It’s a metaphor! Funnily enough there was a short story about this in a science fiction collection I read as a kid - the book is Car Sinister and I think the story is Vampires Ltd. Car Sinister would interest many Jalopnikians.

Great editorial.

Oh, how I admired the C30 look. A sports hearse. A Star Trek photon torpedo on wheels.

Never heard of it. Looks like a Golf that went through the Honda Civic Sport uglifying process.

Those eyes. The thousand yard stare. Maybe the gameplay will have a significant component of PTSD. Fatigue, exhaustion, morale factors....

That’s interesting, what was it like? It’s not that I hated the Dodge Caravan - I had a Plymouth equivalent for a while and it was not bad, a very handy size with good visibility, unlike the massive child-crushers sold these days - but it seemed from the reviews that the Routan was a Chrysler van with a slight trim…

Ooh, sweet 80s memories. Yes. But VW has a hotted-up Golf for that niche. They seem to have forgotten their van market. Also, their superugly amphibious market, admittedly much smaller.

I love the styling and the fridge. Did not love the reported braking problems, the cost (it’s a frakkin’ Ford), and the sheer width - let’s face it, I gotta take these kids to the mall, and mall parking lots get narrower as cars get fatter.

Yeah, but where is their punishment for the Routan? Not importing the Transporter to North America....teasing us with sweet Microbus concepts they never make.....that deserves a fine. And pillory.

I think of it as spats of announcements, to make our shoes fancier

Yes, but you mean it the other way, so no star for you

In Canada, we can get these 15 year old Delica imports, but I am not keen on the whole RHD thing, or having a 15 year old truck really. But yes, the right size. American vehicles are really fat. For a reason, I guess. Cheap gas, more toys to haul.

Is it a co-production?

Well they look the same to me, and I never owned one. But for some reason, I keep seeing camper conversions on this platform and they seem to be a just-right size. Of course, 20 year old models of all sorts are much smaller than they are today, whereas parking spaces get narrower and narrower.

Yep. I’m gonna pitch it to my wife on that basis. Love the Outback. Don’t love having to take two cars if my kids want to bring a friend to dinner or a hiking spot.

Well, I dunno. From what I read, CUV = tall wagon and SUV = encapsulated pickup truck. Traditionally, cars and trucks are built differently. BoF and leaf springs means a truck, much better for getting and retrieving moose, but a thirsty and relatively cramped interior for the weight compared to unibody.

I agree, CUV is broader than “luxury sedan.” But do you not think it conjures a specific form? Specifically two-box silhouette, upright seating, and good cargo space for the size.

I think SUV still has a meaning of body-on-frame vs unibody, with resultant implications of hardiness and weight. A CUV is something that you use because you want a wagon that’s good in the snow, whereas an SUV is an encapsulated truck, something that bounds down logging roads without leaving your differential stuck…

I’d like to see something in the size of the GMC Astro or VW Transporter, with 2 and 4wd options, as a camper conversion platform or as a daily driver that is easy to park in the city. The Ford Transit Connect is just about right, but does not have a 4wd (afaik)

That too. The spirit of Edsel lives!