Wordless Outtake: Variable Ride Height
– Posted on January 26, 2019
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American Brands: GM 
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Alfa at the front, as you’d expect 😉
I still don’t get the preference, say, for a CX-5 over a Mazda 6 wagon, tbh
Too bad there isn’t an Alfa Romeo Giulia wagon then…
This is the only picture I took of the line-up, given the shiny roof rails there are two true/low riding wagons in the background, a Volkswagen Passat Variant and an Audi A6 Avant (the sedans don’t have them).
Here is a wild-ass guess.
Having a taller overall sheet metal profile makes it easier to also provide a larger glass greenhouse area. I’ve assumed (and I may be wrong) a big reason for the gunslit windows in modern cars is that it makes it much easier to meet side impact regulations. By moving the whole body up a few inches, you can provide both a slightly taller point of view and a much larger greenhouse to see out of, which of course most drivers are going to prefer (and, IMO, at the expense of handling or performance a taller body will entail.)
Regarding SUVs/wagons, through a Dutch article I arrived here, it’s about the increasing popularity of wagons in the US:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-07/richer-americans-are-skipping-suvs-for-station-wagons
It’s a high-end trend because the only wagon left under $30k is the VW Golf Sportwagen (the model known as Golf Variant in Europe); even it’s handily outsold by the Alltrack which adds a bit of ride height and the flares-and-cladding.
The VAG Group offers an amazing range of wagons, starting with the B-segment (subcompact) Skoda Fabia Combi, up to the E-segment (Executive-class) Audi A6 Avant.
Right inbetween are wagons like the VW Golf Variant, VW Passat Variant, Audi A4 Avant and the Skodas.
Who buys a gray Alfa?
What strikes me most is that all these cars would look the same if photographed in black & white….
I read that last year that 76% of new cars sold were a greyscale color (white, silver, grey, charcoal, black). It’s not just your imagination.
You know people have become way too overly concerned about resale value and blending in when an industrial shack(shipping container? Dumpster?) brings more color into this world!
Most of the newer vehicles that offer an actual color really don’t look all that great, honestly. I wonder if it’s the chicken chasing the horse or the egg or something- newer designs look better in grays, so no one offers reds or blues or greens, and now the designers don’t have to make things that look good in colors.
They do offer the nicer colors. You just have to pay a lot more for them. You can’t find a base model car outside the gray scale. That’s why my Kia is gray. And if you’re like me and buy used to get more for your money….
you don’t get much option
Also the colors available are usually deep wine tints. I love blue and red cars, but the particular shades I prefer are about 100 shades lighter than what’s on offer on most cars.
My friend got his Skoda Superb in very bright golden-yellow colour like on the picture. At least it’s easy to spot on the mall parking lot. Most of the cars are grayscale or white, which is very popular in Europe even on high-end cars. 10 years ago the white was cheapest paint for the working vans. World is not black and white as it should not be our cars, imho.
I disagree, I think there are as many modern cars that could look great in primary colors as there are old cars that look great in greyscale. I think it’s psychological. Normal people aren’t car designers, people like us will have our opinions on what specific color looks best on any odd car corresponding to the year/make/model/bodystyle/trim, but regular buyers who simply seek fresh new transportation may *want* blue because that’s simply their favorite color, but pick white because A. It’s on the lot, B. It doesn’t offend their senses, and/or C. everyone else likes it the same, thus should be easy to resell. Take away dealer inventory and people’s insecurities and the streets would like a bag of skittles.
2019 or 1919?
Nice, yet I still see more shades and shapes than here, although somewhat later than 1919:
More light colors today, though I bet a most of those 1919s that aren’t clearly black were real colors in the flesh. I also see a convertible!
I miss interiors having more color. I use to like interiors that were a darker shade of the exterior color. Like dark blue seats on a light blue car. For so long it’s been the opposite. Always grayish. Color is making a comeback I think. Now if the silver-painted-pretend-aluminum stuff would go away forever we’d be in business!