“Should the owner of a SUV recieve a “credit” if he uses it too help someone who needs the capabilities of a SUV but does not have one?”
Certainly! Anyone who uses their 4WD truck to ferry emergency workers during a storm can deduct $0.50/mile. And I also think that they should pay a gas guzzler tax on new ones just as car owners do.
So I have lived at the coasts. In NY/CT suburbs if I went to the mall or grocery store parking, I would know where my car is parked by looking for the “open spot” between the SUV’s, that was my economy sedan. In CA, since gas shot up (& down) we have the two extremes. One those who bought hybrids, but for the most part their usage does not justify the extra price paid over a comparable car. But it is a statement they want to make. The SUV drivers are all out and doing their thing. I will also add that we have a lot more of cars that actually are worse on gas than the average SUV, Chargers, and a whole host of 8 cylinder cars that I have not kept track of.
Having knee and back pain, I appreciate the higher sitting position in any car, hence not being able to tolerate my Camry much.
Our big car happens to be a minivan, but are considering an SUV for replacement, mostly because of our commute, which is on a road populated by 18 wheelers. The sedans gets crushed big time. It is mostly the problem with being seen and being able to see. They are probably not safer as we all know, but then again everything is relative. I patch it up to midlife crisis. But if most cars on the roads we travel were compact sedans, we would seriously reconsider esp given the extra expenses for gas and tires and all.
Any SUV with all the bells & whistles like 4WD or AWD,Traction Control, Stability control, winter rated tires is only as effective as the nut that holds the steering wheel. The reason for so many SUV’s “in the ditch” is because their owners over-drive the vehicles capabilities. Just for the record, I’ve seen just as many BMW’s right down there in the same ditches.
The stats are old, but…
"What’s more, buried deep in NHTSA’s data is the truth about which vehicles are the safest to drive. By far the riskiest vehicles on the road are very small cars. Their driver fatality rate per billion vehicle miles from 1996 to 2000 in 1996 to 2000 models was 11.56. Small cars followed with a rate of 7.85. Large SUVs, by contrast, are among the safest vehicles around, finishing right behind minivans and large cars with a rate of 3.79.4"
and…
IIHS Picks Safest Vehicles - CarSpace Automotive Forums
Apr 14, 2006
Who would have thought the Toyota 4Runner would be the 2nd safest car
And I agree. In the wrong hands, any SUV can be very unsafe.
Isn’t the Suburban a truck? Designed as a truck, built as a truck, sold as a truck. Not an SUV.
The only places I think SUV’s are frowned upon are medium and high density urban areas.
Parking spaces get scarce, limited space etc.
And people can get emotional when they’re crowded.
“Isn’t the Suburban a truck? Designed as a truck, built as a truck, sold as a truck. Not an SUV.”
Actually, just about all the original SUVs were truck-based, so a Suburban is pretty much the definition of an SUV. The newer car-based ones are sometimes call CUVs (Crossover UV) to differentiate them from the truck based, body-on-frame ‘true’ SUVs.
I’ve seen regional differences in all manner of vehicles.
Out here is pickup country. ( four corners Navajo reservation )
SUVs are still a minor percentage. Although many of the modern day resevation population have taken to them, it’s still majorly pickups.
When you get in to Albuquerque the demographics change. Santa Fe…different again and so forth.
In my driveway, with two drivers, there are three vehicles. 1979 Chevy short stepside pichup, 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid, 2008 Ford Expedition EL.
In my opinion for the most part they are a Status Symbol
Does it have to be “emergency workers” that you let use you SUV? the High School kids need some way to get the keg back in the boonies, helping out in this way should be worth something (of course it would be a keg of Mountain Dew)
I’ve driven a tour bus before and I can attest that a big bus is easier to drive than an SUV if you know what you’re doing. Their mirrors are much better than average SUVs and everywhere we are suppose to look are not blocked by stylish C-pillars. Truck drivers are generally better trained than regular drivers. I wouldn’t worry about not being seen by a big rig driver.
I test drove a Toyota Venza last weekend and I thought it was stupid design. For a that big, it was ridiculously small inside. I blame the unnecessarily large wheel that required intruding wheel wells. I can sympathize with knee and back problems. But higher seating position does not justify big wheels.
If a vehicle comparable to the original VW Combi van were available today would it sell?