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SUV's get a bad rap!

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<< If I remember my High School biology correctly, isnt CO2 exactly the same gas that billions of humans expel into the atmosphere each and every moment? >>



Yes, and if we get our way, they'll be banned too. There's nothing more annoying then getting stuck
behind some guy who's 6'3", never hikes in the woods, never pulls a cart and insists on standing in
front of you at a concert.
 


<< Its more about common courtesy ( dont get me started on that) than about the complete evil nature of SUVs to start with.

i totally agree, i think the reason why most people hate suvs and luxury cars is because of the drivers, not necessarily the car itself. >>



What has happened though is that SUVs have become the common denominator, for all of every person's driving ills. If there was an accident it MUST be the SUV's fault.

Stupid driver? Must have been an SUV

Back-Up on the cross town? Must be an SUV at fault

Driver on a cell phone, it always a more serious offense when coupled with driving an SUV

I agree though that there are a lot of stupid people driving SUVs that should not be driving one, as a matter of fact, they should not be driving any motorized vehicle on public roadways. Stupid women driving them and stupid men driving them. Most of the problem would be solved with placing the blame where it belongs....with the driver, not the vehicle they choose to drive.

 
What has happened though is that SUVs have become the common denominator, for all of every person's driving ills. If there was an accident it MUST be the SUV's fault.
Stupid driver? Must have been an SUV
Back-Up on the cross town? Must be an SUV at fault
Driver on a cell phone, it always a more serious offense when coupled with driving an SUV

i don't think it's that extreme, at least not where i live (seattle).
 


<< maybe you're just too sensitive and get bothered too easily, I don't own an SUV, and have driven one like once in my whole life, and these problems you have with them never even occured to me. >>


Maybe because I live in CA. When things are moving normally, this type of thing doesn't bother me at all, becuase I just pass all these SUV's and it's no big deal. But when there is heavy traffic, and some SUV is in front of you blocking so you can't see anything, the little things really get amplified and much more annoying.
 


<< <<

<< Todays emissions standards are so strict that todays dirtiest car is 10 times cleaner than the cleanest car of 15 years ago. The actual toxic emissions of any production car sold for consumer use has basically become a non-issue. >>



Non issue? at 100% combustion efficency, an engine outputs nothing but CO2. It's not toxic, no.. but millions of tons of it into the atmosphere a year isn't exactly desirable. >>



Isnt that why we have trees? Oops, I unintentionally walked right into the rain forest thing didnt I?

If I remember my High School biology correctly, isnt CO2 exactly the same gas that billions of humans expel into the atmosphere each and every moment? >>



Yes, but you're missing the point. By burning hydrocarbon based fuels, we're putting the carbon that was once locked up in the oil, into the atmosphere. There used to be a balance.. The way things are going right now, the balance that used to be is being disrupted on all fronts.. lol.. We're destroying natural habitat, and changing the composition of our atmosphere at the same time..

It's going to cause us problems if we aren't careful.. lol.. I'm sure we would adapt, though.. I just hope it doesen't come to that.
 


<<

<< Its more about common courtesy ( dont get me started on that) than about the complete evil nature of SUVs to start with.

i totally agree, i think the reason why most people hate suvs and luxury cars is because of the drivers, not necessarily the car itself. >>



What has happened though is that SUVs have become the common denominator, for all of every person's driving ills. If there was an accident it MUST be the SUV's fault.

Stupid driver? Must have been an SUV

Back-Up on the cross town? Must be an SUV at fault

Driver on a cell phone, it always a more serious offense when coupled with driving an SUV >>



It's not that it's the SUV's fault, it's that SUV's are more dangerous to other drivers and harder to maneuver, that SUV drivers should really be very careful driving them. Accidents that might be fender benders with cars can become injury accidents when an SUV hits a car. A suburban running a redlight and T-boning my car, which almost happened to me a few days ago would be a hell of a lot worse than a camry doing that.
 
Thats why we burned a hole in the atmosphere with the CFCs....to leave a vent for that stuff.............you gotta see the big picture.

Only on ATOT would a thread about SUVs stir up so much crap in the wee hours of the morning on a Saturday night 😀 Cheers
 


<< SUV drivers should really be very careful driving them >>



Yes they should, that point is non-disputable.

All drivers regardless of weight or mass of their vehicles should be more careful, because....... yes they are all heavy and massive enough to cause the death of another human being.

Sometimes even a doctors forceps have the weight and mass to produce the death of a human being.......OK OK we wont even go there.
 
SUV bashers just need to STFU and stop acting like whining little brats.

1) Who cares what you think? It's not your money buying the SUV. You don't like them, DON'T BUY THEM.
2) People can buy WHATEVER the hell they like.
3) Where are the minivan bashers??? Most of the time, I only see one person driving Caravans and Odysseys w/no passengers. But I don't care.
4) We drive a '02 Highlander. It's barely larger than my Camry, carries much more cargo and averages 24MPG city & highway combined w/the 3.0 liter 220HP V6 engine.
5) How often do you see Suburbans and Excursions on the road?? Not often...they don't sell that many of them.
6) The best selling SUV in America is the Ford Explorer. It's shorter than a Dodge Intrepid, easier to park, is easy for anyone to handle on the road, and carries a lot more cargo.
7) Gas mileage? Again, where are the minivan bashers?
8) Where are the pickup truck bashers? They are just as large, if not larger than the SUV's that are based on them. I see you bashing SUV's, but where are the folks to bash long-bed extended cab/crew cab Rams, Silverados, and F-150s? Not to mention the huge F-250's and F-350s and Silverado HD2500/3500 duallies. They suck up JUST as much gas and are more cumbersome than ANY SUV. Not to mention that your typical pickup is much longer than an SUV. There were 911,597 F-Series pickup trucks sold last year along with 716,051 Silverados. Ford pushed just 415,921 Explorers; less than half the F-Series total. There are no other SUV's on the top 10 list with the lowest volume vehicle on the top 10 list selling 264,414 units.
9) If you don't know how to drive around SUV's, then STOP driving!! You don't deserve to be able to drive if you can't navigate through traffic around different types of vehicles (buses, cars, vans, SUV, minivans, etc.)
10) Stupid drivers can drive ANY type of car. There are stupid minivan drivers, stupid sports car drivers, stupid pickup drivers, etc. Hell, I was driving back in the rain from Charlotte yesterday and nearly got sent into a guard rail by a dumbass Saturn driver. Maybe we should ban all Saturns? STHU!:|
 
Are SUV's really safer? Sure they are if you hit a smaller sedan or hatchback with one. But if all people started buying SUV's because they are safer, accidents wouldn't involve small sedan and huge SUV but two huge SUV's. They wouldn't be that safe anymore.

If you hit a sedan with 18-wheeler, it's pretty one-sided accident. Sedan gets annihilated while the 18-wheeler has much less damage. Same thing with SUV vs Sedan. but if you hit another 18-wheeler with a 18-wheeler, things will be nasty. Same thing with SUV vs. SUV.
 
Well AaronP, I have to say that your collection of comments here must break some kind of record for illogical, unfounded statements in one thread.

"Environmentalists should like SUV's because they will use all the fossil fuels up, forcing us to get an alternative energy source..."

You're not really that stupid are you? 😱
 
well NSF4, since you brought it up....

i hate people that buy large cars in general, esp. those that jack up their f250's with the extra long bed, and THEY DON'T USE IT FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN DRIVING BACK AND FORTH


ugh, gotta climb up jump down, trying to find a parkin spot takes up 3 spaces, handles like crap, etc etc etc

i don't have an issue with people driving things of use, but when i see yuppies driving their suvs, talking on their cell phones, cutting across 4 lanes of traffic becaues they were too occupied on the phone to realize that they're gonna miss their exit, it sucks

iono where you people live, but in so cali it's really bad, it's like the car:suv ratio is 1:3

both my parents drive suvs, guess how often they use it? next to none.

my mom drives to and from work (3 miles)

my dad drives to and from work (15 miles)

and that's about it
 


<<

<< SUV's are one of the stupidest trends in America. >>


Also funny are the people who talk bad about SUV's for no reason at all 😉 >>

I'd just like to note that if you guys don't commute a long distance on a dialy basis, then you really don't have room to talk.
 


<< That being said, I do drive mine courteously, if there is me and another car pulling out of like the grocery store, I dont pull up next to them so they cant see, I pull to their blind spot, since I can see over them allowing them to see both directions, and I can do the same. Its more about common courtesy ( dont get me started on that) than about the complete evil nature of SUVs to start with. ANd even more about the competence of the driver than the vehicle they choose to navigate haphazardly about suburban streets. >>



Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Finally we get to the REAL issue here...bad drivers, which I absolutely have ever so much disdain for!

Who cares what vehicle you're driving as long as you practice common and safe courtesy. Out here in the urban jungle I call S. Florida, just about [what seems like] 40% are in SUV's and they drive like crap! Courtesy is out of the question cuz most are coming out of Corollas and are using every bit of mental resource just to park a newly acquired SUV! And they are definitely not pulling any type of boat...not without a trailer hitch much less even a ball hitch on those chintzy rip-off aluminum bumpers these manufacturers refer to as truck bumpers.

If these idiots ARE pulling a boat...LOOK OUT! Increase the Idiot factor tenfold!!!!! I witness just about on a daily basis someone with a 40,000 dollar SUV pulling a 50,000 dollar 25 ft+ boat that can't get the thing around a simple right turn without practically running over the poor crossing guard with their trailer! There needs to be required driving lessons or severe penalties [death?] for these people. And don't even get me started on how newbies act on the water!!!!
rolleye.gif


 
Personally, I don't hate SUV's but I would never buy one myself (no need, wastes gas, expensive, etc.).

However, I DO hate driving behind larger vehicles that block my vision, and that includes minivan's, trucks, etc.
And that's where super tool's argument comes in, and I agree.
Pretty much when you're on the road in a car, and you can't see more than the SUV in front of you (or any larger car), it becomes a safety issue.
And when you have so many of them on the road that you can't avoid them, it gets even worse, which is the trend these days.

NFS4 - People that buy minivans and pick ups usually buy it for a purpose. Most people don't buy it to look cool, for luxury reasons, or as status symbol (except for the lincoln pickup, which I haven't seen around).
My family would not have bought the minivan if we did not have to transport 6+ people at a time.
The same can't be said about SUV's. It's just a current fad that everyone is following.
Most people don't tug a boat, need AWD, or the extra cargo space.
If they did, there's the AWD wagons that subaru's offer
😀
(well, other than the towing).
 
NFS4

Well said!

The anti-SUV crowd are the same nuts that would seek to control your every action.



<< *sings* In a hugo! (In a hugo!) *sings* >>



LOL! Best tune in a long long time! Paul Shanklin rocks!

Click on In a Yugo for a sample...
 
SUVs are harder to control and handle than sedans when a emergency situation is confronted, this makes them more prone to go "out of control" when it is provoked, as for example, a over-corrected manuever to avoid the above situation. I would say you almost need to be a professional driver to adaquately handle a SUV in these types of situations. The reality is, the typical person driving a big SUV is not capable of these skills.
 


<< Personally, I don't hate SUV's but I would never buy one myself (no need, wastes gas, expensive, etc.).

However, I DO hate driving behind larger vehicles that block my vision, and that includes minivan's, trucks, etc.
And that's where super tool's argument comes in, and I agree.
Pretty much when you're on the road in a car, and you can't see more than the SUV in front of you (or any larger car), it becomes a safety issue.
And when you have so many of them on the road that you can't avoid them, it gets even worse, which is the trend these days.

NFS4 - People that buy minivans and pick ups usually buy it for a purpose. Most people don't buy it to look cool, for luxury reasons, or as status symbol (except for the lincoln pickup, which I haven't seen around).
My family would not have bought the minivan if we did not have to transport 6+ people at a time.
The same can't be said about SUV's. It's just a current fad that everyone is following.
Most people don't tug a boat, need AWD, or the extra cargo space.
If they did, there's the AWD wagons that subaru's offer
😀
(well, other than the towing). >>



You people are still arguing opinion not fact. Who cares if someone is driving a minivan or a pickup or an SUV? It's their money, they bought it, be done with it😉 It's NOT yours so what do you care?

And as for it being a "fad," fads don't last for 12+ years (Explorer was introduced in '90 as a '91 model).


<< SUVs are harder to control and handle than sedans when a emergency situation is confronted, this makes them more prone to go "out of control" when it is provoked, as for example, a over-corrected manuever to avoid the above situation. I would say you almost need to be a professional driver to adaquately handle a SUV in these types of situations. The reality is, the typical person driving a big SUV is not capable of these skills. >>


Says who??? STOP MAKING BROAD GENERALIZATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could say the same thing about anyone driving a Corvette, S2000, 3000GT, Viper, RX7, etc. Hell, let's throw in SUV's and all full-size pickups as well. You should have to be a professional to drive those as well:|

Most SUV's sold can stop just as well (or close) to a sedan of similar size. B/C of the high center of gravity, some may not handle as well, but they aren't that hard to control. Our Highlander handles very much like a car b/c it's based on one...THE CAMRY!! Car-based sport-utlities are the ones selling the best these days and they handle almost as good as the cars they are based on. In fact, the Highlander is faster, quieter, handles better, and stops better than my '95 Camry.

Of all the vehicles I have driven on a regular basis in the past 5 years:

'94 Ford Explorer XLT
'97 Ford Explorer XLT
'97 Ford F-150 long-wheelbase w/camper shell
'95 Toyota Camry LE
'87 Pontiac Sunbird
'90 Chrysler Fifth Avenue
'02 Toyota Highlander Limited

I have had NO trouble handling either car in an emergency situation. They ALL stopped and handled well enough to avoid accidents and sudden stops. In fact, the best one out of the bunch is the Highlander as it has 4-wheel disc brakes, traction control, 4-wheel ABS, and the electronic stability program (helps you from doing stupid stuff in emergency situations).

To tell you the truth, the vehicle most difficult to handle wasn't any of the trucks I listed, it's the '90 Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
 


<<

<< SUVs are harder to control and handle than sedans when a emergency situation is confronted, this makes them more prone to go "out of control" when it is provoked, as for example, a over-corrected manuever to avoid the above situation. I would say you almost need to be a professional driver to adaquately handle a SUV in these types of situations. The reality is, the typical person driving a big SUV is not capable of these skills. >>


Says who??? STOP MAKING BROAD GENERALIZATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could say the same thing about anyone driving a Corvette, S2000, 3000GT, Viper, RX7, etc. Hell, let's throw in SUV's and all full-size pickups as well. You should have to be a professional to drive those as well:| >>




I believe NHTSA has stated many times that SUVs are not as easy to handle in emergency situations than a sedan. They also said that, because of the SUVs extra mass it affords the driver additional protection that makes up for this fact, but that this protection comes at the expense of other drivers who shares the same road in smaller vehicles.


Edit: About the Corvette, S2000, no, I don't think you can make the same claim with them. With sports car, the problem is driver induced(excess speed), with SUVs the problem is vehicle induced, the lack of control is forced on the SUV driver even if it is driven at reasonable speeds.
 
my problem with SUVs? They're facking dull to drive. Even the BMW X5 can't match a good sports sedan in the 'fun-to-drive' category. There are drivers and then there are commuters- and most SUV drivers I think fall under the commuters category.

Nothing frustrates me more than being stuck behind a SUV up 17 or 9 in NorCal who's trying to drve quickly and is skidding and weaving up the damned roads while still being dog slow.
 
AaronP -- You focus on milage, and you ignore the more significant problems with SUV's. If gas milage were the only problem with SUV's, you might get away with calling it strictly an economic decision. Of course, that is also small minded thinking, because lower milage means more polution per mile driven.

The bigger problems are basic safety and physics. Check the NITSA stats. With their higher center of gravity all SUV's (not just Exploders) are more likely to roll over in even low speed maneuvers than a lower cars. Deaths and injuries from these events are much higher per passenger mile in SUV's than with normal passenger cars. Another problem is, in collisions with normal vehichles, the SUV's higher bumper and ground clearance makes them more likely to ride up and over another car.

The basic design of SUV's is simply bad for the purpose of city driving, and most of those sold are not fully tricked out for real off-road driving. If they were, they would probably be even worse for local transport. SUV's are nothing but over-priced, high profit cash cows marketed by greedy auto manufacturers to a seriously uninformed public.
 


<< SUV bashers just need to STFU and stop acting like whining little brats.

1) Who cares what you think? It's not your money buying the SUV. You don't like them, DON'T BUY THEM.
2) People can buy WHATEVER the hell they like.
3) Where are the minivan bashers??? Most of the time, I only see one person driving Caravans and Odysseys w/no passengers. But I don't care.
4) We drive a '02 Highlander. It's barely larger than my Camry, carries much more cargo and averages 24MPG city & highway combined w/the 3.0 liter 220HP V6 engine.
5) How often do you see Suburbans and Excursions on the road?? Not often...they don't sell that many of them.
6) The best selling SUV in America is the Ford Explorer. It's shorter than a Dodge Intrepid, easier to park, is easy for anyone to handle on the road, and carries a lot more cargo.
7) Gas mileage? Again, where are the minivan bashers?
8) Where are the pickup truck bashers? They are just as large, if not larger than the SUV's that are based on them. I see you bashing SUV's, but where are the folks to bash long-bed extended cab/crew cab Rams, Silverados, and F-150s? Not to mention the huge F-250's and F-350s and Silverado HD2500/3500 duallies. They suck up JUST as much gas and are more cumbersome than ANY SUV. Not to mention that your typical pickup is much longer than an SUV. There were 911,597 F-Series pickup trucks sold last year along with 716,051 Silverados. Ford pushed just 415,921 Explorers; less than half the F-Series total. There are no other SUV's on the top 10 list with the lowest volume vehicle on the top 10 list selling 264,414 units.
9) If you don't know how to drive around SUV's, then STOP driving!! You don't deserve to be able to drive if you can't navigate through traffic around different types of vehicles (buses, cars, vans, SUV, minivans, etc.)
10) Stupid drivers can drive ANY type of car. There are stupid minivan drivers, stupid sports car drivers, stupid pickup drivers, etc. Hell, I was driving back in the rain from Charlotte yesterday and nearly got sent into a guard rail by a dumbass Saturn driver. Maybe we should ban all Saturns? STHU!:| >>

1) You obviously care, shmuck, so STFU, yeah STFU. How's that, STHU.
2) Yay.
3) When was the last time you saw someone buy a minivan for status purposes? Hmm, never. They're bought either a) for families, b) for hauling stuff, or c) because they're cheap.
4) Good, glad it's not huge.
5) I see suburbans and excursions every single freaking day.
6) I see dodge intrepids about as often as I see meaningful posts in OT 🙂
7) I don't use gas milage as a main arguing point, but it's a useful point to make when we have a bunch of overpaid yuppies driving SUVs, unlike minivan drivers who are usually middle class people who need an all purpose vehicle cheap.
8) Most truck drivers do in fact haul crap around or go off-road. You can't haul much furniture in an SUV.
9) Sorry buddy, it's the other way around. You might as well say if you can't drive we people breaking all the traffic laws, then you shouldn't be driving.
10) There is just a higher percentage of stupid drivers in SUV's 🙂

STHU, STFU, FOAD, SOB....any more? 😉

🙂😀
 


<<

<< SUV bashers just need to STFU and stop acting like whining little brats.

1) Who cares what you think? It's not your money buying the SUV. You don't like them, DON'T BUY THEM.
2) People can buy WHATEVER the hell they like.
3) Where are the minivan bashers??? Most of the time, I only see one person driving Caravans and Odysseys w/no passengers. But I don't care.
4) We drive a '02 Highlander. It's barely larger than my Camry, carries much more cargo and averages 24MPG city & highway combined w/the 3.0 liter 220HP V6 engine.
5) How often do you see Suburbans and Excursions on the road?? Not often...they don't sell that many of them.
6) The best selling SUV in America is the Ford Explorer. It's shorter than a Dodge Intrepid, easier to park, is easy for anyone to handle on the road, and carries a lot more cargo.
7) Gas mileage? Again, where are the minivan bashers?
8) Where are the pickup truck bashers? They are just as large, if not larger than the SUV's that are based on them. I see you bashing SUV's, but where are the folks to bash long-bed extended cab/crew cab Rams, Silverados, and F-150s? Not to mention the huge F-250's and F-350s and Silverado HD2500/3500 duallies. They suck up JUST as much gas and are more cumbersome than ANY SUV. Not to mention that your typical pickup is much longer than an SUV. There were 911,597 F-Series pickup trucks sold last year along with 716,051 Silverados. Ford pushed just 415,921 Explorers; less than half the F-Series total. There are no other SUV's on the top 10 list with the lowest volume vehicle on the top 10 list selling 264,414 units.
9) If you don't know how to drive around SUV's, then STOP driving!! You don't deserve to be able to drive if you can't navigate through traffic around different types of vehicles (buses, cars, vans, SUV, minivans, etc.)
10) Stupid drivers can drive ANY type of car. There are stupid minivan drivers, stupid sports car drivers, stupid pickup drivers, etc. Hell, I was driving back in the rain from Charlotte yesterday and nearly got sent into a guard rail by a dumbass Saturn driver. Maybe we should ban all Saturns? STHU!:| >>

1) You obviously care, shmuck, so STFU, yeah STFU. How's that, STHU.
2) Yay.
3) When was the last time you saw someone buy a minivan for status purposes? Hmm, never. They're bought either a) for families, b) for hauling stuff, or c) because they're cheap.
4) Good, glad it's not huge.
5) I see suburbans and excursions every single freaking day.
6) I see dodge intrepids about as often as I see meaningful posts in OT 🙂
7) I don't use gas milage as a main arguing point, but it's a useful point to make when we have a bunch of overpaid yuppies driving SUVs, unlike minivan drivers who are usually middle class people who need an all purpose vehicle cheap.
8) Most truck drivers do in fact haul crap around or go off-road. You can't haul much furniture in an SUV.
9) Sorry buddy, it's the other way around. You might as well say if you can't drive we people breaking all the traffic laws, then you shouldn't be driving.
10) There is just a higher percentage of stupid drivers in SUV's 🙂

STHU, STFU, FOAD, SOB....any more? 😉

🙂😀 >>



1) Oh really?
2) Whatever
3) Who says that people by SUV's for status? And the last time I checked, you could deck out a Caravan SE for about $33,000+ Odysseys are pushing 30k.
4) Uh, OK
5) Your point being? They (excursions/suburbans) are not nearly as prevelant on the road as you think. There are 10 - 20 times as many Accords on the road. There are about 30 - 40 times as many F-Series out there.
6) How about Tauruses. A Explorer is shorter than a taurus and I could handle our Explorer just as easily as my Camry.
7) So you know the demographics of SUV drivers now??? Give me a break.
8) Not around here. It's usually just one person in the truck with a clean bed. People around here don't like to get their trucks dirty😉 They're always shined up and purdy😛
9) The point is, you should know how to drive around ALL types of vehicles. If you can't drive beside an SUV or a UPS truck, then you don't deserve to drive.
10) Wow, how original.
 
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