To not understand the obsession with SUVs/4x4s?

[GinDaddy]

I'm genuinely curious to hear people's views below. Nearly every parent I know in my area has a 4x4 car of some sort. That's dozens of folk. The car parks at our local supermarket are covered in the things.

My AIBU is to ask, what is the obsession with these things? Why are they the "default" choice for parents now, considering so many folk can't park them properly, and our roads aren't set up for them?

I watched in amused horror yesterday as a lady with a Vauxhall Grandland X (yep...me neither) tried to park head-first in a bay in our local supermarket. The width of the thing was the issue, but once "parked", the rear of the car was practically touching the front of the neighbouring vehicle.

It was just absurd. Why is this car any better than an Astra estate, or in the same price category, a Skoda Octavia estate, both of which are narrower and better on fuel, and the Skoda which has extraordinary amounts of luggage capacity and legroom?

I think the answer is simple, it's an image thing. People feel their life is more exciting with DCs if they're in something that looks like it could climb a mountain at the weekend.

Only problem is, my DW and I find public car parks absurd at the moment as I find more and more of these hideous things parked terribly at every juncture.

The beauty of living in a capitalist economy is the prerogative of choice, helped by dollops of PCP finance handed out by every car dealer, meaning anyone can get into a boxy car on stilts.

But for goodness sake can people learn how to drive and park these things if they're going to be bought by everyone? Driving down streets with parked cars on either side is a game of "my car is bigger than yours, so move over", which is just embarrassing.

NOTE: I have no issues with envy here; we have a 6-year old estate car from a well known Bavarian marque with a three letter acronym. I don't ride 2mm off people's bumpers, and it serves our family's needs well.

@karenbokaren I can't find an estate that has a boot as large as my 4x4 has, with rows one and two in use....

I don't think I would buy a big car to house a large pram, I'd just buy a smaller pram.

In fact I was offered a lovely pram when I was pregnant with ds but would have had to have taken a wheel off to get it in the car boot. Which I knew just wasn't happening.

It never occurred to me we needed a bigger car. I just bought a foldable Maclaren buggy (suitable from birth before anyone moans)!

Are we adding this topic to the ongoing list of rules that could only exist in Mumsnet?

MUST prove hatred of SUVs by declaring mammoth amount of child related paraphernalia that can be squeezed into a 10 year old Fiat Punto.

It's a choice. Get over it.

I imagine so pavlova With bonus hypocrisy because we can ignore the greater environmental issue of millions of people driving old diesel vans and cars because they financially don’t have any choice. And if it is raised suggest they can all use public transport because the entire UK lives in London.

@Shmithecat2 the boot on my estate is HUGE.

It's the same as a BMW X5, Rav 4 and much bigger than an Audi Q5.

Surely if you only have one child you don't need a massive car seat and a massive pram. Newborns need an infant car seat (which is not huge) and a pram (which can be massive or modest). Then as the grow the car seat gets bigger but the pram gets smaller as you just use a pushchair and usually a compact and light one.

We managed absolutely fine with a car seat (including a large rear-facing one) and a pram (followed by smaller pushchair) in our Focus, you really don't NEED an SUV for that.

I can see that SUVs feel more comfortable and convenient for families but they are not a necessity. Not unless you have other needs that have also been mentioned on this thread (disability, need to tow a caravan/trailer, need a high/large boot for dogs, regularly drive on rough terrain, etc).

DameFanny, 'greedy' and 'selfish' are also judgemental to the point of ludicrousness. And the fact that you keep on supplying synonyms proves my point about the British feeling completely justified in judging others.

Seriously, people in other cultures don't spend their time fretting about how much their neighbours have spent on their vehicle.

Obsession with other people's choices is considered to be a sign of insecurity and even jealousy elsewhere. Or at the very least, a sign of having way too much time on one's hands.

The issue to fix is the institutional inequality, unless you think everything would be made better if the better off simply hid that fact and drove around in battered old jalopies. Deceive the poor that everyone has it bad... great idea.

You currently have the right to make selfish choices that impinge on all of our safety and environment, I currently have the right to judge you for that.

@BogglesGoggles we do have tarmac roads these days out in the shires. It's not dirt tracks anymore.

My 15 year old Fiesta (80HP) manages quite fine with both the steep country lanes and the 70mph dual carriageways.

I find that the biggest clue as to whether a SUV owner really needs it is what colour it's painted. If it is white, it clearly doesn't ever go off road.

Anyone wealthy or really well off in a rural area does drive around in a battered old car. They usually have a rutted drive a mile long without tarmac. But they have privacy, and no close neighbours. Seriously, why would you spend money on a fancy car? The richer your neighbours, outside a city, the less they will spend on cars or prams or buggies.

I love 4x4s. I live central London, have a Range Rover Vogue. Hopelessly impractical but every house on my road has a Range Rover, Cayenne, Q7 or X5. An occasional Tesla X. I love being high, up that’s about it. Maybe I should buy a lorry.
I did get a penalty charge for driving in the ULEZ last week. It’s 24/7. It also costs about £400 annually for a parking permit outside my house. Annoying but nothing would deter me from owning one.

There you go OP
(Is it white? Please let it be white )

@XingMing- that’s really not true where we live. Most people drive Land, or Range Rovers. You wouldn’t be able to get anywhere in winter otherwise!

We’re not wealthy btw, but we live in an area where there are lots of big, rural properties. We still have a RR though!

@karenbokaren

So you have about 650l then. Too small for me. My 4x4 has 1192l without having to fold the 2nd row. No estate I know of has that space.

@DdraigGoch

Mines black and hasn't been off road. Previous was blue, never went off road. Previous to that was red, never went off road. Dh's 4x4 however is white and does go off road. In fact, the previous owner of his 4x4 was the Forestry Commission. So lots of time off road.

@Shmithecat2 black shows up dirt worse than white. If your husband's is an ex-commercial vehicle then its colour isn't really different to a white van (whoever saw an immaculate one of those?)

All very unlike the white elephant one of my neighbours has which certainly never goes off road and isn't fitted with a towbar.

@DdraigGoch

Why should it go off road? Maybe they just bought it because they like it? Like me. I drive a 4x4 mainly because I like them. The large boot is an added bonus. Mine has never had a tow bar fitted either. 🤷‍♀️

@Shmithecat2 but you never tow anything or go off-road so why on earth do you need something that big?!

We live where we have inches of ice, feet of snow for up to 6 months and a VERY off road dirt track with foot deep pit holes. We have livestock and have to provision for weeks at a time.

We can get cut off completely for weeks.

We still mange with an modestly sized estate.

Why exactly do you need your environment killing twat truck?

Maybe this is a dim question, or maybe I'm just getting old, but do cars not emit exhaust any more?

DameFanny
You currently have the right to make selfish choices that impinge on all of our safety and environment, I currently have the right to judge you for that.

The day you can find stats that back up your allegations of safety and environmental issues that do not apply to other vehicles at all is the day when the cows will come home when your judging will be justified.

I am not holding my breath waiting.

Carcrash uk compilation. Don't watch if you tend to have a queasy stomach.

"And this is partly why the planet is fucked. A very fuck you jack as long as I'm alright attitude."

That's a ridiculous thing to say. You have no idea what people do in other areas of their lives to counter having a bigger car. And not all SUVs have bad fuel emission anyway.

eg say you have a small car but you drive it fucking everywhere, to work, to school, to the supermarket. I have a big car but I only drive it at the weekend. Or you have been driving for 25 years, I only got my license last year. You can't just say it's an 'I'm alright Jack' attitude.

We have an SUV and where we live, I'd count it as basically necessary. We're not in the UK and most people have SUVs, speed, switch lanes constantly, a lot of drunk drivers, almost no police on the roads. There have been multiple cases of bus drivers falling asleep and crushing cars in front of them. Like fuck am I going to drive around in that in a tiny hatchback.

I probably wouldn't have one in the UK but only because I try to save money where I can and I find most people drive pretty safely in the UK so it doesn't seem like a necessity to me. If other people want them, let them have it though.

Yes it’s the same here.I live in the midlands,semi rural area.All the parents have SUVs or 4x4,it’s like a competition who can have the biggest car.Very few actually live in areas that need these vehicles,many leased or are on HP.Each to his/her own, I actually think some of the really big cars are a bit chav.

We have a Skoda Octavia as our family car, for it’s good legroom in the back for tall grown up children and massive boot, for years of taking DC with all their stuff to and from college/uni or moving from one student house to another!

DD1 has a Skoda Yeti as her Motability car - she is not allowed to drive.

Which car do we prefer - the Yeti, because tall DH see straight ahead out of the windscreen rather than looking at the roof, as in the Octavia! He has to crouch slightly to see out of the Octavia, which gives him neck and back ache! He can barely get in and out of the Octavia, due to arthritis (?), whereas the Yeti is much easier for him, and us to help DD1 with her seatbelt, as it’s higher!

I prefer the Yeti, as it’s smaller and the rear end stops at the rear window; I hate parking the Octavia due to its boot, even with rear sensors.

The Skoda Yeti was classed as a small SUV, so I don’t get all the antipathy to SUVs, on the grounds they are huge - when ours is smaller than our family saloon? (Nobody would be impressed with a Skoda Yeti, where we live - three neighbours have Volvo XC 60s!)

Hmmm it's a good point that the Octavia feels low. You can change the height of the seats and I've lowered the driving seat so I'm actually looking out of the windscreen instead of at the ceiling!