I go back to what was said earlier bt MikeinNH…if they made cars that could tow safely, carry heavy loads and go off road, I would buy one in a heart beat. Some of us have legitimate needs for the real SUVs, not the Highlander, Traverse wantabees. Unfortunately, as Bladecutter rightfully extolled, enough “other” unknowing cowboy truckers with kids need to feed their testosterone generated driving inclinations.
And, unfortunately, their sales are needed by we true users to keep prices down and competition up. After all, my wife “made” me give up my truck for a more civilized SUV with a utility trailer which could do all the same and more. Am glad and haven’'t looked back. So while I agree in general, you have no beef with a high percentage of legit SUV owners if trucks are their alternative.
Also consider how many people buy them when they have no need for them.
@ dagosa - After all, my wife “made” me give up my truck for a more civilized SUV with a utility trailer which could do all the same and more.
I did the exact same thing. I had a GMC S-15 pickup which I sold and bought my 90 Pathfinder. Then I bought a utility trailer. Love the versatility of the SUV and I still have the ability to tow things with my utility trailer. And I’ll just throw things in the trailer and not worry about scratching the paint (the bed of the trailer is made of pressure treated plywood).
I agree that there are MANY people who buy SUV’s who don’t really have a need for them. But so what. How many people own Corvettes have a NEED for them.
And, unfortunately, their sales are needed by we true users to keep prices down and competition up.
Same with computers. 90% of people who own computers can get away with a Pentium-II with 1gig of ram and a 200gb hard drive…yet they buy a quad-4 processor with 16g of ram and a 1terra-byte hard drive. Keeps the prices down for those of us who actually NEED a high-end computer.
One reason we bought a 4Runner is that my wife wanted a vehicle that would get us through the 50 miles to the nursing home where her mother was living. After I barely made it in the car we had, she wanted a four wheel drive to get through the snow. We like the 4Runner so much, that it is the vehicle we take on vacations. I like the firm seats and the seating position. We can ride in the 4Runner all day and not get tired.
My wife’s mother is now gone and we are both retired, so there is not the real need we did have for the 4Runner. After I sold my 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2 last November, I used the money to buy a Christmas present for Mrs. Triedaq. Since she is retired, I bought a snow blade for the 4Runner. I thought she could make some extra money with the 4Runner plowing driveways. However, she wasn’t impressed with this present and took it back. I’m back to sitting on the street corner with my pencils and tin cup to bring us in some money.
Then there’s the piece of the equation youall are omitting.
The equation ? …
The contstant need for A vehicle -X- the occasional need for utility. ( be it 4x4, space, towing, people )
Joe customer has to balance the long term, ten year plan of vehicle ownership. They can’t keep racing down to the car lot to get something different each time the ‘‘need’’ arises.
I have THREE trucks/cars for the large part BECAUSE of that long term variable.
Just 'cuz you see soccer mom in the 4runner on a nice spring day doesn’t neccessarily mean…
This is a good exchange that is going on. So let me continue in the spirit of it. Give it to American Innovation to having created a new product new market segment by marrying a pickup with a car. Every German/Japanese/Korean company has followed suit. However, some of the SUVs are starting to look like mini buses. However they are being driven by midget soccer moms with no special driving license or for that matter no special road taxes. Why not? They do tear the roads more than regular cars - have you seen the size of the tires.
As much as I understand the argument for load pull, snow plow, cowboy hormones why not satisfy the rest of the normal driving folks with some hormonal pull with a car frame and All wheel drive. I have owned Audi Quattros for a long time and they do fantastic in snow. I am sure the Subarus and others do the same. How come the American Autos have missed out on this segment??? They only focus on the Big Mac.
Maybe this will shed some light on the SUV’s popularity.
@ramikumi - You are putting ALL SUV’s in the category LARGE OVER-SIZE vehicles…They are NOT.
There are many Small SUV’s that are considered Compacts. And MOST SUV’s sold are mid-size (Ford Explorer and smaller). The LARGE SUV’s (Hummer’s, Excursions…etc) make up a small segment all the SUV’s sold in the US. Most of the SUV’s sold are V6’s and don’t weigh much more then a mid-size car. A Rav-4 weighs LESS then my wifes Mid-size Lexus.
You should check your FACTS.
Enough of poking. I am a convert. Any suggestions for a mid size SUV that has a third row seats (that can be folded) that in your driving experience has quality, reliability, performance. I am shopping for one. ( I am not planning to lug a 4000lb boat , not even a 250lb mother in law. Its for the many ski trips to Tahoe, for my wife to ferry two brats to school and to fit their visiting grand parents.
Okay, then lets discuss the height incompatibility. Imagine what would happen to the head of the driver in a midsize Lexus when it gets hit by a RAV4. The drivers head would hit the grill if side airbag does not deploy. Get hit on the side by a car while in a car and you would be in a world of hurt. Get hit by an SUV while sitting in a car and it probably wouldn’t hurt for long
Does all SUVs have the stopping power of a Porsche Cayenne? Gettin hit by a bus or a semi truck and the result would be just as bad. That’s why CDL drivers are required to have special training and accept different responsibility. Why are regular drivers allowed to operate vehicles that are generally less capable in avoiding accidents without earning a special privilege?
When I was 19, I helped my parents moved, by driving a U-hual that they rented and I only had a handful of experience in a short Chevy Astro, most of my drivings were done in compacts. In retrospect, we shouldn’t have moved by ourselves. And yet, so many people these days feel the entitlement to own vehicles that they can’t drive properly.
Replace SUV with 18 wheeler, sure I have a cdl, the road can be a dangerous place. You have to define "Why are regular drivers allowed to operate vehicles that are generally less capable in avoiding accidents without earning a special privilege?"
An SUV does not automatically indicate a less capable vehicle, in many instances it is a more capable vehicle. You are troll material, wild accusations and no facts.
http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/suv-drivers-at-lower-risk-of-dying-in-accidents
I think this thread qualifies under the title of “Illusory superiority”
There are plenty of non-SUV drivers that are below average drivers, in fact, 49% of all drivers are below average.
Sjonnie; You are opening a can of worms about drivers and their capabilities. The reason that I even started the SUV thread is because I have seen the difficulty that drivers of really big SUVs have with their vehicles have with parking and traversing inside of my healthclub multi story parking in the city of san francisco. They have no idea of the size, clearance and power. Its a logjam in there with constant backups made necessary by these men and women drivers who bought these monsters on leases but have no clue how to handle them. I am not sure these folks can even handle cars on a undivided secondary roads for two way traffic. The test of driving is to drive on these secondary roads and still make good speeds.
Here we have a brand new idea that could be communicated to the states licensing boards.
– Adding more vehicle classifications AND citations and penalties when busted driving ‘out of type’.
A motorcycle is much smaller , yet requires separate licensing as do boats and airplanes.
Now let’s all suggest to our states that 4 wheeled vehicles get divided into groups which would in fact require separate training to be licensed in type.
Then we’d need to add to the new law that sellers and dealers must require proof of training and licensing prior to selling anyone a vehicle beyond their license class.
A big job , yes, but overall the answer to this conundrum.
AND how do we get these ‘‘regular car’’ drivers to truly LEARN TO DRIVE ?
Where would the classifications of vehicles break ?
by weight ?
length ?
width ?
height ?
number of passengers ?
amount of cargo space ?
Motorweek just did a comparison test:
- Honda Pilot
- Chevy Traverse
- Mazda CX-9
- Dodge Durango
5,6,7: Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, Kia Sorrento
The Traverse was also the least expensive at $32,925.
The last thing we need in this country is a new set of laws, rules and regulations dividing four-wheelers into 3 or 4 categories requiring separate endorsements; a four-wheeler is a four-wheeler, period; by “four-wheeler” I mean ALL vehicles with 4 wheels; that includes cars, pickups, SUVs, and whatever else has 4 wheels. ENOUGH BIG GOVERNMENT ALREADY!!! All that needs to be done is to enforce the traffic laws that are already on the books. Anyone who drives like a complete fool in an SUV or full-size pickup WILL ALSO DRIVE LIKE A COMPLETE FOOL in the smallest sub-compact. I personally think that High School Driver’s ED. classes should include a very highly detailed book portion about truck driving, size/weight/characteristics of large vehicles, and the special training that commercial vehicle drivers have to go through; I think that would get young drivers to be more respectful of large trucks and busses and the people who drive them.
Why should the discussion slam SUV’s? There are an equal number of poor drivers driving cars. I’ve seen compact cars their owners could not keep in their lanes nor get into a normal shopping center parking space or parallel park in a space I could pop my full-size SUV into in less than 30 seconds.
They are no harder to drive that the full size cars I drove as a kid. Yeah, the center of gravity is high but the old cars rolled like pitched like the boats while modern SUV’s are much more controlled. Most SUV’s around the midwest are ordered with 4WD or AWD so the RWD vs FWD argument is minimal. Most SUV’s have bigger blind spots, but not riding in those spots is the responsibility of the surrounding cars as well as the SUV drivers turning their heads (not just mirrors) before changing lanes. This is especially important for those people merging onto the highways that don’t understand that the cars ON the highway HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!!! NOT the cars coming up the on-ramp! (forgive the caps, it is a pet peeve of mine)
Mustangman…you are not alone…with your pet peeve. The worse people are those who don’t even know how to use there rear view mirrors and have the inability to turn their head. My next big peeve are those who actually stop on on ramps waiting for traffic to clear. I would rather have merging traffic speed up and pass me into a space then create these problems.
“The worse people are those who don’t even know how to use there rear view mirrors and have the inability to turn their head.”
Must’ve learned to drive in Italy. You know what Italian driver say: “what’s behind you means nothing”
“Objects in mirror are losing”