I will somewhat disagree with the SUV comment, as my escape counts as an SUV, and I regularly fill it far past a sedan’s capacity when I go grocery shopping (the savings from driving 3+hours each way to the nearest Costco far outstrips the cost in gas) and when I go camping.
And, as I camp in a tent, and have kayaks I can strap to the roof, I don’t need a truck at all, because my car can get me to every campsite that a truck can get to, often easier than someone dragging a camper can.
Plus, since its a plug-in hybrid, and Canada doesn’t burn fossil fuels for power, my fuel efficiency is significantly better than the average sedan in drives under 100km, and breaks even above that.
On a 60km drive, I average 2L/100km, a 100km drive I average 4.6L/100km, and on a 300km drive I average 6.6L/100km (100km/h), 7.5L/100km (110km/h), or 8.8L/100km (120km/h), which is well within what sedans average.
All absolutely valid points and my only counter argument here is that is why wagon sedans exist. Growing up in Poland a wagon was the family hauler bringing all the stuff you mentioned to pretty much anywhere you need. People even haul rvs with the wagons and you’re still smaller and relatively more pedestrian friendly. Hell they even make performance cars in wagon spec like the bmw m3. Not saying that to discredit your point just that there was another option before the suv craze came about
Oh man, I really wanted a wagon, but being in Canada the only one available that wasn’t a $90k+ Volvo/mercedes/Audi was a Subaru Outback and I absolutely hated the infotainment system in it. I hate not having physical buttons. So we ended up getting a small suv. I really wish they’d bring over some of the wagon options Europe has.
…wagons nearly don’t exist anymore in the US market, but i concur: hatchbacks, wagons, and minivans are purpose-designed vehicles for the way people use them in the real world, whereas modern trucks and SUVs are overwhelmingly poseur props for families in denial of their suburban utility lifestyle…
The Subaru forester sedans were very popular in New England from the early 200s to like 2014. Idk just saying there are good option, there were even diesel wagons from WV that had solid efficiency later on .
I’ve been thinking about replacing my 2005 car but the only thing I want to replace it with is an electric station wagon, of which Europe has several options and America has 0. I don’t want a compact SUV, I just want a wagon! I’ll probably leave the country before I have any options lol
In reality, they just couldn’t reasonably add the same markup, so they shifted to other products. Also, fuel efficiency standards based on weight made it more profitable to sell larger vehicles, so they had another reason to shift. We really got fucked from every side.
Yeah, my car I always though was a hatchback, but apparently is actually classified as a crossover. The main reason I still have it (other than having been paid off) is because it still gets competitive mpg and it’s so practical. I used it to take all my crap to and from college. I can carry 9ft lumber in the cabin with the passenger seat down. I’ve gone on a service road in a state park and I didn’t get stuck.
The thought has crossed my mind to get an electric conversion for it instead of buying a new spyware riddled car 😆
I will somewhat disagree with the SUV comment, as my escape counts as an SUV, and I regularly fill it far past a sedan’s capacity when I go grocery shopping (the savings from driving 3+hours each way to the nearest Costco far outstrips the cost in gas) and when I go camping.
And, as I camp in a tent, and have kayaks I can strap to the roof, I don’t need a truck at all, because my car can get me to every campsite that a truck can get to, often easier than someone dragging a camper can.
Plus, since its a plug-in hybrid, and Canada doesn’t burn fossil fuels for power, my fuel efficiency is significantly better than the average sedan in drives under 100km, and breaks even above that.
On a 60km drive, I average 2L/100km, a 100km drive I average 4.6L/100km, and on a 300km drive I average 6.6L/100km (100km/h), 7.5L/100km (110km/h), or 8.8L/100km (120km/h), which is well within what sedans average.
All absolutely valid points and my only counter argument here is that is why wagon sedans exist. Growing up in Poland a wagon was the family hauler bringing all the stuff you mentioned to pretty much anywhere you need. People even haul rvs with the wagons and you’re still smaller and relatively more pedestrian friendly. Hell they even make performance cars in wagon spec like the bmw m3. Not saying that to discredit your point just that there was another option before the suv craze came about
Oh man, I really wanted a wagon, but being in Canada the only one available that wasn’t a $90k+ Volvo/mercedes/Audi was a Subaru Outback and I absolutely hated the infotainment system in it. I hate not having physical buttons. So we ended up getting a small suv. I really wish they’d bring over some of the wagon options Europe has.
…wagons nearly don’t exist anymore in the US market, but i concur: hatchbacks, wagons, and minivans are purpose-designed vehicles for the way people use them in the real world, whereas modern trucks and SUVs are overwhelmingly poseur props for families in denial of their suburban utility lifestyle…
Fun fact: Only 1.4% of the cars sold in the US are wagons and of them 72% were Subaru Outbacks.
That’s because the Outback is pretty much the only wagon available here that isn’t over $100k
I’ve owned two of them!
The last wagon style sedan I had had worse fuel efficiency than a modern f150 does (though it was an early 2000’s model).
Brakes on that thing also scared the shit out of me, it did not like stopping.
The Subaru forester sedans were very popular in New England from the early 200s to like 2014. Idk just saying there are good option, there were even diesel wagons from WV that had solid efficiency later on .
I’ve been thinking about replacing my 2005 car but the only thing I want to replace it with is an electric station wagon, of which Europe has several options and America has 0. I don’t want a compact SUV, I just want a wagon! I’ll probably leave the country before I have any options lol
Station wagons are for mommies in the 1980s; all the cool kids want SUV and pickups.
So car manufacturers made station wagons with upright seating positions and “off road” styling and called them Crossovers.
In reality, they just couldn’t reasonably add the same markup, so they shifted to other products. Also, fuel efficiency standards based on weight made it more profitable to sell larger vehicles, so they had another reason to shift. We really got fucked from every side.
Yeah, my car I always though was a hatchback, but apparently is actually classified as a crossover. The main reason I still have it (other than having been paid off) is because it still gets competitive mpg and it’s so practical. I used it to take all my crap to and from college. I can carry 9ft lumber in the cabin with the passenger seat down. I’ve gone on a service road in a state park and I didn’t get stuck.
The thought has crossed my mind to get an electric conversion for it instead of buying a new spyware riddled car 😆
I wish Canada didn’t burn fossil fuels for power but as an Albertan I can promise you that we do.
Sorry, the parts of Canada that don’t idolize Texas don’t burn fossil fuels.