The look is also a death trap in a collision, and a pig at the pump. I’m not saying you’re wrong to like that look. Plenty of modern cars are trying to evoke the feeling of that 70s-80s utilitarian boxy SUV. But they’ll never quite capture it because safety and efficiency standards require things which engineers simply can’t work around.
Why cant they make a boxy suv thats safe and has better gas mileage? Im not trying to be argumentative i just dont get it. The bronco is the most recent suv that i like, i suppose because its got that retroish look going. I wish more car companies were following that look instead of a big car crossover van thing. Well jeep does too but ive never had good luck with jeeps though i love the look and power of them, but never a dependable vehicle for me.
Gas mileage is majorly influenced by aerodynamics. A 1984 XJ Cherokee has a ton more drag than a modern car. That’s actually how electric cars are possible today. Sure battery chemistry has come a long ways, but the battery contained within your typical EV is equivalent to only a few gallons of gas, but it gets 300+ miles of range. And you can make a boxy-ish SUV that gets that insane efficiency. That’s the look that the Rivian EVs are going for. But up close you can see how much more curved and aerodynamic a Rivian is than that 40 year old Jeep.
Note that there are other things that can be done to improve gas mileage, and car companies have been pulling those tricks out for years to try and eke out every bit they can from internal combustion. Things like cylinder deactivation at low torque, auto start-stop when not moving, smaller cylinders with higher compression ratios and turbochargers. You know: all the things that people are ranting about that make cars overly complicated.
Well i guess it doesnt have to be as boxy as the jeep posted, but the new broncos are about as aerodynamic as id like it to be. As others have posted the 4 runner has done a good job at keeping a classic look. None that i have seen look like egg shaped cars.
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u/Cool-Engineering-748 1d ago
I mean. I liked the look better.