LIBERATION

Small is the new black

Once upon a time, people bought SUVs with the hope of imparting a sense of freedom from the shackles of driving. SUVs, after all, are off-road vehicles, and it was comforting to know that you can go off the asphalt at a moment’s notice and climb that side of the hill to your right. The most prestigious SUVs were also large—a visual statement of success for the high-riding driver-owner.

And then the gas prices went north. All of a sudden, the machines that were supposed to impart a sense of freedom did the opposite. Owning large SUVs was a pain at the pump. The largest of the SUVs became symbols of waste and excess. And in the real world, few owners ever took their SUVs off road. They had a hard enough time maneuvering lane changes in their oversized and visibility-challenged vehicles. Within a span of a decade, large SUVs went from automotive liberator to oppressor.

Today, small is the new black. Small takes up less space on the highways. Small usually equates to better gas mileage. It almost always equates to being able to maneuver in situations not open to much larger vehicles.

When it comes to vehicles with a semblance of room in the back seat, you can’t get much smaller than the MINI in the USA...

LIBERATION | LA Car

 

An interesting posting, it appears to be an ad or car review?

 

It is a review of the MINI on LA Car.

http://www.lacar.com/?cat=48/

Scroll down to May 21, 2010.