Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

So the biggest trucks had to pull over for weather but it's the Jimny that's too small? And the coolest thing about little trucks is they float on snow. It's funny you think a Jimny will get stuck in snow "over it's headlights" when you can't drive through 3ft of snow, either. And you nailed it about Montana snow, really did, by showing a map that indicates the route between OP's friend's two destinations is literally the highest category. Nailed it.

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.

The degree to which you're wrong is truly astonishing.

Modern safety advances don't make pedestrian impacts moot. I'm over 6 feet tall. If I got run over in my car, a small hatchback, the car would hit my legs below the knee, and I'd be tossed onto the hood and windshield. This will increase the impact time, reduce the acceleration my body experiences, and decrease my injuries.

Meanwhile, a modern stock full sized pickup truck will hit me square in the chest. I'd basically be dead. I'm lucky enough to be tall enough that my head appears over the hood, so the driver would have a chance to see me. Shorter adults and children have much worse odds at being seen.

For giggles, I stood next to a coworker's Kona. If it hit me, I'd be hit in my mid to upper thigh.

Modern safety advances are only so good. If my small car is hit by a stock pickup truck, their bumper is going to miss my bumpers at best. At worst it'll go through my windows.

There is a place for large vehicles, but honestly most people don't need them. And those that do would be better served with a safer designed vehicle (like a minivan).

I've managed to fit 4 college aged men in an early 2000s Honda Civic, along with a month's worth of Costco purchases for them without much difficulty. I've never thought, "I want a bigger vehicle." If I do need a bigger vehicle, I can rent it.

What do you mean small cars have never handled well? Honda built their entire brand on small, affordable, reliable, well handling cars. Small cars have less mass to get in the way of good handling. What mass small cars do have is lower to the ground, which improves handling. Unlike large American vehicles, small cars have innovative features, like independent suspension. That improves handling. The only poorly handling small car I've ever driven was a Smart car, and that was only because I got seasick from the short wheelbase and soft suspension rocking me back and forth.

I've driven a variety pickups, jeeps, large SUVs. All felt as sure footed as a toddler learning to walk. They flobber about. 600 year old buildings lean less than them in corners. Steering inputs are suggestions. Empty truck beds lead to poor traction. The brakes leave a lot to be desired.

Wtf does that even mean? Bigger cars are usually more durable in general.

This is pretty much what I expected from someone who likes large cars. The idea that their car does damage to the road doesn't even enter their mind. Note the immediate jump to "my property is more durable, fuck your/public property".

I will also point out that larger vehicles that fill up the road width more are more prone to causing wrecks in the event of a distracted driver, as it gives less “wiggle room” for the lane, and less time before you enter into the other lane. Given the prevalence of distracted driving these days, that does not strike me as a good thing.

Larger vehicles are also more difficult to see out of properly, by comparison, especially if you are a shorter person. Not to mention the headlights sitting up higher and often times being blindingly bright at night to other drivers.

Additionally, small vehicles have a tendency to be lower cost, which means you get vehicles for much less, not only in the car cost itself, but in fuel costs, oil changes, transmission fluids, tires, and are pretty much guaranteed to be able to be fixed for much less in the event of a non-totaled accident, at equivalent severities.

I personally don’t get motion sickness nearly as bad in cars as in SUVs or trucks, which is a nice bonus for many.

I won’t say big vehicles don’t have their uses, but it astounds me just how much “I want to drive a big car because it feels good” outweighs so many objective benefits there are to smaller, lighter vehicles.

bigger cars have bigger blind spots