Distress over the Hellephant

[CrankyOldMan]

Rant: Frankly, I can't wait for fully autonomous vehicles. Most "drivers" today are just passengers in the left seat. The sooner the controls are taken out of their barely-capable hands the better for those of us that know what we're doing.

Not rant: I see it coming as well. The idea of utility sells, in spite of the lack of actual capability. The Jeep Renegade has comparable ground clearance to a sedan, in spite of its visual cues suggesting otherwise. I grew up with station wagons and minivans and love the actual utility they offer: space to carry stuff! But even with AWD and modest ground clearance, most SUVs will never go anywhere near terrain that will require those things, so it's almost a moot point. People buy things that they _think_ they need, even if there is no real reason to.