To crossover or not to crossover? (Possible rant)

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Besides minivans aren't cool and offroady.

Fads come and go. Station wagons were once popular. Minivans were once popular. Crossovers are "cool" now but that could change soon than you think.

Personally I don't like CUV's and SUV's. I don't think they are cool.

[redpoint5]

People make purchasing decisions on emotional factors and later justify those decisions with "reasons" you listed.

That's why we get silly commercials with animated cars dancing without a single word being spoken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKa9mxPXwA

[freebeard]

Fads come and go.

When their last child reached majority, my parents traded their Rambler station wagon for a Chevelle SS396 convertible.

They were somewhat embarrassed when they inherited a Chrysler Imperial with the sparrow-strainer tail lights. They called it 'the Chrysler'.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

The manufactures are utilizing an emissions loophole with the light truck designation that minivans can't. Therefore minivans are going extinct leaving the CUV/SUV class. Besides minivans aren't cool and offroady.

Minivans are classified as light trucks. They meet the requirements of 49 CFR 523.5 - Light truck.


(5) Permit expanded use of the automobile for cargo-carrying purposes or other nonpassenger-carrying purposes through:

... vehicles equipped with at least 3 rows of designated seating positions as standard equipment, permit expanded use of the automobile for cargo-carrying purposes or other nonpassenger-carrying purposes through the removal or stowing of foldable or pivoting seats so as to create a flat, leveled cargo surface extending from the forwardmost point of installation of those seats to the rear of the automobile’s interior.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Besides minivans aren't cool and offroady.

The public has lost it's way.

journal.classiccars.com/2019/11/29/peter-brocks-v8-powered-vw-bus-visits-jay-lenos-garage/

[Piotrsko]

By the (5) quote dustbuster minivans were cars back in the late 70's. The CFR was amended because the manufacturers whined a lot about noncompliance.

Try and buy a V powered anything type 2, if you can find one for sale. Then try to get smog compliance for where you live.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Then try to get smog compliance for where you live.

Which ends up being quite pointless, considering so many American vans within a similar class are fitted with either a V6 or a V8, not to mention V8 swaps into some models originally available with either a straight-4 or a V6.

[some_other_dave]

I vividly remember one car commercial: A guy is in the gym, and an announcement is made over the speakers: "There's a tan minivan with its lights on." He looks around, obviously hoping nobody sees him, and then gets up. Presumably to turn his lights out.

The ad was for some SUV or another. Basically saying that minivans were something to be ashamed of driving, but SUVs of course were butch and manly and you should buy one of ours right now, you wimp!

For most people, SUVs are minivans that look butch and are marginally less useful.

Don't get me started on the whole "safety" thing--the average SUV is actually less safe in a collision than the average car. Slightly less so for the occupants of the SUV, substantially so for pedestrians or people in other vehicles. (This information is old, it may be outdated now, but AFAIK SUVs still have less-strict safety standards to meet than cars.)

I'm mostly salty because I like little tiny cars that SUVs can easily run over.... And because my wife insisted we get a 4WD one because it sometimes rains where we live....

-soD

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

I like little tiny cars that SUVs can easily run over....

One thing I miss about all the small cars we've had 1991 (Mazda 323, 1972 Super Beetle and 1985 Golf diesel) was the esse of being able to push them.

Sure, they didn't have AWD (although were pretty good cars for snow, ice and mud). But if you did get stuck it was pretty easy to get them unstuck.

And since all were stick shift, if something happened to the starter or the battery was pretty drained they were pretty easy to pop-start.

When I've had the 12V battery start to die on the Avalon there's nothing that can be done to start it without having another vehicle.

[Piotrsko]

The older stuff wasn't so picky about minimum starting voltage, the new stuff OBD2 checks for generally a minimum of 10 volts or it won't do anything. The electric fuel pump usually does the fatal deed.