Why does everyone need a massive car these days?

Roads are safer than ever

Except for cyclists and pedestrians who are more easily killed by the bigger cars

Of course if everyone has a bigger car you would need and even bigger one to be safer than they are .. nasty cycle

I've just looked it up, excellent news. I hope they bring back a small hatchback too.

This isn’t really true. There are shopping centres near me and the narrow parking spaces aren’t made for lines of wide SUVs. They can’t park beside each other as they are not able to open their doors and exit.

Recentjy I drove down a two lane narrow road and passed a SUV driver in the line beside me. Between the narrow road, her wide car and her road positioning being just a little off centre, I clipped her side mirror driving past. She got out and was gesturing at her mirror. I drove on because some of these cars simply aren’t suited for narrow roads.

the street we live on is not much bigger than this at all, people can only park one side and have to have 2 wheels on kerb big or small car
It really should only be a one way but its not, a few stand offs happen lol

most new build areas are like it too

In outer suburbs you get wider streets

I think this is the problem. I also drive a small car (Hyundai i10 with two car seats in the back.) It’s not the big card that are the problem- it’s the people that drive them. The people who really need these cars, who are in them every day tend to be great drivers and can park them easily. The ones who don’t seem to be women who only drive the school run on a weekday (husband drives on weekend) so they aren’t in them enough to get any good at manouvering them.

Also- don’t get me started on the over 70’s driving great bloody SUV’s who peer over the steering wheel like they can’t see more than 10 metres and just shoot out, trusting everyone will move out of their way. They can’t park either- just look at all the dings on them.

This x 10

I think if you’re going to drive one you should have to pass your driving test in one. People witter in about keeping themselves safe without a thought to how safe other road users, pedestrians, cyclists are around those who drive badly in them.

Don't drive a range rover size car but a small SUV. Previously drove a small car and got into a minor bump.. the thing literally crumbled. With roads getting more dangerous by the day, a bigger more robust car has made me feel safer.

And I totally understand if you have loads of kids and live rurally but it's unbelievable how so many people in my area of suburban London with one child are driving tanks

Because the UK is pathetically obsessed with social class and most of the sheep are absolutely desperate for other people to think they're rich and successful. It's embarrassing

Some of the owners I know have proudly told me they are just being leased

I expect most are bought on credit.

Madness - definitely not envy.

If people can’t park it doesn’t really matter what size the car is because it’s the driving ability .

It's cos people have convinced themselves they need them. They generally absolutely don't need them of course but they can justify it with most of the nonsense you hear on these threads. There will be a tiny few who genuinely off-road etc but the majority are people who spout needing safety while driving terribly and putting everyone else's safety out the window. I drive a Mini and an E class Merc estate- both low down, great visibility for me, very comfortable and I'm also disabled. I can fit a ton of stuff in the estate easily so the argument of needing an SUV for space is nonsense. I can park them both very easily with space to spare at the side. Both very safe and sturdy vehicles. SUV drivers just like to insist they need them but that will not change. I just laugh at the excuses and feel content in knowing my cars are both a million miles nicer than any SUV out there. German built low down cars for the win lol.

That’s very true, people aren’t nice to people in big cars. My friend had a Porsche Cayenne and other road users were always so mean to her. Wouldn’t let her out, beeped their horn at her, complained if she parked outside their house etc. She ended up being so embarrassed about driving such a twatty car and swapped it for a Mini Countryman and since then she has been treated with kindness again. Much as she was when she had a Golf.

Probably because car seats have become massive.

Because normal sized cars still struggle to keep up with normal sized things.

We had a ford focus and a silver cross pram didn't fit in the boot. Now yes obviously it was our fault for not measuring but Mothercare wouldn't let us take the model pram out to check it fitted. They, my own mother, DH and others all assured me that of course it would fit. It did not fit.
DS was a surprise baby, I only found out I was pregnant very late on and he came early so I didn't have a lot of time to research prams. Anyways, it was a very confusing and stressful time, so as soon as I could, I scaled up to a much bigger car (yes over correcting), because I wanted to make sure that never happened to me again. Never had that second baby so we've downscaled again.

I know it's daft, but that was why I had a massive car.

The vast majority of people don't 'need' them at all. There are 5 of us (4 adult size, 1 small adult size) and a large dog. We manage fine with a 5 seat mpv (C-Max size). Just need a roof box for holidays.

Another week, another flawed anti-SUV rant.

Focus your ire on what the problem is - and that is bad parking.

Even people in crappy small Fiat 500s park like utter twats.

The size of the car is irrelevant. Its about the competency (or lack thereof) of the drivers.

I think these days car manufacturers push these SUV vehicles as they are more profitable than smaller cars, so perhaps SUV drivers are more susceptible to advertising and peer pressure.

There is evidence to show that in accidents these vehicles are safer for those in them; but more dangerous for pedestrians and other vehicles. So for those who drive them, perhaps the safety of others is less important than the safety of themselves and their families.

SUVs also use a great deal more base materials in manufacture so hog mineral resources as they hog road space.

And presumably there is more to it than boot space as there are plenty of old-style estate cars with considerably more boot space than a lot of these SUV models.

I think to sum it up, I would say that SUV drivers are more invested in appearances than the average, aren’t really so interested in the safety of others as themselves; don’t really think about the state of the environment too much; and don’t mind taking more than their fair share in life. Vain, gullible, selfish, thoughtless and greedy. There, I said it.

Dog, DC erc

Fair enough in Australia for all the reasons you just mentioned, but this is the nearest town to my house. You get a big SUV coming towards you here and you're buggered!

I traded in my bmw beast for a tiny wee car because I was fed up of the hassle of a big car.

1. I can park anywhere I fancy.
2. people always let me out at junctions cos I’m little and they feel sorry for me
3. I can do 3-point turns without batting an eyelid.
4. cheap as hell to run.
5. don’t both to lock the car half the time - not worth nicking
6. can’t speed easily 🤣

If you ask all the dads, they'll say they've been strong armed into buying them because they have more space for kids and are higher. "You have no idea how hard it is lifting kids in and our of a low car" etc.

I don't get it. The mums I know seem to have real trouble parking them and just use them to bully other cars during drop-offs.

I have an SUV but not a huge one. Bought when child was a hockey goalie and also played a largish musical instrument and we did lift shares. Now I need it for uni drop offs, flat moves, carrying 5 adults including elderly parents with mobility aids. My next cat will be a suv too as most of the above still applies. The one after that will be smaller though.

As per my username, I’m into reenacting, if we both go to an event- we totally fill the boot and backseats of a normal sized car, now we have a toddler as well and funnily enough they need a lot of stuff too, and take up the backseats!

We carry all our camping stuff, antiques, clothing, furniture items and accessories. When you visit these stately homes and reenactment events, most of the historical items people are using, belong to them!

We’ve got a Skoda Koqiaq, the boot was much bigger than any of the estates I compared it to.

I presume many/some of them are leased or bought on HP? Any of these people admit to being all fur coat and no knickers?