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“Dope” lingo aside, I actually agree with the statements made in the article. I wish he would touch on the increasing safety standards and the like, but in general, yes. Cars are getting overall very, very large, and SUVs and Pickup Trucks are everywhere now, despite most people not needing them. I don’t pretend to know why, but it’s increasingly common.
I stood next to a 1980s Bronco II today and it’s tiny! I knew SUVs had grown but not this much.
To be fair, the Bronco II is analogous to the current bronco sport; it was intended to be a compact SUV. The full size bronco was sold at the same time and was larger than the current gen two door Bronco.
Other model lines have definitely grown, though. My “full size” 95 Land Cruiser is significantly smaller than the current gen 4Runner, which was previously based on a mini truck platform.
A bronco II is not the same as a bronco though.
They weren’t even remotely the size of the original bronco and are closer to the bronco sport today. The original bronco was a full sized truck similar to the bronco today.
Not really. The first bronco was still much smaller than the current. The later models were based on a full size pickup, but the new one is pretty huge.
Nobody really knows or cares about the very first bronco other than very enthusiastic fans.
For the vast majority of people, the “bronco” was the second gen, 1978+ model. Not the original 60s compact model.
The second gen is the bronco. And that one was bigger than the current gen bronco for the same configuration. The four door version of the current one is bigger than the second gen, but the second gen was only a two door. The current two door is smaller than the second gen two door.
Was this article written by a child?
Written by a bad AI most likely.
Yo this article was fire. I love the way they write. And yeah I pretty much agree with everything. Cars are just getting bigger, uglier, and most importantly, more expensive and less reliable in the long term. Only made for short term profits and not for you to actually use for many years.
I’m going to drive my fiesta st into the ground. The only comparable hot hatch left in the US is the GTI and even that is bigger in every demotion and about 700lbs heavier.
Fiesta STs are awesome. My first “enthusiast car” was a Focus ST, but I almost wish I went with a Fiesta ST instead. I noticed compared to other small-ish sports cars, Focuses are still pretty big. Roomy for sure, but I prefer smaller.
I’ve driven a few focus ST and they are great, but very noticeably larger with a lot more body roll. But they are also definitely more comfortable and faster on most tracks.
That’s because the Focus ST isn’t a sports car, the platform was originally intended to be an economical family car.
I would argue that it is, by the very minimum of the definition, a sports car. But semantics. The Focus ST is a performance oriented version of an economy car, obviously, but compared to other cars I’ve driven, it’s a lot more like driving a mini van.
I’d say that, fundamentally, a sports car is a vehicle where the architecture prioritizes driving dynamics over practical considerations like passenger capacity and cargo space.
Hatchbacks, vans, SUVs, and crossovers have become the default form factor precisely because the “box with a rear hatch” design is so practical for everyday life.
Hot hatches are, first and foremost, practical designs. The performance aspect is secondary.
Meh, I’d say any car where performance is an aspect is a sports car. Rather, any car that is intended for sport, i.e. track and autocross, which the Focus ST is definitely intended for and excels at.
Performance or Motorsports are an aspect with many cars that most people would never consider sports car, though.
Is the AMG G-wagon a sports car? It’s a body on frame SUV with live axle suspension, derived from a utilitarian military truck, but it’s fast.
How about the Toyota Land Cruiser? It is developed with rally raid in mind and excels in stockish form at the low prep classes of the Dakar, but it would be bizarre to call it a sports car. I have a Land Cruiser and it drives like a big ole tank.
The Honda Accord? The larger displacement models are legitimately quick. They do well locally at autocross and were successfully campaigned in a number of touring car championships. The suspension geometry is clearly designed with performance in mind. However, the Accord is a stereotypical four door family sedan. It would be quite odd to call it a sports car.
A Focus ST may be moderately big on the outside, but the cabin on my 2013 is fairly cramped. If someone tall is sitting in a front seat there is no leg room in the back seat.
What? Buy japanese cars.
Japanese cars are still much larger than they used to be. Check a modern civic, they’re pretty big.
Corolla ran up to me the other day and I mistook it for a Camry at first glance. Definitely getting bigger
Article mentions how several of those are no longer available, or just getting bigger like the American ones are.
All i want is an affordable plug in hybrid station wagon :(
My compact+ crossover Sorento has virtually the same footprint as my old first-gen Sienna minivan and half the maximum cargo space. (~75 cubic feet vs. ~130)
To be absolutely fair, adding AWD, higher ground clearance and the seats not being removable are a big factor in that loss of space but I’m still sad that safety/packaging, center console also makes for a smaller interior since if I wanted the packaging efficiency of a minivan in a similar footprint I’d have to track down a passenger Transit Connect (kinda) or deal with the full-size proportions the minivan has grown to since the mid-00’s. (add a few inches of width and 20-something inches of length, they’re all about full-size pickup wide now and I’m not too pleased about that)
Surely this is due to reduced demand tho? The article frames the issue as cynical ploy by the auto makers (who are for sure not to be trusted) to upsell the big units but at some point we still have choice.
I say that but at the end of the day you can only buy something that exists. I’m waiting for affordable mass produced velomobiles but it may be a long wait for one of the most efficient vehicles to become known and acceptable to people who are scared of change.
Automakers manipulate demand through marketing and lobbying. CAFE requirements made it hard to sell small cars, so auto makers marketed and sold bigger cars. Now everyone thinks they need a massive vehicle, but really it’s just a trend.
I’m driving a new Suzuki jimny in Iceland right now and it’s fucking awesome. It’s not much bigger than my side by side atv. I wish it were available in Canada
Hatchback accent for life. Gonna upgrade to a veloster if I ever get around to it.
Are there even cool cars anymore? I feel like I haven’t seen a car made in the last thirty-odd years that wasn’t either an egg or a brick, as flavorless and devoid of any distinguishing character as mid-level vodka.
I mean I feel like the past decade has been mostly iffy, but… 30 years? Seriously?
I’ve definitely seen some cool looking cars post 1993.
