Why Americans love big cars
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- It’s not just a consumer choice; it’s a policy choice.
Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos: goo.gl/0bsAjO
It’s no secret that big cars dominate American roads. But even so, some of the stats are staggering: Last year, 80 percent of all new cars sold in the US were SUVs and trucks. That’s compared to just 52 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, many automakers are phasing out passenger cars as consumer demand for them has disappeared.
Not all of this is a result of consumer choice, though. A huge factor in why SUVs and trucks are so popular in the US is hidden in a 50-year-old policy decision. In this video we cover the history of the SUV, and how its origin story and popularity is rooted in US fuel economy standards.
The Washington Post data visualizations are from this story:
www.washington...
For more of Bob Sorokanich’s work on how regulation changed car design:
jalopnik.com/e...
I interviewed economist Mark Jacobsen, who studies fuel efficiency and vehicle safety:
• Mark Jacobsen, Economi...
For a history of fuel economy for both light trucks and cars:
www.pewtrusts....
This article explains how the footprint model made cars bigger:
www.thedrive.c...
Here is the study on pedestrian fatalities and big cars:
sci-hub.se/htt...
Correction: 2:50 a label on the x-axis of a chart misspells “Australia.”
Vox is an explanatory newsroom on a mission to help everyone understand our weird, wonderful, complicated world, so that we can all help shape it. Part of that mission is keeping our work free. You can help us do that by making a gift: www.vox.com/giv...
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on TikTok: / voxdotcom
Check out our articles: www.vox.com/
Listen to our podcasts: www.vox.com/po...
This is our third of five videos on design trends and systems in travel! Check out last week’s episode on how the American rail system went from one of the largest and wealthiest in the world to ... Amtrak: ruclips.net/video/von_IMi97-w/видео.html
And join us next week when Christophe is back on the channel to explain the skyscraper-sized boats known as cruise ships.
In 2023, 55% of new car sales in Australia were SUVs
The worst thing is Americans are exporting their disgusting car culture abroad and now many people in Europe are also buying SUVs, a lot of them American brands
SUVs and pickups must be banned in Europe.
Don't need, don't want.
Will you be covering e-bikes and micro mobility - including mono wheels?
I like the Blue VW wagon, I have a Blue 4 door Mk6 Golf. I can understand the appeal of a Toyota Land Cruiser for ultimate reliability and being able to drive anywhere with rugged looks, but I really don’t get the appeal of all the crossovers that look alike. I bet in ten years they will be uncool like minivans are now, or how wagons become “uncool” 30 ago.
The dilemma is people buy big cars for safety from people driving big cars. it's a vicious cycle.
The bigger your car is the more power you have
@@musclecargarage2875alr lil bro
Exactly, I drive a small car now and I want my next car to be an SUV simply for this reason
It won't be long until we bulldoze our cities again just to accommodate larger cars.
So the only way to stop the cycle is the government stepping in and allowing huge cars only for people who really need them.
As a German I can tell you: Never underestimate the questionable influence of the automotive industry lobbyists on policy and legislation.
When people question the logic of a certain US policy it almost always a situation of somebody profiting off of it and lobbying to protect their right to profit. It is why the most common type of millionaire in the US is a car dealership owner
Why as a German?
@@alex.g7317 Germany is known for cars and the automobile industry. If you think about Germany or German economics, cars are the first that should come in mind. They definitely dominate there and abroad
@@logan1769cars is defined not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Germany vehicle ingenuity. I think WWII, which is what fuel the entire thing...
Yes, yes and yes
The regulation that means bigger vehicles get less strict emissions is wild
yeah, the intention was that large commercial vehicles wouldn't be held to standards for regular passenger cars, since it was basically impossible for something like a garbage truck to get the same gas mileage as a passenger sedan. But what ended up happening is that it incentivized carmakers to make passenger vehicles that were the size of big commercial vehicles.
@MrDRSMAX the garbage truck example is a good point, I didn't think about vehicles bigger than a pickup truck.
@@MrDRSMAX It seems to me a prime example of why top-down regulations like this can often fail or have severe unintended side effects. Instead of the government stepping in and dictating fuel economy standards across the board, maybe we should just tax carbon emissions significantly more heavily, which would make gas cost more at the pump. This would discourage gas guzzling and encourage efficiency at all levels.
@@ulrichspencer The nail in the coffin was when they started making SUVs efficient, especially turning them into hybrids. I remember specifically in 2008 as peoples bank accounts tightened and gas prices soar, you saw way less SUVs out on the road over night. It cost so much when you got 15 mpg to get anywhere. Now, a friend of mine has a Rav4 hybrid, and gets 37 mpg. At that, we're doomed to SUVs because the pain is no longer at the pump.
@@jgj657 that will just have the same problem we see here with car companies starting to market cars as "undefeatable machines" with giganyic needlessly powerful engines for your trip to the grocery store (that you have to drive to due to the awful car reliance this country has)
I hear a lot of people say they buy SUVs/trucks because they like to be able to "see further ahead" or what have you. Except now that everybody is doing that, thereby the view from up there is now blocked further.
Ironically, nowadays I can see a good 3-4 cars ahead of me when driving my Fiero by looking *under* the cars ahead of me.
I drive a Mustang now but used to drive a jeep, I couldn't see over anyone in my old jeep because that gimmick has died after everyone drives SUVs just like you said
My Car is narrow, long in modern terms...
But I can actually see in front by . Leaning towards the driver side...
I do this without even thinking about it...
It's a must.. to survive the day to day...
1968 Dodge Dart..
I drive it everyday and everywhere...
Cheers from Southern California 🇺🇸
I asked someone I know why they didn't want to drive a sedan and only wanted a SUV or Truck and she said she doesn't like being unable to see the hood of the car and the space between her car and someone elses
Lol
I believe the american association for child safety in trafick did a test with an SUV. They placed 17 kids in front of the SUV and the driver could only see the 17th kid .. These big cars cannot see anything right in front of them and that makes them tremendously dangerous compared to the 'small' classic european cars. Big cars is just an ego inflation thing that car companies have monetized.
As a European, it was interesting seeing most of the cars you listed as discontinued are still on sale and getting new models on our side of the pond
Only talking about sales to US market. A lot of the sedans and hatchback will now be export exclusive
I also found it sounded a bit like those models are discontinued world-wide, which isn't the case.
Same in Brazil. Although I believe we are moving towards bigger cars
Another factor might be that European cities are older than American counterparts in general. Your streets weren't made with big cars in mind, or even cars in general. Unless you're willing to tear buildings down, the streets set a hard limit for car size.
As an avid wagon fan and American, I am sadly well aware that enviable models continue production overseas and often never make it to the US
When your goal is to reduce emissions but instead you end up making things way worse by encouriging everyone to replace sedans/small cars with SUV and trucks..
It IS kind of sad how much incentive and power the corporations have to simply avert regulations by seeking out loopholes, and literally changing the direction of human behavior. For the worse, as you succinctly pointed out.
The government & the auto manufacturers are not serious and care zero about the enviornment
@@timolaf2798 the society itself has some blame as well, many other countries will literally stop supporting a company to death. Which is why in some other countries companies take pay cuts and board members tend to step down when they mess up.
But the US can't pass up a good deal even if it means destroying their future and the future of those who come after.
This is the reason why it is not a good to have loopholes.
Just support workers directly, not by making a loophole for SUV, that gets used by everybody else.
general motors and ford:🤫
I am often told by people who love their giant trucks that i can just go buy a small car if I prefer, but it is increasingly frustrating that manufacturers literally are discontinuing those models.
US companies are the only ones to fully discontinue them. How had American culture shifted this much. I think it's safe to say Japanese luxury car brands are going to keep their sedans (well I hope so).
@@bilalrasool1 Good luck importing a Japanese car to the US. Current regulations are that you can only import once it's 20+ years old
@@mposhI'm gonna guess they live in Japan...
@@mposhbuy a bmw then
It's infectuous, too. Sensible cars like wagons and vans are becoming less and less available as new cars. The first electric wagon, for example, was the MG 5 - a Fiat Tipo like small family car. Nothing like that from the established carmakers.
As a dual US-EU citizen (US born/raised with French parents) I'm always impressed by the size difference between both countries. I grew up with a Jetta and Golf in the garage 😂 Here in Colorado we have a ton of SUVs. Really the only people who need those vehicles are those in the construction industry or who recreate deep in the mountains and need a 4WD vehicle to access rough dirt roads. Those categories are easy to spot with the latter having lifted bodies, winches and tow hooks, maxtraks etc, and 90% of SUVs in Denver don't fit either category.
Some people claim you need a big car to drive in the snow but after driving a Subaru Impreza and manual Fiat 500 I feel they are lying or don't know how to drive... winter tires are way more important than car size. Sad to see so many of these models go, the Impreza is thankfully still around and unrivaled as an AWD compact car.
The main advantage pick-up trucks have in winter is all-wheel drive and tyre size. SUVs don't even have that advantage. And apart from that, being that big and heavy equals poor handling and that is exarcebated in poor grip conditions. Really the worst of both worlds.
As a 100% French person I wish I had a multicultural upbringing like that, it just sounds so freaking cool (even though yes it probably doesn't seem like much from your own point of view)... Meanwhile I'm the only one in my entire family tree who even went to college and speaks English :/
I live in the the Ontario snow belt of the Great lakes. When it snows heavy it's always the SUVs that slide off the road and end up in ditches.
well yeah half the crossovers america sells are Fwd and made for people who “want to sit higher and feel safer” 😒
I drove a 2006 Impreza hatchback for many years in Salt Lake City! Handled like a dream in the mountain snow! It doesn't have clearance but it was never a problem while we owned it.
The irony of safety in big trucks is that while you’re better protected in a lot of crashes, you’re at a bigger risk of getting into a crash, given the longer braking distances and poor handling compared to sedans.
You could say the same exact thing with Sedans and Coupes.
You're actually less protected if there's a roll over
SUVs and trucks also have a higher center of gravity so they are more prone to rollovers which can be deadly.
@@erichughes3987rollovers wouldn’t be as big as a problem with smaller cars because their center of gravity is lower compared to big cars which have a high center of gravity making them more prone to rollovers.
@@SCHMALLZZZno, because the weight difference between sedans and coupes are small compared to sedans and pickup trucks.
The first thing I noticed moving from Japan to the US was the size of vehicles all around. I could probably fit 2 or 3 kei cars into the back of an F-150.
The first thing I noticed visiting Japan while living in the US was how compact everything was and the way space was used so efficiently. I wish we could have nice things like those.
I'm obsessed with Kai cars
And the fun part is that there are kei trucks with more loading capacity than modern US trucks
And at the gas station you can feed 3 kei-cars for the same money as one suv!
This is a little bit of an over exaggeration lol
NotJustBikes made an amazing video on the rise of SUVs and trucks. Also this is practically a vehicular arms race that puts anyone not in an SUV at risk…
Based and orangepilled
@@user-ix5pi5nm5p Well, SUVs/trucks have more mass, so they couse more force when crashing to another car. Also there are so many suvs/trucks that there are always bad drivers
@@Alexander-jr8nwhahhahahha what are you on about? The GM Delta II platform was developed by Opel. It's used for Opel Astras, also weighing up to 1.5 tons. Opel is the last European brand I'd ever want to have.
@@user-ix5pi5nm5p Yeah I don't get why we have to have seatbelts in cars. There wouldn't be any risk if those drivers drove well in the first place. Society has the completely wrong mindset! /s
@@user-ix5pi5nm5pWhen an SUV hits a smaller car, the SUV is more likely to hit closer to the top of the smaller car, putting the passenger at greater risk of dying on impact.
When she spoke about driving in a small car and not being able to see anything, that resonates with me so much! I even find the grocery store parking lot dangerous because, in my small car, I’m surrounded by huge SUVs and have to use extreme caution when pulling out of spaces to make sure no one plows into me. And don’t get me started on highway driving-I have to be so much more defensive because these SUVs have blind spots which drivers seem oblivious to. I think that feeling of “safety” makes SUV drivers more reckless.
Also, I have always preferred the handling and fuel efficiency of a car. Whenever I have a rental car these days, it’s usually an SUV and I hate the way they feel. My car hugs the road and of course it’s much easier to squeeze into limited parking spaces in the city.
I really hope cars aren’t completely phased out!
Thank you, I 100 % agree with you.
I drive a Mazda Miata in my free time and a delivery truck for living, and I think people are tail gating the small cars in their big cars much often.
My work... Half my week is delivering...
Streets to Freeway adventures...
In order to survive in the day to day Kaos of The other Humans in their Little House...(Car or SUV) ...
A world onto themselves.. oblivious to anyone...
Lane departure, blind spot, front impact,
The Car manufacturers have basically said.. look, we get it... You're far to busy with??.. to be burdened with having to stay in your own lane..
When you see a Old Classic American Car/Truck.. the original owners.. could drive!!..
It's what it takes to stay alive....
Actual Survival of the Fittest...
Like the comments here, I believe you all understand what I mean...
You have a skill beyond them..
Cheers from Orange County California 🇺🇸
Daily Driver 68 Dodge Dart...
Not reckless, just dangerous level of ignorance as to the size of the blind spots.
Plus all the driver assist features are actually NETT anti saftey as they are teaching drivers to be negligent.
I'm the same! I live in the UK where the car still is still fairly ubiquitous, but unfortunately the crossovers are growing in popularity. Our roads and carparks cannot take these bigger vehicles. I struggled to pull out of a parking space after I was flanked by 2 SUVs on either side. Making it harder to swing my car out.
I drive a SEAT Ibiza hatchback. It's so fuel efficient and nimble, and it handles really well making it fun to drive. It's perfect for me and my partner and long journeys are pretty comfortable. I wish people would realise that they don't really need massive vehicles.
It's becoming a trend in the UK too. Estate cars are going out of fashion for larger, heavier, more inefficient SUVs and crossovers that give the illusion of extra room inside. The extra weight also means smaller cars are more unsafe if they collide with these SUVs
The UK is the America of Europe, after all
It's a trend everywhere. And mostly because of the safety. It's a vicious cycle that can't be stopped. People wanna get bigger car to be more safe from people with bigger cars.
So the UK is becoming american...
It also increases wear and tear on the roads they travel. The heavier cars are, the worse roads become.
@@Meg_A_Byte its ironic because its been proven that SUVs arent any safer - especially because theyre more likely to flip over and can also mount over barriers way easier
I used to ask my Mom this all the time as a kid, why opt for such a large (and often, much more expensive) SUV when you can just get a nice sedan like an Accord or Avalon. Her answer was always something along the lines of bigger vehicles making her feel safer. My father would joke that she just wanted to feel more dominant by having a "larger road presence"
Papa was rite. Females are not strong. They need to feel strong.
@@Mespera3011
1. misogynist
2. yes, some people need to compensate for something, mostly men buying pickups though
@@topapo3661what's misogynistic about asking questions?
@@wibs0n68i think the person theyre responding to was and theyve deleted the comment so we'll never know ig
@@espeon871i still see it. in case it got deleted for you, the comment i responded to says:
“Papa was rite. Females are not strong. They need to feel strong.”
which just screams misogynistic
A manual station wagon that is also a diesel? She's a true car enthusiast.
Everywhere in the UK. More so 10+ years ago
@@leenevin8451 In the US it's quite a rarity.
Yes, but is that the VW TDI that cheats the emissions test?
@@Phrancis5 too old
As an european I cant imagine anything more boring to drive than a diesel povered VW. Those things are everywhere. Ok meaby a small manual econobox is more boring.
I really had no idea how big American SUVs and trucks were until I saw one in person here in Japan. Unnecessarily big, super inefficient and I'm sure, very costly. I thought the popularity of SUVs in Japan was getting out of hand but most of the SUVs here will be considered compact SUVs or crossovers in the US. I personally drive a Honda HR-V which is a compact SUV and is a hybrid. Fuel efficient and super practical without being 'big'. Really no point going larger unless you're transporting groups of people on the daily.
Big car look cool
Not sure about SUVs, but trucks, theres actually a lot of people who would prefer the smaller older trucks of the 90's compared to the monsters we have today. If Toyota could ever bring the IMV platform/Hilux to the US, it would be crazily popular. But I doubt that would ever happen.
IMO most modern U.S. pickup trucks are a colossal waste of money. Most Americans use their car as a “grocery getter” or only really gets driven to their place of work and back.
Hahaha, yes. I visited the US a number of years ago and after a week I had gotten used to all the huge vehicles driving around in LA. While I was walking down the street, I saw something and said to myself "it's nice to see a small SUV for a change!", as it came past I recognised it and burst out laughing, I had just called a Toyota Prado small🤣 This vehicle is known as Lexus GX in the US.
Interestingly when I wanted to rent a car in Japan for a holiday, it was either hatchbacks, or minivans & SUVs. Sedans were rare. Maybe because they're less space-efficient with their more streamlined rear
I studied in the US and nearly got run over multiple times because drivers either refused to yield or could not see me. Some cars like the Escalade or some F150s were so big that their hoods were neck-highish, and I’m 5’10. Ironically, they were driven mostly by either old or short people.
Terrifying cars like the Landrover at 5:42 were built as work horses and are not towering yet can still clamber.
reminder that the cadillac escalade is bigger than the largest tank used in wwii
Yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous how little you can see in modern vehicles. And also how little American drivers think about pedestrians in many cities, outside of really major metros.
@@emma70707that's another topic that Vox has covered. Most US cities and towns are not walkable at all. They're literally designed to be driven, and even a short walk half a mile away will have you running across 4 or 6 lane roads and stepping over guard rails. US drivers are conditioned to feel like they're the only people traveling on roads. In other countries people in cars, motorcycles, on bikes, and walkers all move together and account for each other.
The correlation between short guys and big trucks isn't ironic, it's compensation 🤣🤣🤣
The number of SUVs is rising in Europe as well. But the reduced parking space in cities and higher fuel cost ist probably slowing it down
Somehow giant US-sized SUVs just stand out in a sea of sedans and city cars. Plus they usually don't fit in regular parking spaces.
It's a fad in Europe will probably go away as people start realising how much more expensive & useless they are plus the governments will probably start taxing them more however I can't see this happening in North America
They aren't useless. You can fit more people/cargo in a bigger car which is very practical in certain situations.
@@fosterslover1.2 people per car in mean. A 2 tons véhicule should not be driven as a everyday short range use, it’s non sens regarding oil security and climate change. Nicolas Meilhan on that.
@@fosterslover On average there will only ever be 1.5 people in a vehicle. VERY few people fully utilize weight and storage capacity offered by larger vehicles.
This arms race is nearmost entirely psychological driven by advertising and social conditioning then rational decision making
I live in Florida. Quite recently, a car behind mine, a sedan, got rear-ended by a RAM truck. The momentum was so much that the sedan barely missed my car by an inch or so. To no surprise, unfortunately, the sedan became a hatchback, and the RAM just had its front bumper deformed, and a relatively minor dent to the hood. I'm glad no one was injured. This was at speeds of 10-15 mph. Sure, trucks are safe, but JUST FOR YOU. Once everyone owns a truck they'll want something bigger because damages will be proportionate.
maybe in 50 years we'll all be in literal tanks, electric tanks that is
When two of the same vehicles crash into one another, sedans are actually the safest.
Try hitting a traffic pole with your SUV and see what happens. SUVs do not have crumple zones, because they don't comply to the same crash test standards. They're making streets more dangerous to anyone using them, including themselves
@@CaptOrbitdid you not even read his comment?
@@CaptOrbit reread the last two sentences please
I love my sedan. The ease of sliding into a parking space without the need for adjustments. Navigating a roundabout and effortlessly overtaking trucks and SUVs is is something I like doing.
I switched from a CR-V to a VW Golf. I used to dread navigating traffic, narrow roads, and parallel parking, but that is all effortless in the Golf. I seriously don't get why so many people buy gigantic trucks as daily drivers.
I hate driving big cars. They feel too big and bulky and I feel like I'm going to hit something if I'm not extremely careful. My Camry feels more agile.
As a person and car enthusiast who prefers to drive really small, low riding cars, I feel really jaded now that as a consumer I don't have many options anymore. There's less and less choices by the day. When I was a kid, there were lots of new cars I would have been excited to buy. Now, as an adult, there is not a single affordable car in the US market that appeals to me. It's extremely depressing.
True that. I bought a Hyundai Elantra NLine last year. I wanted a compact car with a small engine, a little turbocharger, and a transmission with actual gears (not a CVT). There used to be many choices for such a thing. Now, there are very, very few. The good news, at least, is that I love that car to bits.
@@newcarpathia9422 That's a great choice. I highly considered buying one of those as well to replace my Kia Rio. I test drove the N-Line and was very impressed. I wish we got the full N version here in the US (it's a more practical choice than the Veloster) but unfortunately we never get the fun stuff here.
Porsche, Tesla, BMW, lotus, Mercedes, Supra, I mean there are a ton of low car options out there
@@TheCrimsonBlade2 none of those are affordable to a normal person lol
@TheCrimsonBlade2 never put tesla in the same sentence with lotus and Porsche again. I've driven all 3 and the tesla is like a giant ipad
As someone from Ireland it was such a culture shock to see such large vehicles.
The old Landrover Defender and Toyota Landcruiser are smaller than their American counterparts and actually built to work
SUV's are fairly dominant in Ireland now too
It surely makes you feel like a kitten that got trapped in a dog shelter full of rabid pitbulls.
@@itsme-sn5gi I can clearly see it on the road
@@itsme-sn5giI wouldn’t call them dominant, but I see them more often than I used to. I suppose it might vary by region
edit: and like another commenter said, ours are definitely smaller than American ones
The "small" trucks we have now are actually quite large and the opposite of what we're trying to achieve with emissions, it's wild.
The new Ford Rangers are almost bigger than My 1995 F150.
It's definitely small for a "truck", but large for what people use it for which is "passenger car".
That's because to make a true small truck today in the US (like an old S10 for example) it'd have to be able to get 40+ mpg to meet fuel economy requirements. It's a lot cheaper for manufacturers to make their pickup bigger than double it's fuel economy
@@FrusieThe new tacomas are pretty much identical in size to your 95 f150
@@Frusie It also has the same if not more horsepower and torque and probably tows the same if not more. Midsize trucks have gone full circle and are now full size truck sized and capable. Its weird
I have a honda fit and a silverado 1500. I love them both. I do my hvac side jobs and haul all my camping stuff with my truck and daily drive my fit. What i dont understand is all the people who buy pickups to drive around in the city and never use them.
Her wagon has more cargo space than most crossovers and SUVs, according to US News and World Report. Most people who claim they buy SUVs "for the space" would be better off with a wagon or a minivan if they really need cargo/people capacity.
Yes I agree and this is why GM killing Full-Size,Body On Frame,and V8 station wagons based off the GM B Body like the Chevy Caprice Wagon,Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser,and Buick Roadmaster Wagon is a COMPLETE MISTAKE!
i’m regularly surprised by how little space there is inside all, but the biggest SUVs
The only station wagons you can buy in the U.S. are European (expensive to fix/unreliable) or the Subaru Outback, which have questionable realiability but is much cheaper to fix. Minivans though have two good options, Sienna and Odyssey
@elfrjzno one would buy it in the US
@elfrjz i bet, but it looks hideous to us. The escalade is king, the plant that makes escalades is literally the most profitable plant in the entire world.
It’s worth noting that none of these small cars have been discontinued, they’re only no longer sold in the US and Canada. If they wanted to they could bring back small cars but until then, people like me will have few options for compact efficient cars.
They could but it doesnt change the fact that US consumers overwhelmingly choose SUVs. I am kind of torn by this video trying to place blame on automakers, when americans just don’t choose small vehicles. The best selling vehicles in the US are pickups by a wide margin, and how many of those buyers actually need one. Studies show > 75% tow less than 1/yr, 70% off road less than 1/yr, >70% use the bed less than 1/yr
They are discontinued because Americans didn't buy them.
I live in Europe, and yes, the situation is very different here and you can still get hatchbacks, some sedans and station wagons, for different reasons, but anyway, the trend of SUVs and crossovers arrived here as well, and it growing and growing. There is no more any small station wagon sold no more, maybe apart of Dacia Logan. Instead of Fabia wagon you have crossover Kamiq, instead of Clio wagon you have Captur, instead of 207 SW there is 2008. Crossover. Ford Fiesta was completely discontinued, being replaced by crossover Puma. Citroen C5 sedan and wagon were replaced by C5 SUV. Traditional MPVs Renault Espace and Renault Scenic were replaced by SUVs bearing same names. New electric Megane is crossover, while the traditional one is hatchback. New Citroen C4 is crossover, replacing hatchback. There are talks that there won't be new Fabia no more,Big part of new EVs are crossovers and SUVs as well. Yes, we still have many traditional cars, but more and more of them are being replaced by trendy crossovers and SUVs, because thry are supposedly more trendy, more fancy, roomier (debatable, in comparison with wagons and MPVs they are often replacing), safier ans just better choice for "active family". It's a sucessfull marketing product, while car companies are getting bigger profits than from smaller traditional cars (both because they can ask more for bigger car, and because they made people demand crossovers and SUVs by marketing).
@@peterlukac8458 At least we are getting a new Astra EV estate and a new Passat, although like 99% of cars the Passat has grown in size compared to the previous model. At least most of the European SUVs are European size. I was comparing my Golf Estate to the equivalent SUV and there biggest dimension change was the SUV being 10cm ($@) taller. Meanwhile American Doug DeMuro referred to the Honda HRV as being a "tiny SUV" in a recent video. Bizarrely he was referring to the vehicle the rest of the world calls the ZVR.
@@johninsana313consumers overwhelmingly choose SUVS in part due to marketing. Marketing is very powerful, that's why the automakers spend millions on it. It's touched on in this video. If there weren't commercials making you think your crossover gives you off-road prowess and more safety, consumers wouldn't get all riled up by that
I can understand car companies starting to make SUVs because the emissions regulation didn't apply to them yet, but as the video says, the reason for that was vehicles of that size were mainly used on farms and construction sites. Once everyday consumers began driving SUVs, the regulations really should have been updated.
we all know govt lags behind on everything by the time a regulation does pass it takes years to impliment
exactly
But now one of the political parties believes environmentalism is a mind virus evil that needs to be eradicated so they actually modify their cars to emit MORE CO2. (Seriously, I'm not being hyperbolic, google the term "rolling coal".)
Lol taxes I understand, but to tax people just cause cars are big is ridiculous. No wonder Europe economy hasn’t grown since 2008.
@@abdiganiaden and america is on the verge of collapse
I love how people say SUVs are “safer” when the opposite is actually the case. It’s basic physics. If you have a taller car you’re more likely to be prone to accidents.
This is the main problem. People buy big cars because they are safer. The only thing they are safer against is other big cars. My VW golf is very safe on its own, but it wouldn't stand a chance against a Ford F-350. Everyone buys bigger cars than the rest, and it creates an infinite cycle of cars getting bigger and bigger.
@@golfguy25 Yes. Then it becomes an arms race to see who is “safer” (getting the biggest car)
except youre wrong, ever seen a lifted truck hit a sedan? everyone in the sedan dies because theyre basically level with the axle and it goes right into their windshield. and bigger gives them more room for crumple zones, again better for the bigger car.
the only negative effect is more frequent accidents from people not realizing it doesnt fit, but those are lower speed. and higher chance of flipping because of higher center of gravity. thats the only real downsides to something bigger. oh also a bigger minimum visibility from the front of the car
The sad truth is that most pedastrian deaths by SUVs are parents driving over their own children. You just can't see anything right in front or behind you in an SUV
This is a huge reason why I prefer small cars. The visibility is miles better than in an SUV.
Nothing more American than backing up over your child on the drive
@@leenevin8451 Doesn't these trucks have at least a rear view camera and display? Or Americans like to pay for humongous trucks but don't pay a couple bucks for rear view camera?
@@ittakir until recently rear view cameras were not required to be on these vehicles
@@DouglasWalrath and it’s not guaranteed that everyone will pay attention to that
My wife's car is a big SUV, and she loves it. I'm OK riding in it, but I hate having to drive it. Compared to my sporty compact car, it is slow, thirsty, and horribly clumsy because of the high center of gravity. A big station wagon would have been much better, but no none makes those any more.
They are made, but only sold in Europe. And importing them will be useless because of import levies. Good luck with your "free market" economy
get yourself an Audi RS6 u will thank me later
@@Illegallegaleagle Nah, it’ll break down too soon like any other new german car 💀
What? You are weird. Prob a euro. My Suburban was miles better than one of my friends goofy small Miata. He finally had a family and bought although not a Suburban, a Tahoe, which is close enough.
@@jordanplays-transitandgame1690 The Suburban was once considered a wagon, mostly the 70’s - 80’s variety which are my favorite generation of Suburbans.
The trend has creeped into India where we have smaller roads... Resulting in already contested roads getting more congested
Having a ginormus SUV has just become a status symbol here.
@abbashaidari8313 What about har mauqe par maula ke juloos
That's great! The more traffic jam there is, the better
Currently living in Asia as well and yeah, the influx in SUVs on streets that certainly weren't designed for so many of them... massive headache.
bicycles ftw
One thing that didn't get mentioned is because people are getting fatter and heavier too. Do you think they'll fit in a Corolla or any sedan? If they even manage to fit, those four bangers are gonna be pushed to its limit hauling tons of people.
I'm glad this topic has finally made it to the mainstream.
it always was
Blinding headlights on newer vehicles also has to be addressed and banned! Night driving is becoming more dangerous due to these lights.
A while back, I saw an F-150 get rolled over by a smaller sedan. Wasn't a head on collision, but the F-150 was T-boned at 45 miles an hour, and it was something out of fast and furious the way it flipped and spun. Guess that's what happens when you have a higher center of gravity.
On the other hand, we had a Forerunner run a stop sign and pull out in front of our Accord. Our car was totaled; his had a dented door panel.
@@crusherventhat has nth to do with vehicle size. That's just physics. The car at fault typically has less damage.
@@crusherven4Runners are smaller than f150s so that’s probably why it didn’t flip.
@@FrusieYeah I dont really think the newer 4runners are much smaller anymore...
@@crushervenThat is probably because many light trucks have a more rigid frame than proper passanger car, which is a bad thing. Car hoods are designed to crumple on impact (crumple zone) to absorb a lot of the kinectic energy involved in a crash. Without this crucial security feature crashes can become a lot more deadly, especially since heavier cars build up a lot more kinetic energy to begin with...
I appreciate this focus on policies affecting car dependency and its impact on climate, safety, and what choices we have (and don't have) in our built environments. I work as an urban planner, and it's clear that there is increasing pressure to design cities to be yet more hostile to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users as well as city finances in order to accommodate large vehicle traffic.
That said, I think work like this has really supported a lot of policy support for de-emphasizing auto-oriented design and making our cities more human-centric. As an example, Oregon recently sharply reduced the amount of off-street parking (some) cities can mandate, and the largest cities (e.g. Portland, Bend, and Salem) simply opted to remove mandates altogether. I don't think that would have been possible without policy communicators like Vox.
it’s strange how systems of decision making often push for and encourage the least desirable outcomes. in my world it’s the popup: everyone hates website popups but at least once a month, i have to heavily defend not using them in favour for better design/layout. weird
The problem for you all is that most americans like their cars and like driving around. I get frustrated when designers don't anticipate how big modern vehicles are. In a suburban neighborhood with big yards and no real constrain on how much space a house takes up (which is most of my state) why is it that most garages aren't big enough to accommodate even a midsized truck? Especially given that the Ford F-150 has been the best selling vehicle for 47 years running.
Seems like every designer should make sure their roads, garages, parking spaces, all fit the most popular vehicle from the year prior as that will be the thing most commonly using that space.
@@kyle8851 I moved from Asia to U.S. One of the biggest reasons is that I love driving around and hates public transportation.
@@kyle8851 The manufacturers shouldn't be making vehicles that large. and frankly, we shouldn't be encouraging it.
@@kyle8851 Why should everyone bear the costs of your consumer choices?
Nothing I love more then parking my Sedan, alone, in the grocery store parking lot only to come out 10 minutes later and see 2 unnecessarily large pickups now positioned on both sides of my car. Guess ill pray before i back out.
The CAFE standards sort of backfired completely in this regard. The tiny pickups of the 80's and 90's like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, while more fuel efficient because their size, can't fully meet both the standards and the requirements of a functional truck. So, what do automakers do? Make them bigger with WORSE mileage just to meet the rules.
Finally somebody who gets it, they didn't just choose to exploit it, they also had to in a way.
I love the ford ranger, but the new ones are just suvs with tiny beds that can't even hold a pallet.
@@Mark-te5bf Hey now, let's not pretend car companies were the victims. Who do you think WROTE the exceptions? It wasn't the environmentalists or the politicians.
@@Mark-te5bf Do Rangers still have an extended bed as an option at least?
@@dbclass4075 Just checked, they do not
@@Mark-te5bf I read a few prospective truck buyers are increasingly frustrated in the new truck market. To procure a more utilitarian truck, contend with long wait times, higher price tags, or settle with an old out-of-production truck.
The US government is failing us by not changing the categorization of passenger cars to include trucks and SUVs. And the auto industry money going into lobbying politicians is awful for our prospects of changing it.
simple solution: become a urban designer and fix the problem. that simple
That is to pretect US auto manufacturers from foreign auto manufacturers.
Stop blaming corporations and big government. Consumers also have the fair share of blame. 😊
"government is failing us by not changing the categorization" There's a good reason for that...WE ACTUALLY USE TRUCKS AND SUV's TO HAUL HEAVY LOADS UP MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS MUDDY CONSTRUCTION SITES. USE YOUR BRAIN! Fool!
@@emypena because they make low quality and garbage cars😂
Ford didnt stop producing the Focus and other cars, neither did VW cease the production of the Passat. The Passat is still a highly successful vehicle and the go-to middle class car in countries outside of the US, mainly Europe but also China. These companies didnt stop producing these cars, they stopped selling them to Americans.
this is very important step to reverse the un-walkability in USA.
Agreed I wish your country luck
increased walkability will also curtail the obesity problem here
unfortunately the benefit of a company is cared way more than the benefit of anyone's well being here
but think of the big auto corporations! they wont be able to afford 7 yachts with walkable cities!!1!
Your biggest problem with walkability is a lot of people don't actually want to live in densely packed urban centers.
I miss the mini trucks from the 80s and 90s. Even the new "small" trucks are not much smaller than their full sized counterparts and really are not much cheaper. The whole point of a mini truck was fuel efficiency and affordability. I miss the cheap basic cars.
Also part of the reason people jst get suv’s the price of a mini truck, compact suv or small van is jst as expensive as a actual SUV. So alot of people jst go for the full size trucks and suv’s.
Many days and nights spent in the back of a small Ranger or S10 folding chair😂
Ford broncos! ❤
Kei trucks also have been a growing niche here in the US
That's just the Ford Maverick
As an Italian, we have a lot of very narrow streets in a lot of medium/small cities (like the one I grow in) for “historical reason” let’s say (I know it’s putting it to simple but stay with me) so I grow with the mentality that smaller car are better for finding parking spots and are easier to drive, consume less, less breaking distance cuz they are lighter etc etc so tbh for me its interesting to see how America instead have this gigantic cars for apparently no reason tbh 😅
i’m irish and streets in ireland and all roads can be very narrow with lots of twists and turns. when i’ve been in the us, the roads are wide and parking spaces are giant. Ugh, i can’t imagine driving a huge car in ireland, would be tiresome
I read some Millionaire claim that the perfect car for using in Monaco was an original Fiat 500 convertible.
Let's be clear, It's apparently no reason untill you get to live there dude, then you understand why you need space and high clearance in places like TX or NM.
And also, the smallest car got the shortest the brake distance...not even close, that's b.s., there are different elements on brake distance, expecially tires, brakes, building materials of the platform and weight distribtion of the vehicle. Those are way more influent than car dimensions itself.
A longer car is not automatically heavier than a short car; jaguar sold for years their flagship XJ weighting less than the X-TYPE and S-TYPE because of the aluminium, yet it was way bigger.
Similarly a small car equipped with awd, automatic and a lot of extra optional features (like a small VW golf R DSG) is likely heavier than a bigger rwd sedan made with carbonfiber parts (like an alfa romeo giulia rwd).
I'm an American who loves small cars. This video is interesting because I've also noticed the SUV take over in the US.
One of the culture shocks that Americans have in Europe!😂
There are countless videos of it. The driver's license may also play a role. 😉
I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND WATCHING NOT JUST BIKES'S VIDEO ABOUT SUVS AND PICKUPS!!!!!
Absolutely a great video, not just bikes is my go to youtube channel when i want to watch something while eating on my lunch break
when my french exchange sister came over to the states she said one of the most shocking things were single individuals driving in an SUV every single day while not really ever hauling anything or any other people
They spend more money eating out than on cars. New car purchases in France still a bourgeois thing.
@@serafinacosta7118 SUVs aren't expensive. They're just big, empty husks. Expensive cars tend to be sedans still--or coupes.
Most people even in Europe drive by themselves. The SUV in Europe has different connotations there than here. Likely she looked at them through a Euro POV while she was stateside. Flipside of that is plenty of families in Europe make a VW Golf work as a family vehicle, no Silverado, Sienna, or CRV required.
@@serafinacosta7118 buying a new car is just financially a bad decision in many cases for most people almost anywhere on earth.
Even my current company lease is for a used car, because the contract is shorter. If I'll ever go back to owning my primary car, it'll be a used reliable Japanese car.
And it's not because we're poor. We're certainly north of US mean household income.
@@spoenk7448 I think saying that buying a new car is a bad decision is overly broad. It really depends on the situation, especially the used market around said car. There are several cars for example in high demand where the used market goes for more than the used market, or the savings is not worth it. This is especially true with the sport car segment. Toyota Supras can easily go for more than msrp, or like 10% less than msrp with 50,000 miles on it. Teslas were like this for years, and still is to some degree. The subaru STI was like this, where msrp was 38k and you would find them used for 31k with 70,000 miles on them. It just really depends on the car.
I love the new teeny-tiny Microlino electric cars coming out that are inspired by the Isetta. I would LOVE to have one to zip around my small US city, but the threat of getting smashed up by a giant truck scares me. SUV drivers may *feel* safer, but in reality, they are making the streets more dangerous for themselves and for everyone else too.
just out of curiosity, what do you drive currently?
It's true unfortunately the statistics on this are pretty clear. Fun to drive but not really that wise of decision.
There are many people that desired the ability to haul large payloads wether it be for work or recreation, only a large vehicle can do that. Fyi
@@JETSETGIRLZ They are good. They have lot lower maintenance and fuel costs.
comfortable
I was really shocked when I went to NYC the first time. 80% of the cars were big suvs and trucks like Suburbans and Escalades. The rest were normal sedans. I almost saw zero compact cars. Meanwhile in Europe you see compact cars everywhere.
I read that the Escalade is 1.94m tall, which would make it too tall for some of my country's (Singapore) underground/multi-storey carparks (1.9m height limit or ~6'3"), though I saw 2 Escalade Vs parked at our Fullerton hotel last Sep during our F1 race weekend, without license plates but with an emblem I don't recognize. Maybe 1 of the monarchs from neighboring Malaysia was in town for a holiday (there were some Malaysian police Proton X70/Geely Boyue slick-tops parked nearby too)
A lot of those Suburban and Escalade SUVs in NYC aren't personal cars, they are usually private taxi services or fleet rentals.
I live in Texas and many of the cars she calls big SUVS are considered small here.
Everything's bigger in TX
Everyone in Texas is trying to over compensate their insecurity
@@elliotjordan2326 nah, just deal with the awful roads
Any European who goes to the US is always amazed by the size of cars. They are stupidly big. I remember standing in front of one and the bonnet/hood was higher than my head. And I'm 5' 10''
as a Texan (Born and raised in the USA) even the new Ram 3500 mega cabs are bigger than my full four door tundra 4X4 V8, I honestly don't know how these people are able to see over their hood!!
But secretly you wished you could have one instead of the cramped little car forced on you
@@noName-kn1lxunlike the US Europe has good public transportation, so unlike the US cars are not enforced
@@noName-kn1lx i can't say i do want them. they're far too big they do not fit in properly.
no one is forced to buy a small car, suvs are available everywhere but most people don't choose to buy them. why would you choose a car that's less fuel efficient and doesn't fit in most parking spaces?
@@noName-kn1lx yeah. I really hated the new Mercedes that my friend was driving. 🙄😁
That’s why I kinda take pride in exclusively driving small hatchbacks and coupes
I upgraded from a VW Rabbit and bought an older version of the VW Tiguan before VW revamped the line with ginormous Mexican built versions for North America. Its a nice "compact" SUV that is considered full size in Europe.
The sizing in North America is so odd.
Problem is, car manufacturers are getting rid of normal height hatchbacks for crossover SUVs.
Same here. Although I do need more space in my car, I might be looking at getting one of the very last station wagons as my next car.
I don't like the high sitting position of an SUV, it gives me vertigo.
Few coupes left on the market, manufacturers stopped producing them :(
Same
This is especially a problem in my home state of Texas, where there's 3 SUVs and 4 full sized pickups for every single passenger car. The truck owners here also have a nasty habit of lifting their already massive pickup trucks. This has also coincided with the rise in pedestrian deaths and car accidents being less survivable.
This giant car trend has gotten out of hand and it has to stop!
Wrong comrade
Low speed impacts with trucks/suvs are mostly non-surviveable for pedestrians and bikes. They hit you so high on your body even at 15 mph they do lethal damage. Cars mostly damage your legs and throw you up on the hood. Your legs get broken but you usually live.
Yeah when the bumper of every other ram 1500 lines up with my face when I'm in a crosswalk it makes me wonder how many of those drivers even see me.
We need to hold drivers responsible for pedestrian deaths caused by unsafe lifted pickups. It's no longer an accident, it should be criminal negligence causing death.
@@noName-kn1lx Which is the right comrade?
So next time a conservative/republican complains about the influx of immigrants or traffic getting worse, do let them know their gigantic trucks contribute to the traffic and space issues too
I never have bought into the idea that a larger vehicle is safer. I've always preferred smaller, more nimble handling vehicles and that's actually saved me in a couple instances where I could maneuver quickly out of a bad situation. My current vehicle is a Nissan Juke, which to me is just a slightly larger hatchback with reasonable ground clearance. It feels plenty large to me, yet I'm dwarfed by those Emotional Support Vehicles that so many people seem to desire.
My Emotional Support Vehicle i desire is a Miata.
Larger vehicles are perceived as "safer" because car size essentially turns into an arms race. "Everyone has huge cars so I have to get an even bigger one to scare them off".
In the snow ice or rain they are way safer because of the drivetrain
This is such a well researched video. I love how they pointed out the difference between traditional SUV and the more modern crossover SUV.
But also not. All those discontinued cars are still produced in EU.
@@dbs5212 It's implied that this video is only talking about the US market.
I dunno, she drove around and interviewed like four people and had some slick graphics. Not that impressive. More about pretty presentation than deep analysis.
My big issue is pulling out of parking spaces. Sure, there is the rear camera, and sometimes you have collision sensors, but I have to be halfway in the middle of the parking lot before I can see past the truck next to me and start to turn the wheel.
My car's rear cross collision warning is a godsend for those types of parking lots.
What's even more dangerous is pulling onto a busy street with towering SUVs parked on the side of the road blocking your view, almost a leap of faith every time even after inching out you're barely able to see anything. Proud owner of a small hatchback, ha.
That's been a problem as long as there's been cars and trucks.
very true - that's why when possible I park with my car facing forward - much easier to see cars even when blocked by larger cars. Sometimes I have to park further out but I think its worth it and less stress
Reverse parking??? There's a reason why it's recommended
After needing a larger vehicle to fit four car seats simultaneously for our young children, the ford transit (basically a sprinter van), was the way to go. Full size vans can hold more passengers, more cargo, and can even tow/haul pretty good. Plus, vans have short noses, so you can actually see things in front of you to an extent.
I don't know that many vans with short noses, except for those old Econoline vans, lol. If I had to get a van I'd get one of them, the Econoline 😁
@@Montfortracing most full size vans have short noses, which is what gives them so much room inside the cab. We almost got an econoline, but the higher roof on the transit and better fuel economy really helped our decision lol
@@b.p.m.3660 I dig it. Not too many people getting a passenger Transit. My folks did it pretty unique when I was a kid. We had a 2003 VW EuroVan when I grew up. We took that van on many camping trips, but it sure was a mechanical disaster from day one.
They're not making Partridge Family buses anymore. You may have to find something a little more practical to carry around that litter you call a family. Might I suggest a Greyhound fleet auction?
You may also be able to import a double-decker bus from the United Kingdom as long as it is old enough.
Oh, and stay off of her.
It’s so weird looking as a New Zealander, because like our best selling cars are all big, but most of the owners live in the countryside. Most people in central cities don’t use them.
New Zealand people are arrogant
What are some popular makes/models?
IDK bro, plenty of Remuera Battlewagons out here, that never leave the city. It's not nearly as bad as the US, but I'd say SUVs are still creeping up in market share.
It's similar here in the US. _Most_ _people_ don't even live in big cities. Videographers just like to film in places that "show the problem".
When I visited New Zealand as a American it was so weird. So many car brands I had never heard of or seen before. All the work trucks were way smaller, like I think they are called kei trucks. So many cars I wish I could buy.
I still don't understand why someone would willingly get a slower, bulkier, heavier, more dangerous SUV over a sedan which is more agile, more efficient, and seats the same amount of passengers. For normal everyday driving, a SUV or truck is terrible, center of gravity is too high making turning ability worse, the increased weight makes braking and turning ability worse, more dangerous to others while not increasing the driver's safety.
Why buy a car that does your usual needs but not your occasional needs? Get a compact but not be able to make it into work when it snows. Buy a car but not be able to tow the camper on the weekends. By the economy but not be able to bring home the plywood for the weekend projects.
SUVs have more room and are more comfortable. The occupants sit up higher so they have a better view and its easier to get into or out of. There is no bending over to load stuff into the back. They're more capable of handing bad roads and bad weather than cars. Payload capacity and tow ratings are higher. There are many good reasons to get a truck or SUV if you want one.
@@link10909 why bother paying more for occasional needs when you can just rent a car for those one or two times a year you need a truck
@link10909 RV rentals and trailers to carry stuff that don't fit in the car. Most cars can carry between 1500 or 2000 lbs in tow, so I don't see why purchase that much vehicle for a what if that statistically won't happen and will cost you more in taxes, fuel, maintenance and road wear.
@@AnymMusic Because renting a car mid snow storm is tough..... Depending on how often you move stuff or if you have a camper/boat trailer its not once or twice a year.
Thank you for categorizing the Subaru Outback as SUV and not a wagon. It had ceased to exist as a wagon over a whole decade ago.
And love your VW with a manual transmission!
12 yards long, 2 lanes wide,
65 tons of American Pride!
Canyonero! Canyonero!
As a Rhode Islander, it’s surprising that RI was the last holdout for suv dominance- I feel like the streets have been full of larger and larger vehicles for a long time. Such a recognizable problem, but no one wants it to be a problem because it makes them more money 😡
That surprises me as well, but I'm not sure how they factored that in. Perhaps Rhode Island is such a small market that the number of older sedans still registered and on the road affected the way the statistics were calculated.
Incorrect. The cause of this trend is narcissism. Make ME feel safe. Make ME feel powerful. At the expense of others and their safety/wellbeing/futures.
Although is makes a few people more money, it also makes more people more dead.
I hope people come to their senses and actually buy a vehicle sized accordingly to what they really need.
Sick and tired of seeing empty quad cabs taking space in parking lots and in traffic
I need room for multiple car seats, a giant stroller, and a couple back packs. Plus we all want to be comfortable and not squished. I need a mid or full size SUV. Even my Q5 requires me to squish my driver's side chair almost dangerously close to the wheel.
@@mark.harvey the boot might hold a bit more but usualy SUVs don't offer that much more intenal space, sometimes even less.
@@mark.harvey A "Mini"-Van has more interior space than a traditional SUV
@@TheZProtocol maybe a midsize like an X5 or similar, but a Yukon or Tahoe has WAY more space. Most minivans have zero space behind the third row.
@@Megaranator name me one sedan with three rows. Obviously three row SUVS have more space...
1:04 A manual wagon...respect!
She's a granola bar
Average car in Europe
Putting high tax on bigger vehicles with high fuel consumption and emissions. Watch people start building and buying smaller ones.
...or extend the same emissions/fuel economy standards to all non-commercial vehicles, regardless of size. or apply that tax increase to petrol (like many other countries)...
They do this in Ireland. We pay annual motor tax that is directly related to emissions. We still have a lot of crossovers don’t get me wrong but the Ford focus is still very popular as is the Volkswagen Golf, Honda fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan micra etc etc
The US already has a gas-guzzler tax. It's just the price you pay for having a capable or fun car.
Also tax vehicles more on footprint and weight.
@@bwofficial1776 Apparently, that gas-guzzler tax is not high enough
I think big cars reflect on how we individually prioritize ourselves over the group. The Thomas guy @ 2:20 cared about safety, but at the expensive of the safety of everyone driving around him. If we all had smaller cars then we'd all be safer, but you'd have to trust everyone around to be driving smaller cars. People that don't have that trust will go for big cars everytime.
That guy is considerably less likely to be the cause of any accident regardless of the vehicle he drives. He’s just not in the environment or demographic that makes him a risk.
There is a very large number of people who desire capable suvs and trucks purely for the towing capacity, wether it be for work or recreation. Your not gonna tow your boat, camper, or sidebyside to your recreation location with a Chevy cruise.
@@Jgmo209 That's another issue in and of itself: Our obsession with ownership of things that will only get used a few times a year and otherwise take up huge amounts of space, requiring storage just as big cars/trucks do. If we want to have any hope of a liveable, more equitable future on this planet, it's going to require a lot more acceptance of the sharing economy. Maybe that means you rent a boat or camper at your chosen recreation site, or maybe it means you own a boat or camper at a recreation side but must rent it out to others when you aren't using it (along with insurance to protect against any damages, of course). Very few people legitimately need a pickup truck on an everyday basis--especially not in the cities where we're increasingly seeing them--just as very few people need an RV or even a power drill on a regular basis.
I think you can't blame anyone for wanting to feel safe. That said people should be made aware that SUVs make streets more dangerous for everyone. (Longer braking distance, less visibility, harder frames which make collisions worse for both parties...)
America is a country built on distrust around everyone. It's a very individualistic nation that places independence above everything else. Just look at the cars, the houses, the size of everything in that country. Compare that to Belgium or another European nation and you'll see that when you have limited resources (natural resources, land, etc.), there is less individualism and more cooperation.
Us American car guys still love small cars. Coupes and sport sedans will always have a place in our hearts even after being discontinued.
Agreed.
The whole reason I bought my current car was to DOWNSIZE. I usually drive alone and my old Prius felt bigger than necessary in the city so I traded for a smaller electric LEAF. Clearly this is an unusual choice! My biggest concern as a small car driver is definitely with so many bigger cars on the road that would have an outsized impact in a collision.
hmm are they really much smaller. prius and leaf are similar inside, since the leaf is electric it should have similar space to the old prius before the new one got smaller due to style and aerodynamics
Americans have always preferred larger cars than Europe. The standard Euro car is the Golf, and large in that context is a Mercedes S -class. American standard starts at that S - class size, like a 2016 Impala or a new Ford Maverick. You chose a vehicle smaller that the cultural norm, is all. There's risk there, but risk is not inevitability of an accident. Used cars come up for sale all the time that have never been in an accident.
I bought a Prius C cause I thought full size sedans were too big. Disappointed that they're discontinued in the US. It's a great little hatch. I haul bags of rocks, dirt, mulch, and all kinds of stuff in it all the time. It has effectively the same capacity as a full cab f-150 minus the vertical.
you are right. the leaf have no chance against the SUV during impact.
The answer is simple. As Americans get bigger they need bigger cars
As someone who drives a Volkswagen Beetle like the one at 5:50 as a daily driver, I have to say I love small cars a lot more than I do SUVs. They are WAY cheaper to buy, more economical (I only spend $20.00 a week on gas), and they are so much more fun to drive. And yet, they are still quite comfortable inside. I feel more comfortable in my Beetle than I do in my Outlander. If a car is well designed, size doesn't matter that much.
But since it's a small car, you also pay more attention to your surroundings because you can see much better than in an SUV. I had my driver's license for 4 years but I hated driving SUVs because they were so big. It was the VW Beetle A5 that got me out of that fear because of how easy it was to drive. But man, it hurts that they are not being done anymore. And same for the station wagons.
You should seriously consider a small car. They are pretty good.
Not to mention most small/midsize sedans/coupes look better aesthetically than Crossovers
small cars are more fun! I can't believe people drive around giant boxes. We have one minivan for long distance family trips, but every other car we have is smaller, more compact, and way more fun!
@@starion1121aesthethics shouldn’t be a reason you buy regular commuter cars. Sports cars are for that.
only issue is that small cars are absolute garbage in the snow, which is why i personally switched from a small compact to an SUV
@@trash_void8418
The original beetle is fantastic in the snow. The main issue is traction, but small, light cars in general are significantly more nimble than bigger vehicles, and if they have narrow tires, will actually drive quite well. As for traction, that's what chains are for.
I'm cycling a lot and I'm baffled by the selfishness of SUV drivers, because driving an SUV might make them feel safe, however it makes the street much less safe for everyone else. Not to speak of the environmental aspect
The size of a car has literally NOTHING to do with the environment, it's the engine, and how good the emissions control is, I can tell you know absolutely nothing about cars
@@callumboothroyd3766It absolutely does, streets and parking lots need to be wider, which means more space is getting sealed and rain water can't properly seep away, which leads to many more consequences like more floods and stuff like that. Also generally speaking bigger cars are heavier which means more fuel consumption even if you have more efficient engines, because those would be even more efficient in a lighter car. These were just two examples of bad consequences SUVs have on the environment
@@callumboothroyd3766 You know nothing about basic physics.
@@callumboothroyd3766Big vehicles more often come with big, fuel thirsty engines. Even when the same engine is used, the smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic vehicle can get farther on the same amount of fuel.
Don't believe me? Look up the fuel efficiency ratings of a Silverado ZR2 and a Camaro LT1. Both have 6.2L V8s, but the Camaro gets better fuel economy on the highway where aerodynamics make a big difference.
@@wescoleman6390Yeah the LS in the Camaro can actually get decent highway mileage (high 20s, I’ve heard up to 30). When the same engine is trying to move the aerodynamic equivalent of a brick, and one which weighs much more, fuel economy is drastically reduced.
This is really a shame. I love my tiny '98 Toyota Tacoma. I use the bed for hauling, I take it offroad, it's done some occasional towing. People have been convinced you need a huge truck to do these things, but my old beater gets good milage and does great.
Whenever it finally breaks down for good, I'm scared I won't be able to find anything like it.
oh trust me, you won't. Specially if yours is a manual.
This is exactly what i tell people with my truck I have a 2002 gmc sierra single cab short bed truck and it's shorter then my mom's charger lol
Even the new Maverick is too large. OTOH, there is a 40-MPG hybrid version.
The back seat is too cramped in the crew cab. I couldn't do a road trip in the back seat of that truck. The Honda Ridgeline I could, but not a Tacoma. That's why Half-tons are popular, because they offer more interior space and the mid-size tacoma fuel economy isn't really any better.
Find a good mechanic and keep it in good repair! That’s your best bet.
This explains my recent car buying experience last year. I tried to find a hatchback a domestic hatch at that), and found that almost no one makes them anymore sadly. The hatchback was great for me for loading and unloading a wheelchair.
Yeah. I bought my Golf GTI in 2017 and kindof wish I bought a Sportswagen instead. They discontinued them in 2019. Frustrating.
Not domestic but there's the Subaru Impreza.
"Feeling of security" and ironically, they're less safe than smaller ones
@@renegadepuppy studies show the occupants of these vehicles don't fare that well either, that man thinking he's safer hasn't studied the data on rollovers for trucks and SUVs.
@@renegadepuppytaller cars roll more easily because of a higher centre of gravity compared to a smaller car. i believe EV battery is in the base of a larger car balances this out somewhat. but just being in a bigger car doesn’t make you safer by default
@@renegadepuppy and it's also less safe for the passenger. Well unless the passenger likes to roll over from its higher center of gravity
Are you just saying this or where is this information coming from? You are much safer in a large car than a small one. The Toyota sequoia for example registered 0 deaths per million vehicles registered. That’s just one example.
@@onemorechris Vehicle stability control has greatly, greatly reduced rollover risk in large SUVs. Watch rollover tests on here, the expert drives can’t get SUVs with stability control to rollover. Stability control is standard on all vehicles now.
Minivans were/are a better choice for families concerned about safety. I remember comparing the front of my dad's '06 Dodge Caravan to a modern SUV crossover and it was very apparent which one would injure a pedestrian more in a collision. The front of the minivan is much lower to the ground. A broken leg beats a broken spine.
Minivans are also way better for storage as you can fit way bigger stuff inside than with SUV’s
As a French with my little Renault Twingo 2, I feel really threathened by how massive the most basic car in USA is. Having big car makes no point at all 😩
In India, The small roads prevented bigger suvs
Most large suvs here are considered mini in us.
Unless your like me and need one for work 🤷🏻♂️
@@NYPATRIOTBX nothing can justify a SUV, the only things that are added to these vehicles is some comfort and some lookalike ''luxury'' features that helps to justify the massive price tag.
If you have a lot of passengers, buy a minivan, if you have big stuff to move just buy a minivan too, they do the exact same stuff than SUV but better and are much more efficient. And it makes more sense to get a Ford Transit for these types of use rather than getting a Audi Q7 or a massive Dodge Ram
@@NYPATRIOTBXno you don’t bro trust me it’s such an American lie
@@marlonflorian1537 Who are you, to tell ME specifically what I do or don’t need ?
Nah, im good with my 2200 pound 180hp car here in europe. Its a diesel so it probably has more torque than those atrocities you guys drive there
As someone who drives a tiny sports car, I get cut off and nearly hit on the daily. It's a scary time now, but we're stuck in this cycle of getting larger and larger cars as each individual feels their safety is increased while putting those driving smaller cars and peds/cyclists at greater risk of injury
I drive a gti and I’ve been backed into in the drive thru by a suv, it’s very annoying the times I’ve had to dodge an incident with someone driving an SUV
@@aztr0k1d be safe it's scary out here, I drive an 86 and that thing is below the height of most mirrors LOL
@@daniellin3526 had a NC Miata and a 370Z, cant tell you how often people almost rammed into me in their huge SUVs despite their blindspot monitoring system clearly lighting up.
That means that y'all just need bigger cars because it's not safe to drive small cars over here it's sad because I like miatas and stuff but it's just not safe anymore especially when SUVs are getting bigger by the year maybe keep the Miata as a track car and for a daily get an SUV
Yeah. This vicious cycle of people feeling unsafe in smaller cars so they buy an SUV is even a thing here in the UK now. Some say people are also doing it because the condition of our roads is terrible, but them driving these big, heavy vehicles on them day in, day out is making the condition of the roads even worse.
As an American who likes older smaller cars, I cannot tell you how terrifying it is to have to share the road with these behemoths on a daily basis. Especially the dudes that have to buy the giant "brodozer" lifted trucks.
I have a 2012 Ford Focus and I would choose it any day over an SUV or truck. I prefer efficiency over everything else, and smaller cars definitely do that. My focus gets up to 40-50 mpg at 50 mph, and it isn't even a hybrid. Not to mention that the bigger the car, the more "bouncy" it is. You can't turn as tightly or more a nimbly.
It is really sad that the American automakers have abandoned sedans. Buyers have to turn to foreign brands like Toyota, Honda, Nissian, and others.
50 MPG dayum!
Cadillac still do sedans don’t they?
@@nunyvanstta135 prolly
@@nunyvanstta135 No, they recently released the final CT4 and CT5 or whatever it’s called.
Fellow VW Golf/Jetta Wagon driver here. Makes so much more sense over suvs.
5:55 they didn’t stop making them, they stopped selling them in the us.
I think this is a great example of people assuming that something is a natural phenomenon ("people want safer cars, obviously! It's human nature!") when in fact it's policy-driven, and that policy can be changed.
Manual VW wagon lets gooo! I wonder why CAFE standards weren’t directly named. The chicken tax is also a reason why we don’t have small trucks in the US. There’s also the profit motive that automakers can charge more for a large vehicle over a smaller one.
Here’s the thing some of you commenting don’t realize. Vehicle emissions and engine technology has advanced so much in the past 30 years that a FLEET of modern SUV’s are likely less problematic, emissions wise, than an old school 70’s carb’d wagon. Yes, I’m leaving out things like tires, footprint, etc. but from emissions standpoint, we’ve come SO far. The size of the vehicle is hardly a factor anymore.
VOX is right, SUVs are subject to different regulations but a lot of emissions improvements from small cars spill over into all engine categories. Modern SUVs are surprisingly clean, given their monstrous size.
Had we just buried our head in the sand and kept using the tech we always had, and at the volume of SUVs on the road today, our global warming issue would be much, much worse than it is today. Do I have data driven proof of this? No. But I’m confident of this. I’ve loved and worked on cars my entire life. It’s incredible how far engine tech has come in such short order.
Yes, car engines are better now. That's why smaller, lighter sedans, station-wagons, and light truck with a more practical cargo space are much better than big SUVs and pick-ups.
You have better engine yet you keep adding more weight just to keep you safe. How is that sensible.
Meanwhile Alaska switched for completely different reasons. Up here in most areas a low clearance car simply can't get you most places. In my experience most people who own passenger cars here are at the whim of a very unreliable borough snow plow, which means you might not make it to work most days in the winter. On top of this we don't have nearly as much car infrastructure as any other state never mind how little there was in 1988. I understand that this video is talking more about the lower 48 and metropolitan areas but I think its worth noting that Alaska switched first for other reasons.
Yes. Trucks, SUVs, and Crossovers have their place in the automotive world. Trucks are great for people who work at job sites, carry large cargo frequently, etc. SUVs and crossovers are great for people who live in rural areas and for people who live in harsh climates. Unfortunately, though, that is no longer the case.
The equivalent of Alaskan snow in the lower 48 are potholes - the roads are getting worse and worse. I personally believe this is one of the reasons for the rise in popularity in SUVs.
@@BradThePitts Cause effect
SUVs cause more and more severe potholes. Not to mention that the car culture itself causes potholes, because it's financially unstable. If you make everything for cars, it's so expensive (every parking space costs money, and puts everything else farer away, which means more raods, means more travel time, means more "one more lane will fix traffic"....) it's so expensive you can't maintain it.
As someone 6'4" and very large frame too (think NFL Tight-end build) I still drive a mid-compact sports sedan.. but I must say interiors on cars have dramatically shrunk despite larger exterior size. Lots of airbags, sound deadening, and larger frame supports eat into the interior space.
The best example, I was test driving Mini's last year. I sat in the newer 2 and 4-door Coopers, and for fun the dealer had a classic Mini available as a show car they let me sit in. Despite the classic Mini being almost 30 INCHES shorter and infinitely smaller, I actually felt more cozy in the classic Mini than I did modern ones: Black interiors, huge unnecessary center consoles, ridiculously thick doors and pillars.... on modern it adds up to a very cramped and unpleasant interior in my opinion.
I think my next vehicle probably will be a crossover and I'm not complaining... Since Compact and Super-Compact CUV's are now basically the same size as my Grand Cherokee I had in high school.. but get 30mpg in many cases. Meaning, you can enjoy space and decent fuel economy too. But for now, I enjoy tossing my RWD European Performance sedan through turns and twists, even if it's a bit snug.
I'm 6'2" and my husband is 6'4"
We used to have a Ford focus, and a truck. Then I got a Fusion hybrid, he still got a truck, because he doesn't fit in my Fusion.
I need a new car and can't fit in anything but a crossover or SUV. Even the Ford Escape is too small.
As a car enthusiast, this suv giant car takeover is obnoxious. Even Lotus, the brand that’s known for tiny lightweight sport cars, is making an SUV now. Ferrari, SUV. It’s not necessarily people wanting SUVs in and of itself that is upsetting, it’s the extinction of every other type of vehicle that gets me.
Ginetta has always been better and more noble than lotus
I'm sick and tired of people hearing people complain about gas prices that drive a huge truck all the time.
I live in Australia and there has been a massive influx of brand new American cars like the Ram, F250/350 and silverados in the last couple of years.
We always had those around but they were always much older and smaller ones, now these absolutely massive things are everywhere and for some reason they insist on tailgating super close to everyone.
I stood in front of one and only the top of my head was visable above the bonnet.
Our parking was not made for them either, the cars parked on either side always have to be shifted over to one side of their own bay to fit.
They got freakin electric side steps just to help people get inside and people are using them to pick their kids up from school
Honestly Australian cars were already bigger than the european vehicles on average around 20-30 years ago.
When europe got the vectra and omega, AU got the holden commodore and statesman.
I've never been in Oceania but I think parking area may be in between european and American size
As an Australian I don’t understand how people afford to fill up those big cars. When I drove my dad’s v6 ute around it cost me $150 per week in petrol in 2018 and that was before the cost of living crisis. Now the cost of petrol is on average $2.20 per litre or $8.60 per gallon for our US folks.
I live in the US and trust me when I say Ram drivers are the most aggressive drivers you will ever see
Dope
It's called narcissism. Make ME feel safe. Make ME feel powerful. At the expense of others and their futures.
Can I just say how cool it is that you drive a manual wagon? So incredibly cool
There's also some interesting stuff going with business tax loopholes and big vehicles. In the US, there are some pretty significant tax incentives when a small business buys/leases vehicles over 6000lbs. I think this is intended to help small businesses afford to operate delivery trucks and the like, but the side effect is that it allows individuals to purchase huge luxury SUVs as a business vehicle, get a sizable tax credit, and deduct depreciation and some maintenance costs, while using it as a personal "company car."
Americans don’t love big cars, they NEED big cars for their better resilience to the crumbling roads in the country, and the standards of their construction being so low.
>buys big cars
>work in 9-6 office work
>blames everything but themselves for the accidents they caused
Nothing new here
In India my Dad bought an suv because "People give way for bigger vehicles"
When I started driving I found that very true.
Ask your dad to buy a bus, more people will move
Yeah but that's with Indian road rules and Indian roads. If I lived in India I would want an SUV too
@@Juuul89if I lived in India I'd move out
I don't let them out
You father should have bought a truck
I'm a dad and I still drive my Nissan Versa with manual transmission, I refuse to be part of the " white/silver/black SUV" trend!
I visited the Midwest of the US from the UK and my god coming from hot hatch, tiny city cars to having the majority of the cars be 2-3x the size of the normal european car was mindblowing
i have a personal theory that the car companies are influencing consumers to want trucks and suvs. there are a lot of us who still want sedans, hatchbacks and wagons, and yes even subcompact cars. but the car companies are refusing to build them anymore because they're "not profitable" for them.
Yeah it's called "advertising"
It's more than just advertising, although convincing every soccer dad on the continent that they NEED the "safety and confidence of available all wheel drive" was a big part of it. There are more subtle ways of nudging customers out of a car and into an SUV. You could put the most popular options in a more expensive trim level on a car, but offer them standard on an SUV.
The influencing was making vehicles that had more room and sat up higher than cars. Customers chose to buy SUVs and trucks because of those advantages, thus the carmakers responded by making what sells and discontinuing what didn't sell. Carmakers simply reacted to the market.
@@bwofficial1776exactly. The aging population found SUVs easier to get into. Younger people like the perception that they're sportier.
If they do, then they should buy them, but sales numbers say otherwise. You can only speak with your wallets.
I just hope this trend does not come to Europe
It is already here. I see SUVs everywhere. Maybe not as big as in the US, but we are getting there. Even small cars have certain SUV features like e.g. bigger wheels.
@@paulchenpi7893 it's in Asia as well too 🥲
If Iceland counts as Europe, it's not happening anytime soon...you can barely fit sedans on many of those bridges.
I don't like SUVs but at least they are not those ridiculous trucks so popular in the US
It already is 😢 its spreading like a virus
In India, Small roads kind of prevented people from owning large vehicles, And still it is a deterent along with traffic
But Highways are getting bigger and better, And for Intercity travel, Big SUVs and Sedans are getting vwry popular.
Its getting more and more dangerous to drive on Highways if u are in a Hatchback, Which wasn't a case 20 yrs ago
We need some regulations for big suvs and trucks
If by regulations you mean bans then yeay
No need to figure out how to draft new ones. Just copy the passenger car rules and paste them into the light truck category.
No way, big SUVs and trucks are the only areas US makers are making money and can compete with foreign makers. Think how much resistant it gonna be
@@shahx1019true since most cars are not good
@@jeffersonclippership2588wym by ban them?