QOTD: Under Pressure?

We all know someone who’s had a kid. Yup, procreation still happens in today’s enlightened society, and with that babymaking comes a rapid accumulation of stuff. It’s a scourge, and this disgruntled, childless writer has long railed against the steady onward march of this phenomenon.

Y’all are spoiling your children. They’ve got too much stuff.

More often than not — almost inevitably, really — this new addition to the household precipitates another change in either the driveway or garage.

Whereas couples once used to trade in their coupe or sedan for a minivan or wagon, they now take ownership of a compact to midsize crossover. Yes, I’m thinking of my friends’ Hyundai Santa Fes and Kia Sorentos. Once upon a time, young Steph and his sister, joined by his mom and dad, managed just fine in a hatchback, wagon, or sedan — even on family vacays. Of course, there was little in the way of frivolous stuff to bring along. If it didn’t fit, it didn’t make the cut.

Again, you’re accumulating too much stuff. One’s level of stuff shouldn’t dictate the vehicle; the vehicle should dictate the amount of stuff brought along. But it’s a free country, I guess. Do what you feel you need to do.

Of course, many people who do make the switch might not be doing so entirely of their own volition. Pressure from parents and in-laws and babymaking friends might push them in the direction of a RAV4 or Equinox or Escape or Odyssey. “You’re gonna need that room,” they’re told, helpfully, by their procreating comrades.

It seems, if you’ll indulge yours truly, like a phenomenon seen in the world of (gasp!) guns. For many decades, going all the way back to the late 19th century and the advent of smokeless powder, certain calibers were seen as perfectly fine harvesters of whitetail deer. And the .30-30 Winchester topped the list. An easygoing intermediate caliber chambered in handy, lever-action rifles that never break or die, the old .30-30 became the backwoods deer cartridge. You didn’t need anything else. It’s still relatively popular, as it never stopped excelling at this very task. Lately, however, as always seems to happen, gun makers are busy adding the latest wonder round to their respective model lines.

In 2020, that would be the 6.5mm Creedmoor. Hard-hitting, flat-shooting, and capable of great accuracy at incredible ranges, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is an excellent hunting cartridge almost no one needs. Its ballistic superiority is only realized at ranges of 400 yards or more, making it a pointless acquisition for the legions of backwoods hunters who never shoot beyond 200 yards, at the absolute limit. And there’s already a host of century-old cartridges designed to shoot two fields over.

Yet the capability of this new round is a draw. If you wanted to, you could shoot that far. The potential is always there, much like the cargo volume and all-weather abilities of an AWD crossover. Anywhere you want to go, anything you want to bring along, you can. Can’t do that in a useless four-door sedan or hatch that’s perfectly fine for most tasks and delivers better fuel economy to boot!

New parents, or people undergoing some other change in their lifestyle, will undoubtedly face some pressure to switch vehicles, even if it’s unnecessary. Has that person ever been you? What was the vehicle suddenly so unsuited to the tasks at hand, and what was the proposed solution? And did you make the switch?

[Image: General Motors]