[Todd R]

Excellent paper, I enjoyed reading it.

Similar thing applies to pickup truck drivers who've never put anything in the bed (don't want to scratch it). Buying more vehicle than needed just to be cool or feel safe.

Reminds me of the end of the movie CARS when they had the boot camp for SUV's "I don't want to get dirt in my rims".

 

[Hopstretch]

Like everything else, there are shades of grey. If you have two young kids, with all the associated junk, a sedan is less than ideal as a family car. A minivan is overkill, so you're left with a wagon or an SUV. And if you look at sensibly-designed crossovers (not the stereotypical Suburban or Sequoia or -- God forbid -- Hummer H2), there's often not much to choose between the variants. A Volvo XC90, say, has a gyroscopic anti-rollover system tied into the vehicle stability control system, boron-steel reinforced roof pillars and a front end carefully designed not to ride up in car-on-car collisions or chop pedestrians in half. It gets all of two miles per gallon less than the comparable XC70 wagon and offers a lot more cabin space and the ability to carry seven people in a pinch. Generally speaking, though, yeah SUVs blow.

 

[Computerpro3]

I hate people that hate SUV's because they assume that they know people's situations. When you find me something that can tow my trailers that isn't an SUV, while still seating 6+ plus gear, let me know. An SUV is a matter of need for my family.

You also contradict yourself:

Quote:

Of the 5,259 deaths caused when SUVs and light trucks crashed into cars in 1996, 81% of the deaths were occupants in the car (see images 3 & 4). In multiple vehicle crashes, the occupants of the car are four times more likely to be killed than the occupants of the SUV. In a side impact collision with an SUV, car occupants are 27 times more likely to die (SUV Safety Concerns).]

Clearly, being in a SUV is far safer than a car, by your own given figures. I would rather take a 17% chance of a life threatening injury in an SUV than an 80% chance of certain death in a passenger car.

And to all your haters based on ecological impact - I have news for you, our Audi A8L sedan gets worse mileage than my neighbors Chevy tahoe. So do BMW 7 series and Mercedes S series. Yet no media campaign is waging against them.

By and large, the SUV hate is a media fueled illogical feel-good movement, which, much like the hybrid car craze (a hummer consumes less energy than a hybrid, not to mention the damage caused by the nickel mining for the batteries), doesn't make much sense in the long run. But go ahead, believe if you want, it's your perogative.

 

[Exediron]

I think a couple of supercars actually get lower mpg then the Murcielago, the Bugatti Veyron or maybe the Ascari A10 and certainly the older Ferraris (F40 and 50) for instance, but I agree with your point about SUVs being unsafe.

However I think the Hummer deserves the reward for the most pointless and hateful vehicle of all.

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Computerpro3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif And to all your haters based on ecological impact - I have news for you, our Audi A8L sedan gets worse mileage than my neighbors Chevy tahoe. So do BMW 7 series and Mercedes S series. Yet no media campaign is waging against them.

those specific cars aren't as ubiquitous as a gas guzzling suv

and why would you even throw in supercars how many people use an f40 as a daily driver; that clutch would be murder in traffic.

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman /img/forum/go_quote.gif those specific cars aren't as ubiquitous as a gas guzzling suv and why would you even throw in supercars how many people use an f40 as a daily driver; that clutch would be murder in traffic.

They certainly are. The majority of SUV's on the road today are NOT gas guzzlers.

In all actuality, the SUV's that account for the vast majority of the SUV marketshare are small SUV's with decent mileage (the ford Escape has been the most popular SUV in America for the past god knows how many years). Chevy tahos with their flex power technology (4 cylinders shut off when cruising) can pull 25+mpg. Smaller SUV's, which are the best selling ones and consequently the most popular, can easily pull 20+mpg.

So the only SUV's you have a case against are the monsters like the Escalade, Surburban, Land Cruiser, and Jeeps. And I would argue that there are far more luxo-cruisers like the BMW 7, Audi A8, Mercedes S series, and all of their smaller variants like the 5 series and E series with the gas guzzling V8 option (you have to include all of the M series, AMG series, and S line Audi's too), not to mention all of the old musclecars, etc, than their are Hummers and Escalades, which, after all, have had extremely bad sales recently.

Until I see some hard data, I find it highly unlikely that large SUV's outsold car's with V8 and up engines that get the same or worse gas mileage. For every Hummer or escalade I see, I easily see 15-20+ BMW 7 series, Audi A8's, or Benz S class cars.

 

[frozenice]

In Canada people generally drive smaller cars and more trucks than they do in the U.S.


The top ten best-selling car models in Canada in February 2008, in order, were the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cobalt, Toyota Yaris, Pontiac G5, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa and Chevrolet Impala.

The top ten best-selling light trucks in Canada in February 2008, in order, were the Ford F-Series, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ford Escape, Ford Ranger, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Uplander and Pontiac Montana SV6.

 

[Kirosia]

I drive an SUV, and I regularly patrol school zones with my eyes blindfolded.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I drive an SUV, and I regularly patrol school zones with my eyes blindfolded.

who blindfolded you?

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif who blindfolded you?

That's a damned good question.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's a damned good question.

Now I remember that I did it.
Sorry Kirosia.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now I remember that I did it. Sorry Kirosia.

Apologize to the six pre-schoolers I hit yesterday.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Apologize to the six pre-schoolers I hit yesterday.

you mean girl guides?

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you mean girl guides?

Wrong "hit".

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wrong "hit".

was it?