Back in 2006, I got a Mini, and I loved it. Small and nimble, but capable of carrying a surprising amount of stuff (mainly the dogs, or the wife’s random antique furniture finds).

In 2008, we had kid #1. The stupid-bulky rear-facing carseat thing wouldn’t fit without the passenger seat cranked as far forward as it…

I’d be curious to see the sales mix just among the cars that are left. I’d bet that a good percentage are 1) compacts and 2) some form of hatchback.

Unpopular opinion time - my wife’s 2005 V6 Mustang. When we first started dating, she had a Civic. Then a Honda Pilot (the original boxy one). Then this. Then when kids came along a CR-V and now and Odyssey.

It’s not darkness, it’s alternative light

With the Roman Republic it was definitely the case that the political institutions originally designed to govern a city state were insufficient to the management of an empire.

Well aftermarket support needs a vehicle worthy of it for sure.

I just want a legitimate alternative to the Jeep Wrangler.

It’s been doing rather well in testing so far - I believe there are some issues with the new arrestor system but haven’t read of any with the EM catapult.

Yeah the Gerald Ford is going to be using a new electromagnetic launch system. IF they can work the kinks out it makes a ton of sense.

When my oldest (now 8) was younger, there were at least a half dozen times where I drove to work in morning commute autopilot, only to realize I had completely forgotten to drop him off at daycare/preschool.

LOL. Way to dig deep.

How do you drain a swamp? You build a sewer.

Torchys tacos are pretty good - at first. But they’re basically stunt tacos and the gimmick does get old. Their breakfast tacos also suck.

Dedicated CAS aircraft have always been fugly - but beautiful in a brutally functional kind of way. The A-10 obviously. The A-1 Skyraider before it. The Harrier (at least the AV-8B and its equivalents). The Russian Su-25 Frogfoot.

The Pilot Elite tops out at just shy of $47K - but there aren’t many of them on the road. The premium over the Touring is a bit silly for what you get. And the EX-L hits at around $36K in FWD.

Every car has continually gotten bigger since literally forever. Civics are now the size that Accords were 15 years ago. Same with the 3 Series and 5 Series. The 2 Series is the new 3 Series. The CR-V is the size of a Firestone-flippin’ era Explorer, and the HR-V is filling the slot abandoned by the CR-V.

Minis have…

If I had to hazard a guess - does it go back to the first-gen CR-V and RAV-4? Silly little things with the plastic spare tire lunchbox on the back?

Have the 9-speed in a new Honda Pilot and while I was skeptical at first, I absolutely love it. Seems to be better mapped than the 6-speed in the LX and EX trims and anticipates what I want so well that most of the time I forget it’s there (rare for me with autos).

So - is the problem the scores themselves, or their woeful deployment?

Rear glass.