Why buy an SUV ??

[Misho]

i would have loved to read something new coming from you sandwich (thats a nice name ). but ur just stressing the point that some people need SUVs while others dont. is there anything else to this conversation ?

[cls12vg30]

Well I would say that one good thing that has come out of the SUV trend is the compact SUV's and crossovers that have come out. The Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V are two of the most practical vehicles I've ever seen, they're certainly not off-roaders, but there's a lot to be said for the practicality of an AWD small high-ceiling station wagon. And now we're seeing the "crossovers" such as the Suburu Forester and more recently the Chrysler Pacifica which have essentially brought back the station wagon, (just give it another inch or two of ground clearance and call it a crossover), giving families a viable alternative to the minivan.

[Matra et Alpine]

..For the offroad capabilities : buy a hummer or a LM02 (one of the few pupose built offroad vehicles)
...

erm, the Land Rover STILL beats the competition when real off-road tests are done on production vehicles. The high axle articulation gets it out of big rocks better than any other vehicle.
Humvies are VERY poor in very rough terrain.
They're not designed for that, they're designed to be fast over mild terrain adn do the best job at that.
And as for an LM002 - as I've said here before, go check out the Top Gear episode. It failed the Italian army tests and nobody but a few arab states bought them for their intended purpose.

[sandwich]

is there anything else to this conversation ?

I don't really think there is Misho, and that's my point. Some people need them, others don't. The ones that don't probably should drive sedans, but the ones that do shouldn't go without them. The blind dismissal of an entire genera of automobile based on one person's limited opinion is silly and nothing less than ignorant.

Suvs can be just as fun as sports cars, but not in the "go-fast, corner hard" way.

[Matra et Alpine]

Are you people retarded? I would've thought more open-mindedness from the UCP forums....then again, they could get away with calling this the "hate on American autos" forums.

Think you're confusing a hatred of the SUV-rash affecting America with the country. Don't know of anyone here who has a hate for the country or it's people.
Anyway to return to SUVs

There are people who need SUVs and people who don't.

That's been agreed already.
The moot point is what about all those who DON'T need one but buy them anyway.(sic)

If you're going offroad, the best vehicles are the Jeep CJ, the Ford Bronco, even the chevy blazer (particularly the older (k5?) model). These are cars that can handle being offroad.

You still can't beat a Land Rover for going REAL off-road without mods

I hear you guys b.tch about monocoques versus steel frame/body again I'm going to retch. There are plenty of SUVs that are much further adapted to the road than a jeep from 85.

THe point I make about body construction is the lack of design effort to make the cars deformable. That's a general US issue. You guys think it's terrible that Eureopan cars look messed up after accidents and forget they're designed to do that and protect the passengers better for it

My mother's GMC Envoy is one. It has a great ride, but it doesn't handle well. If you're doing 90 around corners in an SUV, you deserve to be wrapped around a tree. This car is great for her, and great for sludging through 8" of fresh powder. I'd love to see your Volvo, Renault, or MPV do that.

My Espace Quadra does it nicely thanks Also did 130mph on Autobahn with 3 adults, 2 kids and a big box on the roof !! BUT they stopped making them
Pulls a horse trailer out of 6" of mud too - towed a stuck Volvo couple of years back

Waste of money? What the hell are you talking about? Where's your justification? Prove to me that your Volvo holds it's value better than a Blazer. Then prove it did better in crash tests. And fuel economy.

Well it does here. But you're mileage may vary
European NCAP testing has shown how bad US cars are.
It's fact and demonstrable.
Hey it's also shown up how bad others are too.
The Ford Galaxy door pillars sheared off in one test years back. Not good for driver

Then let's talk about cargo capacity. Then let's discuss towing. Wait...you're Volvo can't do all that? Who cares? Somebody who needs to tow, haul, drive in snow, etc. needs all that.

No sdisagreement on someone who is constantly towing, carrying cargo or ferrying folks.
BUT, how often does a soccer mom ( or you ) need that ?
When I want to move a lot of stuff I borrow a trailer and hitch it on the back of the car(s).
If it's bigger I can hire a truck for 25 pounds for the day !!
I've public transport for lots of people or (again) can hir a bus for 100 quid and take 40 at a time

Volvo's are safe because there's extra metal all around it.

it also has lead the way in some of the innovations in passenger cell protection and personal safety. So it';s not JUST about metal.

My friend drives one, and it's the biggest piece of sh.t there is. 18 mpg, RWD which sucks in snow, it has devalued immensely and replacement parts cost a fortune. And if you think this thing doesn't run rich and pollute more than the Envoy, then you're badly mistaken. Not to mention, I would rather be hit by the Envoy, as it is built with current crash testing in mind, rather than the sh.tty volvo that not going to "crumple" at all as it gently cuts my legs off.

Unless your friends Volov is an old 200 series, then that's just bias.
Modern Volvos are excellent ( gad can't imagine I said that !! ) and have very good NCAP scores.
So don't know where that's coming from.
UNless you have an anti-Volvo bias ? Hell I do coz of the drivers they attract ( I'm a biker )

Get over it people. SUVs have they're place. It's not on the track, it's not in the twisties, it's not on the dragstrip. It's off-road, in front of a trailer, driving through snow, and hauling lots of sh.t.

Yep. BUT the annoyance for all the other road users is why so many OTHER folks own and drive them.
The spread of that mentality can't be stopped and we're seeing European roads full of gas-guzzling mosnters at schools and in store car parks !!

[Matra et Alpine]

Well I would say that one good thing that has come out of the SUV trend is the compact SUV's and crossovers that have come out. The Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V are two of the most practical vehicles I've ever seen

You wnat to find the old Top Gear episode when they did the rollovers.
Suzuki and Toyota did NOT come over well ( actually the WENT over very well that was the problem )

And now we're seeing the "crossovers" such as the Suburu Forester

Actuallyt the Forrestor pre-dates ALL of them and arguably started the 4wd with good handling trend.

giving families a viable alternative to the minivan.

and a good thing too.
One of the worst vehicles I've ever envouinterd was an Astrovan. Drove 1500 miles on business and it was the worst. A van with windows.
Made me glad to get back to the Matra implementation of an MPV

[Coventrysucks]

Are you people retarded? I would've thought more open-mindedness from the UCP forums....then again, they could get away with calling this the "hate on American autos" forums.

Chill out man.
The reason Americans get slagged off for SUV's is that there are more of them about in the US.
If they were as prevelant anywhere else I am sure people would complain just as much.

One of the best things about this forum is that it manages to respect good American cars, without resorting to fanboy worship of Vettes and Vipers.

Don't take it so personally.

If you're going offroad, the best vehicles are the Jeep CJ, the Ford Bronco, even the chevy blazer (particularly the older (k5?) model).

If you're going off road, why not get a proper off roader?
A standard Pinzgauer will knock a standard Bronco or Blazer into a cocked hat any day.

[NAZCA C2]

If you buy an SUV just to drive around town then you are an idiot. Some people do need SUV's. If you live in a place that gets a lot of snow or you use your SUV for off-road driving then a SUV or truck makes sense. You can also use SUV's to haul a lot of stuff unlike most cars.

[sandwich]

meant to say some of the best, not the best exclusively.

[werty]

meant to say some of the best, not the best exclusively.

alternative to not buying an SUV.......4 door truck-even more practical than SUV's

[Slicks]

If you're going off road, why not get a proper off roader?
A standard Pinzgauer will knock a standard Bronco or Blazer into a cocked hat any day.

Haha, nice. Tell me though whats the ride quality like on the road?
The thing is the SUVs are multi purpose vehicles, they can go off-road, on road with good ride quality, good in the snow and rain. Hell my friend has a 91 Blazer with 360,000miles on it, has replaced nothing major (only tranny at 180,000miles) and he goes off-roading any change he can get. That thing is tough as hell, and he has had no problems with it. Whether you guys like it or not they are practicle vehicles, more practical than perfomance cars. And everyone needs to stop complaining about the pollution from them, most perfomance car pollute just as much if not more than these SUVs. Another sad thing i would just like to bring up is the polluters are the small displaced perfomance engines BTW (i.e japanese mostly) So stop complaining about gas mileage.

[Matra et Alpine]

....i would just like to bring up is the polluters are the small displaced perfomance engines BTW (i.e japanese mostly) So stop complaining about gas mileage.

evidence .....

[Coventrysucks]

Haha, nice. Tell me though whats the ride quality like on the road?

I didn't say it had any, or had to.

[GT500]

Ehhh I can understand if ppl who get 50 bazillion inches of snow every year (may be exaggurated..... ) need an SUV to get around, but people who have super off roaders like the H1 and H2 and keep them on road with their 26" spinnaz and what not is just plain wrong. You're just making yourself look dumb rolling around in an off roader and not even using it for what it was built for. Not to mention you're wasting gas and making people laugh at you.....ehh......w/e

[MrVette83]

I've not read all the way through this so my appologies if this has been covered. I would buy an SUV b/c in the area I live it does snow quite a bit during the winters some times and people need to be able to get places. For instance my mom works at a hospital and has to be there regardless and her Blazer has the room she needs for us "kids" and the 4WD capabilities for bad weather. My dad has an Avalanche b/c he travels on and off road quite often with his job.