• ch00f@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    need a vehicle that sits high

    Why does anybody need a vehicle that “sits high”?

    • Fosheze@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Because you need to handle terrain other than a clear road. When you live somewhere that regularly gets a foot of snow overnight then having a bit of extra ground clearance is a must for navigating that. You also want a bit of extra ground clearance if you need to go off road regularly. The last thing anyone wants is to be out in the boonies and crack their oil pan on a tree stump or something.

      Of course, far more people buy SUVs and trucks than actually need them. Also lite trucks would have been the better solution for most people who do actually need them if the EPA hadn’t killed them with poorly written standards. With the current wheelbase based efficiency requirements we’re left with the choice between sedans that drag the undercarriage on residential speedbumps or a Landbarge 9000 toddler slaughter special with worse sight lines than an abrams tank and the (lack of) fuel efficiency to match.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        the EPA hadn’t killed them with poorly written standards

        Thank you! I see so many people blaming the manufacturers for greed. No, the EPA killed the small truck. Perfect example of well-meaning laws paving the road to hell.

        • ch00f@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Technically LBJ killed the small truck with the chicken tax. If nobody can afford to import reasonably sized European and Asian trucks, we’re left with whatever the big three churn out.

    • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Elderly people and people with certain disabilities can have difficulty entering and exiting low vehicle seats.