The Accessorized Car - Europe's Active Lifestyle Vehicle

[McReis]

I think that's a general problem with people driving german cars...

You still believe your car is British or do you tailgate?

[Rockefella]

Americans are just generally excessive and want a "macho" image. Is an MPV just a minivan in European speak? The MPV gives an image of a soft soccer mom and large wagons don't seem macho, to them at least. Americans remember boring station wagons when they think about estates.

Yep, which is why we should introduce (to quote George Bush) 'my fellow Americans' to wimpy estates like this.

[Ferrer]

You still believe your car is British or do you tailgate?

Yes I realised this after posting it...

Can I add they are mostly large and new... and ususally come from either Mercedes-Benz or BMW?

[NSXType-R]

Well in a sense, we do have wimpy estates because the RS4 is only offered here in sedan form, which is a shame and the Impreza STI is only offered in sedan form as well. Then we're left with the Subaru Legacy estate (which is definitely cool but outgunned by a lot by the Audi if they were offered here) and the Volvos, which truly are boring.

And I'm not sure if the E63 AMG is offered in Wagon form. So yes, the bottom line is, our offerings truly suck. Honda, Toyota and Nissan can easily bring over some MPVs and estates (their version of the Odyssey, the Honda Stream (?) etc.) from their JDM offerings, but they don't seem to have the inclination to do so. Label them as an Accord wagon and there we have a winner.

[Ferrer]

Well in a sense, we do have wimpy estates because the RS4 is only offered here in sedan form, which is a shame and the Impreza STI is only offered in sedan form as well. Then we're left with the Subaru Legacy estate (which is definitely cool but outgunned by a lot by the Audi if they were offered here) and the Volvos, which truly are boring.

And I'm not sure if the E63 AMG is offered in Wagon form. So yes, the bottom line is, our offerings truly suck. Honda, Toyota and Nissan can easily bring over some MPVs and estates (their version of the Odyssey, the Honda Stream (?) etc.) from their JDM offerings, but they don't seem to have the inclination to do so. Label them as an Accord wagon and there we have a winner.

But isn't that because americans favour four door saloons? You also have those weird looking saloons based on superminis...

[NSXType-R]

Not really. American sedans really haven't been best selling since the death of the Taurus. That's when they had a heavy nosedive and came back a bit after Chrysler introduced large sedans with RWD and that's when GM rushed toward that opportunity. Estates really haven't been a preference. People just have a negative image of them, just like MPVs.

What's a supermini?

[Ferrer]

Not What's a supermini?

A city car. Something like a Toyota Yaris or a Renault Clio.

Altough judging by the sizes they are reaching they really should be called supermaxis or something...

[NSXType-R]

A city car. Something like a Toyota Yaris or a Renault Clio.

Altough judging by the sizes they are reaching they really should be called supermaxis or something...

The rise of superminis is because of Bush's modern Crusade. Gas prices have risen because of that and people are slowly moving away from SUVs, just ever so slowly.

To prove that point, Honda Civics are flying off the shelves and I think the Fit is getting marked up because of that same reason.

[ripper46]

the whole SUV thing should be abolished all together,when you want to go offroad, get a proper 4x4, when you need to transport lots of people and goods get an estate or a van. And on the safety front, SUV's are like nuclear weapons, if somebody gets one , everybody else has to get one too. As JC once said in the days when he said some stuff that made sense.

Furthermore,I live in a region where porsche cayennes are as frequent as the sun is in the desert. I love it when some of their cocky owners think they have a porsche and thus have a fast car. Over the past months I became used to a quiet driving style, allways obeying the speed limits etc,.. I don't pull away like a madman at the lights and I like this driving style , its safer , better for the car, wallet,.... BUT when a cayenne wants to play I will be glad to humiliate it then and there with my old golf .
it allready happened once, and I must admit me and my 55 year old volvo driving dad enyoyed it verry much

p.s no speed limits where exeeded during the event

[jediali]

SUV's are like nuclear weapons, if somebody gets one , everybody else has to get one too.

another JC fan!
maybe you didn't know he says this in his 'car years' series, but if you did you should quote him

[Ferrer]

another JC fan!

I'm not a particular JC fan and I hate SUVs too.

[ripper46]

another JC fan!
maybe you didn't know he says this in his 'car years' series, but if you did you should quote him

your right, I changed it , however, I'm not a verry big fan nowadays. I don't know why , is it the money? but lately that man mostly talks rubbish

[jcp123]

Find me a little one that'll tow a 26' (~8m) pontoon boat and can putz around the sandy soil here when we do property maintenance, and I'll take it.

Yeah, that's what I thought. We'll keep the Ram.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Find me a little one that'll tow a 26' (~8m) pontoon boat and can putz around the sandy soil here when we do property maintenance, and I'll take it.

Yeah, that's what I thought. We'll keep the Ram.

You (and Daan) are the exceptions that prove the rule that the article is pointing out. Some people have a valid reason to have a big 4x4 vehicle, which is fine, but most don't and the reasons they give for having an SUV (sounds like snow and carrying lots of people are the main ones given) aren't valid as they could be easily fulfilled by a smaller AWD vehicle or MPV.

[clutch-monkey]

we have a 4x4 but it hardly get's driven, it's mainly for towing stuff. Besides, at 1900kg, its not far from the wieght of most larger sedans.