Yeah the shit’s out of control in the US. People don’t need goddamn huge cars.
Europe used to laugh at American big cars, but recently the cars on our roads get bigger and bigger too :-(
Yeah I am glad at least that a number of countries are taking measures to de-car city centers. They’re a blight. Especially these big stupid SUVs.
Biggest misnomer in the Auto industry. They are neither sporty nor utilitarian.
They are essentially a rebranding of minivans. Minivans were seen as soccer mom vehicles, but were incredibly practical. So they rebranded them to SUVs, raising the height, reducing cargo space, increasing blind spots, and over all making them less functional, but they sell much better.
Yeah, it’s “mom car creep.” First sedans were mom cars, then station wagons, followed by minivans. Somehow the stupid huge SUVs are avoiding the stigma so far.
Also, the Tesla model X is literally a minivan, not an SUV. I know that’s off topic but I had to say it. :-)
Unpopular opinion, but I want station wagons to come back. They were a super useful car that didn’t look too bad.
Seconded. Wagons were the shit
I was about to say that you could still buy an Outback but it looks like they morphed them into SUVs. 😒
Best car I ever drove was a Toyota Sienna. Would have driven around the whole world with it
I had a VW Passat wagon that I loved, so I won’t disagree.
rebranding of minivans
Except minivans are at least good at the one thing they’re made for, hauling people and their stuff. SUVs try to do everything, so they do everything badly.
They have, but it’s still nothing compared to the US. I drive a Nissan Qashqai. It’s quite a big car in The Netherlands. There are bigger of course (like the big Volvo XC 70 and 90) but I’m definitely on the bigher size on the road. But my car would be tiny in the US. It would be like driving an old Fiat 500 over here.
Oh, I am sure American cars are even bigger, but that does not mean we should like the trend.
They just stripped the light freight classification for trucks for private persons over here. Sales dropped by half.
Europe used to laugh at American big cars
Depends on what you mean by used to. When I was a child in the 70’s American cars were awesome compared to European IMO.
It kind of depicted the American dream, freedom and excessive wealth by European standards. Which was probably truer then than it is now, where the American dream and freedom appear to be merely illusions.
People will look me dead in the face and tell me they need the SUV because the kids have hockey practice, I wouldn’t understand. As if my dad didn’t take me to hockey practice in a Toyota Terecel.
My leaf and my neighbors 90s pickup are more than enough for all of the rural farm shit we need them for so city folk really got no fuckin excuse
Unfortunately, the US Environmental Protection Agency (emphasis on mental) has rules in place regarding emissions per unit length of vehicle which effectively penalize manufacturers who make small vehicles.
Well we cant be bothered with actually changing rules and laws to change things and potentially make rich people change how they make money so we just have to keep pandering to fascists and swift fans for votes
Worse is those who don’t know how to drive them. I hear all the time ohh that massive vehicle is like any other car. New money seems to be most of who buy huge vehicles in US. Got to show off in front of the poor people…actual remember news it is a metric of how the economy is doing. As old money buy affordable and reliable.
There’s a lot of Americans that have been bamboozled by the auto industry. Canadians and Mexicans too. Big American trucks are a status symbol in a lot of Mexico. It just shows how effective advertising can be. Basically they are selling a kind of identity or self-image.
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There’s more to consider than just “I am comfortable”, imo. Fuel economy, wear and tear on the roads, and safety (for you and those around you) are important factors as well.
Bigger and heavier vehicles tend to have worse fuel economy. This not only costs the owner more money, but it also is worse for the environment. However, this may be an outgoing trend as more hybrid/electric pick up trucks and such are coming to market.
Bigger and heavier vehicles cause more wear and tear on roadways. This, in turn, increases the frequency of required road maintenance (read: requires more tax revenue), or else the road may become treacherous to drive on.
Bigger and heavier vehicles are proven to be safer (aside from rolling) for passengers in many regards - the size makes it safer for passengers inside the vehicle, since there is more car to take the impact before reaching the passengers. In a vehicle collision, the passengers in a heavier vehicle are safer than the lighter one, as the heavy vehicle will put more force on the lighter one. This is good for the passengers of the heavier vehicle, but much worse for the others.
Large sedans/saloons are quite comfortable, and they are very spacious. They handle better on roads to. Yet they have better fuel economy then trucks and SUVs.
I drive a 7000lb vehicle. My passengers are very comfortable and safe. I am fine with everything else you’ve laid out as long as 1 my family is safe and 2 we are comfortable. I’m happy to trade off on everything else on your list to maximize the results for 1 and 2.
I thank whatever deity or random chance that happened that I don’t live like a Europoor in a country that can limit my choices.
“everyone else will suffer for my comfort, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make”
Only you don’t have to give up comfort for efficiency and road safety. Large sedans/wagons offer generous trunk space, ample seating for multiple adults, and very comfortable accomidations. Yet they don’t worsen traffic safety for others, and they offer superior protection with their lower rollover risk.
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Shame doesn’t work on morons, that’s how you can tell someone’s a moron. No shame, only belligerence.
It’s an arms race where cars just keep getting bigger for supposed safety. Cars are safer than they have ever been, but that’s not a direct consequence of their increasing size.
Meanwhile, the trend of ever larger cars makes it unsafer for everyone outside of the vehicle. If you care about your family being safe, you might also want to consider how safe they are when they’re not inside of the vehicle.
My kids don’t play in the street, they are plenty safe. A 7000lb vehicle keeps them safe on the road.
This is such a sad state of affairs. Please try to reflect a little; your viewpoint seems to be completely self-centered without any regard for the people around you.
But even if you only care about your children directly: them only playing inside is such a waste. And if all of your neigbours hold the same views as you do, you’re never getting out of that hole.
Yee-haw, got me and my jumbo-sized family a jumbo-sized vee-hickle and not Obama or nobody else gon’ tell me what I am, or what I ain’t drivin’ on these star spangled streets of Murica.
Yep me and my jumbo sized families descendants will inherit the earth. Most Europoor nations can’t even produce enough kids to replace the people they have.
Enjoy becoming irrelevant and going extinct Eurotrash.
Most Europoor nations can’t even produce enough kids to replace the people they have.
Totally different from US states that are so desperate for workforce that they have to outlaw abortion, right?
Dude, we already know education is expensive in US, you don’t need to actively show it to the world. We get it.
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Lol not only do you drive shitty little CUVs but you are also uneducated. Enjoy paying more in taxes for less.
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-do-us-taxes-compare-internationally
Says the American paying more for healthcare and education for worse outcomes than any other country in the developed world. There’s a reason you’re this dumb and it’s not your fault.
Enjoy paying more taxes for less.
I guess you missed the part of the article where they talk about larger cars causing more deaths, both in car accidents and pedestrians?
A lot of the SUVs on the road today are the same size as a Sherman tank.
Every day one person wins the internet’s greatest fuckwit award. Today that person is you.
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So a personal vehicle defines the person driving it? You are literally proving the small dick big truck mentality.
Major small dick energy in your comment, my guy.
And completely ignoring the environmental impact of these big dumb fucking cars. Classic.
They’re huge compared to pedestrians, cyclists, and regular cars - and therefore way more dangerous. Let alone the environmental and infrastructural costs to society.
It’d be fine if they didn’t negatively affect other people, but… They do 🤷
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Your god damn right friend.
Cycle to work every day, 3 miles one way, I know in my bones from repeated experiences that the bigger the vehicle, the less likely they see you
That one picture of even front-end visibility always stuck with me. It’s something stupid like 15 kids in a line and the driver can’t see them. You could drive into a classroom worth of children and not see it.
If it’s the same one I’m thinking of, a couple/few of the biggest trucks have less visibility than an M1-A1 Abrams TANK…
To be fair I’m pretty sure Abrams (and most other modern western tanks) have really good driver’s/commander’s sights compared to any vehicle at all
I’m talking the old version that didn’t have the fancy helmets to see through the tank. The commander may have some good sights, but the drivers didn’t.
Oh, gotcha
I had a guy in a pickup drive right into my 8ft long trailer when I as stopped at a light. He pulled up to me while I was stopped fine, but then he couldn’t see my trailer and 30 seconds later started rolling forward while the light was still red and hit it. I was very annoyed and when I talked to him he said he forgot it was there and couldn’t see it. I was speechless.
Can confirm, for me about 10 miles one way and the bigger the car the more likely they don’t see you or don’t care.
The front ends on the newest full-size SUVs and pick-ups look like 18-wheeler front-ends from the ‘70s.
I’m getting really annoyed by these articles about saint Hidalgo. Resident parking ie for people who live within the city parish limit won’t be subject to these new prices. But it is the people with really high income who live in the 8e and 16e who drive around Paris in Range Rovers and Audi Q7, alone in their cars, not the cleaning people from La Courneuve and Saint Denis who works in the offices and uses the RER B to commute to work. Not your regular office people as they either commute or bike to the office. And for those of us who decide to move further away from the first ring of surburb, we do have cars but use public transit if we need to go to Paris, either for work or leisure as it’s a lot faster and far less expensive.
It’s just a damn smoke screen as Parisians won’t be affected.
Translation for non-Parisians:
- Hidalgo is the current mayor of Paris, who has an (arguably false?) reputation for promoting urbanist policies
- 6e and 18e refer to two districts («arrondissement») in Paris populated by rich people
- RER B is a transit line connecting central Paris with Parisian suburbs
Thank you. As a non-parisian dude, I wanted to ask that, and your comment was just in time to answer my curiosity.
Peut-être les automobilistes parisiens seront-ils affectés dans un second temps?
J’ai beaucoup de doutes sur ça. Elle a beau dire qu’elle souhaite protéger les gens de petite couronne avec cette votation, jusqu’à présent ses actions ont été en faveur des parisiens et contre les banlieusards. Ça m’étonnerait qu’elle ait changé sa vision d’un coup, elle en a juste assez de se faire taper par les élus d’IdF pour ses décisions non-concertées donc elle s’ajoute un polish « altruiste ».
Sur le principe, je suis d’accord avec limiter l’usage des SUV, nos infrastructures ne sont pas faites pour mais soit c’est tout le monde qui prend soit personne.
Pour habiter Paris même, je suis complètement d’accord avec ta dernière phrase. Les parisiens représentent l’essentiel du problème, ils n’ont pas besoin de voiture pour la plupart sauf s’ils font le trajet que celui que tu décrivais plus haut.
Et comment tu continues une politique d’urbanisme si t’es pas réélue ? Sa mesure reste positive, et introduit l’idée qui sera sûrement appliquée à la fois ailleurs, et plus tard à Paris même.
People in Slovakia keep buying them more and more and they don’t even fit into the parking spaces…
Aw what? I’m trying to move to Slovakia partially because I want to escape this nonsense (though also because my grandfather’s family is Slovak-Hungarian and I like Slovak language), this is devastating news for my distaste for being crushed by large objects travelling at fast speeds
But ma big ride!
Le big ride
Royale with Wheels
“Mah ride”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
No, I’m not talking about the mad rush for Wegovy, which is selling so swiftly that Denmark has to remove data relating to manufacturers Novo Nordisk to measure (the rest of) its economy properly.
The individual logic makes sense: would you want to drive on the same highway as Mr Tinydick’s 7,000lb (3,175kg) Dodge Ram if you’re in a Mini?
The measure, which would include hybrids and electric vehicles over a certain weight limit – though with an exemption for Paris resident parking – would affect roughly 10% of the cars in the city.
And beyond Paris, Tesla’s 6,800lb (3,080kg) Cybertruck probably won’t be coming to Europe at all, because at that weight, it requires a trucking licence to drive (I write this with a sigh of relief).
Hidalgo’s administration has pitched the increased parking fee as a form of social justice (taxing the owners of expensive cars) as well as a way to encourage use of public transport.
The next time I go back to the US, I wouldn’t be surprised to find someone driving an actual tank down the street, probably on their way to Krispy Kreme.
The original article contains 829 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 77%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Tesla’s 6,800lb (3,080kg) Cybertruck probably won’t be coming to Europe at all, because at that weight, it requires a trucking licence to drive
The maximum gross weight allowed for a “car“ driver license is 3500kg.
The cybertruck has a gross weight of 4300kg, which highly exceeds the 3500kg
In my country, for electric cars, they raised limit (gross/max. weight) to 4250 kg. Probably by the car lobby.
Also because, otherwise, electric workvans are impossible
The US is full of SUVs because of CAFE law. SUVs are trucks and thus have lower mpg requirements. Look at what’s sold in the US. Almost all cars are tiny and grossly underpowered if more than 1 adult is in it. So our choices are a truck, SUV, or minivan.
I get the feeling you’ve never been outside North America if you think cars here are small.
I think he’s talking about all non-suv or trucks in the US being small or underpowered. Not other country cars being small.
Well, except the article is about Paris and cars in the US are not small or underpowered… at all. Kind of a ridiculous statement, actually. The average car in Europe is much smaller than those in the US with a much smaller engine. For example, the most popular car in France in 2022 was the Peugot 208 with a 1.2L engine with around 74hp and a length of 4m, while the most popular car in the US, the Camry has a engine options ranging between 2.4L-3.5L, around 208hp and a length of 4.8m (almost 3’ longer for you yanks).
I mean, they have to be. European fuel prices are double or more and most countries/cities have proper transit and were not built for US size cars (or any cars for that matter).
I can go on vacation for a month with my family of four in my 2008 Prius
I’ll take the roof!
I also have a small sedan. Power is worse than the small sedan I had 20 years ago. At least it’s safer.
You should see the rental we had in Iceland.n that sucker was a 3 cylinder 75 HP beast. And that was the step up from the standard economy model. And it was a stick too. I’ll admit it was pretty terrible to drive and when passing I kept wishing I was driving my Camaro SS I owned at the time.
It needs to absolutely be regulated. I don’t really want to get an SUV, but I might for my own safety when 3/4 of other cars on the road are monsters.
How about a Sports Utility Bicycle?
Instead of suckering into the arms race and becoming part of the proliferation problem, why not move to a cyclable city?
estonia is slowly
We’re still very far from US sized cars.
It’s mostly to remove the vehicles responsible for the most emissions.
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What a terrible article headline. Had to scroll through three paragraphs before it finally got to the damn point. Alternative headline: “Paris enforces higher parking fees for oversized vehicles”
I mean, parking with a big car would be more of a nightmare than it is already in small-sized europe.
I guess that’s the actual objective. Making driving unbearable
This should be an easy fix for France (or any country). Don’t make dumb laws.
Dumb laws or laws smartly written by the automobile industry themselves?
Oh no, how would small dick rich parisians even compensate with that law in place?!
I mean, i agree. The amount of American sized cars i see in the netherlands nowadays is a lot.
But they are pretty awesome cars so i get why someone would want one.
I really have a hard time understanding what is “awesome” in these cars ? They are clearly not built to be efficient to drive in old European cities, and (even though that is very subjective) they aren’t nice to look at either.
Especially SUV… The space for your stuff ist often less than in a station wagon.
I don’t understand that part. I’ve got a 20-year-old f150, and it’s roomier than my parents’ new Highlander. That thing’s fuckin’ cramped compared to other stuff. Hell, the legroom in our 1991 Previa van is enormous compared to
nearernewer Toyota shit.I am 6’ in freedom units and I was fine in 98 of 100 cars legroom wise, especially for distances within the city. And having a f150 because of legroom in a European city would really be antisocial behavior. You’re a handyman, ok…but as a private person? My point is that people have a BMW SUV because I need the space for my kids soccer training , but a VW Passat station wagon would give the same space, steal less space from other people, an accident would be less likely be deadly for others involved and less gas consumption. There are people needing big cars, but most ppl do not.
Prolly could’ve put it better. Not that I didn’t understand your point, but I don’t understand how fuckin’ cramped the new shit is now, despite being so goddamned chunky.
And I didn’t want to sound rude to you.
I think I understand your point now
Oh, you didn’t! 's’all good.
They have PDD and they either get a massive truck or a motorcycle that is as noisy as possible.
Piddly Dick Disease?
And those are usually still small versions of the ones they actually sell in the US
