I’m currently driving around Iceland. I have seen a Renault Megane, a plethora of newer Yaris’, one Yaris Cross (I lost my damned mind) and a crap ton of Suzuki Jimnys. Now, I’ve driven in some awful conditions in the states. Blizzards in Montana, Tornadoes in Texas, hail storms in the South and ridiculous wind in Arizona. I have driven in all of that in this tiny country, all in a short wheel base Kia Sportage. I was also outpaced by a fucking Yaris today, absolutely bombing down the mountain in 1c weather. Mind you, it was not a GR so AWD was out of the question.
I am so impressed by this Kia and all of the insanely capable Jimnys I am seeing coming off of F-roads.
If a harsh place like Iceland can coexist with RAM 2500s and modern Yaris’, why can’t we?
Oh, and when I say around I don’t mean poking around Reykjavik, I am literally driving the Ring Road around an entire country. Coolest experience ever.
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But why would we want smaller cars? We have room for bigger cars, and they feel better to drive.
is joke right
they feel better to drive
Hard disagree. My dad’s grand caravan feels straight up unsafe most of the time because it’s so heavy, like I’ll just plow through things instead of getting out of the way or stopping. My Mazdaspeed3 in comparison can zip around hazards and stop on a dime because it’s literally almost half as heavy.
Smaller cars are better in terms of fuel efficiency, road durability, handling, and not starting an arms war with bigger and bigger cars. Large trucks and SUVs are far more dangerous to pedestrians and people in smaller cars, but I guess if they “feel better to drive” it doesn’t matter if you smash some people in a compact, right?
fuel efficiency
True
road durability
Wtf does that even mean? Bigger cars are usually more durable in general.
handling
Mate youre talking about tiny cheap cars, they dont handle well, theyve never handled well.
not starting an arms war with bigger and bigger cars.
Cars and trucks have been the same max size for decades. Hell, have you seen the land barges from the 70s? The '74 Caddilac El Dorado was 21 feet long! The ford trucks maxes out at 20 1/2 feet with a crew cab and long bed. Cars are smaller these days. Not by much, but smaller.
it doesn’t matter if you smash some people in a compact, right
Modern safety rating make that point moot. And pedastrations, if you get hit by car, youre going to die no matter if its a Kona or a Silverado.
The degree to which you’re wrong is truly astonishing.
road durability
Wear and tear on roads and bridges themselves. Heavier vehicles cause dramatically more damage to pavement.
handling
SUVs and trucks turn and stop like total crap compared to smaller vehicles. Longer braking distance, wider turn radius, harder to park, and far more likely to turn over in a collision or when driven poorly.
And yes, I actually had a 76 Lincoln 4 door. Perhaps you noticed that trend reversed in the 80s and 90s.
One of the reasons some drivers cite for buying SUVs and trucks is it makes them feel safer in an accident. They are, it’s true, while people in smaller vehicles are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a collision with these larger vehicles. As for your next claim, of course getting hit by a 7,000 lb truck is worse than a 3500 lb passenger car. It’s also more likely since many trucks and SUVs are too tall to see say, a 4 foot kid in front of the vehicle. Also, taller vehicles hit pedestrians in the chest which is likely to cause more serious injuries, as bad as it is to be struck in the legs.
People are constantly surprised when I tell them my GTI is great in winter with snow tires. These are the same people who tell me their SUVs are perfect for snow rocking bald all seasons cause FoUr WhEeL dRiVe.
We had the Jimny here for a bit, called the Suzuki Samurai. There was also the upsized cousin, the Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara and Geo/Chevy Tracker into the 00s. That’s what I have and love it. I wanted some 4wd capability but not the fuel consumption or parking space for a normal suv/pickup. It weighs less than a modern Miata and is shorter, too. As a 2 door variant, it suits my primary driving need: solo and single-passenger short trips with less than a seat-full of cargo. The average car-owning household in the US owns something like 2.3 cars and is in the suburbs/semi urban. They don’t all have to be 7-seat or 8ft-bed trucks. And this whole fear of snow… Don’t go out. Stock up food before storms. US suburbs fare just fine with modern communication and snow removal as long as it’s not Texas. Your job won’t miss you if you die in a blizzard
Can’t go wrong with some hot hatchbacks, Fiesta, Corsa, Clio, Golf, Astra, Focus, Civic, Yaris.
Some fantastic cars which some of them can be pretty fast, handle well, and being hatchback have a decent amount of room. And cheap as shit to run.
I really think the Duster could be a huge hit over here. I rented a turbodiesel duster in Iceland and that thing is dog slow but they’re around $12k with loads of ground clearance, 4WD, plenty of interior space, and gets around 45 mpg. I went on some pretty gnarly “mountain vehicle only” F-roads and it handled them like a champ with only a little rubbing on the rocks.
Ironically, though, Iceland competes with the USA in size and number of SUVs and trucks. The country is crawling with “superjeeps” on big lifts and 44”+ tires that dwarf the average American brodozer.
The US laws prefer large vehicles.
Look into the 25% import tax on small work trucks- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Also, larger SUVs and trucks get preferential treatment under gas mileage standards. Someone more familiar can explain better.
FYI - my daily is a 24 year old Subaru.
Once a vehicle is over a certain size, vehicles get exempted from fuel economy standards and taxes because they’re classified as “light trucks”, which was originally intended for work vehicles.
