• jali67@lemmy.zip
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    18 hours ago

    Not with those crash safety test results. I’ll take a modern sedan if I’m going to have a car

  • AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
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    18 hours ago

    As a full time walker and bicyclist, what I have learned is that virtually no one is up to the responsibilities of operating a car or truck. Humans do not deserve to drive, and the sheer volume of traffic accident deaths every year is a reminder of that (let alone the far greater volume of traffic related animal deaths).

  • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 day ago

    I mean this clearly shows how rectangular cars were back then, which is not great for collisions. They should at least stay round.

    Also i read a discussion recently about how EVs are heavier due to their battery (and that’s supposedly bad for pedestrians when they get into a crash with the car), and i immediately had to think of how enormously overweight SUV vehicles are today, and people don’t complain enough about how enormously overweight SUVs are. In fact some people praise it and say that the heavy mass is good for the car-driver of the SUV because when they get into a crash, they’ll take less damage (while everyone around them takes more, btw).

    Really shows how arguments are twisted and turned around when it’s the oil lobby that stands to profit from it.

    • Fluke@feddit.uk
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      1 day ago

      In the case of SUVs, it’s not primarily the oil lobby, it’s car manufacturers. Put simply, they get to charge way more than the extra materials costs, for a “premium” vehicle. They’re making bank out of this shit.

      • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
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        16 hours ago

        Yeah, “cost plus” pricing strategy (link) means that you make a fixed percentage of profit. When you sell a vehicle for $200, you make $20 in profit (at a 10% markup rate); But if you sell a $400 vehicle, you can make $40 in profit. It’s crazy to me that they’re not just selling the same $200 vehicle for $220 to make $40 profit ($180 manufacturing cost), but that’s apparently the world we live in: People accept that companies can make more profit on higher-cost items.

        • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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          15 hours ago

          It’s worse than that actually.

          It’s not the same markup rate for a higher priced product. It’s a higher markup rate. Crossovers in particular aren’t much bigger than sedans and wagons. It’s only actual SUVs with off-road equipment (lockable diffs, 2 speed transfer case, etc) that cost significantly more to manufacture than regular cars.

  • observes_depths@aussie.zone
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    1 day ago

    Imagine if speed limits were variable based on a car’s weight and lethality. Only small cars are allowed to go fast.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      14 hours ago

      It’d be a difficult calculation to make. Bigger cars usually have better brakes and wider tires and in sporty trim levels of premium cars those can even help them stop faster than smaller cars.

      Audi RS4 with it’s sporty brakes, stops 1800 KG down from 140 km/h to 0 in 65 meters. Corolla 1.8 hybrid will do 130 to 0 in 66. Weighs about 1400 KG. Yes I cherrypicked it, but that’s the point.

      The extra weight actually helps grip so that cancels it out somewhat.

      And yes, you’ll be hurt more if you’re hit by a bigger car at the same speed - but speed matters more (energy equals mass times velocity squared after all) and if the bigger car is able to stop faster, that means it’s more survivable, assuming the driver or some driver aid system does indeed try and slow down the car - if not, then the heavier car is for sure more dangerous.

      • observes_depths@aussie.zone
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        13 hours ago

        Bigger cars do WAY more damage. To pedestrians, the impact is higher on the body and far more lethal; and to other vehicles, well that’s obvious.

        I think you’re right though, with simplified physics the additional traction does cancel out the additional momentum.

        But wider tyres and expensive brakes actually don’t make a difference. More contact with the ground just reduces the traction per area, total traction hasn’t changed (assuming a smooth road). As for brakes, as long as they’re strong enough to lock the wheel, that’s enough. ABS helps a little, but expensive designs are only useful if you’re in a race.

        • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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          5 hours ago

          Yet, performance cars with wider tires and bigger brakes (that don’t overheat and fade quickly) stop quicker than economy cars.

          • observes_depths@aussie.zone
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            30 minutes ago

            If they do that’s probably softer tyres and aerodynamics. Maybe suspension and weight distribution. Many factors anyway.

    • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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      18 hours ago

      Montana does this actually. Cars can do 60 for example, semis must go 50. Granted its not divided up for bro trucks and huge SUVs like it should be. Every state should. And speed limits slow down at night!

      • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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        14 hours ago

        The proper big brodozers (F350 at least, not sure about 250) are legally limited to 90 km/h in my country because if total weight (that includes the legally allowed cargo + passenger capacity, but not towing capacity) is over 3500 KG, it’s considered a heavy truck and same regulations apply as for a big ass lorry lol

        • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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          14 hours ago

          Thats good at least. They should be illegal for normal joes IMO. Or have to be used for work once a week.

          I do have a truck myself. Only used for work. 8 ft bed. No ac or radio. A real work truck, not some fluffy bullshit Cadillac mom truck. And, my “truck” is still smaller than any of those pavement queens.

          Bring back wagons!!!

  • Justin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    My contribution - 1990 Volkswagen Vanagon. It is pretty large, but hilariously it’s still smaller than a Chevy Tahoe lol.

    A 1990 Volkswagen Vanagon painted white with stripes in the colors of the German flag running down the sides

  • fireweed@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    In a surprising reversal, the meme got it right (SUVs, 90s) and the title did not (SUV’s).

    Even when dealing with acronyms and numbers, " 's " indicates possession.

  • Subverb@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    For trucks I’m with you 100%, but my knees hurt just thinking about climbing out of that low-ass car.

  • HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    You’ll never convince me that SUVs don’t exist solely to sell what is effectively a minivan to deeply insecure men.

    • ViaGetty (fae/faer/faers)@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 days ago

      Deeply insecure men buy pickup trucks with hoods I can barely see over. SUVs and their perception of “safety”, storage space, and ride height are why women are the primary purchasers.

    • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
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      1 day ago

      AFAIK, they only sell full-size minivans in the US. I don’t think I’ve seen any smaller ones since the Mazda 5 was discontinued.

      The availability of crossovers in every size category means you can get the size you want.

  • rumba@lemmy.zip
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    16 hours ago

    We’re getting there, Dual Income no Kids make that pretty easy.

    Even having one kid isn’t too bad.

    It’s that road-tripping with 2 kids to distant destinations that makes it hard to go in a sedan.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      15 hours ago

      Sedans and wagons can handle 2 kids on a roadtrip no problem, especially once you’re past the stroller age (until then a sedan might have trouble but a decent wagon won’t). The driving part and the fitting things in the car part, anyway. Wagon cargo space is so OP, they’re comparable to their equivalent SUVs. The BMW 5 series Touring has 570 liters with all the seats up, the X5 has 650. Not too different honestly. The X5 also costs more, requires more fuel and is less engaging to drive due to its extra weight and worse aerodynamics (so probably nice enough floating at 90 km/h, but less awesome on curvy roads or high speeds like on the autobahn).

      But I have a toddler that’s not quite able to climb into the car seat and do up the belts yet and there have been many times I’ve wished for an SUV. Still driving my trusty old wagon, but… A nice SUV would be the same width x length and be nicer to my back and knees. There are actually pretty nice ones that are shorter than my old A6 Allroad. The Porsche Cayenne is technically smaller though I haven’t noticed it being smaller inside. 300 kilos heavier (for the second gen; first gen is even worse since it has a proper 2 speed transfer case) and poorer visibility though, compared to my current car. So those are not things I’m a huge fan of.

      • rumba@lemmy.zip
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        13 hours ago

        We packed my 4dr chevy to the roof to do a 12hr 1 way week long trip

        4 suitcases and a cooler in the trunk. By the time we bought a few things for the kids we were nesting in our things on the way back. Wagons are slowly becoming slightly longer hatchbacks. :(

  • arcine@jlai.lu
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    1 day ago

    It is so hard to tell how big those american cars are, because all the other cars around them are huge too, so everything is in proportion.

    This really puts in perspective though. Seriously WTF

    • herrvogel@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I don’t understand what American cars have to do with this photo. The only American vehicle in that UK parking lot is the white Tesla in the background to the right.

    • mosspiglet@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I used to drive an early 90s Nissan Sentra. Great small car. Recently had a rental for a few days that’s was a new Nissan Sentra. The new one is absolutely huge compared the old car.