Why are American Cars so BIG?

[MrVette83]

We(my family) have three "big" vehicles if you will but all have a purpose. We have a Ford F350 dually which we use as the tool truck for our trucking company. It has a total of 8 different compartments on it and a bed that we have the air compressor in; we also use the bed to haul tires in when changing tires. We have a Chevy 3500 flatbed that we use for various things. It has a gas powered Miller welder and torches on it. We also use it to pull our farm tractor using our gooseneck trailor. The third is my Dad's Chevy Avalanche, it's something he drives daily on and off-road with his job. He got it b/c he also hauls things with it. On a regular basis he pulls our 16ft. utility trailer with two 3,000lb. tanks.

[Alcomet]

Oh come on you guys! How about the Hummer and the enormous SUVs? Do You think they are bought mainly as a labour tool!!!! I think not ..... I remember one article I read in National Geographic Magazine were a womem talked about her Hummer H2. She pointed out that she Knew It was not the most FUEL EFICIENT car...........but she was glad to owne a car that would overcome any obstacle in the road ( a small car maybe?!) and it had the plus of her kids camping inside it for fun!!!!??????? Come on man!

What do You think about that?

[baddabang]

well when you put it that way, yes your correct. Hummers, escalades and some trucks are more of a gas hog novelity car. more of a toy. but when people think american cars they think to the classic bigger cars with powerfull motors, and they still do this often. but come on who wants to drive around in an chevy aveo with all these big suvs/trucks around

[AutoMotivated]

Oh come on you guys! How about the Hummer and the enormous SUVs? Do You think they are bought mainly as a labour tool!!!! I think not ..... I remember one article I read in National Geographic Magazine were a womem talked about her Hummer H2. She pointed out that she Knew It was not the most FUEL EFICIENT car...........but she was glad to owne a car that would overcome any obstacle in the road ( a small car maybe?!) and it had the plus of her kids camping inside it for fun!!!!??????? Come on man!

What do You think about that?

Do YOU think?

The MOST EXPENSIVE CAR/SUV sold in Australia, in terms of running costs, at more than $A17,000.00 a year,
is JAPANESE -
Toyota Land Cruiser!

The Cruiser weighs approx. 3,250 kgs all-up
A Range Rover 3,100 kgs
A VW Touareg V8 (not V10) 3,000 kgs
A Dodge Durango 3,000 kgs
A Jeep Grand Cherokee O/L 2,500 kgs

If fuel consumption is the issue -
why is one of the biggest selling SUV's in the world (see Land Cruiser) -
also one of the most expensive to run -
and among the biggest and heaviest?


Come on -
man?

[QBridge]

Oh come on you guys! How about the Hummer and the enormous SUVs? Do You think they are bought mainly as a labour tool!!!!

Exactly. I see those big cars mostly in the city. Like the Explorer, Expedition, Navigator, Tahoe, Hummer. They all suck offroad and there's a reason for that and that is because the makers of those cars know people drive them in the city. Some of them don't even see a puddle of water.

[DieterCabral]

I live in Mexico... and i have to say that since we are so close to the USA, our car culture WAS very similar to theirs... the problem is that our gas prices are closer to the European market rather than to the americans (oops)...

We used to have tons of gigantic V8 cars with no efficiency or curving capability at all. (Grand Marquis, Lincoln Towncar, any Cadillac or Chrysler)... they are comfortable... very comfortable but you get tired of having a 4 liter V8 that only puts out 215 hp !

There are some pro's to having a gigantic car... for example the space and also...mmm the space... and some space too.

the con's well... you know them (the braking capability close to having no brakes at all, crappy interiors(check out any ford or GM radio), cheap plastic parts, and overall the cars are built to be changed in a couple of years...)

If you have had your Ford Taurus for 5 years... you know that you have spent thousands of dollars in repairs and preventive maintenance. now if you've had a Bmw 528 for the same 5 years... well, you still drive it to work and have virtually no problems with it.

Its a strange thing what is happening with the automotive industry, the Americans are trying to become more european (the CTS, the lincoln LS, the Mondeo, new Ford Focus, Crossfire, etc...) the Asians are becoming either american or just weird. (Camry, Accord, Lexus (all), and the weird ones (element, atoz, matiz, etc)

Just one final thought before I stop writing... I was in Chicago last week and I saw an ad for the new Dodge Magnum which I found offensive, false and quite frankly I wanted to trash my tv set. In this ad the magnum is racing a Lotus Esprit V8... and that piece of crap (The magnum of course) wins!... the lotus is humiliated... I hope that “car” or the guy who designed the ad burns in hell… once I’ve gotten that out my system I can breathe easily.

[MrVette83]

Just one final thought before I stop writing... I was in Chicago last week and I saw an ad for the new Dodge Magnum which I found offensive, false and quite frankly I wanted to trash my tv set. In this ad the magnum is racing a Lotus Esprit V8... and that piece of crap (The magnum of course) wins!... the lotus is humiliated... I hope that “car” or the guy who designed the ad burns in hell… once I’ve gotten that out my system I can get

Well, keep in mind most of the American public are unaware of what that car is, the main point behind that commercial is to show the RT model(Hemi powered) as sporty and fun. They're not attempting to say that a Magnum can outperform an Esprit at all, the HP numbers are close(350 in the lotus, 345 in the magnum) but that's about the only thing.

[Matra et Alpine]

Well, keep in mind most of the American public are unaware of what that car is, the main point behind that commercial is to show the RT model(Hemi powered) as sporty and fun. They're not attempting to say that a Magnum can outperform an Esprit at all, the HP numbers are close(350 in the lotus, 345 in the magnum) but that's about the only thing.

I can now see ALL those kiddies coming on UCP and boasting how trashy European sports cars are based on that subjective television.

Try that over here in a free country and the advertising standards authority would get the ad pulled We don't allow lies
( Well unless you're Blair and you want to go play soldiers with your best buddy )

[Shiftty]

I can now see ALL those kiddies coming on UCP and boasting how trashy European sports cars are based on that subjective television.

Try that over here in a free country and the advertising standards authority would get the ad pulled We don't allow lies
( Well unless you're Blair and you want to go play soldiers with your best buddy )

In America we have a law that prohibits false advertisment. You can make a commercial that gives the appearance of a more powerful car (thus the Magnum) than another car, and you can give the excuse that the opposing car (Thus the Lotus) is not giving it as much gas therefore it is going slower.

-Think outside the box.

-Not to be rude, because I agree the magnum is a carzy gas guzzler, and the Lotus is much nicer.

[Slicks]

I can now see ALL those kiddies coming on UCP and boasting how trashy European sports cars are based on that subjective television.

Try that over here in a free country and the advertising standards authority would get the ad pulled We don't allow lies
( Well unless you're Blair and you want to go play soldiers with your best buddy )

Your "free" country where they dont let you express your freedom of speech? Dude stop being a d!ck toward america.

Yes very true and I agree... but although I am bitching and nagging on big Trucks/Suvs (wich I like little) I just want to say that a european coupé its more of a car to me than a more rare and big american stand-off truck or even a Chrysler...judging the sizes of them and just plain image ......and this is just MHO....

In America which would you rather be driving a very small coupe like a Smart car or a masculine truck like a Dodge Ram?


I personally would rather be spending the extra gas money and drive a car that has some balls, think about trying to pick up a chick in the Smart car...

[AutoMotivated]

I personally would rather be spending the extra gas money and drive a car that has some balls, think about trying to pick up a chick in the Smart car...

AND
it's gotta be RED!
aarrrrghhh

[Coventrysucks]

Your "free" country where they dont let you express your freedom of speech? Dude stop being a d!ck toward america.

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?

I just want to say that a european coupé its more of a car to me than a more rare and big american stand-off truck

In America which would you rather be driving a very small coupe like a Smart car

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?

[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.

[Egg Nog]

Dude stop being a d!ck toward america.

In America which would you rather be driving a very small coupe like a Smart car or a masculine truck like a Dodge Ram?

That's a pretty stupid way to ask a question, though. The wording itself is totally biased.

It would be like me saying "would you rather drive something bloated and thirsty or something nimble?". Exactly the same question as far as the two subjects go, but in a totally different way.

I find that as soon as you say anything remotely condradictory to something from the US, you are immediately labelled as "anti-American" or something like that. Why? It's not like anybody's telling people to stop being "anti-Euro" when someone bashes the Smart.

I think it's time to simmer.

[Matra et Alpine]

Your "free" country where they dont let you express your freedom of speech? Dude stop being a d!ck toward america.

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.

In America which would you rather be driving a very small coupe like a Smart car or a masculine truck like a Dodge Ram?

Well I personally find the Smart too small, but there are a few around and they work for single people. I'd go for something in the middle

hmm, 'masculine truck' , something I'd expect from Arnie along with "girlie men"

I personally would rather be spending the extra gas money and drive a car that has some balls, think about trying to pick up a chick in the Smart car...

well that explains the big SUV ..... don't you find having to compensate all the time is tiring ??


Please don't be abusive.