Aibu to hope that this is the start of a major backlash against SUVs?

[gingganggooleywotsit]

Just seen this on the BBC news website.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56647128
It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone in motoring speak out publicly against suvs. I pray this is the start of a major backlash and rightly so! Before anyone says..”you’re jealous” as I usually see on these threads, I would just like to say-I could afford one myself but I wouldn’t be seen dead in one!
Also I am only talking about city suvs. In the countryside/farming it’s of course a different matter.

@Annoy

I have an unfashionable berlingo and it seems to tick all the practical boxes that people are giving for reasons to own an SUV

My car has to be practical (live rurally, have horses, dogs, etc), I have a Land Rover, which I love. I wouldn’t be seen dead in a Berlingo

Why not own something beautiful and stylish if you can! Life is too short to own anything utilitarian when there are far nicer options available.

And anyway, I do a lot of off road driving and as the Berlingo is not a proper 4x4, it would be of no use to me, so actually doesn’t tick all of the ‘practical’ boxes at all 🤷🏻‍♀️

@mustlovegin

These threads are usually filled with people coming on to justify why their SUV ecologically sound or fits their particular lifestyle, family or health requirement

People should grow a backbone and stop apologising for their choices TBH.

I don’t apologise for mine. I love my Land Rover and we chose it because it is a safe car. I wouldn’t want to be in a collision in a Fiat 500.

You’re something like 8 more times likely to survive a crash in a car like mine.

I don’t apologise for making that choice.

It’s a lovely, comfortable car and drives really well. I love it.

I wouldn’t drive anything but an SUV.

And I don’t care if others don’t like it.

These threads are usually filled with people coming on to justify why their SUV ecologically sound or fits their particular lifestyle, family or health requirement

People should grow a backbone and stop apologising for their choices TBH.

100%.

You don't need to justify your life to a load of randoms.

Compared to a small hatch-back on balance they're safer for the occupants, but not much else

By all means buy one because you like it, but objectively on safety it's wrong to say they're safer.

But they ARE safer. For the driver/passengers of the SUV. Which is why WE bought one.

It’s not my fault if we end up in a collision and the other person opted to drive a smaller car, making them less safe.

My car passed 5* on all safety aspects but one - pedestrian. We all care about our OWN safety. I’m not going to choose a car that would not protect us in a collision because it’s less likely to kill someone else. My family comes first to ME.

@Osirus

Compared to a small hatch-back on balance they're safer for the occupants, but not much else

By all means buy one because you like it, but objectively on safety it's wrong to say they're safer.

But they ARE safer. For the driver/passengers of the SUV. Which is why WE bought one.

It’s not my fault if we end up in a collision and the other person opted to drive a smaller car, making them less safe.

My car passed 5* on all safety aspects but one - pedestrian. We all care about our OWN safety. I’m not going to choose a car that would not protect us in a collision because it’s less likely to kill someone else. My family comes first to ME.

Indeed!

“It’s not my fault if we end up in a collision and the other person opted to drive a smaller car, making them less safe.“

The high front of an SUV means if you collide with an adult pedestrian they are 2-3 times more likely to die than if hit by a normal car. Children 4 times as likely. Is that their fault too?
(Figures from memory from reading about this earlier today)

@poppycat10. Your car may have got 5 stars but the NCAP ratings are as questionable as Volkswagens emissions rating. Can manufacturers purposely pay attention to the areas that are tested and make sure they hold up well.

I work in the motor industry, at the higher vintage end admittedly but you see all walks of life coming through the door and we also deal new. I’ll say that most of our customers pay cash for their vehicles. We rarely finance. If they can’t afford to pay in cash, they can rarely afford the finance.

Instead of relying on those nice little stars go and walk around a salvage yard, not a scrap yard a salvage yard. Nothing tells you how well a car withstands a good hard smack beyond an afternoon around one of those places. It will be a real eye opener.

@Osirus

Compared to a small hatch-back on balance they're safer for the occupants, but not much else

By all means buy one because you like it, but objectively on safety it's wrong to say they're safer.

But they ARE safer. For the driver/passengers of the SUV. Which is why WE bought one.

It’s not my fault if we end up in a collision and the other person opted to drive a smaller car, making them less safe.

My car passed 5* on all safety aspects but one - pedestrian. We all care about our OWN safety. I’m not going to choose a car that would not protect us in a collision because it’s less likely to kill someone else. My family comes first to ME.

Wow, how selfish, and perfectly sums up what I imagine most SUV drivers to be like. The increased risk to pedestrians is substantial, but who gives a fuck, right?

The thing you can’t get away from is that big cars are really really bad for the climate. The car industry loves to point at all the shiny electric cars but all the benefit of some people swapping to electric is being cancelled out by the global rise in SUV sales the same companies are flogging.

It's nkt selfish to wnat your family to be safe and provide that safety.
Whether it's a house alarm (going off randomly all day) or an suv (annoyingly tall but otherwise pretty much not much bigger than many other cars).

@Osirus

Compared to a small hatch-back on balance they're safer for the occupants, but not much else

By all means buy one because you like it, but objectively on safety it's wrong to say they're safer.

But they ARE safer. For the driver/passengers of the SUV. Which is why WE bought one.

It’s not my fault if we end up in a collision and the other person opted to drive a smaller car, making them less safe.

My car passed 5* on all safety aspects but one - pedestrian. We all care about our OWN safety. I’m not going to choose a car that would not protect us in a collision because it’s less likely to kill someone else. My family comes first to ME.

Nicely cherry picked.

I guess you missed the point about the false perception of safety.. Easier to roll, longer to brake... Etc

They’re not going anywhere! They’re practical and they feel safer than a normal car. You will never get people to stop driving a car with those attributes.

@thecatsthecats

Ah, the good old "necessary in the countryside" routine.

I'll tell my old neighbours with their 4x4 Fiat Panda that actually it CAN'T cope on the roads, inclines etc.

My mechanic told me that a customer of his, who has several cars including a very flash Range Rover, found that his daughter's Panda 4x4 was the best of the lot at dealing with snowy, icy roads when we last had a decent amount of snow here.

If my elderly A4 Avant ever gives up the ghost, I might well consider one, now that I don't need a bigger car for camping.

@Angelica789

They’re not going anywhere! They’re practical and they feel safer than a normal car. You will never get people to stop driving a car with those attributes.

This ^.

@Osirus @KizzyWayfarer

My big bad horrible Land Rover has a pedestrian air bag? I take it your cars good for one two?

The fact is that yes at a higher speed you are more likely to die if you are hit by an SUV but it is also fact that the SUV driver is statistically less likely to have an accident in the first place. The vehicles have better viewing capability, better onboard systems to prevent collisions in newer models and they are far less likely to be speeding (stats on google if interested)

Flashy car = over compensating for being shit in bed/having a tiny dick. I am never impressed by a flashy car.

Exactly.

Can't stand them, ugly things. It's mind boggling when you have people who drive these bloody big powerful things like milk floats.

SUV owner here in London suburbs...an old Land Rover.

I do have a guilty conscience about it, but I am not going to lie I love it. It’s so comfortable, I love the seating position and space. I wouldn’t say it’s a status symbol exactly but it does fit my outdoorsy image/lifestyle.

We bought it when diesels were seen as the better environmental choice - I don’t have a problem with the size of the car as such but poor fuel consumption and urban emissions do bother me. I do deliberately restrict the amount we use it though - we don’t drive for the school run, shopping or commuting and only really use it London for trips to the tip and the occasional trip to places that are hard to reach by public transport.

Vast majority of the miles we put on it are day trips or holidays into the countryside.

I think our next car will be electric or hybrid.

I’ve got a gas guzzling SUV and a 14 year old clapped out hatchback. Love them both equally for totally different reasons, and couldn’t give a shit what strangers think of my choice of car.

I think in the end all the arguments will focus on people who drive them in cities. They damage roads, less safe for pedestrians, and some drivers of them are super clueless.

So reclassify them, make owners pay tax or relevant charge; the market is shifting to electric vehicles in cities, so the era of the Chelsea Tractor is coming to an end. Driving a huge vehicle is seriously gauche thing to do - in ten years time it will be a total anachronism.

Choice of car is very personal, for most people.
Car emissions are being actively dealt with and so , every year, cars are getting cleaner.
I'm just wondering how many folk are disparaging SUVs but have garden pools/tubs that require a large amount of electricity to keep warm/filter or who have fire pits or wood burners.
It's six of one etc...

" I hate gas guzzlers as they burn fossil fuels but I love wood burners as they need trees to be cut down to fuel them."
Yes trees are replanted but the replant growth is slower than the cutting down rate.

I have an SUV. It's great on fuel compared to my hatchback, it's got enough room of DC, dogs and prams, bags etc. It's a nice drive and I am able to park in spaces.
I see more BMW estates/Audi estates and hatchbacks parked over the line than any SUVs.

YABU by presuming that everyone's lifestyle fits an estate car

I hate them and i drive a large vehicle for work! My own car is a small, economical car. They are middle class status symbols, except for Range Rovers which are the latest chav accessory.

People buy the best car for their budget that meets their needs best. This is why we have a big estate car, we don't need all that space for the majority of journeys in it, but we do for enough that I have to drive this long thing I hate parking.

The small second car is going this year as we don't need to do enough journeys to justify two cars, neither of us need to drive to /from work now, but we do need a car and some of those journeys will need to be carrying more than the small car can fit, so the bigger, less environmentally friendly one is the one we're keeping.

Tax, insurance, MOT costs etc make it not sensible to run 2 cars when you only need 1 and aren't rich. The environmental impact is a concern, but saving the tax and insurance on the 2nd car is winning with us.

This is selfish of us. The best option for the environment and town traffic would be to keep both, use the small car for the supermarket run and taking the kids to things etc, and only drive the bigger car when we really can't use the smaller, more efficient car. But I can't justify the cost to be slightly more moral.

Easier to roll

Is that right across the board? I know there have been some issues with particular models over the years but haven’t heard that as a blanket safety issue.