ctenidae
Active member
Hope everyone's been getting limber for ski season. We're all going to be bending over.
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Went to the Auto Show in Boston last month...it was amazing how many huge SUVs were on display. I also noticed that the new Toyota Highlander is somewhat bigger than mine (I have an '01).This came up in another discussion recently, but it's really a shame that the car and truck manufacturers created a horsepower race instead of a engineering more fuel efficient vehicles.
That and varying degrees of taxes of vehicle purchases. Larger and heavier vehicles put more wear and tear on the roads so a vehicle purchase price influenced by weight of the vehicle makes sense. No coincidence that heavier vehicles tend to get lower MPG as well. I maintain that alternative fuel vehicles will only become economically viable and personally/culturally desirable when fossil fuel prices become prohibitive of lifestyles. Skiing is a lifestyle and it is easy to poo poo on someone idling a vehicle but most skiers burn through a full tank of gas or more for a round trip ski weekend. Our lifestyle is part of the problem driving the consumption of fossil fuels, increasing demand, driving prices, etc. I say bring on four dollars per gallon and let's push for $150 a barrel. Then we will see some change. We are not yet at the breaking point when it comes to personal vehicle purchasing, though I think many people are starting to be MPG conscious, or at least more so than before.Part of the answer, at least with private passenger vehicles, will be steep taxes on vehicles with poor fuel mileage.
Cars in general just seem "bigger" lately. My significant other recently bought a Nissan Sentra, 2003 I believe. It is tiny compared to the newer models. The new Altima is a tank compared to the older sized cars. I have noticed that trend with the larger Saturn cars. Pretty much across the board from economy to mid-sized to full sized cars, they just look bigger for some reason. I think SUV's are trending to the ends of the spectrum, either huge or a little smaller. It is trendy and cool and hip to have a so called "cross over"... a slightly slimed down SUV that doesn't scream out quite the way SUVs do, as the culture as a whole is changing perspective. But they still look bulkier than need be.Went to the Auto Show in Boston last month...it was amazing how many huge SUVs were on display. I also noticed that the new Toyota Highlander is somewhat bigger than mine (I have an '01).
One other thought...I know that it doesn't directly cost people anything, but has anyone working in an office building considered turning down the thermostat in/near their offices a few degrees? It shouldn't hurt the computers, and if all it means is that you may have to wear a sweater or sweatshirt then no big deal...
Went to the Auto Show in Boston last month...it was amazing how many huge SUVs were on display. I also noticed that the new Toyota Highlander is somewhat bigger than mine (I have an '01).
Nobody is holding a gun to people and telling them they have to buy one of these behemoth SUVs...
Each time I head up to Pats Peak I estimate it costs me about $15 in fuel alone. :x