What is THE American car? (Family car + muscle/supercar)?
Posted by Electronic_Spray5814@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 174 comments
Curious what people think represents America best when it comes to cars. If you had to pick: 1. The “family car” that defines America (Practical, common, everyday use)
- The “performance car” that defines America (Muscle car / supercar / something iconic) What would you choose for each — and why? Interested in both modern picks and classics.
Odd-Tell-5702@reddit
Ford Mustang
OkRub5011@reddit
Ford F150 is pretty American
Donner_Party_Animal@reddit
It's the pickup truck in general. Pickups exist nowhere else like they do in the US. Everywhere has them of course but nobody has them by the shitload like we do
davideogameman@reddit
And the majority of people don't really need the cargo or towing capacity, rather have them more as a fashion statement (as compared to a smaller more practical car that would get them around for cheaper)
baronessvonbullshit@reddit
This is demonstrably true, I don't understand the downvotes. There are tons of giant trucks that are spotless with short beds - they are clearly not being used for their utility. They don't fit down streets, don't fit in parking spots, and have massive blinds spots making them dangerous to pedestrians and smaller vehicles
q0vneob@reddit
Because its fucking stupid.
I use my truck for its utility all the time. I also keep it clean, just like every vehicle I've owned, because it cost a lot of money and I want to keep it nice.
Do you think people should be loading up the beds and hooking up a trailer when they just need a quick grocery run? Would that make you feel better?
raobuntu@reddit
You're the exception, not the rule. Most people don't use pickup trucks for anything other than a vanity statement - especially the 18-30 crowd and you combine with the fact that they're not a safe vehicle and a danger to other vehicles on the road you can see why a lot of the general public doesn't view them favorably.
CalmRip@reddit
I think this may vary according to your usual driving area. If you drive mostly in and around an urban area, your observation is accurate. If you live in a more rural area--or even one that's just between the suburbs and the country--most pickups are very utilitarian vehicles.
The ones I see are almost always laden with hay, rolls of wire fencing panels, a bunch of sacks of feed, small trees for extending an orchard, welding tanks, a horse trailer or stock trailer--you get the picture. I go into town once a week, and hit several points of supply (feedstore, hardware store, nursery, craft store, grocery store) and there is no way I could fit all the goodies in my European roadster, so the pickup it is.
I wonder if anybody has collected data on whether most pickups are garaged in urban vs. rural areas?
raobuntu@reddit
Yes - sorry if that wasn't implied. I've got no problem with pickups in rural areas and usually rural roads are in many ways are built to accommodate them. There's also just more space and are usually acquired to do work.
I'm talking about the lifted f150 on the streets of SF where it has no business being. It's immediately obvious in metro areas what trucks are work trucks and what trucks are ego trucks and the latter outnumber the former
CalmRip@reddit
Having been in the position of steering a GMC 2500 through SF streets (which is a bit like driving the Big E through the Golden Gate), I can most certainly agree that the Audi TT is much more suited to the cable car city.
Informal-Peace-2053@reddit
This is a reddit thing
Most people actually don't give a shit.
q0vneob@reddit
No I'm really not. Go ahead judge the lifted chromed out mall crawlers, thats totally fair, but everyone I know with a normal truck uses their normal truck. Its such a weird reddit thing that petty people need to judge strangers about to try and feel superior or something.
grayjey@reddit
If this were true then the proportion of modern trucks as daily drivers with a full backseat, infotainment system, and heated leather seats would not have skyrocketed since the 2000s.
Vehicles like that didn’t even exist 30 years ago. Car companies figured out they could make enormous amounts money from insecure men by marketing a luxury SUV as a rugged work vehicle.
ReasonsToTakeMore@reddit
Or people realized that buying 2 vehicles didn't mske sense when you could buy one. Carseat laws and age restrictions for kids riding in the front seats drove the rise seats in pickups more than anything else. Instead of buying a weekend csr for the family and a work truck guys could get away with a single vehicle
baronessvonbullshit@reddit
This sounds really personal to you. I'm sorry you're learning people think your truck is stupid.
ZannY@reddit
I don't own a truck personally, but I disagree, it's just you judging people without knowing them. Not all but most trucks are used by men with jobs that could use them.
davideogameman@reddit
I live in a somewhat dense US city and I see no shortage of ford & Chevy pickups. Tesla model 3s & Toyota Prius are more common here, but the majority of the pickups I guarantee aren't being used for their capabilities, and are an extra risk to pedestrians due to their worse driver visibility and extra weight, and also seem to have an extra tendency to blind me with their headlights with a little assistance from hills. The most absurdly large ones I've walked by parked and I'm average height but their front end comes up almost as high as my shoulder.
baronessvonbullshit@reddit
The vast majority of trucks in an urban environment are vanity trucks. A lawyer does not need an F-250 Super Duty to commute 10 miles to and from work.
q0vneob@reddit
really moving those goalposts now
baronessvonbullshit@reddit
There are goalposts on a conversation about vanity trucks? Okay buddy.
this-guy1979@reddit
I had a neighbor that had a Dodge Ram SRT-10. One day I walked outside and saw him waxing the inside of his truck bed. The only thing that I ever saw in the bed of that truck was my neighbor, when he was waxing it.
GotchUrarse@reddit
They aren't called Parking lot Princesses for nothing. I fucking hate them.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
What makes the smaller car more practical?
davideogameman@reddit
Easier to park / move in smaller spaces, better visibility to avoid pedestrians and the like, and better fuel economy.
Fun fact: cars have much stricter fuel economy standards which trucks are exempt from. So that $50-100k pickup truck can easily cost you significantly extra in fuel in addition to the up front price premium
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Wrf pickup you buying that’s $100k?
FezzesnPonds@reddit
When you’re driving around cities like Boston with narrow roads, double parking, and small parking spaces, large cars are a nightmare.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
The problem is the city, the problem is the terrible streets and epic lack of parking
If most spots don’t fit the most popular vehicle in the country that’s a you problem, Boston
Do better
board_boarder@reddit
How is the city design a personal problem? The way cities are designed may suck, but they are reality and I had no say in how they developed. I drive a truck for work and also drive a smaller suv. It is significanly easier to find parking and navigate in the suv while in a city. I don't understand how you are trying to argue against this.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Different kinds of practical I guess
In some “glad I don’t live there” places, the practical vehicles don’t fit well because they literally mark spots too small for the most popular vehicles in the country
GeronimoHero@reddit
What do you expect cities to do? Trucks and SUVs have grown larger and larger every single year since the 80s. Cities are redesigned every 5 years to keep up with increasing vehicle sizes. That’s an absurd take.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
External length and width of trucks doesn’t increase very 5 years lol
I expect cities not to mark parking spots that are literally smaller than the most popular vehicle in the counte
F150 has been the best selling for 45 years
GeronimoHero@reddit
I mean yeah it does. This is from Portland.gov
https://www.portland.gov/transportation/vision-zero/vehicle-size-trends-and-safety
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
More people buying trucks is not the same thing as trucks constantly getting bigger
PawPawsLilStinker@reddit
I expect the eastern seaboard to be bulldozed and rebuilt to accommodate my F550, should I ever work up the courage to go to such a cesspit.
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
No, that’s such a dumb take.
Bandito21Dema@reddit
Less gas, less space needed to park, more visibility (my mom has a Ford Explorer, can't see when you park), easier to squeeze past parked cars.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Small cars have worse visibility because you can’t see over things like bushes trees other vehicles hills etc as well
Yes, small cars are easier to park on small spaces that’s a thing
The are also more likely to result in death in an accident because vehicle size and mass a huge factors in accident safety
Bandito21Dema@reddit
Actually that's my fault on the first point. I have a subaru forester which to me is "small" compared to my mom's. I forgot about actual cars.
I feel like the third point is a feedback loop. Small car is dangerous =get big car= become dangerous to smaller cars = they get big cars
And now we all drive tanks around.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
lol at explorer or f150 is a tank but ok
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
You can see really well in an explorer…my explorer has better visibility than my wife’s Mazda.
Whiskers_Fun_Box@reddit
Most people don’t need them everyday. But they need it at least few times a year.
And most people don’t live in big cities. They live in the suburbs or rural areas, and if they go to the city, their family has a smaller car they can use if they want.
Shoddy_Consequence78@reddit
I'd say plenty of people can get some use out of a truck. But not what they buy. Something the size of a Ranger or Maverick, not an F-150, certainly not even bigger, and definitely not lifted and the like.
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
The maverick is such a damn good vehicle, everyone should own one. I want one so bad but I run a major construction company and have a fleet of F150-F550, all usually heavily loaded. The F150 is already too small for what we do with it but one day I may just swap it out for a Maverick.
Shoddy_Consequence78@reddit
The Maverick and the Lightning seemed to me to be the perfect choices (assuming acceptable payload) for most work trucks. Especially the Lightning and even more so for municipal fleets. Shame it didn't work out. I wouldn't mind a Maverick myself but 90+ percent of the time my Fusion Hybrid is more than enough car. Especially nice to be getting 38 mpg in town right now.
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
The lightning was a huge success, but elections have consequences and here we are. Hank Green did a video about it, has some good perspective.
AwesomeOrca@reddit
My dad always used to joke that if your truck didn't have a ladder rack you're dick was just too small to drive a hatchback.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
So weird the fascination some dudes have with other dudes penises
Always makes me wonder about them…
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
Pickups are prosthetics for self-confidence.
Rampant16@reddit
Canada has the same to roughly the same degree.
ladybugseattle@reddit
I miss the station wagons from before the time of SUVs and minivans
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
Every time I get nostalgic for the old full size body on frame v8 wagons I look at them and remember how awfully they were packaged.
The back seat legroom room in those things is less than a modern Civic.
They were cool, but I don’t think I could give up the practicality of modern vans or SUVs
AlienDelarge@reddit
Not to mention the ones with a third row were rearfacing in the cargo area making them unsafe to have passengers and cargo in. I maintain the the modern crossover SUVs are really the wagons returning to take vengence on the minivans that dethrome them. The AMC Eagle wagon lives on!
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
A "mid sized" 3 row SUV is the cultural equivalent to the full sized wagons of old.
Biggest thing I miss is the ability to put 4x8 sheet goods in the back.
Illustrious-Shirt569@reddit
Get an Honda Odyssey and you can easily carry 4x8 sheets with the back seat folded down or popped out. We do it all the time.
AlienDelarge@reddit
They've sadly engineered out the space to fit plywood into the midsized category. A few of them used to fit a sheet but the rear doors are generally too small now. The roof racks or a trailer can still work though.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
It never existed in the "midsized" category.
The only thing that's close is minivans, which are packaging masterpieces.
But when you think about "midsized" being things like the Ford Taurus of old, or the Ford Explorer/Jeep Grand Cherokee, they've never had that 48" passthrough width.
Modern "midsized" SUVs are still quite small compared to the full sized wagons of the 60's-90's.
A 94 Buick Roadmaster (all time great car) has the same footprint as a Chevy Tahoe. Packaged like shit, but absolutely massive cars.
AlienDelarge@reddit
The minivans really all have a larger footprint than the midsize class anyway, they are fullsize vehicles eversince they went to 3 rows. Now admittedly, it may habe been a little janky with doors open or angles and I haven't personally done it but I see things like this and this talking about plywood in at least older Honda Pilots.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
A sienna can fit them now
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sienna/comments/18km7r5/eating_plywood_for_breakfast/
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
A Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica can both fit em now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sienna/comments/18km7r5/eating_plywood_for_breakfast/https://www.reddit.com/r/Sienna/comments/18km7r5/eating_plywood_for_breakfast/
OwlCatAlex@reddit
Man I'm glad I snagged an Outback before they SUV-ified them. I like the station wagon crossover design. Best of both worlds.
WhompTrucker@reddit
My Subaru outback is sort of station wagon-like. I love it
Yeegis@reddit
It’s a shame the only company that still makes a full size wagon here is made by Mercedes. It even has the backwards third row.
lemonprincess23@reddit
Had a Volvo V70 as my first car and for a 2001 car it was really really nice, and even though I was a single adult having a station wagon was surprisingly handy. Plenty of space with extremely high MPG. Would definitely buy one again
stabbingrabbit@reddit
Dax shepherd has a station wagone that he had LS swapped. Fast car.
john_hascall@reddit
It's pretty clear that performance has won out over practicality when even pickups and "family" sedans have performance numbers rivaling the "muscle cars" of 65-71.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
It just means that performance became really inexpensive to achieve, while still giving people the vehicles they want.
john_hascall@reddit
They wouldn't spend the money to put it in if people didn't truly want it. If, for example, gas mileage was more important, then they'd put even smaller engines in like in Europe. You could put a 1.75L in and get performance comparable to a base 5L from the late 60's.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
Americans always wanted more power, the difference is that now "more power" is significantly less expensive than it was 60 years ago.
GM can get 350 hp out of a 3.5L V6 that will go 300k miles. In the 60's that took a 7.4L big block that would be lucky to make it 100k and cost three or four times as much as a basic motor making 175 hp.
john_hascall@reddit
Exactly. If gas was routinely above $8/g, odds are I would not have a 450hp 3.5L in my F-150 (or maybe even have an F-150 at all). Much more likely I'd have a Maverick sized pickup with a sub-2L engine.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
But even if it were that price, the 2.0L in your Maverick would be pumping out nearly the same power as a 350 small block from the 60's. It's just a lot easier to make power for cheap and reliable compared to back then.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Engines are simply that much more advanced now
Many F150 have a 2.7 liter V6 for crying out loud. And that’s 2.7 outs out torque that most of those old muscle cars would envy
No_Violinist6498@reddit
100% The F-150 it has been the overall best selling vehicle in America for 44 years
Wonderful_Emotion319@reddit
The F-series* which includes 250/350. Chevy sells more if you bundled their different tiers and that's not even counting GMC sales. The full saying goes "as american as Apple pie and chevrolet"
HairyDadBear@reddit
Overall F-150.
There really isn't a defining SUV/family car.
Mustang would be the prime performance.
GandalfTheGrey46@reddit
Monster trucks!
dgputnam@reddit
I think it's the Chevy Suburban and the Ford Mustang
arcteryx17@reddit
Family vehicle hands down the suburban/Tahoe. The F150 i beleive is overtaking as the family vehicle. The large Family SUV is starting to fade a little over the past few years.
RAMBIGHORNY@reddit
Nah in 2025 GM full size SUVs had their best sales year since 2007. If anything they’re having a resurgence.
arcteryx17@reddit
Interesting. I am going by what I see locally and when traveling across the country. No real research just what I see.
rsvihla@reddit
1969 Dodge Daytona with a 426 Hemi and a 4-speed manual transmission
mittencamper@reddit
Family car: Chevrolet Suburban
Fast car: Ford Mustang GT
Both: Ford Raptor
ThersATypo@reddit
How much are Suburbans? Like, are people deep in debt over them, or are they affordable?
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Define “in debt over them”. Most new cars are financed and if you count mortgages for homeowners as debt probably most people are in debt
ThersATypo@reddit
OK, so the Suburbans are something "everyone" could/would afford? Yes financed, but the banks would not consider this a wasteful spending?
RAMBIGHORNY@reddit
I have a Suburban, no different than any other car finance wise. They run in the $65-95k range depending on options. Pretty standard vehicle for upper middle class families.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Since when is “wasteful spending” a judgement call bake make or give a s about lol
Dai-The-Flu-@reddit
I’d say Tahoe rather than Suburban since the Tahoe is more common
Donner_Party_Animal@reddit
When I was a kid, I lived in Del Rio Texas in the mid 90s. My family had a game we would play as a joke. My mom would yell out "1, 2, 3, Suburban Search!" You would cover your eyes. Look in a random direction, then uncover them and if you saw a Suburban you lost. That game was fuckin hard.
theHAREST@reddit
Muscle car has to be the mustang. The only muscle car that’s been in continuous production since its debut.
Iconic performance car should be the corvette. It also has been in continuous production and always punches way above its weight class in terms of price. It competes with European sports cars that cost 4x as much.
Great_Value_Trucker@reddit
Anything Ford. Probably an F150 or mustang.
Dai-The-Flu-@reddit
God I hate seeing Ford Explorers while driving, especially white ones. I always think they’re cops.
Gertrude_D@reddit
I'm old enough that I am always surprised to see that the cop cars are SUVs - my instinct is to react to a Crown Vic. I can't remember when I've last seen one on the road, but that association is bred deep into my bones.
turdferguson3891@reddit
Or a Chevy Caprice if you want to go way back.
Sadimal@reddit
My hometown's PD switched to Dodge Chargers.
The PD in my current down uses SUVs.
Great_Value_Trucker@reddit
Same. As an ex truck driver... I sweat a bit.
Shoddy_Consequence78@reddit
Or Crown Vics, at least for most of the century. There's even a special trim line for them
Gertrude_D@reddit
My brother had a Crown Vic and that thing was a beast. Absolute tank, which was good, because he beat it to shit.
Sadimal@reddit
My first car was my parents' Crown Vic. It was a beast until it died. It only lasted ten years.
My dad used it as a towing vehicle. It worked out as he put in air shocks to help with the load.
Yeegis@reddit
Oh I forgot about the Crown Vic.
iHaveLotsofCats94@reddit
My Crown Vic is extremely American. That said, it kind of sucks aside from being a very robust car. It was also built in Canada lol
Shoddy_Consequence78@reddit
Oh. They're not great cars, especially in the cop package. They're big and heavy with a big V8. But they were extremely popular with cops around the country for 15+ years. Still see some on the road being used. And quite a few in private hands.
RhinoPillMan@reddit
My first car, a P71. Loved that thing. Tempted to get another, throw mud tires on it, and thrash it off road.
OhLookAnotherTankie@reddit
Ford fkn ranger
Ahpla@reddit
Ha! My parents just traded their single cab F150 in for a Mustang. I agree though, Ford just screams American.
Tag_Cle@reddit
Jeep Grand Cherokee or Chevy Tahoe
Ford Mustang or Chevy Corvette
RobinFarmwoman@reddit
The clown car
Ignorred@reddit
They say it's the F-150 or a pickup truck or whatever but in reality it's the Dodge Grand Caravan and all its identical minivans
RemotePossibility399@reddit
To answer the question as written.
Quintessential American family car is a minivan or crossover SUV. It was the station wagon until the minivan took over in the 1980s
The quintessential American muscle car is going to be hotly debated, even the definition of the term and members of the class will raise an argument (e.g., are Mustangs & Camaros in the class, or are only longer wheel bases true muscle cars? And don't even get started on the Corvette). For me, the iconic American muscle is the Dodge Charger Daytona, or really any Charger with that engine. The 426 Hemi is the apex muscle car engine.
brUn3tt3grl@reddit
The family car would probably be a minivan y'all
Ahpla@reddit
Family car - any one of the 30 different SUVS that look the same.
Muscle - Mustang.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Yeah I said explorer for family but it’s really a mix from all over the world, but SUV
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Family: Ford Explorer Muscle: Ford Mustang Truck: Ford F150 Performance/sportscar: Chevy Corvette Luxury: Cadillac Escalade
MoronLaoShi@reddit
Big gas guzzling lifted four door truck
RightToTheThighs@reddit
Mustang? Or I guess the f150 for a more contemporary choice
WhompTrucker@reddit
Family car I think minivan but it's probably an suv now. Although I don't have kids and love my minivan.
Sports cars aren't too common, or affordable ones like mustangs or Charger/challengers since more restrictions on gas are here..
I guess Lamborghini 🤷🏻♀️
Yeegis@reddit
In terms of what people drive the most irl, the Ford F150.
However, the most iconic American car overall, in my opinion is absolutely the Chevrolet Bel Air.
Bulky-Translator8462@reddit
SUV or pick up truck.
Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit
Family Car I'd say Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV. Yes they are Japanese brands but they are made in here in the USA and the two top selling SUVs.
Muscle car I'd say dodge charger and challenger, Chevy camaro, Ford mustang.
For Supercars, Corvette
TheJokersChild@reddit
Ford Explorer. Has taken the place of the minivan, which took the place of the station wagon (estate car). Other popular contenders: Hyundai Tucson, Kia Telluride, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V. Toyota Camry and Honda Accord for actual cars/sedans.
Ford Mustang on the low end, Chevy Corvette on the high end.
Gertrude_D@reddit
When I was growing up, the iconic family car was the wood paneled station wagon. My friend had one with fold out benches in the back facing one another so the kids could have their own space. Ours had the tail gunner seat so we could watch all the traffic behind us and we loved the shit out of it.
Never mind that when the back window was down and we came to a stop, the fumes rolled right into our faces - safety wasn't a quality we valued at that time.
lemonprincess23@reddit
1: jeep Cherokee. Plenty of space for family, and I see them freaking everywhere
2: Mustang or challenger. Can’t get much better than that
im_in_hiding@reddit
Family car? These days probably the Rav-4 and Corolla are the most common family vehicles.
Sports car? Corvette, Camaro, Mustang
pinniped90@reddit
Probably a 1970s station wagon as the family car and a 1967 Corvette as the performance car.
The modern Vettes and Honda Odysseys are better cars, of course, but those are the iconic ones.
GrimSpirit42@reddit
THE American car is most likely a pick-up truck.
RAM 1500 Crew Cab is both Family and Utility. Great for travel, and those weekend projects.
shinyviper@reddit
Family car: Dodge Charger Hellcat Performance car: Dodge Charger Hellcat
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
Easily gets gapped by an $11,000 Ford Flex which is even better at getting groceries.
Adjective-Noun123456@reddit
F-150.
I'd say it's a tossup between the Mustang and the Corvette.
mikeisboris@reddit
The f150 and Silverado are really close most years in sales if you include the Sierra which is just a Silveradon with a better grill. 🤷♂️
GOTaSMALL1@reddit
In a previous argument about this where I was proven wrong… the F150 is NOT the best selling vehicle in America. The “F Series” are the best selling vehicles in America. If you count all GM t full size trucks… they compete with the Fords easily.
cyvaquero@reddit
LOL, as someone who’s last five vehicles have been Silverados, I feel you on point 2. But yeah, Mustang is more popular (affordable/attainable) but I think nothing screams U.S.A. as much as the Corvette.
szayl@reddit
The Mustang is more popular because by the time the guy has enough money to allow himself a fun car he also has a family. 'Vette for pure fun (and to gap the Mustang)
Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit
A tan Toyota Sienna.
We can't design an adequate family car, but we can impose import quotas to force the Japanese to set up plants in the US so our foreigner-hating rednecks can have decent manufacturing jobs. That seems to be peak America right now.
killingourbraincells@reddit
2001 Chevy Suburban.
Poupoo42@reddit
Truck: Either Ford F150 (defines America) or Chevy Silverado
Family Car: I see a lot of Honda CR-V's, Kia Telluride's, and Chevy Suburban's
Muscle Car: They still make the Mustang, Charger, and Challenger but car companies are moving toward electric muscle cars so I would say unless you have an older muscle car the modern muscle car is kind of dead.
Nissan Altima: Stay far away, VERY far away!
real_agent_99@reddit
Jeep
SabresBills69@reddit
family with kids— minivan/ SUV
mid life crisis — the performance car
Hi_Im_Paul1706@reddit
Honda Accord, Toyota Camry
szayl@reddit
Too many options here
Corvette
No-Conversation1940@reddit
Cars are kinda dying out here in the sense that auto makers lose their ass on creating new ones and have a much easier time selling trucks or vans of some sort.
WorkerAmbitious2072@reddit
Crew cab half ton pickup
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
Muscle car is the Mustang
Family Car is probably a Chevy Suburban
Sports Car is a Corvette
MainelyKahnt@reddit
Most American families have 2 cars "his and hers" so to speak. Based solely on sales figures they should be: Ford f150, Toyota Camry. Muscle car would be the mustang. And sports car the Corvette.
Meekanado@reddit
People keep saying F-150 and that’s a good one, but in my small midwestern town the family car is any crossover. Sedans and minivans have become more uncommon and not everyone can afford a big truck, but crossovers are all over the place.
StuffonBookshelfs@reddit
Model T.
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon. The last of its breed.
Yeahboyeah@reddit
SUVs are very popular now.
ZaphodG@reddit
For MAGA, a full size pickup truck. That’s around 1/3 of the country. When they retire, they get a Corvette.
For everyone else, the compact crossover. RAV4, CR-V. Rogue, Equinox, or Tucson if on a tighter budget. Subaru in ski country.
Curmudgy@reddit
Around here I think Foresters and CX-5s are more popular than the Rogue or Equinox, and possibly the Tucson. But I haven't counted.
CreamyImp@reddit
Damn that’s accurate.
Parents and brother all drive a CR-V and I drive a WRX lol
Naddyman2005@reddit
I don’t know if we’re strictly focusing on American brands but Japanese models like Nissan and Toyota SUVs are quite typical for family cars. But focusing on American brands, it’s definitely a Chrysler Pacifica, Chevy tahoe/suburban and Ford explorer/expedition.
as for performance, look no further than the muscle cars
emmie-claire@reddit
I agree with everyone saying the F150 is the most classically American vehicle overall but I will dare to answer your actual question a little differently.
Honestly it's the Toyota Rav4 at this point. It's the best selling thing in America that's not a pickup truck and they're all over school pickup lines and the public park with all the soccer fields. Unless you live in rural south or midwest where it's all pickups, you probably see more of these than any other vehicle. It's the default option for anybody who wants a reliable, practical, no bullshit, point a to point b daily driver and isn't trying to turn their car purchase into some kind of cultural signifier. No it's not an American company but it is what Americans are buying over Ford and Chevy's smaller SUVs.
There's not really a point in being a contrarian on this one. It's the Mustang.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
Fixed that for ya.
Semirhage527@reddit
The the Pacific Northwest, it’s a Subaru.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
Hyundai Elantra
loveshercoffee@reddit
Pickup truck.
RoosterzRevenge@reddit
Full size truck
FalloutRip@reddit
The F-150 fills both tbh. People use them for work, family hauling and performance (look up ‘Mexican GTR’).
Lopsided-Public8205@reddit
Family Car: The previous generation Charger/Chrysler 300.
Muscle Car: The previous generation Charger/Chrysler 300.
Also, I'll argue to my grave that muscle cars ARE family cars. If it's too small to be a family car then its a sports car.
Sylent09@reddit
Currently I'd say: Supercar - Corvette Muscle/sports car - Mustang (possible Challenger) Truck - F-150 or Silverado SUV - probably Explorer Family car - we no longer make them (sadly) Economy car - we no longer make them (sadly)
I realized recently that my current car, a 2019 Ford Fiesta is likely the last new vehicle I'll ever buy from an American car company. At least as my daily driver. I HATE driving SUV's with a fiery passion. Most people like them... Neat. Good for them. I don't. Same with trucks. Trucks have some really great practical uses, but I don't have those uses. And I'd rather not put myself in a position to get asked to help people move and such. No one ever asks the guy with a Fiesta to help them move, and that is wonderful! It's also incredibly cheap and easy to maintain which is something that is painfully hard to find anymore from an American car company.
MakeStupidHurtAgain@reddit
The Ford F-150, and it’s not close.
Current_Mongoose_844@reddit
My granddad had this baby-shit tan Buick. Horrible clunker. That's the American car to me. I miss it.
KartFacedThaoDien@reddit
For an actual car today? I would probably say Honda Civic or maybe a Toyota Corolla. By car I mean sedan.
10leej@reddit
I've often heard Europeans talking about Mustangs and F150s. So I guess it's those cars.
silviazbitch@reddit
F-150 and Corvette
Back in the day-
Country Squire and TBird
-Moose_Soup-@reddit
The most common family vehicles seem to be either SUVs or four door pickup trucks, the F-140 being the most popular
EffectiveRelief9904@reddit
No 1 definitely a minivan No 2 there are too many to name just one. But we can just say this one goes to the V8 engine in general
Arcaeca2@reddit
I mean it's not a "car" but I would think the most iconic American motor vehicle would be the Ford F-150
Common, practical, everyday car, I guess the Honda Civic
Donner_Party_Animal@reddit
I'd say it's the pickup in general. But if I had to pick one it's definitely the F-150. Everywhere has pickup trucks. But nobody else has them by the shitload. And definitely nobody else has them by the shitload never being used to actually haul stuff.
Hybrid487@reddit
Current models? I would say something like the Chevy Traverse would be a go-to family car. Performance will always be the Chargers, Camaros, Mustangs, etc.
jasonreid1976@reddit
Family Car: Insert generic American SUV.
Performance: It's a tossup between the Mustang and Corvette at this point, but I'd go with the Corvette since it is miles (literally) better than the Mustang.
Now, if you really want to make this interesting, lets take this historical.
Family: Chevy Caprice: Classic American boat - sedan, station wagon, hell, even some years had a coupe option. My parents had a 74 Caprice Classic station wagon. Yes, it was massive, but it was pretty cool for being what it was.
Performance: I'm going to go out on a limb here and give something most people wouldn't mention but the 1987 Buick GNX
HermioneMarch@reddit
Honestly when I think most American car I think Ford f150 truck.
AngryOldGenXer@reddit
Family car is hard, I would have said Impala, but it’s no longer produced. Performance wise would have to be the Vette.
ayebrade69@reddit
Impala and Mustang
AdEuphoric1820@reddit
Ford.