> Yet every car is converging on an unholy child of a minivan and a small crossover SUV
Because it's a local maximum of utility. Most people don't care that their car "lacks personality" or "looks ugly to auto enthusiasts" - they just want it to be safe, efficient, and capable. Crossover-type vehicles generally get you the best combination of the three.
To add to this: I see anonymity becoming more desired by the general population as surveillance and threat of law enforcement, car thieves, and road rage amplifies.
Blending in feels much safer these days. Much like herd animal behavior.
I had a friend who had his local company logos all over the car.
After 2 or 3 years he had enough of „hey I saw you passing by can you do small thing for us while you’re around”.
I think he also went with as generic looking car as possible after that.
When I was 20yo I thought cars are cool and having car that would stand out would be great.
Closing in on 40 I couldn’t care less. If it is safe, doesn’t break down, gets me to places I am happy.
I have my own ways to express myself as a person, car is definitely not the thing.
Same. I just bought pretty much the cheapest used EV I could find that looked alright to me and had enough range. Happy as a clam.
I'm not interested in wasting tens of thousands of dollars on slightly more comfortable seats and stuff like that. I could, it just doesn't seem worth it. I'd rather have the money for other things.
Maybe next time I'll buy a slightly more premium car like a Volvo EC30 or something like that, if I can find a nice used one for a decent price. I don't see any reason to buy new cars. In my market a 4 year old car (still under warranty) is literally less than half the price of a new one. I don't think the warranty is worth that much.
Strong disagree on crossovers providing the "best combination of the three." People seem to think this, assuming that their purchases are influenced by thought... But based on my observations (and physics); Sedans, coupes, or anything with less mass will be safer, more efficient, and more capable. It's actually the tendency of people to purchase crossovers and even more massive vehicles that results in smaller vehicles being seen as "less safe". It has created an arms race of sorts, but doesn't change that F=ma. Car companies want to sell you a crossover because it's good for them, not us. Just stop and think for a minute why there are no SUV motorsport series... Enthusiasts have competitions for almost every type of vehicle except the type that most people buy. SUVs / crossovers are like dull, heavy knives wielded by the inexperienced and uncaring.
> Sedans, coupes, or anything with less mass will be ... more capable
I beg to differ. They may be safer and more efficient, but they get those advantages by trading off cargo and passenger space. A crossover can carry a heck of a lot more than a sedan and still fit 5 people - hence why it's the "local maximum."
SUVs and crossovers actually tend to have less useable interior area than vans or station wagons. Another advantage of vans and station wagons is that they're built on chassis similar to sedans which allow you to maintain a low center of gravity for better handling.