In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:


My kid's 4 cylinder 1996 Camry wagon gets 35% better gas mileage than the
typical 6 or 8 cylinder SUV. How about offering the car makers some sort of
incentive for bringing back wagons? There *is* a demand for them. He's found
3 notes stuck under his windshield wiper from people wondering if he wanted
to sell the car. These vehicles satisfy one of the needs fulfilled by SUVs:
Carrying lots of stuff without crowding the passengers.

One of the many indications that the major law passed by Congress is
the Law of Unintended Consequences is the demise of the station wagon.
When they first issued the CAFE regs, they covered wagons as cars but
not vans and SUVs as trucks. The rest is history.


There are other ways to make a more significant improvement without any
change in vehicles. A substantial amount of our vehicle use is in
unnecessary commuting and solo commuting. The current fuel prices are
already improving the situation by triggering more carpooling and more
telecommuting.

There's a limit to how much of that can take place. Twice a week, I pass by
a park & ride lot. It's as empty as it's been for many years.

But that is as much of an indication of how we have failed to
develop anything at the other end. The demand for public transportation
options should grow if they would ever be available.