Why do people buy SUVs?

[MuskIsACnt]

I need a new car and I’ve always had a small car but it seems every other car now is an SUV, so I’m wondering why and whether I need one.

The boot space is often the same as smaller cars, they’re more expensive and arguably harder to park. Am I missing some great benefit that I should be considering? Or does driving a big car just make people feel big (I used to drive a Luton van and that made me feel big)?

Exactly. Some of the compact SUVs get a bad rep but they're not really bigger than any other car. I upgraded to a Seat Ateca (horrible massive SUV) from a Renault Megane (nice small hatchback) and the difference in length is about 10 cm and same for the height.

I like it because the driver seat is higher up and I feel I can see better when I'm driving.

That is shocking but you should be more shocked by - or at least aware - that women are 17% more likely to die and 72% more likely to be severely injured in car accidents just as a result of bad car design and the fact cars do not have to be safety tested on female crash test dummies (CTDs), just male ones / resized male ones rather than anthropometricly correct female CTDs that take into account different weight distribution, flexibility, strength and so much more…

have a look at Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez or have a quick google - there’s lots of info about this out there sadly. Or here’s another example - I still find it unbelievable in this day and age that there’s such a discrepancy between the sexes for this and that nobody seems to be in a rush to do anything about it as CTDs are expensive to buy and even more so to develop. They don’t even think about trying to make a pregnant crash test dummy despite pregnant women being even more at risk than non-pregnant women.

That's great. Yes, we have 24 solar panels that provide the power for the car and our electrics. We do a storage battery though rather than selling to the grid. The next job is the air source heat pump. We are very rural.

No SUV, but a BYD electric which is fabulous. Good for the Chinese. They made a beautiful product.

Which SUVs class as a status symbol anyway? All of them? Just Rangerovers/BMWs?

My electric car was more expensive than my 'compact" SUV Kuga. A Ferrari is more expensive but I wouldn't be driving one because they are totally impractical.

Better visibility on motorways.

I have one because I can’t get into a low down car. The boot is big enough for my fold up power chair and shopping or DGS’s buggy. It’s an EV, too, so it’s not gas guzzling either.

I live in a rural/semi rural area and got used to driving one for my NHS community job. I used to have big dogs and they needed the space/headroom. I love the higher driving position. I drive a Rav4. The boot is HUGE. The seat height and space make it easier to get in and out of, also the seat design. Full disclosure, there are a couple of car parks round me that I avoid because the spaces are mean and spaces in the car parks that I do use that I avoid for the same reason. Its because if the person who arrives after me doesn't exactly centre themselves or is also a driver of a wider vehicle, then I won't be able to open the car door to get in.

I have read Invisible Women

For all those who mentioned safety…

Your own DC and their friends are the pedestrians most at risk from you decreasing the pedestrian safety around their schools, clubs, homes.

We live on an (in winter) icy hill.
My family are all giants and don't fit easily into a regular car.
We tend to get a cottage in the summer for a couple of weeks and have a lot of stuff to get in the boot.

Have a Discovery.

I have an SUV, used to have a Mini but I couldn’t fit the car seat in the back when I had a baby. There aren’t many cars on the market that are not hatchbacks or small SUVs!

Exactly the same here.

Also for safety. If someone is going to drive into you, there will be far less impact in a Land Rover than there will be in a Toyota Yaris.

I like them. I honestly don’t give a shit what people think of them. I bet I do far more for the enviroment than the people who criticise them.

I got a small SUV (Suzuki S-Cross) primarily because I've got arthritis in my knees and the taller seat height made it easier to get in and out of. I love that car. It's smaller than my old saloon so it's easier to park while being surprisingly roomy inside and the hilarious 1litre turbo engine can do 50+mpg on the motorway.

Deffo status mostly unless u have a gang of kiddies !!
when I walk around and come onto the posh parts most people who have a lot of money have pretty regular old bangers on their drive way !!
when I walk in less posh areas people has brand new SUV cars lol 😂 !

What happens if the Land Rover drives into the Toyota Yaris?

It makes me feel safe, I prefer being higher up, it’s easier to get in and out of, I have 3 DC and 2 dogs and often the kids have their mates so I need the extra 2 seats in the boot. It’s electric anyway so not gas guzzling and I’m good at parking so not a problem.

Best keep out my way then .

Status symbol.

Unless you live on a farm/down a country lane (although really they are too big for the lanes).

we have a storage battery too but definitely make enough to sell back on longer bright days .
husband is the energy expert 😆 he worked in renewables so I probably only know about 50% of what he mentions.

Says it all. I have an expensive car so I am more important than you, get out of the way.

Because I have enough kids that I need more than 5 seats. Because we go on big adventures and I need the four wheel drive capability to handle the terrain.

It’s obvious, I know, but for fellow shortarses, you can just get a booster seat from Amazon for about £30. It makes a big difference to driving position and gets your seatbelt is a safer position, even if you are already in an suv but especially if you are not. I still avoid everything too low. I car share a lot for work and my friends have a Volvo estate, a Lexus smallish hatchback thing (golf sort of size) and a 2 door soft top bmw (I’m not good in models) and in all of them I feel like I’m on one of those recumbent cycles when I’m in the front passenger seat.

We have a 12yo Freelander, for towing ponies and driving on the mix of terrains that pony activities usually require (competitions, as well as clearing and fencing fields/grazing etc.). Even the track to our yard is quite lumpy and bumpy and my old small car used to bottom out on it. Plus we live semi-rurally, with minimal public transport, no gritting etc. so it's useful in winter as even though it's only a few days a year, we can't choose to stay home and not feed the ponies - like now, sketchy roads here since heavy snow on Monday, and no thaw until Sunday at the earliest.

I am crossing my fingers that the current car keeps going for a few more years until DD goes to uni.

Typically because you can get better deals on finance for new cars... lots of older second hand cars you'd have to buy outright, people don't own their newer cars.

Buying second hand is also a risk that youll need to pay out for repairs, a newer car comes with warranties, repairs included etc.

It's also a trap where you do that, then at the end of the three years you have no car and no money so start it all over again.

If youve got more money youll buy a car and be able to have it for years, and it becomes far cheaper in the long run

It's like why you'll find people with more money can afford a deposit and to buy a house and be responsible for the upkeep and pay a reasonable mortgage.

People with less money don't have a lump sum for deposit and worry about being able to afford a random 6 grand for a roof so end up stuck in the trap of paying a lot more for rent (thus never being able to save for a deposit)

As discussed things like fiestas, mondeos, and focuses have all been discontinued and replaced by suvs

There was a period where I couldn't afford to buy second hand because of previous experience of spending lots of money upkeeping bad second hand cars that were money pits. I needed the stability of a warranty and a car that was still drivable in 3 years

I ended up finding a second hand did warranties but spent a lot more than if I had just bought of auto trader