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Comment by giantg2 | Hacker News Reader

There are plenty of people who get trucks and SUVs because they don't make large cars anymore. I had an 89 Caprice and it was like riding a couch down the highway. Look at a Taurus or Impala today and I barely fit.

Edit: Why downvote? It's all true

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I don't necessarily blame the people buying them (though coal rollers and their ilk should definitely be loaded onto a barge and pushed out into the Pacific). The problem is that without sensible regulation, the market has chased these vanity trends and ended up in an insane place where something ridiculous on its face might nonetheless be the most practical (and safe) solution for a lot of people.

The average American male is 5 foot 9 inches. I’m average height and easily fit in sub-compact cars. Yes some people need the extra space, but that’s a minority of drivers.

Americans have gotten a lot fatter since the 80s and 90s and new car buyers have gotten a lot older. Getting in and out of a truck or SUV is worlds better for people who are overweight or who's joints have jumped the shark than getting down into a car.

Getting down or up in to a car shouldn’t matter. In order to get out the exact opposite action has to be performed.

Do you live in a world with spherical cows? The human body isn't that efficient. Getting down into a car if your body is old or packing a lot of weight requires exertion as does getting back out. And the average new car buyer probably has at least one of these or is married to someone who is.

Maybe people would start to take better care of their health if they had to face pulling themselves out of a lower-to-the-ground car several times a day.

SUVs and trucks address the symptom, not the disease.

Considering they know it reduces their lifespan, costs more in healthcare, etc, I doubt getting in and out of a car will motivate them to take better care of themselves.

Average height isn’t the most useful statistic for this. A quarter of men are 6 feet or taller. When you factor in the fact that people aren’t likely to buy cars that their spouse can’t drive comfortably, there are an awful lot of people who just are never going to buy small cars. You could make a smallish car for tall people, but no one does.

The other issue is that modern cars are designed differently because of safety concerns—they have less interior space for the same exterior width. Plus kids have to use car seats until they are much older than they used too. Try putting 2 kids in car seats in a subcompact with a tallish driver with the seat pushed back.

Btw I’m 6’5” and it’s tough to even find an intermediate SUV where my knees fit comfortably.

The WRX (prior gen I think) was actually good for tall people because they're made to be able to wear a helmet in. Unfortunately, if you're also broad your shoulders will be rubbing on your passenger (of they're also average to large), and going to 5th means touching their knee occasionally too.

"Try putting 2 kids in car seats in a subcompact with a tallish driver with the seat pushed back."

Wife has a small SUV and I can't sit in front of the car seat for this reason. I have to hunch over or slouch in the back.

A minority, but not a very small minority. I know plenty of people around my height (a few inches over 6').

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