people be all:

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
11/06/2019 at 16:43 • Filed to: screaming into the void

Big SUV’s are their blindspots are a danger to the world! Sedans and hatchbacks are so much safer for this reason alone!

Meanwhile

Do people honest not realize that tall cars with tall square windows are really easy to see out of?

“SUV’S” I’ve owned with “terrible” visibility

(not this exact one but same year, model and color...no lift)

Look at all that terrible visibility? How can anyone see anything through all that tall glass, that upright seating position and those tiny p illars ? It’ s a miracle I haven’t killed 100 people by now.

DISCUSSION (49)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 16:49

I love our Sport wagen, it is amazing to see out of (and into).

Kinja'd!!!

MonkeePuzzle > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 16:51

me driving around in my low window- lined, far less crash- worthy older cars

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/06/2019 at 16:52

Now imagine that, but far worse for vis than other of the others I’ve posted. This was ours

Kinja'd!!!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 16:54

This is pretty easy to see out of. The A pillars are about 1/2" in diameter. Also no back seat so no worries about that nonsense.

Kinja'd!!!

fintail > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 16:58

I dunno, the rearmost pillar on the GX is pretty thick, and has the Toyolex belt upkick (adds “character” or some other nonsense) - the old LC does it better.

Did someone say visibility?

Kinja'd!!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:01

Kinja'd!!!

My visibility is excellent. The tiny windows in the back actually do something. Hatch glass is plenty big to see behind.

HammerheadFistpunch > fintail
11/06/2019 at 17:01

What interesting about the GX? The rear windows don’t even add much to the visibility . You can have the rear seats up and covering most of the windows and it’ s not an issue because the 2nd row windows are so big and the rear glass is so good. You’ve have to be a very small object in a very specific place to be hidden in that blindspot.

HammerheadFistpunch > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/06/2019 at 17:03

big hatch glass is under-rated. it’s a HUGE part of the vis equation. Its something we’ve lost for no reason but style. This offender is particularly onerous.

Kinja'd!!!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:05

My LX had phenomenal visibility, much better than most modern cars I’ve driven.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:06

I think big SUVs aren’t the problem. If you need to haul people and also stuff that you might use a pickup for, they can be the best combination car.

It’s the CUVs that I see as often not being the right vehicle for their intended use.

Visibility as an issue on its own I don’t see as being a problem confined to a specific class of vehicle.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chariotoflove
11/06/2019 at 17:07

Cuv vis is getting worse for sure. Subaru and Toyota are working against that trend but most aren’t.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:08

Can’t speak for anyone else, but I just don’t like tall vehicles with tinted windows being in my way when I’m driving low-to-the-ground cars.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein
11/06/2019 at 17:09

as far as not being able to see ahead of them?

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:12

I don’t see cameras as being a substitute for good visibility. However, driving a big car, I find I really do like having the 360 cameras and sensors. I work to make sure I use them but don’t rely on them. I think they will be important standard tech on all cars.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:14

Correct. Especially if I’m in a left turn lane and one is in the left turn lane heading the opposite direction. Blocks my view of oncoming traffic.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chariotoflove
11/06/2019 at 17:15

I’ve never missed having cameras or sensors in any of my cars, but I will admit that I love having a backup camera for trailer hookup purposes.

fintail > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:16

Maybe that’s how they get away with the upkick. After having an Escalade rental and not having much problem parking it (thanks to cameras), I suppose that angle might not be a huge issue. Tall greenhouse can do a lo t. T he thick rear pillar seems to be in that spot where people get corner bumper dents.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein
11/06/2019 at 17:16

I understand that, but there is always something bigger. I still get that driving behind vans, larger trucks, etc. Sorta unavoidable unless you are in a class 8 truck

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > fintail
11/06/2019 at 17:16

Kinja'd!!!

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:17

Don’t get me wrong, I never missed not having them either. I’m just saying it’s another tool that I'm finding useful to get the job done.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:22

I know, but it’s worse now for drivers of non-tall vehicles, now that more and more tall vehicles are on the road.

I don’t actually care that much. I’ve owned multiple SUVs.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:28

Laughs in convertible. Though my A pillars are huge. And with a triple pod on the 250 I have to lean over when making a left hand turn so as not to mow anyone over. Huge A pillars suck.

DutchieDC2R > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:29

You seem to be very fixed on people that don’t like SUV’s. I get the whole ‘stop using stupid arguments to not like a thing’ or whatever the narrative is that you’re trying to go for, but I can’t stop and wonder where this whole crussade is coming from.

Did someone try to take away your SUV?

HammerheadFistpunch > DutchieDC2R
11/06/2019 at 17:36

Its mostly the first thing. I can’t stand hot takes based on terrible assumptions , stereotypes or blatant ignorance. Where I live the SUV is life, be it truck based or crossover. W hile I recognize that they aren’t for everyone and they certainly have their ugly sides, a counter voice to the traditional narrative of “these are dumb because I don’t understand them” I think is worth sharing.

Love SUV’s? great. Hate them? Great. Want pull terrible excuses outta your ass to support your chosen narrative? nope.

Edgyhal94 > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:38

Preach! God damn I’m sick of people telling me that I somehow can’t see out of a car that is like half gl ass FFS. Big mirrors help, as well as near as vertical pillars. Modern SUVs, particularly Land Rovers seem to of lost this, but I’m pleased to say that the new Defender is actually easy to see out of. (I got to get a very good look at the silver one they did the launch video with a couple weekends back.) I could actually see out of the thing better than the 110 I nearly bought a while back.

(Edit, apparently autocorrect thought I drove a car that is half grass , not half glass. Love you autocorrect... )

HammerheadFistpunch > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
11/06/2019 at 17:38

O ne thing for sure you will get with a convertible - lots of vertical visibility. Nothing else is a given.

DutchieDC2R > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 17:44

Yeah, that’s a good fight you’re fighting. A tough one at that, considering people who shout (dumb stuff) the loudest, usually are the worst listeners.

I’m not an SUV fan, I don’t hate them, but I do hate it when people compare them to cars and start saying things like ‘you might as well drive an SUV, it’s the same as a regular car, just with more space’. Yeah, it’s not.

HammerheadFistpunch > DutchieDC2R
11/06/2019 at 18:01

I try and convince people that cars are a scale. Some crossovers are pretty much just slightly taller wagons, some are very much closer to trucks. even “all not cars, vans or trucks are SUV’s” is overly broad in my opinion. You can’t tell me an cx3 and a suburban are even remotely related. I think once people come around to the idea that its a scale more than a line, it makes more sense to people. A cx-5 may actually make a ton more sense to a family than a 6 sedan, and for very little compromise...even though everything is a compromise to some degree.

Tapas > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 18:18

How was your experience with the Rav4?

Im considering buying one of those as a daily....

HammerheadFistpunch > Tapas
11/06/2019 at 18:21

I freaking loved mine, but I have to wonder what they would be like 20+ years on. Even my land cruiser which is of the same vintage and designed to last that long is showing a lot of wear. I understand the 5 speed has a bearing or synchro issue that is hit or miss, and the valve guide seals can go (again, hit or miss...mine went) but at this point they are either super cheap because they need those fixes or they have already been done. 100% get the manual, the auto sucks the soul from that thing, and the manual makes it fun.

Wacko > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 18:27

Visibility In my 2017 forester is better than any sedan I have ever been in. My 2014 pathfinder on the other hand not as much

DutchieDC2R > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 18:29

I wholeheartedly agree, however, I do think your last sentence i s a prime example and essential factor which makes the difference.

I do believe there’s quite a compromise to make when opting for an SUV instead of a wagon/sedan, however, the ‘size’ of that compromise depends on situation and goal of use for the car/SUV. IMO, if the situation allows, I’d always opt for a wagon, but then again, I’m from Holland, where SUV’s have only started to become popular the last 5 to 6 years.

I might be biased, but the fun a regular car can give you in driving is something I don’t think many SUV’s can replicate. I say many, because the scale argument you are using, is something I fully believe in. I hate to admit it, but one car/SUV I’m actually considering as a replacement for daily duties for my ITR is a GLA45 AMG. I sort of hate admitting it, but the small increase in ride height with the performance comes across as a perfect combo. I’ve yet to do a test drive.

HammerheadFistpunch > Wacko
11/06/2019 at 18:30

I guess the pathfinder has worst visibility in its segment according to consumer reports .

The forester is great for vis

Tapas > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 18:36

Am confuse.

No get manual. But auto no fun.

Error. ETROR!

Any chance I can tell by driving the manual if it is borked or about to be borked?

HammerheadFistpunch > DutchieDC2R
11/06/2019 at 18:37

The GLA45 AGM is the perfect example. I can understand your perspective from where you are though . H ere in the US the mileage penalties are usually very small between sedan and similar class crossover since they will likely have the same gas engine and wont differ a lot in weight. Also, we really don’t get wagon options, so its kinda our only choice for that kind os space . I’ve had a wagon myself and both my wife and I loved it, but having the b igger GX fits our life so much more...even if the mileage stinks. Could we make due without the GX? yes, but we would still need some kind of tow vehicle for our camp trailer (remembering that tow ratings are different between you and us and you need a larger vehicle to tow any real weight at our highway speeds safely).

HammerheadFistpunch > Tapas
11/06/2019 at 18:38

very much so. If it drives like you think a manual should without popping out of 5th, y ou’re golden.

Tapas > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 18:40

Okay.

What do you mean by “without popping out of fifth”?

Can you e laborate?

HammerheadFistpunch > Tapas
11/06/2019 at 18:44

Looking into it its 1st and reverse, and shift bushings usually fix it. So it sounds like an easier fix than I thought.

Tapas > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 19:20

Oh, alright! That’s good to know.

Thanks for sharing !

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 19:34

A counterpoint to this would be the Honda Pilot. I felt like I couldn’t see anything out of that car.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 19:35

Almost all of those are 10-20 years old. Back when all cars had big windows.

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 19:57

There used to be a bunch of reasons why SUVs sucked (as road cars) , but most of them have gone away nowadays. My only rema ining moral objection to them is mismatch of bumper heights - the regulatory exemption SUVs get endangers people in lower vehi cl es to allow for approach and departure angles which are unnecessary for most users, and as often as not don’t exist in practice anyway due to airdams and other crap. Mandate standardised bumper heights and let the serious offroad users pull the bumpers off for better angles, and I’d be happy as a clam.

H igher C of G brings its own problems, but that’s a “reaso ns why I DD a car ” issue not a “reasons why SUVs are evil” one.

As to visibility, that’s a vehicle by vehicle issue not an inherent SUV one - I drove rental Yukon a few years ago which was truly awful, but then so’s a 300 or a Challenger, and my Pajero’s visibility is pretty darn good compared to most early-2000s cars.

HammerheadFistpunch > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/06/2019 at 21:12

though all but the Cherokee still have big windows in the current model year

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > HammerheadFistpunch
11/06/2019 at 21:42

Early summer, out of city limits (the further the better), vertical visibility is the best