After a VERY close call a few days ago with a Hummer H2 that pulled out in front of me, I realized I would have been under it and probably quite seriously injured in the process. That led me to wonder, why have cars swelled to such gargantuan size these days?
At a redlight this morning, I saw a mid-late 90′s F-150 sitting next to a 2009 F-150. The difference was ridiculous. For years, though, the F-150 is said to have been the best selling truck in America, so it should represent a good case study of what Americans want. After doing some digging on http://autos.msn.com, the biggest F-150 made in 1996 was the XL SuperCab Long Bed weighing in at 4587lbs. For 2009, the largest is the XL 8ft. bed 4×4 weighing in at a MASSIVE 5820lbs. The smallest 2009 F-150 is the RWD XL 6.5ft bed, which at 4743lbs is STILL heavier than 1996′s largest. But why?
Can someone please explain to me why, even as gas prices continue to threaten an upward trend, vehicles are becoming larger and larger? And why the hell is such a giant vehicle still the top selling in America? I consider myself something of a nerd, and enjoy learning about anything I can. I think I have a rudimentary grasp of things like nuclear fission and astrophysics… but my mind can’t grasp why people WANT to drive vehicles like this.
Also, here’s a chart:
