I like cars.
I know, it's kind of unnecessary to say, since I'm an American dude. But I do - I love cars.
That being said, I have a bit of a confession - I drive a Kia. And I really, really like it. Like, a lot.
I'm a big dude. I'm 6'2" and I weigh 100kg. (I like saying it in kilograms because it makes it sound less, somehow...) ;) Although, when I lose weight, it doesn't sound as dramatic to say I lost 5 kilos... Much more dramatic to say I lost 10 pounds...
But I digress.
As a big dude, I find the trend towards smaller cars a mixed blessing. I really, really like the increased fuel efficiency and relative zippiness of smaller cars - especially when it comes to short-haul driving, inner-city maneuvering, and parking lot negotiation. Even on a longer road trip, the more fuel efficient car makes much more sense as you save so much money in fuel costs...
The problem I have is that I'm long legged. I have a 36" inseam. Which means that my inner pant length accounts for roughly half my height. Or something like that. (someone who really knows what that means, chime in here and enlighten me, please). So small cars and I don't really get along. I have to fold myself into them, and while it's somewhat OK to be in while going short distances (say, less than an hour), anything that is extensive in nature is hard on my posterior. The problem is not just with the relative quality of the seat (more on that in a second), but the angle that is generated by the folding of myself into the seat. My legs are always, always bent. This puts all of the pressure on my sitz bones. I have a generously cushioned (ahem) posterior, so sitting doesn't generally bother me. But the constant pressure on these bones causes discomfort, and the relatively limited amount of space in modern small cars leaves little room for shifting about.
So I've (obviously) thought a lot about this. There are really only two gripes I have about modern small cars. The first (unrelated) thing is the sound proofing. Why don't they spend an extra few bucks per vehicle and make the things as quiet riding as a Cadillac? It would make the ride FEEL ever so much more quality... I am willing to bet that it could be done for relatively little money. And the pay off would be SO worth it. And I'm not just talking about the engine noise - which any gear head will tell you is like sweet music. No, I'm mainly talking about the road/wind noise. Because smaller cars are, well, smaller, the noise producing elements are brought much closer to your body - tires, doors, windows, mirrors, little crevices and nooks and crannies... They all add to the cacophony of noises you hear whilst blowing and going down the road. Again, for about an hour, it's tolerable. But for anything more than that, it becomes unbearable.
The other gripe is this - why, for the love - why don't they put a nice, comfortable seat in the car? Raise the height of the headroom by 6" and move the seat up to something that is more of a chair than a lounge? And then make it 6" wider and about 20x softer... Essentially, get rid of all those incredibly dense foam bucket seats and give us that seat from a Cadillac. Or a pick up. Shucks, I'd even give up my center console if I could have one of those...
My real preference is for the front bench seat like they have in pick ups and some mid-sized to luxury sedans. Not only do you pick up the space for another person (even if said person must only be 6" wide), you gain an incredible amount of SPACE. And in a small car, especially, SPACE = COMFORT.
Which leads me to my car. I drive a 2009 Kia Borrego, and I LOVE it. It's got a healthy V6 engine which I have had NO problems with (about 55K miles in) and which gives me all the power I really need/want. The steering is responsive and smooth, and the transmission doesn't spend a lot of weird time hunting for the right gear. The transmission does one quirky thing - when you hit around 40 or so, it wants to throw you into 5th almost immediately, which is supposed to be good for fuel efficiency, but really just makes me stomp on it more... It was a learning curve, but I've found that if I can feather the gas just right I can keep it in fourth while entering the freeway, which gives me enough get up and go to bring smiles to my face.
The seat is very good. I would give it 4 of five stars. The thing I love the most about it is how HIGH it is off the floor. I can almost completely bend my legs at a 90 degree angle, which reduces stress on my sitz bones and puts more pressure on my thighs, which is where it belongs. My complaints are relatively minor - it's not the Cadillac seat I really want (read: super cushy and like a La-Z-Boy), and it's got a center console which I really don't want. I really, really like how easy it is to get in and out of - small cars and even sedans tend to be so low to the ground that they are like getting up from laying on the ground. You can do it, but it's difficult and ungainly for a person of my size to do. Add to that the door (which always seems to be just right in the way) and the twisting motion you have to do to extricate your body from the metal cage, and you've got quite a task... So my car (SUV, actually) is quite good for ingress and egress, since my seat is at exactly the right height for me to enter and exit.
So now you know. Someday, automakers will figure out that I want a really cushy seat in an efficient car. And I don't think I'm alone in this... I mean, why not?!?
I know, it's kind of unnecessary to say, since I'm an American dude. But I do - I love cars.
That being said, I have a bit of a confession - I drive a Kia. And I really, really like it. Like, a lot.
I'm a big dude. I'm 6'2" and I weigh 100kg. (I like saying it in kilograms because it makes it sound less, somehow...) ;) Although, when I lose weight, it doesn't sound as dramatic to say I lost 5 kilos... Much more dramatic to say I lost 10 pounds...
But I digress.
As a big dude, I find the trend towards smaller cars a mixed blessing. I really, really like the increased fuel efficiency and relative zippiness of smaller cars - especially when it comes to short-haul driving, inner-city maneuvering, and parking lot negotiation. Even on a longer road trip, the more fuel efficient car makes much more sense as you save so much money in fuel costs...
The problem I have is that I'm long legged. I have a 36" inseam. Which means that my inner pant length accounts for roughly half my height. Or something like that. (someone who really knows what that means, chime in here and enlighten me, please). So small cars and I don't really get along. I have to fold myself into them, and while it's somewhat OK to be in while going short distances (say, less than an hour), anything that is extensive in nature is hard on my posterior. The problem is not just with the relative quality of the seat (more on that in a second), but the angle that is generated by the folding of myself into the seat. My legs are always, always bent. This puts all of the pressure on my sitz bones. I have a generously cushioned (ahem) posterior, so sitting doesn't generally bother me. But the constant pressure on these bones causes discomfort, and the relatively limited amount of space in modern small cars leaves little room for shifting about.
So I've (obviously) thought a lot about this. There are really only two gripes I have about modern small cars. The first (unrelated) thing is the sound proofing. Why don't they spend an extra few bucks per vehicle and make the things as quiet riding as a Cadillac? It would make the ride FEEL ever so much more quality... I am willing to bet that it could be done for relatively little money. And the pay off would be SO worth it. And I'm not just talking about the engine noise - which any gear head will tell you is like sweet music. No, I'm mainly talking about the road/wind noise. Because smaller cars are, well, smaller, the noise producing elements are brought much closer to your body - tires, doors, windows, mirrors, little crevices and nooks and crannies... They all add to the cacophony of noises you hear whilst blowing and going down the road. Again, for about an hour, it's tolerable. But for anything more than that, it becomes unbearable.
The other gripe is this - why, for the love - why don't they put a nice, comfortable seat in the car? Raise the height of the headroom by 6" and move the seat up to something that is more of a chair than a lounge? And then make it 6" wider and about 20x softer... Essentially, get rid of all those incredibly dense foam bucket seats and give us that seat from a Cadillac. Or a pick up. Shucks, I'd even give up my center console if I could have one of those...
My real preference is for the front bench seat like they have in pick ups and some mid-sized to luxury sedans. Not only do you pick up the space for another person (even if said person must only be 6" wide), you gain an incredible amount of SPACE. And in a small car, especially, SPACE = COMFORT.
Which leads me to my car. I drive a 2009 Kia Borrego, and I LOVE it. It's got a healthy V6 engine which I have had NO problems with (about 55K miles in) and which gives me all the power I really need/want. The steering is responsive and smooth, and the transmission doesn't spend a lot of weird time hunting for the right gear. The transmission does one quirky thing - when you hit around 40 or so, it wants to throw you into 5th almost immediately, which is supposed to be good for fuel efficiency, but really just makes me stomp on it more... It was a learning curve, but I've found that if I can feather the gas just right I can keep it in fourth while entering the freeway, which gives me enough get up and go to bring smiles to my face.
The seat is very good. I would give it 4 of five stars. The thing I love the most about it is how HIGH it is off the floor. I can almost completely bend my legs at a 90 degree angle, which reduces stress on my sitz bones and puts more pressure on my thighs, which is where it belongs. My complaints are relatively minor - it's not the Cadillac seat I really want (read: super cushy and like a La-Z-Boy), and it's got a center console which I really don't want. I really, really like how easy it is to get in and out of - small cars and even sedans tend to be so low to the ground that they are like getting up from laying on the ground. You can do it, but it's difficult and ungainly for a person of my size to do. Add to that the door (which always seems to be just right in the way) and the twisting motion you have to do to extricate your body from the metal cage, and you've got quite a task... So my car (SUV, actually) is quite good for ingress and egress, since my seat is at exactly the right height for me to enter and exit.
So now you know. Someday, automakers will figure out that I want a really cushy seat in an efficient car. And I don't think I'm alone in this... I mean, why not?!?
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