Intro: Mourning the death of practicality
#1
06-03-2010, 03:15 PM
Intro: Mourning the death of practicality
Dear Automakers of the World,
I have to commend you for being able to sell the public on the wonders of the automatic transmission, the SUV and the cupholder.
When I manage to peruse the reviews in the autonews, it is with amazement that I remark the number and quality of words devoted to interior design and layout. Who knew that Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Martha Stewart's demonic spawn would be unleashed into the design of the interior of a car to focus with such singlerminded will on that paragon of features: the cupholder.
It's no secret that SUVs are primarily a vehicle to circumvent the emission regulations for cars, but what careful and articulate subtlties have been volleyed at convincing the automotive world that driving a station wagon could be a masculine affair. In all my years of drving around in conventional station wagons however, I have only observed that I grow larger and uglier with every passing year. That this transformation should be so deftly bound to the SUV is yet another victory in the sphere of the marketeer, especially since the things suck gas and are a ballooning hazard on the roadway. An SUV is a tarted up truck. I drive trucks as well (and still own a '94 Toyota tRuCk) and relative to any vehicle with the same number of drive wheels, they universally suck at every application except for off roading and carry large amounts. I for one spend little time offroading and my suspicion is that most of the car buying public does too. Similarly for carrying large amounts of stuff. So again, kudos for duping the public in that regard.
Finally as for the automatic. Yes, driving is such a nuisance and we'd really rather have some hands free to diddle the blond bombshells, real or imagined, in the next seat or fiddle with any number of personal electronic devices that science and technology have made available here in our zenith of history. And so an automatic is just the ticket. I've heard the posit that they give better gas mileage, but I really haven't seen any reasonable data to back that up. In addition while I can appreciate the assertion that in heavy traffic, clutching tires the left calf, but in my narrow experience, my right leg is more stressed constantly braking the freaking automatic. Tomato, tomahto. I want the control a manual provides.
Anyway, while I can see that my preferred marketshare is dwindling along with the average sensibility of the Americanus automobilius, is there any chance that despite the brillance of your marketing departments you could bring into this failing empire a simple, basic, reliable, 6 speed manual, 6 cylinder, non turboed 220 hp awd station wagon large enough for a family camping trip or ski vacation for less than $40k?
Audi seems to be abandoning the market they once dominated: the geschportvagon. Oh woe for the extinction of the affordable krautrocket. I'm still pointing our old boats about hill and town with 166k on the A4 Avant and 90k on the Allroad. I still love the way the old A4 grabs the road with this old gassbag at the wheel. The race lugged 5 speed manual is still on the original clutch and shifts with the solidity of a 140 pound barbell. The Allroad rolls like a boat that she is, but gliding across the wastelands of Idaho and Utah is matched only by her surefootedness in winding back and forth across Red Mountain Pass.
BMW? Dohn't think so, not at that pricepoint.
And even Subaru? Now correct me Cosimo Cognoscenti di Automobili, but is it true that Subaru is also attempting to follow that delusion of luxury into no longer offering a manual in their 6 cylinder station wagons?
Is this how Rome went down too? Offering only presumably luxury chariots driven by pygmy horses with elastic reins?
Anyway it seems that my course of resort is to find a V70R manual awd.
Can you folks point me in a successful direction?
I have to commend you for being able to sell the public on the wonders of the automatic transmission, the SUV and the cupholder.
When I manage to peruse the reviews in the autonews, it is with amazement that I remark the number and quality of words devoted to interior design and layout. Who knew that Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Martha Stewart's demonic spawn would be unleashed into the design of the interior of a car to focus with such singlerminded will on that paragon of features: the cupholder.
It's no secret that SUVs are primarily a vehicle to circumvent the emission regulations for cars, but what careful and articulate subtlties have been volleyed at convincing the automotive world that driving a station wagon could be a masculine affair. In all my years of drving around in conventional station wagons however, I have only observed that I grow larger and uglier with every passing year. That this transformation should be so deftly bound to the SUV is yet another victory in the sphere of the marketeer, especially since the things suck gas and are a ballooning hazard on the roadway. An SUV is a tarted up truck. I drive trucks as well (and still own a '94 Toyota tRuCk) and relative to any vehicle with the same number of drive wheels, they universally suck at every application except for off roading and carry large amounts. I for one spend little time offroading and my suspicion is that most of the car buying public does too. Similarly for carrying large amounts of stuff. So again, kudos for duping the public in that regard.
Finally as for the automatic. Yes, driving is such a nuisance and we'd really rather have some hands free to diddle the blond bombshells, real or imagined, in the next seat or fiddle with any number of personal electronic devices that science and technology have made available here in our zenith of history. And so an automatic is just the ticket. I've heard the posit that they give better gas mileage, but I really haven't seen any reasonable data to back that up. In addition while I can appreciate the assertion that in heavy traffic, clutching tires the left calf, but in my narrow experience, my right leg is more stressed constantly braking the freaking automatic. Tomato, tomahto. I want the control a manual provides.
Anyway, while I can see that my preferred marketshare is dwindling along with the average sensibility of the Americanus automobilius, is there any chance that despite the brillance of your marketing departments you could bring into this failing empire a simple, basic, reliable, 6 speed manual, 6 cylinder, non turboed 220 hp awd station wagon large enough for a family camping trip or ski vacation for less than $40k?
Audi seems to be abandoning the market they once dominated: the geschportvagon. Oh woe for the extinction of the affordable krautrocket. I'm still pointing our old boats about hill and town with 166k on the A4 Avant and 90k on the Allroad. I still love the way the old A4 grabs the road with this old gassbag at the wheel. The race lugged 5 speed manual is still on the original clutch and shifts with the solidity of a 140 pound barbell. The Allroad rolls like a boat that she is, but gliding across the wastelands of Idaho and Utah is matched only by her surefootedness in winding back and forth across Red Mountain Pass.
BMW? Dohn't think so, not at that pricepoint.
And even Subaru? Now correct me Cosimo Cognoscenti di Automobili, but is it true that Subaru is also attempting to follow that delusion of luxury into no longer offering a manual in their 6 cylinder station wagons?
Is this how Rome went down too? Offering only presumably luxury chariots driven by pygmy horses with elastic reins?
Anyway it seems that my course of resort is to find a V70R manual awd.
Can you folks point me in a successful direction?
#6
09-04-2010, 09:51 AM
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