This is a big part of the answer. Try telling someone that a full size sedan from the 80’s/90’s is the size of a modern compact car and most still respond that they won’t drive a compact because they’re “too small”. Reality is that vehicles have been designed larger year over year and people don’t want to shift out of the model that they think is “the right size”.
I once borrowed my father in-law’s Holden Statesman when I was on an interstate trip.
Well over ten years old, oil leaking piece of shit (It’s a Holden).
I’ll tell you what though: as someone who has never owned a large sedan, I was absolutely blown away by how much room is available in the boot.
It was cavernous! I had a bunch of projects to carry out that involved hiring a bunch of gear. I was fully prepared to hire a trailer and I never had to. That boot would swallow just about anything. Multiple bodies!
It was way more practical than my wife’s SUV boot, and I never even had to put the seats down which I would absolutely have had to do with either of our more modern cars.
I was also blown away by the fuel economy. A supercharged V8 getting waaay better mileage than our tiny 4 cylinders. Power to weight ratio off the charts and I have to admit very nice to drive.
It would be super cool if someone was still making practical cars like that.
Alas, we’ve lived in the boonies for many years now. Where we live a proper 4x4 system is not really an optional requirement especially during the wet season.
This is a big part of the answer. Try telling someone that a full size sedan from the 80’s/90’s is the size of a modern compact car and most still respond that they won’t drive a compact because they’re “too small”. Reality is that vehicles have been designed larger year over year and people don’t want to shift out of the model that they think is “the right size”.
I once borrowed my father in-law’s Holden Statesman when I was on an interstate trip.
Well over ten years old, oil leaking piece of shit (It’s a Holden).
I’ll tell you what though: as someone who has never owned a large sedan, I was absolutely blown away by how much room is available in the boot.
It was cavernous! I had a bunch of projects to carry out that involved hiring a bunch of gear. I was fully prepared to hire a trailer and I never had to. That boot would swallow just about anything. Multiple bodies!
It was way more practical than my wife’s SUV boot, and I never even had to put the seats down which I would absolutely have had to do with either of our more modern cars.
I was also blown away by the fuel economy. A supercharged V8 getting waaay better mileage than our tiny 4 cylinders. Power to weight ratio off the charts and I have to admit very nice to drive.
It would be super cool if someone was still making practical cars like that.
Alas, we’ve lived in the boonies for many years now. Where we live a proper 4x4 system is not really an optional requirement especially during the wet season.
What are they, hermit crabs?