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.

If it were me I would call an SUV a large vehicle for driving licence purposes and if you want to drive one, take your driving test in one. The thought of having to take your driving test again or have a normal sized car I expect would reduce the number of SUVs on the road.

I learned to drive and passed my test in an SUV and have driven one since. Should I retake my licence to be able to drive a small car with a different driver skillset?

Could also afford one but I wouldn't accept one even if you gave it to me.

Obnoxious things driven by people desperate to "keep up with the Joneses". Look like they should be driven by drug dealers.

@CoffeeWithCheese

If the tall man in The Simpsons can manage, surely your husband can😂

They are ugly cars Ginuwine. My mum always had them while I was growing up (still does) and I swore I would never have one.

@Nonmaquillee

Could also afford one but I wouldn't accept one even if you gave it to me.

Obnoxious things driven by people desperate to "keep up with the Joneses". Look like they should be driven by drug dealers.

🤣 my kia sorrento doesn't look like a drug dealers car. Its more horsey people and caravaning people that buy them apparently. Great for towing I'm told.

paving front gardens because they struggle to reverse into or out of garages

huh?

Nobody parks in their garage any more!

@Nonmaquillee

Could also afford one but I wouldn't accept one even if you gave it to me.

Obnoxious things driven by people desperate to "keep up with the Joneses". Look like they should be driven by drug dealers.

Lol at keeping up with Joneses. It's a cash and carry car in my circles 😂 Prettier sedan styles are for being obnoxious

I don't own one but I do drive one regularly when I support a particular person. They cannot bend very well so find the smaller cars impossible to use and 3 bags of shopping and a mobility scooter takes up quite a bit of space.

Five out of ten of the UKs best selling models are SUVs. These aren't Landrovers and German muscle beasts but budget and mainstream brands like Nissan, Kia and Vauxhall. The majority of SUVs sold are just big hatchbacks. Much more practical than outdated saloon cars that families used to chose. Cars like the Qashqai offer a much better use of space for families, baby seats, older people etc and have better safety records.

We have a 4x4 and will likely continue to for a while, the current one is admittedly from the 50s. We’ve had estates but realistically there is no way to comfortably fit in multiple car seats, two dogs and a double pram without one.

Before having children I managed a variety of farms in England and never required a 4x4, despite living down a 1 mile unsurfaced farm track my mini managed fine in all but deep snow.

I wish the London Mayor would have the guts to highly tax these cars

Very few people living in a city actually need them

Ridiculous status symbol

I have never owned one. Could technically own a Bentayga from new if this was my thing so please don't accuse me of "envy".

It's the ones who do speak of envy that betray their real reason for owning one...

image.

As a PP openly said, the MPV/people carrier class of car is considered dull to a lot of folk. It ticks almost every box (large amount of seating, high up driving position, flexible load space) and some are even 4wd in transmission. Yet the image of MPVs dipped drastically around 15 years ago. I've read plenty of posts on here from folk who think MPVs and estates are unfashionable, old person cars

Everyone will fall over themselves on here to explain that their backs have been saved by the high up loading position that SUVs give when putting their DCs in. That the boot capacity is gargantuan despite many models being barely larger or exactly the same as an estate or hatchback equivalent.

And yet the real reason, image and protected image goes unsaid.

Oh I do hope so! I live in an historic town with narrow streets and limited parking and so often SUVs spill over into two parking spaces.
Though I do get immense pleasure from squeezing my little car in next to a badly (selfishly) parked 4x4 where they were probably not expecting anyone to fit next to them 😂

Is there actually size and ecological difference between mini van and suv?

I find it quite funny how much people hate SUV's on Mumsnet yet there are so many of them on the road.

I personally have what is probably a relatively small SUV. It's great on fuel, it has plenty of space for us when we go on self catering holidays. It's quite the opposite of a status symbol though. There's much flashier cars around.

We have one car - an SUV. It's great for camping, tip runs etc. I can drive it and reverse it into our garage (shock). We're changing it for a hybrid disco because it's cheaper to buy and run than our current car (don't ask me how, the mysteries of company cars and BIK tax). I wouldn't have one if we lived on a double parked narrow residential street, but that doesn't mean that other people shouldn't as they're great for people with mobility problems, families etc.

I live pretty centrally in a city and I have an SUV (though not the flashy type!) and its diesel 😳but - I don’t use my car in the city - I get my supermarket shop delivered, walk or cycle to local shops, work, friends, school run, museums (when they are open) etc etc....

I use my car at weekends (pre Covid) to enjoy the outdoors in all weathers (Scotland) and I love it - it’s reliable, easy to park, I’m high up on the road, I can fit kids, bikes, camping gear in it with ease - it’s great for long journeys to see family. So banning people in cities from owning SUVs wouldn’t make sense to me. Making it easier for people to walk and cycle in cities - segregated cycle lanes, reduced traffic etc would lead to better air quality for all rather than choosing to focus on one type of car. My neighbour who has a small hatchback uses it for EVERYTHING - school runs (teenagers - max 20 min walk and the kids are fit), supermarket which is 5 mins walk away... to me that doesn’t make sense.

@Mylittlesandwich

I find it quite funny how much people hate SUV's on Mumsnet yet there are so many of them on the road.

I personally have what is probably a relatively small SUV. It's great on fuel, it has plenty of space for us when we go on self catering holidays. It's quite the opposite of a status symbol though. There's much flashier cars around.

I don't think Mumsnetters hate SUVs. 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.

I think these threads tend to bring out and unearth plenty of people like myself who are dismayed or frustrated by what is at best a fashion trend, but at worst an issue of sheer size of these numbers of cars on such a small island with historically narrow streets and limited parking, as well as the wilful ignoring of the increased polluting of this body style by purchasers, who look for some other perceived gain (fuel consumption, CO2 or whatever) to "offset" these harmful side effects of ownership.

My DH has back problems, he has a company car and has had an assessment from work - they have said he has to have an SUV type vehicle, they're not always a status symbol.

They are just a practical choice. There is actually only a few inches difference in the width of any car, regardless of length and height, it’s the shape and styling that offer the versatility of space. Try shoe- horning a teenager, 2 car seats, a large wheelchair and everything else into a smaller differently designed car. The extra height is better for people with disabilities, better vision makes it safer, usually 3 distinct seats in the back with a flat foot area in the rear. I don’t see why someone should judge or sneer when they don’t know the reasons why someone chooses some..🤷🏻‍♀️

How people possibly managed before SUV’s is one of life’s mysteries

I don't understand the SUV hate, I really don't.

I own one just for practicality, have no desire for a "status symbol" and can't understand the horrible judgement.

It's big enough for our 2 car seats, double buggy, we often go on CenterParcs type holidays so big enough to put everything we need in. I drive for work and find the seating position comfortable, it's exceptionally safe, and my mother is a wheelchair user and it means I can fit her chair in and she's able to get in to the car easily without causing herself more pain and discomfort.

@Mylittlesandwich

I find it quite funny how much people hate SUV's on Mumsnet yet there are so many of them on the road.

I personally have what is probably a relatively small SUV. It's great on fuel, it has plenty of space for us when we go on self catering holidays. It's quite the opposite of a status symbol though. There's much flashier cars around.

The more a thing is perceived as a "high-status" marker, the more acceptable it is to hate it. It's trendy to join a bandwagon and hate something on "moral grounds" while being completely "immoral" in other areas. Blindspots and all.

I have a small SUV because we camp a lot, I have 3 kids including two tall teens, we drive to Europe for holidays and it fits us all in

I can park it just fine (queen of reverse parking) and it suits us so I won’t be moving to a KA any time soon

Pre kids I would have agreed with you.

I have a BMW 118D and as much as I love the hp to mass ratio it’s fucking tiny inside i mean obviously it’s a sport hatchback it’s absolutely infuriating to get DC into his car seat, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bashed his head getting him in it.

DP has a ‘suv’ and it’s life changing for both my back and DCs head when getting him in and out of the car.