Sales for true "SUVs" (ie. cars that are built on top of a truck platform) have stayed relatively stable, and most of the "SUVs" you see are actually crossovers[1]. This might seem like a pointless distinction, but crossovers are closer to cars than SUVs, and aren't as bad for the environment as you think. The best selling crossover is the Toyota RAV4[2], which gets 30 mpg. The best selling sedan (Toyota Camry) gets 32 mpg, or 6.7% more.
Agreed. My 1972 MGB got 28mpg. I realize cars have improved in many ways since then (crash safety, NOx emissions, comfort) but I feel like in 50 years we stopped caring about efficiency as much.
Many of the MPG winds of the 90s and 00s were eaten back up by mandated safety standards. A 2020 focus weighs 10-20% more than a 2000 MY one, for example.
My 1998 SC2 Weighed ~2400 pounds and got MPG in the low 30s (35+ on the highway).
> NOx emissions
Managing that often impacts fuel economy. Ask VW group =)
Apple to oranges much? If we want to ban all pure ICE vehicles then let's discuss that, but if most "SUV" sales today get comparable MPG to other pure ICE vehicles then it's misleading for people to keep citing the stat that SUV sales are rising with the understanding that this means that average MPG is declining.
The posters point was that crossovers are not true SUV’s, they are built on a sedan frame not a truck frame. It is pretty great when compared to the 20mpg average of a Tacoma truck.
Hybrids are great, but it is sidestepping the point that the poster was trying to make.
Sales for true "SUVs" (ie. cars that are built on top of a truck platform) have stayed relatively stable, and most of the "SUVs" you see are actually crossovers[1]. This might seem like a pointless distinction, but crossovers are closer to cars than SUVs, and aren't as bad for the environment as you think. The best selling crossover is the Toyota RAV4[2], which gets 30 mpg. The best selling sedan (Toyota Camry) gets 32 mpg, or 6.7% more.
[1] https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/research/the-rise-of-th...
[2] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g43553191/bestselling-cars...