It does, these days.

Hatchbacks for life!

But yeah. Even our station wagons and hatchbacks are closer to “small SUVs” these days. Some of that is marketing and some is just reality.

I drove sedans for over a decade and increasingly grew uncomfortable with tires and axles literally at my eye level. These days I drive a Subaru Crosstrek which is a “crossover SUV” but is actually, literally, a hatchback imprezza on a lift kit (which is more like a normal suspension because the imprezza is a lowrider for some reason). I feel considerably higher up than my old Camry and now I just have bumpers at my window level.

But when I see people in those tiny efficiency vehicles or small sedans? Those mother fuckers aren’t going to survive a collision with the ever increasing number of giant dick compensating pickup trucks on the road. I don’t care how good your airbags are. When you are up against a monster truck, you are getting crushed.

I still refuse to buy a “real” SUV. But there is zero chance I go below the “crossover SUV”/“raised hatchback” ever again in this country. Rented a car on business a few weeks back and… traffic was a lot more anxiety inducing than it usually is.