I’m currently driving around Iceland. I have seen a Renault Megane, a plethora of newer Yaris’, one Yaris Cross (I lost my damned mind) and a crap ton of Suzuki Jimnys. Now, I’ve driven in some awful conditions in the states. Blizzards in Montana, Tornadoes in Texas, hail storms in the South and ridiculous wind in Arizona. I have driven in all of that in this tiny country, all in a short wheel base Kia Sportage. I was also outpaced by a fucking Yaris today, absolutely bombing down the mountain in 1c weather. Mind you, it was not a GR so AWD was out of the question.
I am so impressed by this Kia and all of the insanely capable Jimnys I am seeing coming off of F-roads.
If a harsh place like Iceland can coexist with RAM 2500s and modern Yaris’, why can’t we?
Oh, and when I say around I don’t mean poking around Reykjavik, I am literally driving the Ring Road around an entire country. Coolest experience ever.
We had the Jimny here for a bit, called the Suzuki Samurai. There was also the upsized cousin, the Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara and Geo/Chevy Tracker into the 00s. That’s what I have and love it. I wanted some 4wd capability but not the fuel consumption or parking space for a normal suv/pickup. It weighs less than a modern Miata and is shorter, too. As a 2 door variant, it suits my primary driving need: solo and single-passenger short trips with less than a seat-full of cargo. The average car-owning household in the US owns something like 2.3 cars and is in the suburbs/semi urban. They don’t all have to be 7-seat or 8ft-bed trucks. And this whole fear of snow… Don’t go out. Stock up food before storms. US suburbs fare just fine with modern communication and snow removal as long as it’s not Texas. Your job won’t miss you if you die in a blizzard