-5 passengers, will have their needs met with a midsize or full size sedan.
Outside of the occasional need to carry something extremely huge, Ill take a long trip in a Full Size Sedan any day over a Crossover, and with fold down seats, alot of sedan can carry alot too if needed, and outside of huge boxes or small dressers where a SUV shines.
The Kia Stinger and Buick Regal sport hatches seem to be the best Balance between spacious sedan and huge cargo area if needed, with out going the SUV route.
I agree. Also the fact that what they call a mid-sized sedan is laughably small compared to days gone by. I remember 15 years ago when renting what was called a compact car is a full sized now. The compact cars are so small I can barely fit a suitcase in them. Why buy a sedan when you can get a more versatile, roomier crossover or SUV for a little more or even the same price? They have more horsepower also and the warranty is the same.
True, but one wonders how people still apply their "image" where 90% of other vehicles on the road cannot be distinguished from theirs?
I guess maybe it's the old "rather be the same than different" or a subconscious "these must be good because everyone else has one". I must admit that is a tempting thought even for me.
But then the engineer in me kicks in and I think about the center of gravity and the MPG and stuff like that....you know, real things!
Fad and image is mostly driven by what consumers see via marketing and other consumers. When a celebrity endorses a product through their purchase decision, it drives other consumers who want to project a similar image.
Blue jeans for example was the blue collar worker's "uniform" of eras ago... it was later turned into a fashion item to project the hard working American image. Then jeans were too nice and unworn to keep projecting that image, so out came faded, worn, sometimes ripped/holed, jeans from factory.
If you think about it, SUVs and Trucks are the automotive equivalent of Blue Jeans....
Anything to distance themselves from the lesser interesting lifestyle image of being 9-5, suburban, weekend errand, kid toting that is the reality. Case in point: The most popular pickup truck configuration is a full four door crew cab with a short bed. The most popular Jeep Wrangler configuration is the stretched four door one. It is still a pickup and Jeep wranger but configured for the suburban family; sacrificing off road capability (heavier, wider, longer) and in-truck-bed hauling capacity (short bed).
On the other side, minivans died in part because no one wanted to be associated with "MiniVan mom". That image is precisely 9-5, surburban, weekend errand, kit toting reality with a vehicle to follow suit. People didn't want a vehicle to follow suit... they wanted something to project something other than the reality.
My wife is one of those that resisted the minivan but I watched her struggle with two infants, stuff, and a toddler. I ended up just buying one cheap and leaving it in the driveway without consulting her. A month later, she is using "my" minivan exclusively as it was indeed the better tool for the job; sliding doors, low lift-over height, car driving dynamics, large rear hatch, room to give each kid their space.. etc.. Now we are looking to get rid of the SUV she had because it just sits there.. It isn't suitable for me because I have a very long daily commute and MPG isn't where i need it to be.
When comes push to shove, American market doesn't see vehicles as a tool but rather as a status/image symbol. Nothing wrong with that but that makes vehicles and the manufacturer's decisions on what to make/sell subject to the tides of fads.
In short... it isn't about distinguishing from each other but rather distinguishing from yester-years and the realities of life today.
I agree. Also the fact that what they call a mid-sized sedan is laughably small compared to days gone by. I remember 15 years ago when renting what was called a compact car is a full sized now. The compact cars are so small I can barely fit a suitcase in them. Why buy a sedan when you can get a more versatile, roomier crossover or SUV for a little more or even the same price? They have more horsepower also and the warranty is the same.
I agree. After years of sedans and in my younger years ,even a Corvette , 3 months ago I bought a 2019 Rav 4. No more switching to 4 snows here in the Northeast. So far I am very impressed and getting 34 MPG average.
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