So the BroncoRaptor, far from being a tough creature of the wild, is more like a french bulldog or a pug, a creature so mutated by human design that it can’t even be born naturally? Our grandkids are gonna look at us and poke us with their long pointy sticks in shame. 

I feel like this is some kind of really obvious parable that’s gonna be told to our kids around campfires the way we talk about the Titanic.

The point being, we have regulations that make sure that a car, when bought new, will be repairable and safe for operation on the road with other cars and trucks. We have regulations that make sure that manufacturers have parts available to fix that car or truck.

8 years was a good run and there’s still a cult-like following for them because they fill a niche that literally no other vehicle can fill. At least until there’s an AWD transit connect with a base model you can hose out.

Imagine if you bought a car because it was the least expensive car available, and after a week of driving it was not shifting right, wasn’t steering right and the brakes didn’t work well?

One potential awesome upside to the hidden tailpipes- less chance of melting/ruining fancy Overland(TM) accessories that are bolted to the fenders or on racks on the back of the vehicle. For example, big back-facing exhausts and carbon mountain bike wheels really do not mix. And while I know that no SERIOUS off roader…

Columbus Ohio is a special example of awful cops. Had run ins with them myself in the 80s/90s when I was at school there...

I get what they’re doing here- it’s a truck that doesn’t look like a truck. It’s where everyone complained that the original Tesla looked too much like a regular car, like, why doesn’t it look more... electric?

Jaywalking laws.
Invented by the auto industry to make it seem like pedestrians were at fault for inattentive drivers driving too fast for the conditions, they’ve set the tone for essentially making death by car an unpunishable crime.

The Toyota Prius is pretty much the king of any freeway. 

Yeah, but hypermilers are passive aggressive and that’s just soul sucking.

Column shifters were OK back before you had 2 complicated control stalks on either side of the steering wheel. Buttons are fine. 

Popularity.

Counterpoint on colors- there’s a reason Silver is so popular- it’s pretty much the best car color. Don’t wash it for 6 months? looks fine. Dings are hidden. Scratches go unnoticed. Leave it out in the sun? Doesn’t fade.

Where gamification really works is for those of us who don’t know what our goals are- I’ve got a vague goal of “get in better shape” and honestly, that’s where gamification really works well. I don’t know what I need so when my watch gives me a goal of 1,240 exercise minutes, it’s a fun way to discover that 40 minutes…

Also, can we talk about that awesome plaid fabric? 

That’s the thing- we don’t need either/or- what we need is functional options. I don’t want to be like “NO DRIVING EVER AGAIN”- I just want driving not to be the ONLY option. And there’s a lot of places that can work- I’m in a small midwestern city (right around 200k population) with weird geographic obstacles that…

I think that ends up being the hardest part- there’s no way to just set one transit policy (or honestly, any policy) that works 100% across the board for everyone. But at the same time we can’t let that ham-string us into inaction. AKA, right now at this point in time the US has exactly the wrong politics to get…

But you also need to face the facts that 80+ percent of the population doesn’t live out in the wheat fields, corn fields or dairy country.

I mean, no one would complain for reasons... And wouldn’t Kim Jong Un have to set the fastest lap?