Emissions regulations started off well but eventually devolved into the standard UN Green New Deal global carbon tax agenda.

If an old replica is your bag, baby, you can have one for far less than 200 g. Grab a helmet and prepare for liftoff. It will rock your world.

I left out the SUV part so this is not entirely accurate but I don’t think automatic transmissions have near the effect on gas mileage they used to. They lock the torque converters now.

Here is a company that makes old style Mustangs from the 60s with modern engine components in terms of emissions but without the safety nonsense.

https://revologycars.com

So the government ‘allows’ this to be produced, but us peons can’t have a mass produced older style vehicle.

Most people do not prefer small cars, especially if they have families or if they are on the tall and big side.

An SUV is a station wagon done right.

It is incredible to me, how much gas consumption is increased in the US due to the proliferation of automatic transmissions and SUVs. Not to mention the topic of safety addressed here in this post.

SUVs are upright and have more interior room. I can get in, and sit nomally without having to intrude into the rear passenger’s space. Handling isn’t too bad although they clearly are not a “sports car”.

The extra ground clearance comes in handy on unimproved roads and with snow plow berms. I ended up helping a friend get free after bottoming out a conventional automobile while trying to get out of a driveway.

The configuration of the hood is the least of my worries. “Bumper Mismatch” is not a real design concern since most “bumpers” are an internal construction with a cosmetic facing. There is no real need to have the exterior profile match the location of the internal structure. After any impact, you are going to be replacing a lot of plastic anyway.

Off.

Road.

Motorcycles.

I used to live in that sort of area. I learned to buy vehicles that could handle it. You do what works.

Also, many locals resist paving of dirt roads because they like the traffic calming effect of a bad road. People who live in rural areas like things rural. Who would have guessed?

A larger vehicle fares better in a collision with a moose. The moose, however, fares worse.

SUVs exist because Americans, especially women, will pay an extra $10K to have a big vehicle that is NOT a soccer mom minivan.

See also research that shows that broad, curved, soft interior surfaces and lots of cup-holders for warm, milk-based beverages is very appealing to a certain kind of person.

Also, on a practical level, SUVs were invented in Michigan, which spends less per capita on its roads than any other state. The ideal Michigan vehicle is an “off-road” vehicle, because the roads are so bad you might as well be driving on a forest logging trail.

Where there is scarcity, there is competition. Where there is competition, there is inequality. There just isn’t enough road. Pave the earth!