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I was able to stuff my CR-V to the gills a few times... and yes it could haul a bunch.... but it was still a rare occasion for me to stack things above the rear seat. Can it? sure. Do I? not really. I know it's not a directly fair comparison because of the higher base price though there is some overlap, but my 300C is eminently better at long distance vacationing than either the Encore or CR-V ever were, and it was bought specifically for that purpose. A cheaper Charger or Impala would be of similar capability. I think the point is that people need to be more realistic with their use cases they dream up when buying a vehicle. Are you really going to be hauling sand in a CR-V regularly? Do you really need a Durango instead of a Charger for twice yearly trips to Ikea when Ikea offers fast delivery for cheap? My 300C does Costco duty better than the Encore ever did. People have outsized ideas of what they're going to be doing with their vehicles.... they have this idea that they'll be kayaking every weekend between ski trips and hauling their horses (which they don't own), when in reality, they just trundle to work and back and occasionally stop at the grocery store. And that's how we end up with vehicles like the Maverick and Santa Cruz.

My mom's DTS trunk will haul a lot more stuff in it than a 'trunk' of a crossover......wider, deeper, sometimes taller than the "level we would stack stuff either due to the slope of the hatch or wanting to see through the rear window". It's actually rather comical how small some CUV cargo areas are unless you fold the seats and actually stack stuff up to the roof. Even then the cargo floor of some CUV's is so high that some sedan trunks are taller inside than CUV trunks from floor to ceiling.

@oldshurst442 and @ccap41 Pretty much every modern SUV has stability control that includes rollover protection. Sure there is only so much that technology do to overcome stupid... but the risk is significantly mitigated compared to even just a few years ago.

I pack my Jeep from behind the front seats to the tailgate to the roof inside several times a week lately. I can't think of a sedan as practical for my current use case. And the 4WD w/ 4 wheel low, mud setting, hill descent control and ground clearance get used every time I'm at the Mud Farm.. A FWD appliance sedan wouldn't cut it out there.. I've been driving SUVs for almost 28 years, so I guess that is what I'm used to as far as daily drivers. I've been happy w/ JGCs for 22 years. #MudFarmLife

This afternoon on Mud Farm Life. One of these is not like the others..

eh, they didn't plan on building that many the first year and they're having supply chain issues like everyone else. They can be sold out without building many.

it's the "similarly priced sedan" part that gets ya.... the similarly priced sedan to a CR-V is an Accord... not the Civic like instinct suggests. Similarly priced sedan to the HR-V is the Civic. Back when Chevy still built Impalas, the similarly priced Crossover was the Equinox... or if you were stupid enough with the option boxes, the Trailblazer. As we ended up finding out with our Encore, cubic feet of cargo room is a bit of a deceptive marketing tool as that measurement only really applied if you were filling it to the roof. If you're just going away with family for the weekend, you try not to stack suit cases to the roof if you can manage it and with that restriction, the Verano/Regal end up being able to haul more.

Rain and mud, rain and mud, rain and mud. Now getting some warm sunny weather. 3-4 days a week I'm down at my mud farm working to clean up, clean out, and get my stuff out of the muck in preparation to unload it all. My sister and I have been able to find a fair number of old family photos and mementos. Now that it's warmer and dryer, I've been trying to get my late brother's vehicles up and running, so far no luck on getting most to start. Bought a few batteries, been trying to charge up others. Did get the '09 Ranger running and outside. I've found the keys to over half of them, got a locksmith to make keys for more last week. He couldn't key two of the motorcycles, one had a busted ignition and the other is '15 Triumph that requires the dealer to rekey. What a mess... My brother was obsessed with putting stickers and flags on his vehicles. All in all, it's been frustrating and sad to deal with all of this..but I knew it was inevitable (part of why I moved back to Ohio 5 years ago was the inevitability of dealing with the farm).

Let's see: "four of these are of the Found On Road yada yada variety while the other vehicle is not?"

Where my parents live the roads are very flat and very straight, yet every time I’m there there are multiple SUVs laying tits up on the median.

Also on #MudFarmLife today…Frank Martin’s ride has seen better days…

I just wanted to let you all know that I am (and have been) working on a major site reorganization. I'm coming to the point where things I change will start to be noticeable to general users. I just wanted to let you know the changes in store before they happen. This is not an exhaustive list, but intended to cover the major points. New theme - the new theme feels lighter (as in less busy) and allows me to reorganize the menus in a more coherent manner. You will also have the option of selecting a dark theme with a simple click of an icon in the upper right. Dark theme simply flips the background from light to dark and the font color vice versa. The slider on the front page is going away and there will be a slight reorg of the whole page overall. Complete reorganization of the menus. If you are a frequent user of the menu system, things will be moving around. Don't panic, it's all still there. Complete - Clicking on the Activity tab brings up the Social stream. This is a Facebook like stream that allows you to reply to comments without entering the full thread. Complete - The search system has been replaced. The base search system that comes with this software is rubbish. With the new server I was able to upgrade us to ElasticSearch which is closer to how the big search engines would work. Reviews system - I have installed a new reviews system that will allow me to assign 0-5 star values for a review and the system will automatically calculate an overall rating based on that. There is a clear "Pros and Cons" section, fields for make, model, base price, as-tested price, etc that will now be searchable. So if a visitor is looking for a sedan with an as-tested price of $40k - $50k, they'll be able to filter for reviews based on that. An entirely new reviews page will be built to accommodate this. Photo galleries of the vehicle will be imbedded in the review automatically. The rating classes are - Power and Performance, Interior and Comfort, Visual Appeal, and Overall Value. The bad part is there is no way to convert our old reviews. I will be moving them to a legacy reviews page. All future reviews will go into the new system. Articles system - The articles system will be getting some of the updates listed above, specifically the picture galleries. Forums - will be getting a new layout with a strong new visual update for each forum. Email notifications will be getting an overhaul. Email newsletters will be getting a major overhaul Expansion of our social media efforts. ... and more! If you have other suggestions or concerns, please comment below.

Cool about the Fiero. "Iron Duke" action! I see this sort of racing about once a month. Except that I don't see a highway patrol car around when one needs to be on hand. I don't find this stuff fun(ny) at all. They dart in between cars with very little distance to spare and it could all end so tragically, especially for the people who drive in a law abiding manner. Texas has its own culture. Here are a few sightings from a few weeks ago: I can't imagine too many V6 Chargers in Texas! And this was no V6. I always get a chuckle out of the Texas edition of the Silverado. It's a both self regarding and a self fulfilling prophecy. - - - - - Speaking of freeway racing, I saw a bit of it in and around Houston in just a matter of days. And I didn't see anyone getting pulled over.

Beach boys kinda day here…..

Saw a sharp rumbly Chevelle today similar to what David saw above, with a big cowl hood and big wheels and tires..was a bright red '69. One odd sighting was a burnt out '70s VW Beetle cabriolet on the side of a freeway off ramp. On my street this evening saw a sharp taupe mid '80s Olds Cutlass Supreme 2dr w/ the T-tops (off). Drove past a farm out in the country that had an eclectic mix of dead yard cars sitting w/ grass growing up high around them near a barn--an older gray Mercedes ML AMG SUV, a silver Honda S2000, a gray BMW Z3 roadster, a mid 00s tan Lincoln Town Car, and a pale blue late 50s Chevy pickup w/ stake bed...

Of course. It applies to all brands. The most drastic example I can think of is the Sonic/Trax/Encore. The Sonic sold in the $13k-$22k range. The Trax started at $21k and went up from there. The Encore started around $25k and my loaded top trim one was $34k. They’re all the same platform and they are identical mechanically +/- AWD. From an R&D perspective the costs would be nearly identical. The Buick gets nicer leather, bigger wheels, and extra sound deadening, but aside from that, even assembly costs would be nearly identical as well. GM probably had to sell 6 to 10 Sonics to make the same profit as one highly trimmed Encore.

True. But being a lemming automobile like a Camry or an Accord is no different than being a lemming SUV like a Tahoe... (Suburban has its merits...) But a Tahoe? What is the attraction of a Tahoe? What makes it so exciting? Its not fast... I mean its got a pretty powerful V8 up there, but it does have to lug around all that weight so it doesnt really accelerate with all that much gusto. A V6 lemming of a Camry is pretty quick of the line. Its not bad considering that V6 is ancient. But it does have 300 horses on a very very lighter frame. The Tahoe handles like a whale. So does a Camry. Now do you understand where Im going with the Tahoe bashing? And unto a another SUV. ANY SUV that hasnt been tuned by technological wizardry performance makes like an AMG from Mercedes or M from BMW or a Porsche and Lamborghini SUV... ANY CUV and SUV is the very definition of the word lemming... Now more so than ever. At least in the 1980s, real SUVs were REAL enthusiast type of vehicles... You see that K5? Its covered in mud, right? Today's Tahoe is covered in Starbucks coffee that the soccer mom spilled on it by being distracted by being on her smart phone Tik Toking a cleavage and a$$ selfie and posting it on Instagram...

What does that have to do with anything? A pothole will just as easily break a CUV/SUVs suspension and wheels and wheel bearings and ball joints as it does sedans... And as CCAP stated, most of the family hauling shytty CUVs/SUVs ride on car tires. Their suspension systems are also sedan related. Even if you throw the Jeep Grand Cherokee at me, potholes eat these SUVs up as well. The fullsized BOF SUVs from GM and Ford? With all that heft? Those just CONTRIBUTE to even shyttier roads... David, honestly, get off that SUV high horse. You dont fit in the smaller sedans and that is cool. But just because you only fit it the bigger SUVs, dont knock the sedan just because you dont fit in a sedan. Yes, people in North America have run away from the sedan. Yes one of the reasons is because the sedan has become small. But CUVs have bamboozled people in thinking that CUVs are bigger than their sedan counterparts. They are not. They are taller. Not bigger. Taller also means ease of entry. But ease of entry does not mean bigger. Also, taller is somehow equated to being safer. Which is false false and more false. Higher center of gravity also means more chances of a roll over. We've been down THAT road before, and whether you believe that to be true or not does not make me care all that much. Why? Because physics guides me. I dont know what guides you if you dont believe in higher center of gravity CUVs actually have a more percentage of a roll over than a lower to the ground sedan... You do you. But dont be talking a smack game about CUVs and SUVs absorbing potholes better than sedans because that narration is pure bull.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone. Have a great one, relax, eat yummy food and enjoy your family and friends. Wishing everyone the best.

After 190,000 miles the dual cats and O2 sensors needed to be replaced. Dealership wanted almost $6,000 for the SS Trailblazer. Brody's auto repair wanted $2,800 for this using Magnaflow cats and Bosch O2 sensors which the SS has 6 total. Picking up the SS, there was this Cherry Chevelle that had been brought in for a tune up.

Saw a clean silver early Fiero on the road yesterday. Friday evening on I-77 saw two morons in late model Challengers racing each other on the freeway, darting in and out of traffic...one was really loud and in a camo paint scheme. The were driving side-by-side for a few miles, going maybe 10 over the flow of traffic, revving at each other. At one point, in the 3rd lane a dark blue current style Shelby GT500 rolls up beside them, then takes off like a blur.... the Challengers don't give chase, but continue to change lanes and goof around...until they come upon a silver OHP Charger in the median---which pulls out and lights up behind both of them, pulls over both of them...

The BMW was my brother's...he was a fan of the movie 'The Transporter', I guess..it's an odd car for him, maybe the only imported car he ever owned (over 55 years of driving he probably had 50-60 cars total)...he had 2 BMW bikes also. Black on black 740iL. The Rangers are 1997 and 2009. The '89 Bronco II does have the same front as the Rangers of that era. The blue '68 Cougar and white '97 Explorer Sport were my Mom's cars, she drove that Cougar a lot in the 70s-80s. It has a 302, 3spd manual, no power steering or power brakes..less than 100k miles IIRC. My brother's dark green '69 Fairlane 4dr sedan is an odd one--390 4bbl, automatic, A/C, base trim w/ rubber mats. One of 8 built in that spec according to the Marti report I got. His maroon & white '68 Cougar is an XR-7 w/ the 390 4bbl and auto.