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.

I'm disabled (though I don't look it and don't have a blue badge) and find it much easier to get in and out of a higher up car. I also am still extremely nervous in cars due to the car accident that caused my disability, and feel less stressed in a large car.

Ours was bought with cash.

I have an XC60 so I assume I am one of those ones you hate. I got it because it is higher up so better/easier on my back when lifting two small children in and out. Plus the boot space is good and again easy to access.
I can see that it is annoying when you park next to me, it actually easier for me to get in and out as you don’t have to open the doors very wide.

@SerenDippitty

Exactly this!!

And at ballet last Saturday, I witnessed a person in a Ford Kuga try and park their car in a space next to a Peugeot 208, hardly a wide car. Instead they just gave up and parked 80% in one bay, the rest of the car over another bay.

It's just infuriating - if you buy a car like that, it's your responsibility to learn how to place it so that it doesn't inconvenience every other person around.

Otherwise it's just the giant "fuck you" that it sometimes comes across as.

I think they should be heavily taxed personally.

due to the low emissions of the suv we have the car tax is a fraction of what it was with our previous hatchback

Oh, and I actually think there are less and less of them on the roads now.

Estate cars are having a huge comeback.

Every 2nd or 3rd car is now an estate around us.

Used to have a tiny car (it got written off), got an SUV to a) save my back with kids car seats b) lots of times people in massive 4x4s didn’t even see my tiny city mini thing and I had to hoot or emergency manoeuvre to avoid being smashed into - the SUV is visible c) the high up vantage point is useful. The local supermarket car park is a nightmare - it’s very tight and full of bigger SUVs than ours (we purposefully chose the smallest one we could get away with). All roads are narrow round here with he unwritten rule being five way to the most expensive/biggest and I dread going out in it so cycle a lot, and walk anywhere that’s under 2 miles.

So basically what I’m saying is I joined them as I felt my tiny car wasn’t safe, and practicality of a new baby means they are hard to compete with 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

@Soontobe60
"Anyone who pays upfront for a brand new car is a fool IMO."
Why?
When we considered buying brand new there was a discount if you took the finance deal, so that would have made sense.
But apart from that I see no issue with buying outright if you have the money in the bank - better than paying interest on finance.
We paid up front but didn't buy new, we bought nearly new - 6 months old and about 5000 miles - for 2/3 of the price

You basically need an 4 wheel drive if you ever leave the centre of town

I lived in rural Shropshire growing up. I had a Corsa. My parents never had anything bigger than a saloon car. None of my friends or their parents had big SUVs. We coped fine.

@Postmanbear

I don't hate anyone!!

I'm glad it saves you back pain, no one wants this.

I do think there's a hell of a lot of these things, and we don't have the public infrastructure on this tiny island to properly accommodate them.

City centre multi story car parks at Christmas time are hilarious if they weren't so frustrating.

@ShivD maybe they like having the option of driving out of London? Or they might light having a lot of stuff in their car (so a buggy, golf clubs, suitcase of clothes etc etc) so they can just leave without needing to put stuff in their car? Even for urban dwellers they are a very practical choice

I like the higher driving position.

I own my car, btw. That said, I don’t know why there is so much sneeriness about leasing. Leasing is a very popular way to run a car these days.

@Wtfdoipick

Fair enough, but cars until recently were ludicrously taxed according to just one metric only , CO2 emissions.

So we could have a large SUV from 2007 taxed at £200 a year because it's a low capacity diesel, but pumping out loads of particulates that hurt our kid's lungs etc.

Yet a 1.6 petrol hatchback from the same year is taxed at the same amount....crazy.

Very odd.

I used to see this about ten/fifteen years ago but not now. Very unusual to see 4 x 4s unless driven by folk who need them. Driving a 4 x 4 as some kind of style statement is regarded as pretty trashy where I live.

Do you live in an area that is a bit behind the times OP?

News flash: other (non-SUV) cars have big boots and can cope with driving outside the city!

We’ve got a new Peugeot 5008. It’s because we have three young children and it has 3 isofix points across the back. Barely any cars do. That’s literally the only reason.

I dislike them too. People do take up more room with them in car parks and also on the roads. Take a junction where you can turn left or right. SUV wants to go right, you want to go left. Small cars can both fit, but if someone has an SUV you can't fit around them and it causes more traffic queues. Also you can't see round them when you are behind them.

I am not remotely envious. I bought a new(er) small hybrid car last week and am very happy with it.

They are not necessary. They are a status symbol for urban drivers. And unless they are electric/hybrid nasty gas-guzzlers which have a bad impact on the environment.

Cross posts I was replying to Boggles

@Hollycatberry we get a lot of potholes where we are and the roads are terrible in winter (so much so that I wouldn’t drive them in a small car). We also have a lot of Lycra cyclists so a fast engine is a must for over taking without causing risks to on coming traffic. Peopledriving in unsuitable cars often cause accidents (resulting in delays). It’s possible to cope but it creates a danger to other road users to drive unsuitable cars.

And yeah whoever said you need a 4 wheel drive to leave town is a poor driver. I've used small cars every year I've been driving, which is almost 12 years, and driven in deep snow with them. They manage because I can drive. You don't need 4 wheel drive for anything other than off roading really, and it's helpful for towing. But motorways etc? No. Not necessary.

@EntirelyAnonymised

That's great, fair enough.

I'm not sneering at leasing, I'm just noting that the explosion/proliferation of SUVs couldn't have happened without them.

I think they should be heavily taxed personally.

As my SUV is a hybrid, that seems a bit unfair? There's a hell of a lot more smaller cars that chuck out more fumes than mine.

I think they should be heavily taxed personally*

Bold fail.

@bluebeck

I live in Surrey, and visit family in London, home counties and the North East.

It's the same wherever I go, so maybe you're somewhere particularly advanced in that case.

I have an entirely rational hatred of 4x4s. They're too bloody big. They're stealing space and line of sight from every other driver on the road, and unless you've got a really good reason to be driving something with the profile of a minibus, you're a selfish cock for doing so.

I currently drive a scruffy 12yo car - I expect it to be my last as it's going to be a toss-up between the car failing and my health. If you gave me a range rover I'd sell it straightaway - probably with a prawn inserted under the headliner. So don't tell me I'm "reeking of envy" either - that's something your mum said to make you feel better because Tiffany Jones laughed at your shoes, and is hardly ever the case in actual life.

As far as I know the only 5 seater that can fit 3 car seats in the back is the Skoda Octavia. You can just about cram them in but the dc would not be able to release their belts if there was an emergency. If you routinely drive more than 2 children you need a seven seater.