American SUVs ‘too big for Australia’ as driver calls for ‘vanity culture’ to stop

A social media user has sparked a backlash against the “vanity culture” of giant American vehicles taking over Australian highways and overflowing into parking spots.

Under the headline “This country is not built to fit full-size American cars,” Reddit user Charles Tang said that he had lived in the US, where “the roads are straighter, the lanes are wider and the spaces are bigger”.

He said that the size classes of vehicles are different, and that a mid-size SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle, i.e. a four-wheel drive vehicle) in Australia was considered compact in the US.

A Reddit user has found a sore spot with many Australian motorists complaining that giant American SUVs like this Dodge Ram are too big for Australian roads and parking spaces.

“Unless you really need that (Ford F150), you’re making life worse for those who drive around you and park next to you,” he said.

“Don’t let the needlessly large US car vanity culture take over here, the way tipping tries to.”

In response, a Reddit user provided a practical reason why huge cars were a nuisance.

“There are at least two RAMS in my town Grafton and we have a stupid curvy train bridge,” the user wrote.

It’s narrow. They take almost everything and you have to give way to them the same way you need to the damn bus because of how obnoxiously big they are.

Totally unnecessary.

A giant Ram pickup will often have a hard time finding parking spaces that will easily accommodate it.

Other Australians said the cars were unnecessary, as other brands provide enough space.

They are as big as a private car should be. A (Nissan) Patrol or (Toyota) LandCruiser are huge and incredibly capable vehicles,” they wrote.

Another pointed out that they were not even well adapted to the local environment.

“These big no-nonsense American trucks are basically useless in Australian off-road conditions, the wheelbase is made for driving on snow, not steep rocky terrain,” they said.

Some noted how expensive or polluting they were.

“The owner of one of these trucks paid for the gas in front of me,” read one comment.

‘It was $200ish. I almost choked.

“Talk to your member of parliament and ask how they will cope with a country that is not designed for them and how they have passed emission and pedestrian safety standards,” one user suggested.

The Ram Dodge is typical of the huge vehicles that one Reddit user labeled as products of ‘vanity car culture’

‘And why, at a time when progress is being made towards reducing emissions, are we starting to bring light trucks to drop children off at school?’

Several people expressed concern about the safety of the vehicles.

“The height is just as dangerous,” wrote one user.

‘You get hit by a midsize car and injure your lower extremities and maybe your pelvis (I’m also oversimplifying by the way).

“These American trucks are much taller and they are going to destroy your torso and your head and your survival rate will plummet.”

Another user made similar points.

“Its height means that pedestrians are more likely to suffer a head impact. This, combined with the low visibility, means that they are a threat on the streets. US pedestrian fatalities are at their highest level in 40 years,” they wrote.

This Toyota LandCruiser could be considered a compact SUV if you drive on American roads

Several self-identified Americans disputed that the vehicles were built on the proper scale for the US.

‘American here. Sorry you have to put up with this but FWIW (for what it’s worth) I shake my head when I see the same big vehicles here, and I see a lot of them,” the user wrote.

‘Not even all of our parking spots and roads can accommodate them. It’s pretty normal to see one of these huge jacked up monstrosities taking up 2-3 spots before you even consider the driver’s ability to park.

‘I just can’t find any rational explanation for why they are necessary. Redneck stuff.

Several people suggested that trucks should really be considered instead of cars.

“I have no problem with people who own these big American trucks, they fill a capability gap between Utes/4x4s and trucks, but drivers should treat them like any other larger vehicle,” wrote one Reddit user.

Melbourne’s busy Hoddle Street is not the place to easily accommodate the giant American car brands.

“When I’m driving a truck, large van or minibus, I don’t try to park right in front of Woolies in the crowded car park.

I don’t get into the prime spots on the main street. I don’t park it like any other small car on a narrow suburban street.

‘When you drive a big vehicle, you need to plan a little more. Do you need to go to the supermarket in your truck? You have to park on the side street and walk the extra 100m.

“I think it is a question of mentality that has not yet matured. OP (original poster) called them American cars. They are not cars, they are trucks.

“If everyone calls them trucks, then maybe people will start treating them like trucks.”