We’re always hearing that with the influx of SUVs and pickup trucks on America’s roads, cars are getting bigger. But will there come a tipping point when the cars we drive are simply too big?
To find out, we turned to you and asked what’s the biggest car that you could actually live with? And you came back with vehicles of all manner of shapes and sizes.
So, from buses to Bugattis, flick through the following slides to see some of your picks for the biggest cars you could live with.
Tesla Model 3
“Cannot fathom the inconveniences of trying to daily drive a pickup truck. Parking especially. It can sometimes be hard to get around in the grocery store parking lot when there are trucks sticking two feet out of the parking spaces.
“I daily drive a Tesla Model 3 but also own a Pontiac G8. The G8 feels like too big of a car for daily use. So I guess a compact sedan is the largest I would go. I have zero understanding for why anyone gets two-row crossovers and negative understanding for why anyone outside of a professional landscaper or similar gets a pickup when you can rent one at Home Depot for $US19 ($26) the few times a year you might need it.”
Starting small with the 185-inch Tesla Model 3. If we’re honest, this is probably about as big a car as we really need — but maybe one this size that comes with a hatchback.
Suggested by: stalephish
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
“I looked at other options such as a Land Rover Defender or a VW Multivan, but anything taller than the Prado wouldn’t fit in my carport or the garage at my local supermarket.”
The height of your parking garage is a good consideration to make before buying a new set of wheels.
Suggested by: Andrew Piland (Facebook)
Bugatti Royale
“If I were a billionaire I would daily-drive a Bugatti Royale.”
At 6.40 m long, the Bugatti Royale is proof that old cars could be too big as well.
Suggested by: neverspeakawordagain
Mercedes-Benz GL
“My Mercedes GL is right at the Goldilocks spot. Big enough to do everything you want (diesel for towing, three rows, plenty of cargo room), but it turns tighter than my Volvo V60 and fits in tight parking spots because it’s slightly narrower than a Tahoe/Suburban.”
Mercedes premiered its GL class of oversized SUVs way back in 2006, it’s since gone on to inspire five GL-badged models, including the GLS, GLC and the GLE you see here.
Suggested by: @lienmarine (Twitter)
Jeep Wrangler
“This is tough, but the biggest vehicle I could talk myself into would be either the Bronco or Wrangler. I would want a 2D, but if a 4D was on the lot with every other option I wanted, then I could live with it.
“I think I’d pick the Wrangler in the end because even though I think the Bronco is a better vehicle, it feels to me like you can’t spec a Bronco that isn’t trying to compensate for something. The best thing about the Wrangler is that while you can get it totally murdered out with fake off-road nonsense, you can also get something rather innocent, like this.
“Ironically, Ford practically invented that do-everything concept with the Mustang.”
At 188 inches, the Jeep Wrangler is about 10 inches shorter than the Ford Bronco. Fun fact: the Wrangler is also the same length as a current generation Mustang.
Suggested by: mosko13
BMW X5
“Of what I’ve actually owned, a Honda Odyssey and an E70 BMW X5 are vehicles that are on the larger side of my comfort zone. I’ve found that my sweet spot is somewhere around MK7/8 Golf to the E83 BMW X3 for something that’s manoeuvrable, fun, and capable of doing the things I want. The E84 X1 was perfect on paper, not so much in reality – the Golf has more interior room. My current daily is a Mk8 GTI.”
The BMW X5 is a full 10 inches shorter than the Honda Odyssey, which is 78 Twinkies long.
Suggested by: Ian Campbell (Facebook)
Neoplan Jumbocruiser
“I would say my Nova Bus RTS, but I would go even larger if given the chance.
“Neoplan Jumbocruiser, baybee!”
What kind of crazy person would list a former transit authority bus as their daily driver, try and convert an ageing school bus into a camper and dream of owning this double-decker bendy bus behemoth? They sound like fun.
Suggested by: smart
Dodge Caravan
“Drove a Dodge Grand Caravan for a while. I don’t think I could go any bigger than that.”
With the Caravan, Dodge offered a long-wheelbase variant dubbed the Grand Caravan that measured upwards of 190 inches.
Suggested by: @Jason_MF_Miller (Twitter)
Ford F-450
“I could easily daily a lifted F-450 DRW where I live. I don’t want to, but it would be easy. I live in St Paul MN, and there’s nothing too tight around here in the twin cities that would cause any real issues. The way the metro area was built up means it’s all spread out and not up.”
Just because he could, he never stopped to think about if he should.
Suggested by: wasgtithengtothennovathengtinowa4
GMC Sierra 2500HD
“I have an extended cab long bed GMC 2500HD. That’s about as big as I’ll go. It still parks nicely and doesn’t have to swing wide on sharp corners. 156″ wheelbase is longer than the overall length of some of the cars I’ve owned.
“I used to have a similar spec F-250 and it was awful. The turning radius was about as tight as the Ever Given. It was awful to drive and awful to park, mostly due to the steering angle being so limited.”
156 inches is longer than pretty much every car I’d driven before moving to the U.S.
Suggested by: Richard Hoffman (Facebook)
Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600
“Biggest car I could live with is the Maybach SUV (however I would buy the V12 sedan version), it’s huge but not as huge as a bloody Escalade or a Tahoe, very nice to drive.”
There’s not much in it, but would you believe that the Maybach sedan is actually almost 20 inches longer than its chunky SUV sibling?
Suggested by: darthspartan117
Land Rover Defender
“I wouldn’t want anything larger than my Defender 110.”
You might not want anything larger than a Defender 110, but does anyone actually need anything larger than a Defender 110?
Suggested by: @ArlTechGuy (Twitter)
Chrysler Pacifica
“Oh, this is a good question for me, as I lack any and all depth-perception. (I see fine out of both eyes, they just don’t “talk” to each other to gauge depth)
“The largest car I ever drove that I was borderline “comfortable” with was my late father’s mid-’00s Chrysler Pacifica. It is big, smooth and roomy, but not too huge that I feel like I’m going to nail everything in a parking lot. From the driver’s seat, it feels far smaller than it actually is, until you look behind you and see another ~10 feet of interior.”
We should probably all be driving round in minivans like this. The sooner we admit this, the sooner we can start making the world a better place.
Suggested by: dirf
Dodge B-300 Royal Sportsman
“I had a 1971 Dodge B-300 Royal Sportsman van for 40 years. It had a 127” wheel base, a 318 engine, no power steering or brakes. Two bench seats and lots of room in the back. It was a great family car. With the seats out I could load it with 21 bales of hay and still close the doors. I would do it again.”
Another excellent looking van. But, I gotta ask, what were you loading up a van with 21 bales of hay for?
Suggested by: Philip Taylor (Facebook)
Chevrolet Suburban
“I dailied an extended-cab, long bed Silverado for a few years. It was just about exactly 6.10 m bumper-to-bumper. That was long enough to be inconvenient. It took up the full length of a standard parking space and the wheelbase made the turning radius akin to a Nimitz-class carrier.
“A Suburban by comparison would be easy to park. I think I could go as big as a Suburban and not feel inconvenienced anywhere but the gas pump. A tight squeeze in a single-car garage, but it would fit.”
As long as a “tight squeeze” is something you’re happy to deal with every day, then go for it!
Suggested by: smalleyxb122