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Date:         Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:24:04 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fryeday Content.. some GM trivia and news on the VOLT (NVC)
Comments: To: Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <f700b5ac0809111700y4dffa3dft4222275d7dc5f728@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

In my book there are only a handful of vehicle configurations: truck, van, station wagon, sedan, hatchback, coupe and sports car. There is no such thing as SUV, crossover, whatever. The mini-cooper is a station wagon, so are all the SUVs. So are the so-called crossovers (how I hate that term, uttering it means "I'm so stupid that I bought into the marketing BS created to turn me away from what the car companies and magazines taught me were the best, safest cars in the world but since I can't afford them now I have to be told to like something else."

At least with a vanagon, you know what it was, and what it is. It's a van. There is no subspecies called "minivan" outside of Chrysler's marketing BS.

Jim

On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 7:00 PM, Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com> wrote: > Er... the excerpt here wasn't mine... but I'll add my cent's worth here. > > "SUV" is a gross misnomer. The vast majority of these vehicles are the > antithesis of sportiness. > > Unfortunately I don't think an alternative term has been introduced > anywhere. Calling them 4WDs isn't it... not only are there lots of other > 4WDs around of completely different type (vans, coupes, sedans, dumptrucks), > but some "SUVs" are 2WD (Frod's Explorer and Territory are examples). "4WD > wagon with offroad capability" is much closer to accuracy, but again is > ambiguous and has lots of exceptions. > > How about a vanagon.com competition to come up with a logical name (or > acronym) for "SUVs"? > > The same goes for what those in the US call "minivans". The rest of the > world calle them MPVs (unfortunately Mazda grabbed this acronym as the name > for its own MPV, which hardly invalidates the term. A real minivan is a true > van of diminutive proportions eg Daihatsu Hijet, Mitsubishi L100, Suzuki > Carry. So-called US "minivans" are not vans at all (with the exception of > the van-type body of Toyota's van (not Camry, despite what Wikipedia > claims)-based Estima/Previa/Tarago 1990-2000 and the Estima/Previa/Tarago of > 2000-present. The others are all really just stationwagons of over 5-seat > capacity (most with zero luggage space when all seats are in use as seats). > No neede for a competition here, as the suitable name MPV already exists. > > On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 12:30 PM, Aristotle Sagan > <killer.jupiter@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Andrew... >> >> Just because they didn't call it a SUV doesn't mean they didn't exist. >> The Ford Brono goes back to about 1964, The Chevy K5 Blazer, about >> 1970. I learned to drive on an 1968 International Travellall, >> certainly well within the specs for a modern SUV (without the safety >> stuff). The little brother to the Travellall was the International >> Scout. Now Jeeps.. well Jeeps have been making SUVs since the Willy's >> Wagons of the late forties as well as Cherokees from the early 60's.. >> The list goes on, the Dodge Power Wagon, there is Studebaker wagon for >> sale here in San Jose that looks for all the world the prototype for >> an SUV. And they went out of business in 1964. >> >> Perhaps envision isn't the word you wanted.... >> >> tim in san jose >> > Hmm... the Toyota LandCruiser Wagon goes a way back too. I guess you could > call the even older regular LandCruiser (which is also technically a wagon, > except for the cab/chassis versions!) could be called a bare-bones "SUV'. > > Jeez, the VW T1 could be too... >


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