In the arms race of tall vehicles, the SUV has become the fashionable alternative to the lifted off-road truck.
Of course some love it, and some hate it. But driving one does have the benefit of allowing you to see over the person's car in front of you.
Of course, the poor devil behind you can only see your license plate and rear window, but that's their problem.
I do not wish to endure the truck-like ride of the SUV, nor am I all that thrilled about parking the damn thing.
But with the aftermarket alternative, you can get all the benefits without the footprint.
A camera pylon similar to that of the Google Street View vehicle is attached to your car's roof. LCDs replace your windows and mirrors.
The view from three foot above the roof of your car is piped to the internal displays, simulating what you would see if you were really driving an SUV.
You retain the good fuel mileage and ease of parking of your average sized car, having only to make the mental adjustment for the illusionary height.-- normzone, Feb 18 2011 A side-effect of driving large vehicles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicropenisNSFW [MikeD, Feb 19 2011] //the SUV has become the fashionable alternative to the lifted off-road truck.//
Which decade are you in?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 18 2011 Well, the trucks I'm thinking of became common in the eighties.
As far as fashionable goes, there's so many of the damn things here that even using the term loosely it seems appropriate.
I appear to be spanning several decades in total.-- normzone, Feb 18 2011 I think you mean "popular". This is very, very different from "fashionable".
But, as to the idea itself, well, yes, why not? Please have a bun.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 18 2011 //I rather enjoy the look of submission on passerby's faces as they look up at me in awe...//
Figures, you'd have one, [21]. Bet you've also got one of these ---> LINK-- MikeD, Feb 19 2011 Cool, but somewhat unnecessary with the number of crossovers out there. Cars like the Acura RDX, Infiniti FX, Nissan Juke, etc. drive like sporty sedans (and have around the same fuel economy) but give the visability of an SUV if that's what one is looking for.-- acurafan07, Feb 19 2011 I can't believe it. I'm tempted to delete links for the first time since I came here. I'll think on this for a while...
Actually, [acruafan], I would feel guilty driving a view blocker that wasn't a real truck. Probably wrong to feel that way, but that's what I feel right now. (clarifying edit) (And the only reason to have any lift to your truck is if it goes offroad.)
Those links...Boys, what am I going to do with you?-- normzone, Feb 19 2011 Pillory!!!
There are some tomatoes in the crisper that have started getting mushy. I'd hate to see them go to waste.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 20 2011 Just a note because I feel like being a holier than thou snot at the moment. Bicycles have better fields of view than just about every SUV I've seen.-- MechE, Feb 20 2011 Not from under an SUV they haven't.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 20 2011 Well, they do give you a perfect view of the bottom of the SUV...-- Wrongfellow, Feb 21 2011 Aha ! Another missing [21Quest] link.
What he told us he was driving was a 1953 Iso Isetta.-- normzone, May 11 2015 random, halfbakery