Stingray24 wrote:
I think what FM may be saying (correct me if I'm wrong) is that he was comparing two countries, not two states, so the comparison does not work no matter what US state you may choose.
My closest relatives are 3 states away, so when I travel w/ a family of 4 and luggage, a larger vehicle is necessary. A Prius just won't cut it. It won't work very well when traveling through significant snow accumulation either. I would have been stuck on my way home from work several times just last month if I was driving some little econobox instead of my 4x4 suv.
FM was talking about "great outdoors" and distances to cover. Unless you guys are suggesting that people frequently drive more than 2000 miles for whatever reason, then my comparison for regular use is just fine. There's certainly both "great outdoors" and distance to cover in Norway, and the comparison with Colorado was for easily comparing how far things are apart in places in the US where you'd need a big truck because of the outside conditions. Nothing more.
I wholly agree with your other example. If you have a big and spread out family that you see a lot, you need a vehicle that can carry a good bit. It's just not very often the case or argument for why people buy these big cars. Seeing those huge SUVs parked outside the homes of old people who never go anywhere far anyway is not uncommon at all. Not that I have anything against their choices, but the way I see it, it
is just a difference of culture that's largely responsible for Americans buying bigger cars than people from many other wealthy countries.
