Why do you want hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs?
The key is to look at the specs. G-forces on a skidpad, braking distance, EPA fuel economy, frequency of repair, reliability, sticker price, resale value, and the highway death rate.
As mentioned elsewhere, it all depends on what you call an SUV (I call them UV’s because they are the farthest thing from sporty as you can get outside of a Peterbilt). The big gas hogs (Escalade, Navigator, Armada, Hummer) are a far cry from the Murano, CR-V, Escape.
You’d hope it would be over with the cost of gas! For the life of me, I can’t understand anyone buying an SUV when it would take hundreds to fill the tank just one time. Some people have more money than brains, but mileage is paramount for many people in the midwest. I actually saw a big Hummer driving around town today as I was coming back from my lunch hour. My first thought was how much it would cost to fill it up, secondly, I wondered what their car payment was and lastly, I was thankful that it was someone else and NOT me. LOL
“RR road travel is renowned”
So is the rate at which they break down.
ok4450–I agree with you (as I usually do), but I have to point out that there is a vast difference between people who NEED vehicles of that type, such as farmers, and the other people who simply want to affect a certain image, namely the majority of the people who drive SUVs.
While a crossover-type SUV is not too bad in terms of gas mileage, for the majority of people who will NEVER take their Explorer, Blazer, Grand Cherokee, Armada, etc. off-road, those giant SUVs are just incredible gas hogs for driving on paved roads 100% of the time.
I think the OP was referring to SUVs, not pickup trucks being used for agriculture. I seriously doubt any farmer is using an Escalade or Navigator to haul feed or tow farm equipment.
I can only imagine what kind of mileage some of these SUVs get with the way people drive/adorn them, i.e. hard acceleration, speeding, excessive braking, cargo tops, obnoxious brush/grill guards, etc.
Some people have more money than brains, but mileage is paramount for many people in the midwest. I actually saw a big Hummer driving around town today as I was coming back from my lunch hour. My first thought was how much it would cost to fill it up, secondly, I wondered what their car payment was and lastly,
It’s one of those questions that if you have to ask what it costs you can’t afford it. Well I’ve asked and have no idea why anyone would buy one. The H1 sells for about $125k. So the 6mpg it gets doesn’t matter to someone who can afford it. I can afford to buy one…then the wife will divorce me and I’ll be paying alimoney and child support which will SUCK everything I earn which will force me to sell it.
The RR achieves this good ride quality with Electronic gizmos and adjustable suspension. And as is the case with all British Cars these things break down all the time.
Have you driven a Land Cruiser lately? It will blow your mind both on and off road. A shame it is not offered in Diesel in US market.
there is NOTHING you get in most suvs, that you couldn’t also get in a tall STATION WAGON. which apparently, like vans, simply have an image problem.
well let those who are so obsessed with their IMAGE go ahead and PAY for it! i’d have no complaints about $10/gallon gas if it drove ALL the bloatmobiles into extinction!
I know someone who uses a Suburban as a farm truck.
Exactly - I know a couple of farmers with BIG SUVs who use them for work. Did anyone ever try pulling a cattle or horse trailer with a Civic? Sorry - it can’t be done. And neither can most cars tow a boat, as I can verify after wathcing someone in a Avalon totally submerge his car trying to back a big boat into the lake down a ramp.
I don’t get this whole criticism of SUVs. If you don’t like them, don’t buy them. If someone else owns a SUV, then let them drive it in peace. If someone has the money to fill up an SUV, then so what? Quit being jealous or petulant and accept your own poverty, thriftiness or whatever it is that motivates you to drive something other than an SUV.
After all, I do believe we can easily find bigger polluters and wasters of fuel in this country besides an SUV. And, I still like my chances of surviving a head on crash at 60 MPH in an SUV over a small car.
Not true all the time. My Land Rover Disco II has the coil springs instead of the air suspension and it is reliable AND smooth riding. Don’t swallow the kool aid about how bad RRs are (of course, I owned an early 90’s VW Jetta so my outlook on reliability is totally warped!)
What I’m waiting for is to have a nice mid-sized sedan, with the greater comfort for my arthritis and safety than a compact, that isn’t loaded with ten gillion electronic gizmos cars have acquired the past few years. Guess I don’t fit the usual demographic.
Most folks want all the gadgets, cup holders, etc. Sigh. My 2007 Impala is nice and I truly like having a car that isn’t regularly stranding me and in the shop anymore, but boy do I miss the simplicity of the 1987 Olds Ciera “Brat Buggy” that the current “Imp” replaced. No computer menus to work through. All the ac/heater/radio controls were simple, manual, intuitive and could be worked by feel w/o ever having to look. Easy to vacuum and wipe out to keep clean…Simple but roomy, comfy, safe! Bring that back and I’ll be a happy camper.
One could also look at it this way;
If we don’t use it, China and India will, and they’re pollution controls will probably make the mid-late 60s muscle cars seem clean and fuel efficient.
I think SUVs have already pretty much eaten the big one. When even the cops, who liked 4x2 Chevy Tahoes for a while, are now moving in droves to Dodge Chargers, (thanks in great part to the contribution of the Hemi’s 345 hp…slow down if you see a police Charger in the median…and remember, you still can’t outrun his radio; remember the end of the movie “Vanishing Point?”) it’s all over but the crying. Who’s got the gas money to continually feed one of these monsters?! I also think people have recognized the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S as the most pointless vehicle ever created. (we won’t even talk about the fire extinguisher on the option list…what kinda message is that sending?!)
there is NOTHING you get in most suvs, that you couldn’t also get in a tall STATION WAGON. which apparently, like vans, simply have an image problem.
Exactly! The vast majority of SUVs and pickups are driven simply to put hair on the owners’ chests (including Soccer Moms). If someone really needs the off-road, cargo, or towing capacity, I’m happy to let them drive such a vehicle (and pay through the nose for the gas). For the rest, these monsters are just ostentatious oversize cars. Let them die off through high fuel costs and higher fuel efficiency standards.
Funny story with my friend. He moved from the south to Maine and shipped his new SUV with him. After the 1st snow I get a call because he is spinning. Turns out he has a rear wheel drive car with a higher G point and very poor traction. The only rugged thing about that car was the look.