There’s no question that cars today are larger on average than ever before. The average size of cars has slowly but surely ballooned over the decades. One recent report suggests that it’s time for Americans to go back to smaller vehicles. What do you think?
The argument is fairly straightforward. Larger, heavier cars are less efficient, they’re more deadly to those that end up in a crash with one, and they’re more damaging to infrastructure. Of course, for automakers, those factors don’t play much of a role when it comes to product planning.
Larger cars often offer lead to larger profits. The EPA also doesn’t require the same high standards regarding many large vehicles compared to smaller ones. At some point, it seems reasonable to believe that the obsession with going bigger will have to stop. Not only are gigantic vehicles tougher for the average person to drive but it’s getting to the point where they’re struggling to fit in normal garages.
Read: The GMC Hummer EV SUT Weighs 9,063 Lbs, Its Battery Alone Is Heavier Than A Mazda Miata
Personally, I think it’s long been high time for everyone to embrace smaller vehicles. Despite the advancements we’ve seen in tech, there’s no cheating physics and a larger car simply isn’t as nimble or capable as a smaller car all other things being equal.
Smaller cars typically handle better, accelerate better, and brake better. They require less power to be fast and thus they encourage drivers to enjoy the drive more than larger, slower, less agile cars. I’m a huge proponent of making cars more fun so that more people enjoy the task and actually do their best to be good at it.
The full piece on ARSTechnica deserves a read as it points out the perverse policy that incentivizes automakers to make bigger rather than simply better cars. With that, we’ll pass the question over to you. If all things were equal, would you prefer to see a return to smaller cars on the road versus the gigantic machines we’re seeing all over the place every day? Why or why not? Let us know down below.
