If you hate SUVs...

[LoraJ]

I think the only cars anyone should complain about are the pickups that are raised so the bumper is sitting at everyone else's head level. I don't care if you guzzle gas or block my view but if you bumper is sitting higher than a semi's purely for vanity I think that is uber lame.

So enjoy your SUVs, no need to justify them here

Well this is my beef with SUV's. Because their bumpers are at level with my head as well. And my Corolla is not low to the ground.

I have no issues driving in the snow. But it does frighten me when I see an SUV going over the speed limit when the roads haven't been plowed. They think they are invincible yet when they approach a light they are the ones sliding everywhere. Last winter I saw two SUV's thinking they were so awesome or something as they zipped by everyone. They ended up in a fender bender at a light. Is that the karma we are speaking about?

 

[Nickimouse]

You know I was only kidding.. I love the look of those little things, but I would be scared to death to ride in one. I hope your DH stays safe in his!

Yes, I know!

The size worries me a little too, but I've gotten used to it. The kids and I love to tease him about the size. We say he has a mini donut as a spare tire and that if he does wreak it they can use a can opener instead of the jaws of life. The jokes go on and on!
It's quite roomy,in the front anyway. He's a big guy and I always wonder what people think when he steps out of it!
It's his dream car!

 

[Kimberly]

I went 369 miles on my last tank. So that was less than 20 dollars for a smidge more than 10 gallons. Carrying around two 6 foot plus 14 year olds, a disabled mothered with wheelchair and oxygen equiptment. During planting season I can tell you that I can fit a dozen 2 cubic feet bags of dirt in the trunk without a problem. The tree partially sticking out the back window is a little humorous. My little corolla toaster gets a workout.

I don't even drive an SUV... it's actually probably a little smaller than your corolla.

They call me Mario..

 

[Colleen27]

I got rid of my SUV... I don't hate them, but I honestly can't see why people say they need one when a wagon can do the same job for less money.

Unless you're talking about the biggest of the big SUVs or a very small wagon, there's really not much of a MPG difference. We looked at the Taurus wagon and the Ford Flex SUV at this year's auto show to see how they compare to the Chrysler minivan I'm lusting after. They're all 7-seaters, so it is pretty apples-to-apples as far as function. The wagon gets the exact same MPG - 17cty/24hwy - as both the SUV and the minivan, but has less cargo space and a lower towing capacity. No thanks, not worth it IMO.

 

[Shutterbug]

I have no particular problem with SUVs. If you want one, go for it!

What's interesting to me about the OP, is that around here, when there is snow, the SUVs are the ones in the ditches.

I had one go spinning out in front of me this morning after sitting on my bumper for a mile then go roaring past me.....

 

[Squirlz]

You know I was only kidding.. I love the look of those little things, but I would be scared to death to ride in one. I hope your DH stays safe in his!

The MINI is one of the safest vehicles on the road. In an offset front impact crash test versus an F150, The MINI driver would have walked away while the pickup driver had life threatening injuries.

The link I'm providing is a long read, but it explains how people are fooled into thinking large SUVs are safer. It's a myth. They do not have to meet the same safety standards as cars. This translates into higher profits for the automakers so they are sure to keep the myth going.

As far as getting around on snow and ice, any car with the proper tires will get you through most anything. Most SUVs I see have all season tires which negate any advantage 4WD would provide.

Sure they have their purpose, but it's sad to a driving enthusiast to see so many people fooled into owning them for the wrong reasons.

http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

The MINI is one of the safest vehicles on the road. In an offset front impact crash test versus an F150, The MINI driver would have walked away while the pickup driver had life threatening injuries.

The link I'm providing is a long read, but it explains how people are fooled into thinking large SUVs are safer. It's a myth. They do not have to meet the same safety standards as cars. This translates into higher profits for the automakers so they are sure to keep the myth going.

As far as getting around on snow and ice, any car with the proper tires will get you through most anything. Most SUVs I see have all season tires which negate any advantage 4WD would provide.

Sure they have their purpose, but it's sad to a driving enthusiast to see so many people fooled into owning them for the wrong reasons.

No link.

Are you saying that if a Mini and a full sized truck were in an accident with each other, the Mini driver would walk away and the truck driver would sustain injury? I'm confused.

My DH goes out to our mountain home in Montana every winter. He is too cheap to pay out the $500+ per week for a 4X4, so he gets a car. And if there isn't too much snow, he can actually get it up the mountain roads all the way to our house. If there is more snow, he has to walk a ways.


Here are my reasons for owning my SUV:

I feel safer in it if I were involved in an accident with another vehicle. Brick walls, I can't say.
It has airbags all around the interior-front/passenger/side.
I like sitting higher up, I can see better.
It is fun to drive.
The one I own is made for off road (I don't do that ), so cleaning it is a breeze-no carpet anywhere.
The gas mileage (20/22) is better than the ugly minivan I test drove.



You are more than welcome to state which of these is the wrong reason. Don't be sad.

 

[Squirlz]

No link.

Are you saying that if a Mini and a full sized truck were in an accident with each other, the Mini driver would walk away and the truck driver would sustain injury? I'm confused.

My DH goes out to our mountain home in Montana every winter. He is too cheap to pay out the $500+ per week for a 4X4, so he gets a car. And if there isn't too much snow, he can actually get it up the mountain roads all the way to our house. If there is more snow, he has to walk a ways.


Here are my reasons for owning my SUV:

I feel safer in it if I were involved in an accident with another vehicle. Brick walls, I can't say.
It has airbags all around the interior-front/passenger/side.
I like sitting higher up, I can see better.
It is fun to drive.
The one I own is made for off road (I don't do that ), so cleaning it is a breeze-no carpet anywhere.
The gas mileage (20/22) is better than the ugly minivan I test drove.



You are more than welcome to state which of these is the wrong reason. Don't be sad.

Yes...in the test this is exactly what happened.

Your reasons: #1) My link now added will tell you why people feel safer.

#2) Airbags are good. MINI has six of them. Safety is about crush zones and safety features. Not about mass.

#3) You can see better to see over all the other SUVs? Where does the escalation stop?

I don't care about gas mileage. I don't care about your car's country of origin. I'm a firm believer in "buy what you like". But many people are uninformed about the realities of their choices.

A couple years ago a brilliant beautiful 20 year old local girl was killed in a winter accident. The previous winter her Taurus had spun off the highway harmlessly in a snowstorm. Her parents then got her an Explorer so she would be "safer". Her Explorer spun off the highway under nearly identical circumstances and it rolled and she was killed. Top heaviness and narrow track of the Explorer made the difference.

I don't "hate SUVS", but I don't like what the automakers are putting over on people. Drive whatever you like but make it an informed choice.