Why are American Cars so BIG?

[AKlingel]

Come on guys.... why can't we all just be friends. We are all here on this forum because we have a passion for automobiles, so why must we bicker about where we come from (differnet cultures) and how their cars differ.

In America we drive a huge variety of vehicles, and I am sure that applies to europe as well.

Some people in America choose to drive rediculously sized, over priced, and usually miss-used SUV's. While other's of us in America choose to drive sensible 4 door sedans, w/ huge trunks. (Dodge Intrepid ) I think it's great for hauling people and stuff... most of the time. (that's my stand on the real issuse)

In europe, ( I guess.... I have never been there) people choose to drive smaller, more nimble cars, with good fuel economy. Sometimes they choose those great european sports cars over there .

Either way, shouldn't we all just be happy that we have the choice. We all have the freedom to choose for ourselves, both what we want and what we need. I am glad that most people around the world have access to cars, and all of the pleasure and utility they can bring to their owners.

So... lets not make this an "anti-america" or "anti-europe" debate, or.... and "anti-..... whatever" debate.

Everyone is different... and have the right to have whatever car they please.

So I say.. to each his own....

[eyebrows]

correct me if i'm wrong but has this simple question turned into another arguement involving americans...or did i miss something


anyways i would say Americans like buying big cars, cause alot of us drive like bats out of hell...like me for example ...anyways they feel safer when higher off the road and tuogher when they have a larger vehicle

not to mention we have alot of great places for off roading, and we don't have the autobahn and refined supercars...so we choose offroad and big tires instead

no offence dude but when ur in a bigger car the impact is greater as the car has more momentum when it crashes and the damage is about the same its once u start hitting other cars is when it counts and then if every1 is driving a big car makes no difference. and also with the guy say we don't have freedom of speech, well just look at ur country were songs have been band from the air because it is "anti american" little funny isn't it, a country that prides it self of its freedom of speech has been taking it away from their own ppl

[crisis]

but, my point is that they apeal to a lot of moms. i have 2 siblings, and if we want to go somewhere, and have a few friends each, we need a giant car to accomodate everyone. also, i admit they are unsafe for small cars that get in their way on highways. but they are safer, i would bet, for the people inside one if there is a collision, than if they were in a small european coupe. this may seem heartless, to buy a car that may kill other motorists but will kepp you safe, but think aobut it this way. if you are a mother with three children in your car, and you crash, for one reason or another, into another car, will you realy care at all about the people in the other car. no, not realy. all you would want is to keep your babies safe.

I would be surprised if that was the main reason behind SUV purchases. Im thinking a lot more to do with fashion. P.S. I have nothing against them , I own one.

i wanna agree with sandwich. none of you europeans can think from the american perspective. many of you have never visited the states, and if you have you have not experianced the american way of life, unless u move here. having a huge SUV can be extremely usefull in the course of your everyday life.

im kinda ranting right now, im realy pissed about something that has nothing to do with cars or SUVs or anyhting that concerns you. so i apologize if this post is realy stupid and sounds ignorant

Yes you are. If you think Europeans are ignorant of the "American perspective" , then you are somewhat ignorant of your own ignorance. It seems to me (from Australia) that the minute anything American is criticised or even questioned, you get an irrational and oversensitive reaction from some yanks. Dont misunderstand me, most of you guys are cool, even the ones that go off a bit, and I happen to like big cars and dont really see why anyone has to justify their preference. But I get the impression from some yanks that all US is sacred.

[crisis]

no offence dude but when ur in a bigger car the impact is greater as the car has more momentum when it crashes and the damage is about the same its once u start hitting other cars is when it counts and then if every1 is driving a big car makes no difference. and also with the guy say we don't have freedom of speech, well just look at ur country were songs have been band from the air because it is "anti american" little funny isn't it, a country that prides it self of its freedom of speech has been taking it away from their own ppl

This topic has been murdered elswhere. Someone have a link?

[sandwich]

There was a recent document put out that stated accident related fatalities were less in heavier cars than they were in lighter cars. Based on this, they (American Market?) are trying to increase the weight of cars based on some standard...


Sounds pretty mental to me, but at the same time with ALL things considered, you may be safer in a bigger, more solid car.

Crisis- I apoligize about going off every time something silly like this is brought up, but it just seems to me like people from outside the country are stuck 30 years in the past. I don't criticize euro cars- but they are often too small for me. I tried to hop in a Lotus or my dad's Triumph and it's TINY, as in made for somebody who was no taller than 5'8. I also understand, however, that not all European cars are made that small. All these people seem thrilled to start some kind of crap throwing contest when they only have part of the picture.

For example, My Mom drives a Midsize SUV, my dad a MidSize Sedan (maxima), myself a Compact (Civic), my brother with an altima, with a Triumph in the garage and a Gt40 clone being rebuilt, there is quite a large selection, from big to small, and this is just one family's garage.

And again, I don't mean to be oversensitive, but to ask why we all love large cars, when we don't, is pretty blatantly foolish. It shows ignorance of a full perspective on the questioner's part. This question would be way more accurate as "Why do some people drive such big cars?"

[Matra et Alpine]

The ILLOGIC in the "bigger is better" is that it's a never ending spiral until everyone is driving around in Abrahms !!! So actually at no time is anyone "safer" than anyone else the day after they buy their car

But it will make people buy more cars - fear does wonders to a capitalist market.

For a few years anyway, just like the 70s - until a crisis. But the next time maybe all of the big US manufacturers may not survive and more "mergers" like Chrysler will occur. I can't believe how short-sighted the car makers are in the US not to see that.

Fortunately the whole world isn't led by the nose by big business, so Renault et al will continue developing more sustainable solutions. It's never hurt them that they never sold in US, there's a large enough market in Europe and through to the Far East

IIRC the original test on central barriers on American highways led to the more steel, bigger cars as they tried to make a blow survivable. In general our culture went the other way and adopted deformable barriers and cars - but now I see LOTS of solid concrete central barriers going up on UK motorways

The BIG problem with the big car mentality is that it becomes MUCH harder stopping all the inertia being trasnferred to the passenger. There is no point in the car surviving a 50g shock load as that will destroy your internal organs !!! Smart is better than strong Worth reading www.euro-ncap.com comments on cars and see the reasons why deformation is better !!!

[sandwich]

I agree, IMO bigger is not better, and in the case of an automobile accident there are far too many factors to be sure of anything. Speed, other drivers, road conditions, what you hit, at what angle you hit it, all that crap determines whether you live or die, as well as anyone else. I would rather have a smaller car and be better able to avoid a collision than an SUV and plow through it. I know in my parent's SUV if I tried to do a quick duck to the right the car would probably roll right over and into whatever I was trying to avoid...

[Slicks]

When will you realise it is not mandetory to like America?

What basis do you have for stating that we are not allowed to express our freedom of speech?

Hmmm, great way to form an argument.
He says European Coupe so you pick the least Coupe like car you can find, a Smart, which isn't even a proper Coupe.

European Coupes include:
Alfa Romeo GT, GTV
Aston Martin DB9, Vanquish
Audi TT
Bentley Continental GT
BMW 6 Series
BMW M3
Jaguar XK
Maserati Coupe
Mercedes CLK, CL
Smart Roadster Coupe
TVR Cerbera
TVR T350C

Which would get you more women?
A Dodge or a TVR?

Im not asking anyone to like America, you can hate it all you want, but have reasons other than we drive big cars, or were not "free."

I picked the Smart becuse its the typical small european car. And if that Dodge were a Viper, then probably the Dodge...

I'm not
I may be being a dick to bigoted introverted Americans who've never travelled out of their state.
To the rest, I know they understand

You don't have a clue about 'freedom' in the UK beyond the nonsense taught that the "constitution" is what makes America free. We had the Magna Carta 500 years before that and the majority of the US constitution is based on the concpets there and in the writings of Adam Smith et al.

You are being a dick, calling america not "free." You know thats going to start something.

[Slicks]

this question should be, once again, why are europeans so ignorant towards american culture?

Point me in the direction of one car, any one car, besides an aftermarket stretch, that is as big a bentley, rolls, or better yet, the maybach. All made overseas....

Just because all americans don't drive ford focuses or smaller does not mean we all drive school busses to work. It thrills me when 14 yr old foreigners try to dissect US Culture, when they have never been nor experienced it.

NEWS FLASH: America is a big country! America is different than Europe, Britain, and Japan. Correct me if I am wrong, but is America the largest country in the world (india, Russia, maybe?)? Regardless, we have an immense nation that sometimes requires large cars. Large cars ease travel distances, aid in comfort, and increase storage capacity. Even still, there aren't many large cars made anymore. Somebody mentioned a list of Coupes to counter the Smart coupe- Hey genious, ALL OF THOSE CARS ARE SOLD IN EUROPE. Your argument is moot, the cars are just as large over there as they are here. Why does BMW make the 745il? Big car, European car....hmmm....

The SUV/Truck argument doesn't tie in here. In theory, they are a different type of automobile. Yes, there are people who drive Land Cruisers like they are Town Cars, but I have no defense for them- they deserve all the criticism you can give them. HOWEVER, there are people who fully utilize the capabilities of the SUV, and people who need more than a car and rely on pickup trucks. Why the obsession with Pickups? Probably because you can use one for work and still go cruising in it. Try using your Civic for anything besides delivering pizzas- it just won't cut it. You can't take it into a field, you can't haul anything, but you certainly can commute well enough. This is where small cars begin and end, I'm afraid.

To comment on the commercial, NOWHERE does it state that the Magnum is faster than a Espirit V8. The idea is to instill the notion that a car capable of hauling mucho is also nicely equipped with a powerplant capable of keeping up with yuppie European sports cars driven by pricks with too much money. Honestly, when is the last time you saw some stupid commercial where some slut goes after some guy who applies some cologne, body spray, shampoo, drives a car, etc. That's just as bad, if not worse. In fact, the worst commerical I've seen in a long time had some chick leave her number on the window of a Lexus SUV, but all of a sudden it had driven away and she dropped it in thin air. Stupidity, and, get this, from a FOREIGN CAR COMPANY.

Guys, wise up, please. I feel like I make the same post in every thread. Not all americans drive pickup trucks. Not all americans drive lincoln continentals from the 70's.

OMFG Thank you!

[Slicks]

Hey slicks you should join the SVT forums, where guys don't talk about nothing else than American cars, criticize whatever is not american and have signatures such as "There are 2 kind of cars... Fords and everything else"

Then I posted the video of my friend's S2000 and one guy replied "Wow thanks for the vid, I used to think my car was slow"



Sorry man I'm just pissed right now because I just went to Circuit City with my littlle brother and he saw a kid from his high school who's like 2 years older than him and messes with him whenever he can.. So my brother told me and I decided to follow the guy's Ford Expedition to offer him to go to a parking lot and beat the f*cking sh*t out of him. I was next to him on a traffic light, told him, the guy acted as if he didn't hear nothing and then he ran away and screamed "Where are you going dude! you drive a Honda"

Edited the last part of my message, don't want to be hated by the american members of this forum who are mostly very nice persons.

Thats just like me saying why dont you join the honda forums, where all they talk about is VTEC Maybe if you stop being so ignorant you would realise that i actually prefer more European cars than i do American cars. I love American cars not becuse i live in America, becuse they offer inexpensive perfomance. What car for $50 USD can beat a Z06? How about a Viper? I also love cars like the Elise, Nobles, TVRs, ect ect. But how much can i get a Noble for here? $56,000 without the drivetrain or the engine, what about a TVR? At this rate im begining to dislike more and more Europeans because of their attitudes.

[Matra et Alpine]

I picked the Smart becuse its the typical small european car. And if that Dodge were a Viper, then probably the Dodge...

It's not, it's a LONG LONG LONG way from being typical.
It's almost haf the size of typical !!

You are being a dick, calling america not "free." You know thats going to start something.

Just returning the favour, but I've never understood why your car manufacturers and governments restricted cars so much. It limited the choice.

The only other country I've seen as similar is France. Until a few years go, if you went to a French company and look in the car park you would see almost 90% French cars. The USA is similar, though the Japanese "local builds" are significant now. In the UK, if you did the same you'd find the most eclectic mix. Everyone picking their own prefernce for cars.

In France it was government who flexed most of the control, limiting what makes of car peopl could buy on tax breaks.

In USA it was a mix of big business and government trying to support those businesses.

In the UK it was spend your money on what you want, your choice.

Sorry, it's so often missed the greater freedom from BIG business control.
And so often missed when it IS control and limiting choice. Just tryign to shine some lights on choice and why any US comment on cars is limited by those that the big 5 allowed in

[cls12vg30]

Actually, Matra, the big 5(then 4, then 3, now 2 1/2) may have had some influence in the past about what automobiles were "allowed" to be imported, via lobbying for safety regulations that the large American cars of old could meet while smaller imports could not. Most of what they have always lobbied for are tariffs on imported cars, which are in place, but not that high, and most countries have import tariffs of some kind.
The reality of the last 30 years of history of the American automotive scene has been a case study in free market supply and demand. Before the first gas crunch of 1973-74, the only imported car to be seen in significant numbers on U.S. roads was the VW Beetle. Aside from that, American automakers had no competition whatsoever. People didn't care about fuel economy, so they got giant V8's, and since there was no competition, quality control sucked.
Then came the gas crunches of the '70s. And there were the Japanese to ride the wave. They had made small footprints in the American market previously, most notably Datsun's Z and small pickups in the late '60s and early '70s. But until the gas shortage in 1974, the imports were still just a small blip on the radar. No threat to the American automakers at all.
Then of course came shortages and skyrocketing fuel costs. The Japanese carmakers were ready, the Americans weren't. By 1980 Corollas, Civics, Datsun 210's, and the like had become very numerous. People bought them to save fuel and in the process discovered that the Japanese imports were built to a standard of quality no one had ever seen come out of Detroit. That quality, longevity, and the associated low maintenence costs and high resale values kept the boom in Japanese cars going right through the '80s, long after the gas crunches were over. Japanese companies built plants here, the old social stigma of driving an import largely disappeared (Americans even bought and drove Mitsubishis, the same company that built the Zero!)
The American automakers have been working for over 20 years to try and close the perceived gap in quality between their products and those from the Japanese, especially Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. They're still not caught up. The best-selling car in America for most of the last decade has been the Toyota Camry. The Big Three were caught unprepared and unwilling to change back in the '70s, and no amount of tariffs or regulations could save them from the wave of market demand for what the Japanese were offering.

and also with the guy say we don't have freedom of speech, well just look at ur country were songs have been band from the air because it is "anti american" little funny isn't it, a country that prides it self of its freedom of speech has been taking it away from their own ppl

Dude, get informed. The government hasn't yanked any songs off the air for being "anti-American". The privately-owned radio stations have, bowing to popular request and outrage. So "the country", as you put it, hasn't taken freedom of speech from anyone, the people exercised one of their most powerful votes, their wallets, and made it known that the next time they heard certain songs they were going to change the station and never go back, which is their right. Enough people made this known that the stations pulled the songs, which is their right as private entities.

Okay, another novel-length post from cls ENDS.............

[Coventrysucks]

I picked the Smart becuse its the typical small European car.

The Smart is in no way a "typical" European car.
If it were "typical" there would be countless different versions of the Smart by all kinds of manufacturers, however, there is only one car, the Smart.
It is almost totally unique, there are an exceptionally small number of cars that come even close to resembling the Smart, and most of those are Japanese.

A "typical" small European car would be the Ford Fiesta or VW Polo.

I am slightly mystified as to why you want to compare an SUV with a small European car.

[Niko_Fx]

Thats just like me saying why dont you join the honda forums, where all they talk about is VTEC Maybe if you stop being so ignorant you would realise that i actually prefer more European cars than i do American cars. I love American cars not becuse i live in America, becuse they offer inexpensive perfomance. What car for $50 USD can beat a Z06? How about a Viper? I also love cars like the Elise, Nobles, TVRs, ect ect. But how much can i get a Noble for here? $56,000 without the drivetrain or the engine, what about a TVR? At this rate im begining to dislike more and more Europeans because of their attitudes.

Why don't you go Slicks and check all the threads that I have made huh??

1021HP Camaro

Mystichrome Mustang Cobra SVT

Sonic Blue Mustang Cobra

Corvette Video

Speed Racer (Mustang Cobra SVT)

Old Cars in Venezuela (Mostly old muscle American cars)

Awesome Mustang Video

Anti-Rice Video

2007 Camaro

Dodge SRT-4

Cobra vs Vette Video

Mustang Mach III

Poll for the Best Mustang

9.9 Sec Venezuelan Mustang



Now Slicks, take a wild guess if I like American cars or not!!! Don't tell me to join a Vtec forum cause I am an OPEN MINDED PERSON towards every car made in this planet.

[Matra et Alpine]

... The privately-owned radio stations have, bowing to popular request and outrage. So "the country", as you put it, hasn't taken freedom of speech from anyone, the people exercised one of their most powerful votes, their wallets, and made it known that the next time they heard certain songs they were going to change the station and never go back, which is their right. Enough people made this known that the stations pulled the songs, which is their right as private entities.

good post, cls.

On this point, do you get to see how many people call in/complain ?
Over here the figures are published and I've ben shocked to see some fo the numbers....

For example the Renault Megane "shakin your ass" ad catches your attention and is funny. BUT some people complained it was too provocative and the broadcasters had to move it till after the UK watershed. 139 people complained. Yes ONE HUNDRED AND THRTY NINE out of a population of 70million. That isn't the voice of the majority. THAT is a minority.

It's the fundamental problem with lobby-based politics and the UK is heading that way too, sadly.

The problem is the ADVERTISERS pull the strings in many cases too.
They represent a fraction of the peole listening/viewing/reading but control it.

Until we all get a button in our hands their will never be true freedom