I would like to restate what I said in my previous post that I think it is wrong for them to do this. I just, as a car lover took the opportunity to criticise SUVs. Which I hate with a passion.
Not sure why the particular target being SUV's (lets ignore the fact they also targeted electric one's for a minute). I'm sure a lot of new SUV's are more compliant/lower polluting than some family hatches for 4-5 years ago.
My old Cayenne did more to the gallon than a lot of 'cars'
Pretty sure if an electric one was targeted it would have been by mistake.
Happened to me once, but it was in 1978 and it was my Morris 1000 ex post office van, so have no idea what that was about. They used matchsticks, IIRC. Kids, huh!
Pretty sure if an electric one was targeted it would have been by mistake.
Happened to me once, but it was in 1978 and it was my Morris 1000 ex post office van, so have no idea what that was about. They used matchsticks, IIRC. Kids, huh!
I'm sure it was but highlights the idiotic nature of targeting SUV's when some are electric, many will be lower polluting and better MPG than the non SUV they were probably parked in front of/behind.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
Struggling to sympathise with people who drive these tanks around cities. Most of these off-road vehicles have never been off-road. More likely to be used for school runs. They are a blight and totally inappropriate given the size of UK city roads.
Some SUVs do less than 25 mpg. That's environmental vandalism.
This activity is stupid and counter-productive for all the reasons people have laid out above.
Having said that, I find some of the defences of SUVs as a class a bit disingenuous and perhaps more revealing than the writers intended.
I don't think anyone can have a serious problem with one like a Nissan X-trail which is a proper 4WD workhorse,and only likley to be chosen by people who need its functional advantages; and it's also true that more and more SUVs, like other cars are electric. But that won't be enough to assuage the contempt a lot of people have for these cars, and by extension for the people who own them. I'm talking principally about cars like the BMW X6, Audi Q8 and the Merc equivalent. What are they actually for?
Now being abroad I may not be familiar with the typical British answers to that question, but over here a typical one, from female drivers, most of whom I suspect are not the owners, is "I feel safer in them". To which the response is that many other people (in or out of cars) feel less safe around them, and with justification. Feelings of "security" particularly in male drivers quickly translates into feelings of invincibility, in other words driving like a dick.
Going electric is not enough. They take up too much space on the road and particularly in parking spaces. They are the sharp end of a general push to make cars bigger which is causing headaches for urban planners and making it harder to get the right balance buses/cars/bikes/pedestrians.
Much as I have often felt like letting down the tyres, or worse, of individual SUVs, that's no way to behave in a civilised democracy. The way to behave is to tax the fuck out of their owners and use the money raised to introduce more and more traffic calming devices in residential areas which make them more and more of a pain to drive. (sorry @cafcfan !)
wasn't sure whether to comment on this or not but here goes...particularly in relation to size of car.. I have a Discovery Sport. I use it for ferrying bikes around in the boot and ferrying my in-laws and parents around in, all of whom had trouble getting in and out of my previous car as it was too low to the ground for them (Audi a4 estate). This car is more environmentally friendly and takes up less road space than my old Audi...so why not go letting tyres down on Audi's and other estate cars too?
A BMW X6 is barely any longer than a vauxhall insignia estate or any other long saloon/estate car (we're talking less than 10cm). In fact many so called SUV's will be shorter and similar width.
A G Wagon which seem to be the vehicle of choice as the new 'Chelsea tractor' is actually shorter and thinner than the estate cars quoted.
It's predominantly their height and design that makes them look bigger.
wasn't sure whether to comment on this or not but here goes...particularly in relation to size of car.. I have a Discovery Sport. I use it for ferrying bikes around in the boot and ferrying my in-laws and parents around in, all of whom had trouble getting in and out of my previous car as it was too low to the ground for them (Audi a4 estate). This car is more environmentally friendly and takes up less road space than my old Audi...so why not go letting tyres down on Audi's and other estate cars too?
This activity is stupid and counter-productive for all the reasons people have laid out above.
Having said that, I find some of the defences of SUVs as a class a bit disingenuous and perhaps more revealing than the writers intended.
I don't think anyone can have a serious problem with one like a Nissan X-trail which is a proper 4WD workhorse,and only likley to be chosen by people who need its functional advantages; and it's also true that more and more SUVs, like other cars are electric. But that won't be enough to assuage the contempt a lot of people have for these cars, and by extension for the people who own them. I'm talking principally about cars like the BMW X6, Audi Q8 and the Merc equivalent. What are they actually for?
Now being abroad I may not be familiar with the typical British answers to that question, but over here a typical one, from female drivers, most of whom I suspect are not the owners, is "I feel safer in them". To which the response is that many other people (in or out of cars) feel less safe around them, and with justification. Feelings of "security" particularly in male drivers quickly translates into feelings of invincibility, in other words driving like a dick.
Going electric is not enough. They take up too much space on the road and particularly in parking spaces. They are the sharp end of a general push to make cars bigger which is causing headaches for urban planners and making it harder to get the right balance buses/cars/bikes/pedestrians.
Much as I have often felt like letting down the tyres, or worse, of individual SUVs, that's no way to behave in a civilised democracy. The way to behave is to tax the fuck out of their owners and use the money raised to introduce more and more traffic calming devices in residential areas which make them more and more of a pain to drive. (sorry @cafcfan !)
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
Blimey, you don't like them do you? But let's go through this point by point. 1) I have a very large SUV; it is long and wide. Below is a photo of the same model as mine. (Colour of the brake callipers is the only difference) Is it pretty? No, very few cars are. Is it ugly - I don't think so. In any event, I'm mostly on the inside and it's lovely. By way of comparison, can I ask what car you drive? 2) Yes, it only seats five. But that's quite unusual. Most large SUVs can seat 7 or have a variant that does. Large families or people that ferry kids to junior football, etc find that useful. It is true my car is not very economical - it's petrol, not diesel - maybe 30mpg on a long cruise, maybe about 8mpg if I'm hammering it. but I don't care. 3) It is very easy to drive. In certain modes it pretty much drives itself and has panorama cameras and sensors for ease of parking. In fact small cars with less responsive controls, less power, less ability to overtake, more risk of death to the occupants (especially if said small car is an original mini) are much harder to drive safely. It is a common misconception that powerful cars are hard to drive. There are of course some exceptions. A TVR Tuscan S will kill you if you make the slightest mistake in wet weather. 4) My car has air suspension with variable settings. It hunkers low for swift progress on a motorway and also has "normal" and two off-road settings with the additional benefit of hill descent software. In sport mode with the suspension in a "stiff" setting it is certainly fun to drive especially with the pops and bangs from the exhaust overrun. First hand, I can tell you it is fabulous smashing 165mph down a German autobahn, and seeing the BMW drivers getting upset at being overtaken. It also does work entirely well off-road, which is handy for my niece's so-called drive, lol) 5) No more so than tractors or other farm vehicles. I am sorry if you aren't capable of judging the width of your vehicle. Perhaps you need some extra tuition? 6) Yes, they do. many haul trailers, horseboxes, etc. They have lots of useful boot space. They are very comfortable. They handle speed humps so much better than regular vehicles. They are usually 4X4s and are therefore much better/safer in extreme weather conditions. 7) I refer you to the answer given in 1).
there are loads of reasons people have larger vehicles nowadays and their emissions and fuel consumption are not a great deal Different to some cars.
I have a Sportage, which is probably classed as an SUV by most. I did not want a diesel but at the time I got it there will little to no choice other than that on the market. I only have it because I have bad arthritis in my right knee and needed the extra ride height. Getting in and out of my previous car was not only extremely painful but getting to be increasingly difficult in the tight parking spaces provided around here.
My wife has had a replacement knee and hip and was also struggling with this too. So it made sense to get a car where the stresses in our joints were considerably less as a result. My mother has a Mocka for the same reasons.
I really don't like the car very much tbh but there's no doubt that it's hugely more comfortable and suitable for our needs and is much, much cleaner than the dirty old diesel estate it replaced.
I too have a replaced knee and find getting in and out of my car difficult as I drive a hatchback. I don't qualify for a blue badge and have to park in normal car park spaces, with reduced room to get in and out when parked next to SUV's, which take up more space than a 'normal' car. It's also difficult to see getting out of a space when a high SUV is parked next to you.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
You couldn't make some of this up. Class angst, pure and simple.
- In instructions published online, activists were encouraged to “target posh/middle-class areas”.
- Electric cars, as well as petrol and diesel vehicles, were targeted, as the group said these were still “polluting, dangerous and cause congestion”.
- The group vowed to carry on targeting SUVs until they were banned or “taxed out of existence” as they said air pollution was “racist” and SUV drivers “tend to be richer, and therefore tend to be white”.
Amongst those affected:-
- Kate Basker, 33, from Bristol, who runs a digital marketing agency with her husband, said finding her tyres let down had made her worry about missing crucial hospital appointments. She is pregnant and also has multiple sclerosis.
- William Lowe, 42, who runs gin business Cambridge Distillery, found a flat tyre on his electric Land Rover. He and his wife use the four-wheel-drive for farm visits twice a week, and he said they “very carefully” chose it for its low emissions.
I suppose types of direct action increases when the social contract amongst people is diminished, or destroyed. The cohesion of British society has been steadily deteriorating since around 1979 and the great lurch forward was cemented in in 2016 and 2019. I feel those in power will become increasingly draconian in order to shape things to their ends. Hopefully they won’t manage it long term because as Orwell said ‘no bomb that ever burst can shatter the crystal spirit’. In the meantime we are condemned to suffer the pain of division. I suppose in a divided society there is little to lose by doubling down and becoming entrenched. Speaking personally, judging by what some fellow Addicks post on here, there are people and attitudes out there that I could never ever reconcile to. Direct action is something that manifests division and it may be all there is left to do in the eyes of an increasing number of people.
I don't agree. The 1970s were very divided - lots of strikes, very bad racism, lots of vadalism. Things improved a lot in the 1990s but appear to be on a downward spiral at the moment fuelled by social media. No reason to anticipate it won't turn again - throughout history chesion as ebbed and flowed.
Yes you have a point regarding the seventies. I suppose I might (mistakenly?) see those times as more about majority verses minority rather than the type of divided society we have now. What do you think might restore cohesion in the future?
I don't know. Just that history shows us that all societies swing up and down in terms of social cohesion. Historically speaking we are by no means at anything like a low point.
It feels like a low point, or one of the lowest points reached since the 1930’s when in the UK women finally got equal voting rights to men. I do agree with you that the institutionalised division imposed on society because of gender was an especially low point. I can’t see the beginning of a pathway to social cohesion at the moment that would lead to the upswing you seem to be suggesting.
there are loads of reasons people have larger vehicles nowadays and their emissions and fuel consumption are not a great deal Different to some cars.
I have a Sportage, which is probably classed as an SUV by most. I did not want a diesel but at the time I got it there will little to no choice other than that on the market. I only have it because I have bad arthritis in my right knee and needed the extra ride height. Getting in and out of my previous car was not only extremely painful but getting to be increasingly difficult in the tight parking spaces provided around here.
My wife has had a replacement knee and hip and was also struggling with this too. So it made sense to get a car where the stresses in our joints were considerably less as a result. My mother has a Mocka for the same reasons.
I really don't like the car very much tbh but there's no doubt that it's hugely more comfortable and suitable for our needs and is much, much cleaner than the dirty old diesel estate it replaced.
So one reason is to ease getting in and out. What are these other reasons?
I don't think you can argue that it's for the number of passengers as there are many non SUV large family cars. We are a family of five but don't have an SUV. Apart from pollution they are more lethal should you ever hit a pedestrian or cyclist.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
I set my LED lights at a high level to annoy poor people.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
You don’t have to stare at them for them to be a problem. You do have to stare at the road ahead though. They are fecking annoying and possibly dangerous.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
You don’t have to stare at them for them to be a problem. You do have to stare at the road ahead though. They are fecking annoying and possibly dangerous.
I am sorry but that is rubbish. If you are staring at the road ahead, you are not a good driver. Your eyes should be switching all the time between the road ahead, your rear view mirror and your door mirrors. You should also be scanning pavements for pedestrians and side roads for people joining the main carriageway. If you find oncoming headlights to be problem you need to think more about your own driving style because it is not very safe. Is it at all possible that you have early on-set cataracts? Because they cause a halo effect, streaks and rays around headlight beams.
If anyone is having this problem you should probably get yourself off the road, get your eyes tested and probably book yourself in for some eye surgery.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
I set my LED lights at a high level to annoy poor people.
Also, hopefully the increased fuel prices will keep some of the inept riff-raff with badly maintained vehicles off the road. So there'll be more space for us rich people.
An electric one might be targeted for its cat so you can't win. .
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same. 2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical. 3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive. 4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions. 5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space. 6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car. And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
8) The higher position of their headlights is a pain in the pupils for drivers of conventional cars.
A problem easily solved if you don't actually stare at them. You are not a rabbit. In any event, my car automatically detects other cars/pedestrians and adjusts the LED matrix to avoid glare problems. So I just leave it on auto high beam and let it do it's thing. It is much more efficient than I am.
You don’t have to stare at them for them to be a problem. You do have to stare at the road ahead though. They are fecking annoying and possibly dangerous.
I am sorry but that is rubbish. If you are staring at the road ahead, you are not a good driver. Your eyes should be switching all the time between the road ahead, your rear view mirror and your door mirrors. You should also be scanning pavements for pedestrians and side roads for people joining the main carriageway. If you find oncoming headlights to be problem you need to think more about your own driving style because it is not very safe. Is it at all possible that you have early on-set cataracts? Because they cause a halo effect, streaks and rays around headlight beams.
If anyone is having this problem you should probably get yourself off the road, get your eyes tested and probably book yourself in for some eye surgery.
Comments
I'm sure a lot of new SUV's are more compliant/lower polluting than some family hatches for 4-5 years ago.
My old Cayenne did more to the gallon than a lot of 'cars'
Much like the road protests, ill thought out.
Here are my top 7 reasons why I would never buy an SUV.
1) They are ugly. I suppose we all have different tastes in women/men so beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they are ugly all the same.
2) Most SUVs seat 5 as do most normal cars. So what is the point of the size which does use more resources to produce and whilst there are exceptions, are generally less economical.
3) They are harder to drive. Now a good driver won't have any trouble driving them, but not all drivers are good drivers. My neighbour reversed parked and dented my car in her SUV. She lives on her own and ought to be driving something like a Fiat 500 which is a lot easier to drive.
4) Linked to 3, the centre of gravity is too high. It makes sense for an off roader but these cars can't be driven off road so it is just stupid. It makes them less fun to drive than a car in varying conditions.
5) They are a nuisance on country roads where they take up too much space.
6) They don't have any practical use above a normal car.
And Finally 7) Did I say they were ugly? Even if I did, they are so ugly that it is worth another mention!
But if I had an ugly wife, which I don't, it wouldn't be ok for people to slap her so it isn't ok to let down tyres.
Some SUVs do less than 25 mpg. That's environmental vandalism.
Having said that, I find some of the defences of SUVs as a class a bit disingenuous and perhaps more revealing than the writers intended.
I don't think anyone can have a serious problem with one like a Nissan X-trail which is a proper 4WD workhorse,and only likley to be chosen by people who need its functional advantages; and it's also true that more and more SUVs, like other cars are electric. But that won't be enough to assuage the contempt a lot of people have for these cars, and by extension for the people who own them. I'm talking principally about cars like the BMW X6, Audi Q8 and the Merc equivalent. What are they actually for?
Now being abroad I may not be familiar with the typical British answers to that question, but over here a typical one, from female drivers, most of whom I suspect are not the owners, is "I feel safer in them". To which the response is that many other people (in or out of cars) feel less safe around them, and with justification. Feelings of "security" particularly in male drivers quickly translates into feelings of invincibility, in other words driving like a dick.
Going electric is not enough. They take up too much space on the road and particularly in parking spaces. They are the sharp end of a general push to make cars bigger which is causing headaches for urban planners and making it harder to get the right balance buses/cars/bikes/pedestrians.
Much as I have often felt like letting down the tyres, or worse, of individual SUVs, that's no way to behave in a civilised democracy. The way to behave is to tax the fuck out of their owners and use the money raised to introduce more and more traffic calming devices in residential areas which make them more and more of a pain to drive. (sorry @cafcfan !)
A BMW X6 is barely any longer than a vauxhall insignia estate or any other long saloon/estate car (we're talking less than 10cm). In fact many so called SUV's will be shorter and similar width.
A G Wagon which seem to be the vehicle of choice as the new 'Chelsea tractor' is actually shorter and thinner than the estate cars quoted.
It's predominantly their height and design that makes them look bigger.
1) I have a very large SUV; it is long and wide. Below is a photo of the same model as mine. (Colour of the brake callipers is the only difference) Is it pretty? No, very few cars are. Is it ugly - I don't think so. In any event, I'm mostly on the inside and it's lovely. By way of comparison, can I ask what car you drive?
2) Yes, it only seats five. But that's quite unusual. Most large SUVs can seat 7 or have a variant that does. Large families or people that ferry kids to junior football, etc find that useful. It is true my car is not very economical - it's petrol, not diesel - maybe 30mpg on a long cruise, maybe about 8mpg if I'm hammering it. but I don't care.
3) It is very easy to drive. In certain modes it pretty much drives itself and has panorama cameras and sensors for ease of parking. In fact small cars with less responsive controls, less power, less ability to overtake, more risk of death to the occupants (especially if said small car is an original mini) are much harder to drive safely. It is a common misconception that powerful cars are hard to drive. There are of course some exceptions. A TVR Tuscan S will kill you if you make the slightest mistake in wet weather.
4) My car has air suspension with variable settings. It hunkers low for swift progress on a motorway and also has "normal" and two off-road settings with the additional benefit of hill descent software. In sport mode with the suspension in a "stiff" setting it is certainly fun to drive especially with the pops and bangs from the exhaust overrun. First hand, I can tell you it is fabulous smashing 165mph down a German autobahn, and seeing the BMW drivers getting upset at being overtaken. It also does work entirely well off-road, which is handy for my niece's so-called drive, lol)
5) No more so than tractors or other farm vehicles. I am sorry if you aren't capable of judging the width of your vehicle. Perhaps you need some extra tuition?
6) Yes, they do. many haul trailers, horseboxes, etc. They have lots of useful boot space. They are very comfortable. They handle speed humps so much better than regular vehicles. They are usually 4X4s and are therefore much better/safer in extreme weather conditions.
7) I refer you to the answer given in 1).
You couldn't make some of this up. Class angst, pure and simple.
- In instructions published online, activists were encouraged to “target posh/middle-class areas”.
- Electric cars, as well as petrol and diesel vehicles, were targeted, as the group said these were still “polluting, dangerous and cause congestion”.
- The group vowed to carry on targeting SUVs until they were banned or “taxed out of existence” as they said air pollution was “racist” and SUV drivers “tend to be richer, and therefore tend to be white”.
Amongst those affected:-
- Kate Basker, 33, from Bristol, who runs a digital marketing agency with her husband, said finding her tyres let down had made her worry about missing crucial hospital appointments. She is pregnant and also has multiple sclerosis.
- William Lowe, 42, who runs gin business Cambridge Distillery, found a flat tyre on his electric Land Rover. He and his wife use the four-wheel-drive for farm visits twice a week, and he said they “very carefully” chose it for its low emissions.
I do agree with you that the institutionalised division imposed on society because of gender was an especially low point.
I can’t see the beginning of a pathway to social cohesion at the moment that would lead to the upswing you seem to be suggesting.
What are these other reasons?
I don't think you can argue that it's for the number of passengers as there are many non SUV large family cars. We are a family of five but don't have an SUV. Apart from pollution they are more lethal should you ever hit a pedestrian or cyclist.
If anyone is having this problem you should probably get yourself off the road, get your eyes tested and probably book yourself in for some eye surgery.
https://media.rac.co.uk/pressreleases/blinded-by-the-lights-nearly-one-in-four-drivers-think-most-car-headlights-are-too-bright-3166996