Alarming trend in Europe: SUVs

[Skaven252]

Looking at the cars buzzing around me and the car commercials, it's starting to look like large SUVs are becoming fashionable here in Europe. This is pretty ironic, considering that they're just going out of fashion in the USA, being such clumsy, unsafe gas guzzlers. Isn't USA supposed to lag behind Europe in fashion trends, not the other way around?

The stupidest thing about these trendy SUVs is that they look like they are - but are actually no good on rough roads. Take a SUV to a dirt road and it does only marginally better than a smaller sedan or hatchback (mainly due to the higher ground clearance). Because the center of weight is pretty high up in SUVs, the suspension is usually made very stiff to reduce the car's roll in tight turns. As a consequence, you'll get shaken, rattled and rolled on an even slightly bumpy road. I have witnessed this, I test drove a Suzuki SX4 on a bumpy dirt road, and got shaken pretty thoroughly. The height of the SUV also increases its air resistance, so they waste petrol on motorways. On top of all that, they're a pain to park.

I take pride in my frugal, reasonably compact Civic, and whenever I see a Hummer carrying a single dude and a grocery shopping bag I just go "oh please..."

[Gweneira]

Personally I can't imagine why anyone would want anything other than a Civic.....

.....Though my son did have a stretch Hummer for his prom night which was awesome.........I had a very hapy 16 year old lad, the prom was ok, girlfriend extremely pretty, but all I heard for weeks was tales of the Hummer!!

[CivPilot]

Hummer? nah, you want one of these.....

Russian built Kombat T-98. 4.5tonnes, full armour plate enough to stop an anti armour rocket propelled grenade, fully land mine proof. Powered by GM's massive 8.1 liter VORTEC V8, rated at 340 hp with 455 ft-lbs of torque, which can work the safe wagon up to a relative lather of 112 mph & 0-62mph in 10 secs. The 3inch thick windows can even stop an Armour pearcing bullet!. Amazingly the thing actually handles better than a house with the few road tests about (there are currently only 9 in existence) claiming the thing to by "quite chuckable" and the brakes can stop the car/truck/bank vault from 50-0mph in an almost unbelievable 10meters.
Put simply, have an accident in one of those and you will be quite safe, although you wouldnt want to be in whatever it hit (even if what it hit was a securicore van). And where can you park it? Well, whever the hell you want. Too heavy to tow and the wheels to large to clamp.

Hummer's (at least the H2 that seems everywhere in this country) are actually quite weak in an accident....

(check the pickup in the background, it has less damage )

[Charles_Harding]

One probably good thing about them SUV's is they are so tall that if one hits you it would probably just take your roof off and leave the rest of the passenger compartment intact!

I'm to old for that type of vehicle, will need oxygen to climb up that far!

They're all seats so there'd be no place for me zimmer!

"I'd kill to get a Nobel Peace Prize!"

Charles H.

[Bungle]

A danger on the road, SUVs.

Any smnaller car doesn't stand a chance, and Mr Harding, your head will come off with the roof if one hits you! At least the rest of you would be ok...

[CivPilot]

Originally Posted by Bungle

A danger on the road, SUVs.

Any smaller car doesn't stand a chance, and Mr Harding, your head will come off with the roof if one hits you! At least the rest of you would be ok...

Alarmism at its very best.....

Lets ban any car bigger than yours shall we? Lets ban any car faster than say 50mph as any impact faster than that has a huge chance of being fatal?. Lets ban buses as they pulverise cars (and polute higher than anything on the road)?, now lorries?, Trains? we gotta ban them... you seen what they do to cars on crossings

I really hate this blind hate of SUV's and 4x4's just beacuse some tree hugger on the telle says so.....

SUV's are NOT a danger on the roads.... bad drivers are. And as bad drivers can drive anything from SUV's to mini's its hardly fair to brand 1 car type.

ps. I know someone who was rear ended by a BMX X5.... they were driving a smart City coupe. Got out without a scratch (although a little tinge in the neck). BMW X5 driver however had a rather large burn on his face and 2 black eyes from the airbag plus cuts all down his right arm from the exploding side window. Both cars were written off, the X5 was totally FUBAR. However, if you had seen the smart you would not have beleived the car causing the damage was an X5... written off yes, but totally recognisable.

Small cars are not as fragile as you think.

[karlak]

With you on this one CivPilot

My wife has an X-TRAIL 2.5 petrol Automatic (does that count as an SUV) , and we love it

Wish we could afford a VW Toureg or an BMW X5, maybe next year.....

[Bungle]

OK, justify comments time again... *sigh*

What I have problems with are;
1 The mojority don't ever go off road
2 They are bigger and heavier, so are less economic
3 They have the tendancy of casuing severe damage to occupants of other vehicles, more so than and 'average car'
4 People who's main reason for buying them is, and I quote "we will be better off in an accident with normal cars". I have herd this line out of a few mouths.

Saying thing like banning lorries and trains (supposedly the nautural pregression of this) is just plain stupid, and is baiting for arguments. Lorries and HGV are needed to transport goods. Trains likewise. 4X4s generally are not needed by many owners.

Of course I understand that there people who use them for off-roading, have heavy trailors to tow, or work on farms and such where the vehicles excell. That's fine.

Off-road school run and Tesco shuttles get my goat up, and many people share this opinion.

I really am sorry if this upsets people, but this is how I feel about them and felt urged to respod following the above comments.

[karlak]

Originally Posted by Bungle

OK, justify comments time again... *sigh*

What I have problems with are;
1 The mojority don't ever go off road
2 They are bigger and heavier, so are less economic
3 They have the tendancy of casuing severe damage to occupants of other vehicles, more so than and 'average car'
4 People who's main reason for buying them is, and I quote "we will be better off in an accident with normal cars". I have herd this line out of a few mouths.

Saying thing like banning lorries and trains (supposedly the nautural pregression of this) is just plain stupid, and is baiting for arguments. Lorries and HGV are needed to transport goods. Trains likewise. 4X4s generally are not needed by many owners.

Of course I understand that there people who use them for off-roading, have heavy trailors to tow, or work on farms and such where the vehicles excell. That's fine.

Off-road school run and Tesco shuttles get my goat up, and many people share this opinion.

I really am sorry if this upsets people, but this is how I feel about them and felt urged to respod following the above comments.

Oh yes, Good points there......


Just put our X-trail in Autotrader.....



TreeHugger

[Skaven252]

Originally Posted by Bungle

4 People who's main reason for buying them is, and I quote "we will be better off in an accident with normal cars". I have herd this line out of a few mouths.

In the USA, this has led to an "arms race". From what you're saying, it seems this is starting to happen over here too...

Originally Posted by karlak

Wish we could afford a BMW X5

Just don't go off-road with it, or you may get stuck.

[WoolyCiv]

Originally Posted by CivPilot

Hummer? nah, you want one of these.....

Russian built Kombat T-98. 4.5tonnes, full armour plate enough to stop an anti armour rocket propelled grenade, fully land mine proof. Powered by GM's massive 8.1 liter VORTEC V8, rated at 340 hp with 455 ft-lbs of torque, which can work the safe wagon up to a relative lather of 112 mph & 0-62mph in 10 secs. The 3inch thick windows can even stop an Armour pearcing bullet!. Amazingly the thing actually handles better than a house with the few road tests about (there are currently only 9 in existence) claiming the thing to by "quite chuckable" and the brakes can stop the car/truck/bank vault from 50-0mph in an almost unbelievable 10meters.
Put simply, have an accident in one of those and you will be quite safe, although you wouldnt want to be in whatever it hit (even if what it hit was a securicore van). And where can you park it? Well, whever the hell you want. Too heavy to tow and the wheels to large to clamp.

Hummer's (at least the H2 that seems everywhere in this country) are actually quite weak in an accident....

(check the pickup in the background, it has less damage )

Talked to a guy once at Chatsworth house country fair, he had driven a Saracen armoured car there from his home, he said his insurance was only £50 a year third party only as his vehicle would probably not need any repairs no matter what the accident.

[Skaven252]

Originally Posted by WoolyCiv

Saracen armoured car there from his home, he said his insurance was only £50 a year third party only as his vehicle would probably not need any repairs no matter what the accident.

In Finland everyone must have two insurances. One for your own car, and one for any other car involved in the accident, if the accident is your fault. I bet this other insurance would be quite... sizeable for a car like Saracen.

[Skaven252]

This is a parody:
http://www.bikeforest.com/kenworth_pilgrimage.php

Unfortunately the joke misfires, because these guys are actually serious:
http://www.internationaldelivers.com...Family/cxt.asp

[Pottsy]

Bungle - it's all about freedom of choice. Big, small, fast, slow, 2 wheels, 4 wheels, half a tonne, 4 tonnes - we all have different tastes and requirements. Sure, polluters should pay more, but with 300 to 400% tax on petrol, I think that mechanism is there already!

I don't have one, I don't want one, but applaud the fact that we live in a country where we can have them. Great shame the Government has banned a whole load of other stuff to please the groups that have no contact with the banned items or activities.

[WoolyCiv]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

Bungle - it's all about freedom of choice. Big, small, fast, slow, 2 wheels, 4 wheels, half a tonne, 4 tonnes - we all have different tastes and requirements. Sure, polluters should pay more, but with 300 to 400% tax on petrol, I think that mechanism is there already!

I don't have one, I don't want one, but applaud the fact that we live in a country where we can have them. Great shame the Government has banned a whole load of other stuff to please the groups that have no contact with the banned items or activities.

Totally agree and the pressure 'groups' can be as small as 14 people as long as they write to, talk to the right people and the government thinks it can be carried out as a popular action. The 'normal' course of action is to pick off the small sections one by one. E.G. raise taxation on particular vehicles then select the next group etc.

Got off my soapbox now