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Original poster

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

449 replies

FluffyRabbitSocks · 24/02/2023 15:14

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.

OP posts:
bloodywhitecat · 24/02/2023 16:17

I drive one because it is far easier to get my non mobile, dystonic 2 year old in and out of a car seat when I don't have to bend down to hatchback/estate car height especially when they are contracted and have no flex in their muscles that day (I have tried getting my toddler in and out of DD's Fiesta, it ain't easy). If people want to judge by what I drive rather than why I drive it then that's on them.

MrsRosieBrew · 24/02/2023 16:17

TallulahBetty · 24/02/2023 15:21

Chelsea Tractors. School mums, barging their way through on the road, with everyone else bouncing off them. Parking anywhere, on double yellows, over people's drives, anywhere they fancy. Because they have a Big Fancy Car and are Better Than You.

This.

crackofdoom · 24/02/2023 16:18

I read (but can't be bothered to Google, frankly) that all the gains we have made in reducing carbon emissions with electric cars have been reversed due to the popularity of SUVs and their massive engines.

Their bonnets are pretty much at the height of a child's head, making them far more dangerous for pedestrians, especially children. And then they all park on the junction around school, meaning oncoming drivers can't see kids crossing the road. Makes me so angry.

They're an absolute liability in rural lanes because they're too bloody wide.

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Cars & vehicles
herbaceous · 24/02/2023 16:19

It's the 'I'm alright Jack' vibe that boils my piss.

All this 'I'm safer in an accident' and you pedestrians and drivers of small cars can just piss off, jealous peasants.

'Frontover' accidents in the US, where people run over small children on driveways etc, have massively increased as cars get bigger and bigger. Iit's just mental.

herbaceous · 24/02/2023 16:19

In US, but what happens there...

Why all the hate for SUV’s/4x4 vehicles?
VenusClapTrap · 24/02/2023 16:20

Sarahcoggles · 24/02/2023 15:35

  1. they use too much fuel so are not good from an environment perspective
  2. they are too big for most parking spaces and many roads, making driving difficult for everyone
  3. they are often used a status symbol and driven by arrogant tossers
  4. they are often driven poorly due to their size, and frequently straddle 2 parking spaces
  5. their size and weight makes them more dangerous to smaller cars in collisions

Basically to me they scream "look at me, I have shit loads of money and I don't give a damn about the environment as long as me and my own are fine. I'll park across 2 spaces and take up excessive space on narrow roads but I don't give a shit."

I know most people will disagree with me because MN loves Chelsea tractors, and people will bang on about their 6 kids and multiple dogs and their situation that requires a huge car etc etc, but you asked for opinions and this is mine. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere or have a farm, you don't need a whopping 4x4.

I agree with this. I live in a very old village with a narrow high street. It regularly gets snarled up when two hoofing great SUVs meet, trying to go in opposite directions. Small cars can get past each other, giant ones can’t. So they either a) shout at each other and refuse to reverse, b) barge past parked vehicles knocking off their wing mirrors, or c) drive on the pavement, risking the lives of kids walking to school.

No need for it.

User15387659 · 24/02/2023 16:21

We may get a VW camper but they are big as well so take up just as much road

Whatthediddlyfeck · 24/02/2023 16:22

IsItBedtimeYetNope · 24/02/2023 15:23

A lot of it is inverse snobbery fueled by insecurity because some people can't afford them and therefore have to convince themselves they don't want one and not only that, but that buying one is a Bad Thing To Do. It's already popped up on this thread. It'll derail soon into arguments about parking and the environment.

I totally agree with this. Woe betide you if it’s an Audi, BMW or Merc-you have no right to be on this earth!!

I’m away to swap my Merc C class for a SUV because I’m Middle Aged and have dodgy knees so will benefit from not sitting on the ground like I am in my current car!

User15387659 · 24/02/2023 16:23

We can have what car or van we want, I have never done school run as we don't have DC.

herbaceous · 24/02/2023 16:28

The inverse snobbery argument is bullshit. Believe it or not, a lot of people don't tie up their perceived worth in the sort of car they drive.

If I had loads of money, the last thing I'd buy would be a 4x4.

Johnisafckface · 24/02/2023 16:28

I have loved all of mine. I've got long legs and a short torso so getting into a car with long legs and knee/back problems is literally a pain. Also the ones I drove were very safe, I got in a few accidents (not my fault) and barely made a dent on them, but the other cars were quite damaged.

I now drive a car low to the ground cause I couldn't afford an SUV at the time, I HATE it. As soon as I'm able I will be getting another SUV.

LolaSmiles · 24/02/2023 16:30

I love that the jealousy claim was dished out by page 1. It's a Mumsnet classic that any criticism of something that costs money just be jealousy and the plebs have to be mean about it because they're secretly super envious about the thing they don't actually like.

Choconut · 24/02/2023 16:34

People who have SUVs love them and think everyone must be jealous of them(as has been said on this thread) and don't care about anything apart from that it's convenient for them. People who don't have them hate them because they're huge, they need a lot more materials to make and use a lot more fuel and it's often diesel so they are much less environmentally friendly, often parked badly and end up taking up two spaces just because they are so big, they're much more dangerous in an accident because of the weight (although they're much more likely to roll than a normal car so more dangerous for those in the car too). They're also annoying on narrow roads if people want to pass.

I hate them and it's definitely not because I'm jealous as I don't drive.

ItsCalledAConversation · 24/02/2023 16:36

User15387659 · 24/02/2023 16:23

We can have what car or van we want, I have never done school run as we don't have DC.

This seems an unusual post, not even worth the energy to type? Why comment at all if you have no skin in the game?

89ghud · 24/02/2023 16:38

I just find them really obnoxious, why do people need to occupy THAT much space. Many of them are just superficially big too, much of it is about aesthetics.

Icaughtuadeliciousbass · 24/02/2023 16:40

Judging by a thread a few days ago I would suggest that it's linked to a stereotype of SUV = anti social behaviour and drug dealers

Xol · 24/02/2023 16:40

loudbatperson · 24/02/2023 15:26

I only take issue with people who have one and can't bloody drive it like next door.

This. I get tired of waiting forever in car parks because someone driving one of these has to have 15 goes at getting into or out of the parking spaces, to say nothing of the idiots doing 28 point turns at the end of our road because they mistakenly thought it was a short cut through to the main road. And, unless you're in the countryside, it's pretty ridiculous for just one person to be driving these anyway.

Gazelda · 24/02/2023 16:46

The impact they have on the environment.

Their size makes visibility difficult. Both at junctions and also at the top of my road where SUVs regularly park right on the corner making it impossible to see if traffic is coming.

The inability for some drivers of SUVs to gauge their car width. They take up more width of the road than necessary, and conversely won't go down a narrow 2-way lane because they (incorrectly) guess that their car won't fit alongside another coming the other way. The chaos this creates near to the public school near me is incredibly frustrating.

And before anyone pulls me up on my reference to public school - the school is along a lane that is 2-way and also a big commuter route. About 90% of the students travel to school by SUV. The SUV drivers are frequently too worried about scratching their cars to use the 2-way road, so wait until there is no traffic coming the other way before edging along. This creates huge tailbacks unnecessarily.

SUVs inconvenience me at least 4 times every day. I never complain or let it bother me though. But this thread has been a lovely opportunity to vent! Thank you OP.

SomeCommonThing · 24/02/2023 16:46

Because where I live those types of cars are driven exclusively by people doing the school run who are clearly incapable of driving or parking the vehicle.
They get in their white range rover, drive 3 streets, oblivious to the highway code, and abandon it half on the path on a blind corner outside the school, drop their kids off. Stand chatting for 20 mins, and then drive home again.

User15387659 · 24/02/2023 16:46

ItsCalledAConversation · 24/02/2023 16:36

This seems an unusual post, not even worth the energy to type? Why comment at all if you have no skin in the game?

Show quote history

I have an SUV and people keep banging on about the school run

User15387659 · 24/02/2023 16:48

And there it is...

SomeCommonThing · 24/02/2023 16:49

If people can't drive their massive vehicle, they shouldn't have one.

QuertyGirl · 24/02/2023 16:50

They're dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists, take up far too much space and generally driven by wankers of both sexes.

MistyMooninabluesky · 24/02/2023 16:53

TallulahBetty · 24/02/2023 15:21

Chelsea Tractors. School mums, barging their way through on the road, with everyone else bouncing off them. Parking anywhere, on double yellows, over people's drives, anywhere they fancy. Because they have a Big Fancy Car and are Better Than You.

^^ 100%
And the majority of those drivers can’t reverse 🤬

Badbudgeter · 24/02/2023 16:53

ItsCalledAConversation · 24/02/2023 15:24

If we are going full Mumsnet, then I have to tell you there is a world of difference between a RAV4 or CRV (cheap, chav cars) or a Range Rover (proper high spec, not the “sport” or “evoque”, which are chavvy) or Volvo x90. The former are Mumsnet gasp-and-judge-worthy. The latter, while arguably more polluting because they’re bigger and heavier, are more acceptable.

I drive an evoque for work and I really rate it. It has fantastic adjustable heated seats. I get out feeling like I’ve had a hot stone massage. It’s much better than the discovery or the velar which has a much more relaxed driving position. I wasn’t a fan.