Image via Complex Original
American's get a lot right when it comes to cars. We make some of the world's best big V8s, we praise RWD, and our race cars are often kicking much more expensive European arse (Corvette C5-R, Ford GT40, Shelby Cobra).
All that said, we fail pretty hard in a number of ways. There are a lot of misconceptions that are strongly ingrained into our collective consciousness, misconceptions that we plan to correct. These are 10 Ways Americans Are Ignorant About Cars.
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"I only buy American."
You want to support American manufacturing so you bought a Chevy that was made in Mexico? Good plan. Meanwhile all of those people in Civics that you're pompously berating in a pseudo-patriotic fashion are supporting manufacturing jobs in Greensburg, Indiana.
"The Indy 500 is the biggest race in the world."
We're not knocking the 500 here—it's a great race and one of the most famous and longest running in the world—but in terms of global motorsport it's not that big of a deal. In 2013, IndyCar had 40 million viewers, and F1 has 520 million viewers. Formula One is the most watched sport in the world, no matter how much Americans like to pretend that the USA is the capitol of the world.
"I'm having a baby, so I'm buying a minivan/three-row SUV."
How fat is your baby going to be? Yes, having seven seats is useful from time to time, but if you're having the standard 2.3 children they'll fit in a sedan or wagon. Hell, I grew up in the back of a tiny VW Cabrio, and my mom would often drive me and 2-3 of my buddies to the gym in that thing.
Pro Tip: If your kid and his friends get excercise, you can fit more then two of them in a Cabrio.
"Small cars are all so rattly and cheap."
Yes, in the '70s, there were some pretty terrible compact cars being sold in the US. Belive it or not, we are no longer living in the '70s. Bellbottoms have gone far away, and they took crappy compacts with them. Even American manufacturers are making awesome small cars like the Ford Fiesta these days. Meanwhile, Mercedes dealers are about to start selling the new CLA compact sedan. Compact luxury: it's a thing.
"American cars are crap/the best made cars in the world"
It seems like many Americans fall into one of two categories: They either think that all foreign cars are terrible, unreliable crap-boxes, which simply isn't true, or that all American cars are terrible, unreliable crap-boxes, which also isn't true. There are fantastic cars coming out of America and there are terrible cars coming out of America, just like how there are great and terrible cars coming from Europe and Asia.
"Just tell me the quarter mile time."
We've heard this one a few times too. Quarter mile times are indeed a useful metric of acceleration, but they're not the end-all of performance metrics. There are plenty of cars that are fast in a stright line that would get annihilated on a race track by a Lotus with an I4 from a Toyota Corolla.
"Ugh! Wagons are gross"
Really, you think wagons are gross? Then explain to me what your Toyota Venza is. Hint: it's a lifted wagon that gets worse fuel economy and doesn't handle as well. Vehicles out there like the Mercedes E63 AMG Wagon make it possible to have a proper mom-and-dad car that can outrun an Aston Martin.
"Diesels are slow, dirty, and inefficient."
Yes, the tractor grandad used to care for his cattle ranch was slow, dirty, and inefficient, but modern turbodiesels have about as much to do with that old tractor engine as they do with the Jaguar C-X75. Today's diesels are almost as efficient as hybrids, burn cleaner than gasoline, and produce tons of torque. VW's TDIs are genuinely fun to drive, and are rated for 42 mpg highway by the EPA. That's awesome.
"All-wheel drive will make my car handle well in snow."
All-wheel drive will help your car accellerate in snow. It doesn't make your tires (which probably aren't winter tires; shame on you), grip the ground any more. It also won't make your car stop in snow any better than a front- or rear- driven car. If you want more safety, and better snow traction, you need winter tires, not AWD.
"There's no replacement for displacement."
This is one you hear all the time, and while a big, naturally aspirated engine is indeed a wonderful thing, we should all remember that motorsport goes far, far beyong Nascar's carburated V8s. The 1988 McLaren MP4/4 squeezed 651 horsepower out of a tiny 1.5L V6.
In the world of road cars, we have vehicles like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which puts 291 horses to the ground from a 2.0L I4.
There is a replacement for displacement, and it's called turbocharging.
