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Comment by dingnuts | Hacker News Reader

it's because they are mothers with >2 children. You cannot fit three car seats in the backseat of modern sedans, and station wagons don't meet the emissions requirements.

Large SUVs meet CAFE regulations by being large enough to be regulated as a different class of vehicle. Want smaller trucks? Complain to your Congresscritter to reign in the EPA and force them to write better regulation that does not have these unintended effects.

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There are WAY more trucks/SUVs out there than 3-child households.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "wagons don't meet emissions requirements" - wagons would meet the same regulations as sedans.

Wagons are heavier and less aerodynamic than sedans. When coupled with the same engine they are less fuel efficient (compare the E450 sedan to wagon). The fact that they are heavier and sell poorly means they will only usually be available with the large(r,st) engine (no E350 wagon in the US).

Note that I used the Mercedes because it's the only non-compact wagon I'm aware of for sale in the US.

There's also the Audi RS6 Avant, a good option for anyone interested in spending $160K on a station wagon with 621 horsepower.

Oh, that beats out the AMG E-series wagon by 18 HP!

That's fair, but the wagon should still outperform an equivalent cross-over in just about any measure.

What I don't know is where the line is between car-based cross-over and actual truck (as it related to emissions and safety standards).

There's an envelope, rather than a single line, but one line that makes up that envelope is AWD, such that some models without optional AWD are cars, but trucks with optional AWD

> Wagons are [...] less aerodynamic than sedans.

* Wunibald Kamm has entered the chat.

I love how everybody here who mentions the CAFE regulations neglects to mention that they were a gift to the automakers.

I fit 3 diono car seats across my Honda Fit.

Most aren’t even using the 3rd row for seating.

Now a wagon or SUV is good for carpooling, but a minivan obv would be best.

All true, also sad. That aside, how's the EPA responsible, not sure if I understand the connection?

Trucks (and SUVs) don't follow the same emissions regulations as sedans/wagons.

I don't know if that's just EPA policy or part of the legislation that allows them to regulate auto emissions.

But, it's also Congress's fault for leaving the chicken tax in place (25% tariff on imported trucks/vans). This essentially allowed domestic brands to price gouge on trucks/suvs (as VW at the time, and then the Japanese brands as well) couldn't compete.

Toyota has plants in the US; I assume they make the Tacoma in the US, which should avoid the chicken tax?

Correct. The Tacoma and Tundra are assembled in the US so should avoid the tax. The Land Cruiser is still produced in Japan, so subject to the tax. Same for the Lexus GX (no Toyota equiv in US) and LX (rebadged Land Cruiser).

The old mini-truck and T100 were made in Japan (except maybe a year or two at the end of T100 production).

The tax was implemented in the 60s or 70s, as VW was trying to get into the van and truck market in the US.

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