Though that’s pretty hard to do nowadays. I think pretty much your only option in the US would be a VW Passat or an Audi A6 (though I’m not sure if the Audi even counts, I suspect its just a long SUV).
This wasn’t an accident as station wagons don’t count as “light trucks” it was in the car companies interests for that entire sector of the market to be replaced with SUVs (which also have a higher markup for them)
I remember in the late 1970s, there were regulations on the import of “trucks” versus “cars” - it was harder to import a truck than a car. This led to the rather bemusing sight of a pickup truck, with seats permanently installed in the uncovered bed of the thing.
As far as “why is it all SUVs”, presumably demand, demand, and demand.
Prior to our last car purchase, one of our cars was a Honda Civic. Great car, great mileage; it was 22 years old when it finally wanted a repair that was 5 times the car’s value. I hated driving it because it was so low to the ground, I literally had trouble getting in and out of it.
Figuring that was not going to improve as we aged, we went shopping, and wound up with another SUV. We bemused a few car sales people by walking in and saying “Nope, don’t want to test drive, just want to SIT in a couple types of cars”.
So for us, it was a combination of ease of entry / exit (though they could stand to get rid of that “lip” that is such a hassle, especially as you age), and the ability to haul enough stuff when we wanted to. If we were buying two new cars, we might have gone for one sedan (slightly larger than the Civic) and one SUV for travel.
So, the SUV was a good compromise for us. If my daughter ever gets her license, we’ll get her a compact car. She can earn her own SUV.
Something that might give an interesting insight into what people need is if you look at prices for various classes of car rentals. Minivans are normally quite expensive, though that’s likely skewed: there are a lot of people who only need a minivan when taking a family vacation. Ditto SUVs (either smaller, like our CRV, or the big ones like an Expedition). I looked at renting a minivan for our family eclipse-viewing trip and it would have been nearly 2,000 dollars for 10 days. Oddly, the CHEAPEST option was a large-format SUV - cheaper than a compact car. That’s NOT the norm.
Small-mid hatchbacks & wagons are my preferred vehicle and, yea, they’re relatively harder to find. Big 3 offerings are all but bupkis. That weird Buick Regal from a few years ago is all I can think of.
Not everyone lives on top of a mountain! 
I’ve said it before and I’ll stick to it - for the vast majority of folk, a minivan is more practical than an SUV. I’ve not understood the preference for the “style” of SUVs which rarely - if ever - venture off the blacktop.
And how much do you think the industry spends to promote that appeal? Vehicle ads are freakin’ everywhere. It seems like the industry works hard to assist people in deciding what they want.
Same here. I just don’t get the idea that Minivans are dull and functional, whereas SUVs and Trucks are exciting and fun.
They are all dull functional vehicles. If you need to drive on unpaved road frequently, get an SUV (actually, no get a 4x4, the whole “sports utility vehicle” concept was a bullshit marketing term we just swallowed uncritically). If you need to haul a bunch of stuff frequently get a truck. If you have to haul a bunch (like 6+) of people frequently get a minivan.
If you none of those things apply get a car. Its more fun. It can go faster and handle better.
The “chicken tax” is still a thing, 60 years after it was imposed by President Johnson. It’s a 25% tariff on light trucks imported into the U.S., originally as retaliation against European tariffs on imported chicken (hence the name). This gives American manufacturers some more room for profits in the market segment, and over the years they have moved more and more of their offerings into the segment protected by that tax. Importers have tried to circumvent the tariff in many ways, such as the Subaru BRAT that you mention; also by partially disassembling vehicles prior to importantion, then reassembling them. Of course, many of them have also moved manufacturing of cars for the U.S. market onshore.
Amen. I have a Honda Odyssey (built on the same platform as the Pilot) and it’s a much better car for just about any need short of off-roading - and the serious off-roaders I know would shake their heads at someone trying to take a Pilot out on the kind of trails they use. We’ve got an older Honda Fit that does fine on the unpaved roads we take to get to hiking trailheads. Auto marketing does a good job of appealing to a combination of vanity and fear to get people to buy way more car than they need.
Isn’t that the same with almost everything you can buy? They can only push people part of the way. They wouldn’t be doing it if the underlying demand didn’t exist.
Because it’s marketing. Actually it’s both marketing and demand. Why do people buy them? Because they make them. Why make them? Because people buy them. So there’s a bit of circular logic there, but I think it really begins with marketing and the desire for maximum profit.
How often have you come across the phrase “This is the widget I didn’t know I needed!”? Because marketing told you you have to have it, whether that was corporate marketing, social media influencers, or keeping up with the Joneses down the street.
I bought a Corolla based on my need. I had a dog (since deceased), and 90% of the time, I was in my car by myself. Add 5% for my dog, and the remaining 5% for my family. I had no need for anything bigger. And while a Corolla isn’t exactly a driver’s car, it’s plenty fast and nimble for me.
Yeah but its also a feedback loop. There was some physiological desire that the car companies tapped into, they didn’t create it. But once the idea has been established its self-sustaining, especially as it is not just psychological thing. Once a significant number of people are driving SUVs it doesn’t just feel less safe to drive a regular car, it is less safe.
Also whatever underlying demand there is must exist in Europe and other places where SUVs don’t dominate. But the regulatory regime (and gas prices) did not encourage the car companies to push SUVs in those countries, so they never took off.
How is it less safe to drive a regular car?
We had a Toyota Sienna minivan. Still one of my fave cars ever. 2 sets of captain’s chairs, big sliding door, and 1/3-2/3 split rear seat. Pull out the back 2 rows and you could fir a washer and dryer no problem. Comfortable seating for 6-7 PLUS room for the dog to lie at your feet. Zero hood, so easy to park.
At the time, my SIL bought a Grand Cherokee. I remember looking at it and just not understanding the appeal. Cost more, but couldn’t haul more people, more stuff…
I most recently sold my GTI. Loved the car, but it was a tad pricey to maintain and I just wasn’t driving it much. Plus some developing hip arthritis made it a tad uncomfortable to get down into and up out of. We wanted a larger 2d car for road trips,and the option to drive w/ another couple. I lobbied for a minivan, but my wife is a big fan of Subaru and wanted a Forester, so that is what I drive. Only nice thing is it is narrow, so takes up less space in the garage. Just a big old appliance. Yawn.
I have always lived in the Chicago area. I’ve never experienced the least bit of difficulty driving in winter with FWD. My suspicion is that a lot of idiots think their 4WD allows them to drive the speed limit no matter what rain/snow/ice. Always amusing to see them in the ditch.
Only thing I can think is if you get hit by a vehicle weighing twice as much as yours.
Ah yes. I forgot those items cost almost as much as the typical SUV.
My Wife had an Outback. I’m a tall guy. That car was hard for me to get in and out of. My Wife, at 5’1" much prefered the Grand Jeep Cherokee she had before the Subaru. Outback was too small. She now has an Ascent (still hard for me to get in and out of). I’ve got a 4Runner which is just right. It also has low range, and a locking rear differential. It’s also on a truck frame which makes it a better platform for pulling stuck cars out (at least IMHO).
You’re right on certain points, wrong on others (not a knock on you personally, I just don’t think your statement goes into enough detail). For the SUV occupants, you’re probably right–it’s better to be in the SUV than a VW Beetle.
My argument is smaller cars are safer than SUVs and pickups, not in a crash, but because they can more easily avoid a crash. Consumer Reports listed stopping distance by category. Sports/sporty cars had the shortest average stopping distance, while large SUVs had the longest.
I don’t have the data in front of me, but smaller cars are also more maneuverable than larger vehicles, so they can swerve to avoid something better than SUVs.
None of that means that the driver is any better in a small car of course. But everything else being equal, give me a small car over a gigantotruck any day.
Basic physics. The results of crashing into a car that is the same size as you is not as bad as crashing into one much heavier and with a higher center of gravity. Its a “prisoner’s dilemma” situation. If everyone just gets a cars everyone is safe, and there is no reason to get an SUV. If one person (or enough people that any car driver is likely to encounter them on a daily basis) gets a great big SUV then in it is in the interest of car owners to get a SUV too (which will then make more car drivers feel unsafe and encourage them to get SUVs)
Sure. That’s how marketing works. But people aren’t that easily manipulated to spend half a years pay on an SUV just because of marketing. There are alternatives. Businesses take advantage of popularity, but people create the popularity.
There is data to be had:
SUVs are generally safer to their occupants and more dangerous to other road users than mid-size cars. A 2021 study by the University of Illinois Springfield[3] showed, for example, that SUVs are 8-times more likely to kill children in an accident than passenger cars, and multiple times more lethal to adult pedestrians and cyclists.
When it comes to mortality for vehicle occupants, four-door minicars have a death rate (per 100,000 registration years rather than mileage) of 82, compared with 46 for very large four-doors.[4] This survey reflects the effects of both vehicle design and driving behaviour. Drivers of SUVs, minivans, and large cars may drive differently from the drivers of small or mid-size cars, and this may affect the survey result. - SOURCE
Of course, SUVs are more prone to a rollover (just physics) and have worse handling than a mid-size (usually…again, physics).