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Post by dixinormus on Mar 26, 2021 9:21:53 GMT
My hovercraft is full of eels. Way over my head WdB..?!
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Post by Humph on Mar 26, 2021 10:36:04 GMT
No "fertiliser" Sherlock?
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Mar 26, 2021 11:09:11 GMT
I think the point I was trying to make is people say BEVs are often SUV style because of the batteries and that's not the case. A Tesla shows you can put them very low done in the 'skateboard' platform and the XC40 has them in the transmission tunnel - so it didn't need to be an SUV. But we all know they are popular. Cars didn't get seatbelts until the 1950s. What can be done and what should be done evolves over time. Volvo have elected to place the batteries down a central spine away from any impact zones, Tesla (among other manufacturers) have chosen to fill the floorpan out to the sills or rocker panels where the battery can take the impact in a side on collision. You pays your money...
SUV style is easier to hide 500kgs of battery pack
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Mar 26, 2021 11:28:43 GMT
True, but it’s also the difference between an EV-only platform and one designed to take either battery or fossil.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Mar 26, 2021 12:01:42 GMT
I'd disagree on that, I don't think Tesla ever intended for the Model 3 to take an ICE whereas KIA eSoul has the same basic shape battery pack filling space to the sills and under the rear seat. That car has petrol, diesel and EV options. It will be interesting to see how the shape of batteries and where they are placed will evolve though Volvo, beng Volvo, will always err on the side of caution compared with other manufacturers.
Edit: I think it is a great time for designers to be able to rethink and reshape passenger cars. It could be drivers and passengers are separated with connected vehicles and all the entertainment options available to passengers vs technology driver aids. The shapes at the front of the vehicle could become more train like. Interesting times.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2021 12:39:39 GMT
It's a good point that, BPG. Look at the first ICE cars, they were based on horse drawn carriages, because that's what everyone was familiar with. It took decades for better car shapes to emerge. Either way, SUV shapes are bloody awful.
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Post by dixinormus on Mar 26, 2021 23:32:14 GMT
Let’s consider the average human’s changing physique over the past 40-odd years. Many people are bigger (fatter) and less fit than any time before. They don’t like climbing in and out of a lower car and hence prefer something vaguely SUV shaped. Ditto the aging population with dodgy hips, arthritis, etc. The SUV shape is here to stay; they’ve been the revolutionary breakthrough from the days of the 3-box saloon.
Then you’ve got all the image and self perception lifestyle crap on top...
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Post by Humph on Mar 27, 2021 0:16:06 GMT
It's only taken me a year to get like that Dixi...
😳
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Mar 27, 2021 6:09:31 GMT
But you’ve been selling image and self-perception lifestyle crap to other people for decades. 😈
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Mar 28, 2021 20:02:37 GMT
SUVs are kitchen islands. Everyone wants one now, many will decide not for them down the road.
Running costs of SUVs will come in to play when they are all electric. How often do people hang Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc's, Tequila's bike off the back/on the roof that can't be done on a saloon or estate ? Tonka toys for people who really don't have a Scooby.
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Post by dixinormus on Mar 28, 2021 20:56:27 GMT
Yes, but tonka toys are easier to get in and out of, less bending down.
Additionally, with the ever-worsening state of road surfaces, maybe those bigger wheels and tyres help cosset the occupants?
People don’t really think about maintenance and running costs - other than petrol there probably aren’t any additional costs other than meeting the monthly PCP/finance payment..!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2021 8:32:06 GMT
SUVs are kitchen islands. Everyone wants one now, many will decide not for them down the road. Running costs of SUVs will come in to play when they are all electric. How often do people hang Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc's, Tequila's bike off the back/on the roof that can't be done on a saloon or estate ? Tonka toys for people who really don't have a Scooby. Well they certainly have the aerodynamic and frontal crash impact properties of kitchen islands. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2022 15:38:49 GMT
Well well well. Ford gives up on Mondeo type cars, but I have only just found out that Citroen decided to have a go at them after a bit of a gap since the C5 was cancelled, after seeing one in the school car park yesterday. The C5X. We're saved. A non-SUV, proper family car with massive rear legroom and a huge boot, all without everyone sitting 3 metres up in the air getting seasick and a nosebleed. www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210230990660OK, OK, it's a bit raised. But in the flesh it looks like it has a proper car's ride height. I was very impressed. Gawd bless you Citroen. Gawd bless you. Now, make a full EV version with 300 mile range. Other manufacturers, please take note. There is demand for family cars which aren't SUVs or crossovers. Stop forcing the bloody things on us. |
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Nov 16, 2022 16:15:49 GMT
That does look interesting, if maybe five years too late. It's the kind of thing Citroën really ought to be making.
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Post by Humph on Nov 16, 2022 16:36:08 GMT
Yes, I kind of like that too. A bit.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Citroens I suppose, but I’ve only ever had one of them, a Xantia.
It was a bit rubbish in truth, glow worms where the headlights should have been, trim with a habit of snapping if you even looked at it askance, and a seating position that was apparently designed to torture rather than cosset. But my biggest gripe with it was that I couldn’t get the steering wheel where I wanted it without obscuring some of the dash displays.
Still kind of liked it though, despite all that.
The clever suspension got me out of trouble once by raising it up to navigate through deep snow without the car bottoming out.
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