Question Of The Day: The Narcissism Of Small Differences
“When you decide to be something, you can be it. That’s what they don’t tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I’m saying to you is this: when you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?” – Jack Nicholson, The Departed
So why is the Mercedes-Benz GLA a crossover, and a Porsche Macan is a crossover, but something like a Mazda3 Sport is a hatchback?
Well, two reasons
- CAFE
- Calling something a crossover makes it sell. Calling it a wagon or a hatchback does the opposite.
This, of course, is the opposite of what happens in the strange, insular world of automotive enthusiasm. There is a reflexive hatred of anything CUV, even when the CUV in question, like the Mazda CX-5, drives better than some passenger cars. Or witness the gnashing of teeth that accompanied the Audi Allroad’s rise and the death of the Audi A4 Avant. Both vehicles drive like lifeless appliances for those who think a Toyota Venza is beneath their station in life. But the Allroad attracted the scorn of countless forum posters, even though the two cars are basically the same, minus some cladding and a raised ride height that has zero effect on handling dynamics.
As tempting as it is to rail against the ill-informed knee-jerk disdain for crossovers, I’ll bring it back to the original question. What is the tangible difference between the GLA “crossover” and the Mazda3 Sport “hatchback”? Why does one raise the ire of enthusiasts merely by virtue of its classification (a discrete criticism on its own, rather than being lumped in with the idea of a front-drive, entry level Benz) while an identical car is lauded with Hossanas for carrying to hatchback/pseudo-wagon torch.
Over to you, B&B.
Photo Credit: Alex Nunez/Road & Track
*For the record, I think the base GLA is a cheap, nasty looking thing designed to fleece the terminally self-conscious out of their $299 each month. I’d take the Mazda3 all day, every day. But the 345 horsepower GLA45 AMG? Well, that’s another story.
**As far as the CUV hatred phenomenon goes: You might think they are the worst attributes of an SUV and a car combined in one, but millions of Americans couldn’t care less, and have very rational reasons for buying them, nor are they in the grip of some false consciousness and in need of a vanguard to liberate their minds from the shackles of automotive marketing. Get over it, or start buying new station wagons in meaningful numbers again.
More by Derek Kreindler
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- FreedMike "It would be on my shopping list – especially since the price tag is pretty nice at $33,700 (plus $1,150 for D and D) for the manual and $35,200 plus destination for the DCT." True, but that's BEFORE the dealer markups, which are ludicrous.
- Jeff Tim--Thanks always good to have a car review especially a car with a manual transmission.
- Analoggrotto The best in the segment, hands down bar none. ATPs translate directly to street cred and Hyundai's got them. The GR Corolla regularly blows up engines while a pentagon certified data racing engine is installed in each and every one of these Rhys Millen proud machines. Proud to be an HMC fan.
- EBFlex Tesla is garbage. Engineering is woefully inadequate. This is what happens when tech bros design vehicles and not automotive engineers. And before the usual mouth breathers come by and spew their typical nonsense, yes, I acknowledge that this has happened before. But injecting some context into this, this is yet another issue in a very long line of serious issues with the CyberPuke. If you can't design a safe accelerator pedal, you should not be in the automotive business.
- FreedMike Tesla: big swings for new tech and big quality fails.
Comments
Join the conversation
Hey, Derek! It does seem the size of a comment is directly related to the problems occurring at TTAC. This might help your IT whips.
I think the focus is on the wrong attribute, as the appeal of the crossover/CUV is not so much ground clearance as it is a higher seating position. Buyers simply prefer a more commanding view of the road from above because it envelopes them in a false sense of security, even though a CUV is not inherently safer than a regular sedan. People equate sitting higher with safety. Even though a hatchback has every bit of utility and safety as a crossover, it is deemed inferior because of the 'insecurity" of sitting lower to the ground. It's an irrational psychological perception.