To not understand the appeal of 4x4s

[purplesquarepurple]

I live in a suburb with flat roads yet a huge percentage of cars driving about the area are 4x4s. Genuinely interested to know why people who live in areas like that drive cars like that. The negatives I can see are: more expensive, worse for the environment, much more likely to kill a pedestrian if you hit them (recent incident in Germany where a 4x4 killed 4 pedestrians), much more likely to kill driver/passengers in other cars in a collision, not actually safer for driver of 4x4 as more likely to roll in a collision, reduces visibility for other road users, takes up more space in bay parking spaces...and I'm sure there are lots more. I completely understand that they are necessary for certain people - if they live in a rural area or have lots of dogs for example - but that definitely isn't the case for most people in my areas. Just wondering, I suppose, what the positives are that outweigh all those negatives?

4 wheel drive is very useful in inclement weather.

I've heard people say that it's because they have a bad back. Or I guess really tall people might be quite cramped in a small car.
But I agree with you and think it's mainly a status thing.

Didn't we just have this exact thread?

If you search MN you will find lots of answers to your question. You might still "not understand" of course but it will save time.

(No, I don't have a 4x4)

I also like being high up so I can see over other cars. It has frequently given me more time to react to hazards up ahead than the cars in front of me have had. It's also less painful to my back when buckling a child into a car seat and easier to get babies into and out of because you don't have to bend down as much.

The mitsubishi outlander PHEV is excellent for he environment, being a fully electric plug in, with an option for petrol only if you run out of juice

The added height is also lovely for those of us past a certain age... Ahem, and it's a great size for moving objects, no need to hire a van! And great in snow..

Dont get me wrong, I'd love a mini again, but in my older age (40) the practicality of a bigger car is lovely.

Plenty of room inside for everyone; lots of them are high spec and feel very luxurious inside; useful if roads are prone to flooding

I have one, but I do live in rural Australia, so is essential. I am always flabbergasted when I see people driving around London in them! I agree, think it's a status thing in the UK and definitely not safer for other road users and pedestrians.

Unnecessary in towns unless your hobby is fell running.
A bit more useful rurally but still not generally necessary for everyone as neighbours and farmers help out.
One of our two is a hybrid four by four that is useful in floods or snow/ice but only a day or two a year. Generally, my Skoda estate is more practical and used more.

I also like being high up so I can see over other cars. It has frequently given me more time to react to hazards up ahead than the cars in front of me have had.

So your need to see over other cars is more important than other peoples need to see past you? You advantage comes from disadvanting everyone else. This is part of why 4x4 drivers are seen as selfish/anti-social.

Having said that, I think high cars do make sense from the point of view of maximising interior space for a given length of car, so possibly the answer is for everyone to have them. But they don't have to literally be 4x4s, fake SUVs and tall hatchbacks do the job.

Didn’t we just have a similar thread? I don’t know OP, I think people just prefer being higher up in traffic. The cars might not actually be safer in reality, but they do feel it. An extra row of seats in the back are good if you have multiple kids who argue - divide and rule! Also, my DS is now 6 ft 6 and a larger car makes more sense on that basis. Some people have big dogs. That’s just some reasons off the top of my head.

It's no puzzle why some people have good reasons for owning a big vehicle that drives well in poor weather and road conditions. You might live in suburbia, but a lot of your neighbours could be off doing any number of things at the weekend and can't justify having a second car to pootle around town in.

We literally have a thread like this once a week.

I present:

• the true country tribe who live with the sheep up a Welsh hill. We all agree they need one
• the townies who claim they need it because their towns don't get the transport that London/Manchester/Glasgow does
• the Londoners who need the extra seats for collecting extra kids on playdates.

Bottom line is that no-one gives a shit about the crap driving, the environmental impact, the pedestrians killed..

The majority of London road deaths are pedestrians and large vehicles are to blame.

I forget the high up gang!!

Bottom line is that no-one gives a shit about the crap driving, the environmental impact, the pedestrians killed..

This is what I don't get - how can people not care about these things? Are they not even factored into the decision making process?

Yes, the high up gang, who like looking down on everyone else 😄.

I hate 4x4s - you can't see past them if they're in the right hand lane as you're both waiting to go onto a roundabout.

I'd quite like one for the extra space, but I just can't bring myself to buy one for lots of the reasons listen on this thread.

WE live in the country and don’t know the local farmers. They don’t have farmhouses near us. The roads in and out of our village are steep and can get icy and slippery. I have had a 4x4 of some description for years. It’s me who helps other people! If it wasn’t for people like me the elderly or those with “ordinary” cars would be marooned. We have no shop. No bus stop. No street lights. We help each other out. I help by having a 4x4.

We have the cleanest diesel possible. It has less emissions than plenty of other cars. It’s a Porsche Macan. We intend to get a hybrid or an electric 4x4 when I change my Discovery. For short journeys we already have a mini hybrid and it’s fun. It’s not a load lugger though!

People in cities possibly don’t need them but I do. However even people in cities might need to load lug or go into the country.

I live on an ordinary estate, not a sheep or Welsh hill in sight. The roads are mainly speed bumped. Whilst most cars drive slowly and even slower over the speed bumps, a couple of neighbours driving 4 x 4s actually stop and pause before each speed bump and then crawl over it as slowly as they possibly can. Surely a 4 x 4 shouldn't really need to do that?

So your need to see over other cars is more important than other peoples need to see past you?

More important to me? Yes. More important to them or the universe in general? No.

You advantage comes from disadvanting everyone else. This is part of why 4x4 drivers are seen as selfish/anti-social

People choose their own cars. Some people choose shorter cars. I choose a taller one. If you want to call me antisocial, I can live with that.

I mostly find them irritating in car parks, even though I reverse in if you have one next to you can can't see out when driving out of your spot.

Why do you care? People are different they like driving different types of car?

You may as well ask why do people live in a big house when they could live in a small house? Comfort, space, they are prepared to spend the extra on tax and fuel for the added space.

It’s probably the same for people who drive 4x4s.

I love them. Brilliant in the snow. No more bad for the environment than having kids.

My dad has one to tow his caravan with. I reckon the fact said caravan provides 3 families with holidays instead of flying abroad (parents, us, brother’s family) that it's carbon neutral.

Hope none of you own any dogs.......

phys.org/news/2009-11-dogs-larger-carbon-footprint-suv.html

@BubblesBuddy don't worry - we give you the official Mumsnet pass for living in the countryside and, well, actually using them for what they're intended.

@Timeless19 - we care because in the towns and cities, it's our kids who will get hit and be less likely to survive, our kids who have to breath all the fumes and it's us who have to navigate around them because many don't seem to see us.

This thread is a great example of whataboutism - the dog, having children etc. All to deflect from having a real discussion on the health risks.

Well round here they are a status symbol! Look at me and look at how much money I've got! It's actually really sad!