Why all the hate for SUV’s/4x4 vehicles?

[FluffyRabbitSocks]

Why do so many people on mumsnet hate SUV and 4 wheel drive vehicles? I don’t think it’s a correct reflection of the UK publics preference because you see so many of this type of vehicle on the roads and in car parks these days. I couldn’t get myself so worked up about what car a person chooses to buy and drive and really don’t think a hybrid Toyota Rav 4 or Honda CRV is any worse for the environment than a diesel MPV like a Vauxhall Zafira.

I've started to look for a new car in the last few weeks. Mine is a 10 year old Grand Scenic. Kids are older, I have more disposable income but I still fancy something similar in size but newer or brand new if the price is right.

Since I last car shopped a decade ago the car market has massively changed and it's bamboozling tbh. I can see why so many people end up with SUV type cars because they are everywhere. Most brands offer at least one with many offering 2 or 3.

I've noticed the mid range brands tend to roll out their newest tech and nicest interiors in the SUV and the EV ranges first. As the EV tend to price more people out at the moment or because most people do not want to commit to EV the SUV ranges are a tempting choice.

I did a search yesterday via Autotrader on brand new vehicles within 50 miles of me. Before I narrowed the search I could see the largest category by a long was SUV which threw up nearly 4000 matches. In comparison it only gave me 217 estate cars. Closest category to the SUV was hatchback at around 1400.

I'm not sure I want an SUV type vehicle particularly, it's never been an aspiration, but it's possible I may end up with one based on price, availability, features and so on just because that's where the competitive market is right now.

It seems to me the new financing structures of PCPs are to blame too. It makes the payments on a 40k car around £350 per month which even young couples or families in fairly entry level jobs could possibly afford.

There also must be loads of people in a similar position to me who buy cars roughly once a decade and end up with one because it was the best deal at the time that suited them.

I'm still looking at estates too but there doesn't seem a vast amount of choice. I'd love a BMW estate in the new design but don't know if I can bring myself to spend quite that much and the Octavia whilst fine and very practical isn't wowing me.

I'm planning on buying outright rather than car finance then keeping it for around another 10 years so whatever I get I want to really like it.

we went to see a band and parked in a dodgy area of the nearest big city confident that the loitering youths would have zero interest in our car 😀

Blew my mind that in 7 years no more combustion engines or hybrids will be made. Hence the leap to EV. Plus we are in a small city in a dip and I feel frankly guilty driving around town in a diesel when I know the air quality is already shit.

Car parks are not designed for them in large numbers.

Most people with them would fail their driving test if asked to take it again in one.
If there is a crash, injuries to pedestrians and animals are likely to be worse than with a standard size car.

Just because a large number of people have them does not make it a good thing. I would guess if there was the requirement to re-take your test or use a smaller car, numbers would reduce fairly quickly.

@CowboyHat “Preference” isn’t a valid reason to anyone who gives a damn about the environment or road safety. It’s just selfishness. Own it.
I wonder how many of you have solar panels, triple glazing and never fly anywhere. It will go without saying that you only buy clothes when needed and do not decorate your homes other than fixing repairs. I also take it that you buy loose fruit and vege and carry them home in hemp bags

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'm interested that selfish comes up (again) I a thread.
Fact; almost all humans are selfish as in we consider our own and family needs first. I can't imagine anyone with any type of car, surveys their neighbours or local area to see what would suit others best before deciding which car to buy. Obviously people in ULEZ zones will likely be influenced by those constraints but not all would be able to afford a compliant car, anyway.

Everything people are claiming is benefit of them is basically down to them being the biggest cars on the road- the height, the visibility etc. If someone invented a mega SUV that everyone except you bought, your SUV would no longer have all that visibility. So it’s a benefit you only have because other cars don’t have it, it isn’t inherent. So driving one is fundamentally selfish, and as others have said, just contributes to a bigger cars arms race and damages the environment even more. Which is up to you, you aren’t doing anything illegal. But be honest and say you want the biggest car you can get. And accept that other people thinking that you’re selfish and antisocial might have a point, rather than that they’re jealous.

I drive a roadster, btw. Two seats, pretty much no boot, and about three inches off the ground. So no, I’m not jealous either. I chose the exact opposite of an SUV.

That is the classic defense from someone who doesn’t give a damn.

It’s not all or nothing. Cars are the single biggest source of Carson dioxide in the UK. If you were only going to change one thing, it should be the car you drive. Keep buying shrink wrapped veg and buying new clothes, but at least make the right choice when you buy a car.

Everything people are claiming is benefit of them is basically down to them being the biggest cars on the road

Nonsense. The biggest benefit for me is that it has lots of ground clearance and four wheel drive. Those benefits, for me, outweigh the disadvantages. If I didn’t need them I’d probably drive something different.

@CowboyHat I drive EV. I also have solar panels, have reduced my travel and shop locally and organically. What do you do other than moan at other people's choices?

I live out the way. I love having the 4x4. I throw everything in it and don't have to worry. It goes through the pot holes of hell that exist round my way no problem. Yesterday was on a single track lane and some fantastically rubbish drives started panicking along with me so I reversed into a bush trying to reverse into the small gap on the lane and the bush came out worse. Can't be doing that in a small car.

I don't really need to park it. I only really go waitrose/farm shop & school in it all of which have enough space I can just park badly further away and my driveway doesn't require any actual skilled parking just dump the car and go so I haven't really needed to worry about that.

I used to drive a small car and think why would anyone drive one but when one dc starts euphonium and the other the cello along with several massive sports bags/boarding bags etc, all of a sudden you find yourself carting gigantic items about that simply won't fit into a small car...

I’m very happy with my choices and don’t feel any need to list them here. I have no reason to feel defensive.

Im unclear why people get deffensive when the blindingly obvious is pointed out to them. Big, heavy, fuel and resource intensive cars = bad.

I’m very happy with my choices and don’t feel any need to list them here. I have no reason to feel defensive.

Im unclear why people get deffensive when the blindingly obvious is pointed out to them. Big, heavy, fuel and resource intensive cars = bad.

Most people do not need an SUV in this country. They like them but don't need them. When I visit my husband in the ME I drive a Shogun out of necessity. I've become an expert at digging cars out of sand. You never leave without a shovel and they all have car fridges. When I'm doing the Tesco run or tootling around our narrow UK roads. Which are narrow compared to the US or the ME my Skoda does me just fine.

I was reminded of this thread this morning when I saw a non electric SUV parked in a charging spot, when the car park was far from full.

I was reminded of this thread this morning when I saw a non electric SUV parked in a charging spot, when the car park was far from full.

Was it an PHEV?

In the countryside they are slightly more acceptable. Those who have then in London are utterly selfish and embarrassing frankly.

@CowboyHat ahhhh do you are living a typical life of waste and consumerism but desperate to paint others as living a wasteful life. Yeah. People in glass houses Petal . Glass houses. It's always the worst offended who point fingers.

I remember seeing an aggressive man yelling obscenities at a woman in a hospital car park because she drove an SUV. He drove a really old car that was churning out copious amounts of crap into the environment. Modern vehicles are much cleaner but he in his bitterness at having a bit of a shit life wasn't going to admit that.
He looked a right fool when she opened the back revealing a whole pile of tanks. Like oxygen tanks. Not sure what they were but they were for her disabled child to survive on.
It's always the worst offenders to shout the loudest.

yes because everyone who drives an SUV uses them for oxygen tanks. Not because they are selfish.

More and more cars, bigger and bigger cars strewn all over the place, I don't drive, I walk and cycle, I can barely cross the road these days because I can't see over the top of the bloody things 🤬

@Sillybanana not everyone who drives an SUV dies it fir selfish reasons. I think my post was quite clear. You sound like the sort of person who yells at people parked in disabled bays if you can't see a disability . It's not all about you Petal.

I didn’t say anything that would lead you to that conclusion.

If you must know, I don’t have a car by choice (use public transport or zip car), live in a small and economical flat, only fly approximately once every 3-4 years, try to only eat meat once or twice per week, don’t have any pets, recycle all of the usual stuff as well as all food waste, don’t knowingly buy food that has huge air miles, by a lot of my clothes second hand and use apps like Olio and Too Good To Go to reduce waste.

Does that satisfy you? I expect you will find something to get angry and defensive about.