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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To irrationally resent SUVs ?

408 replies

SavoirFlair · 30/01/2023 09:09

For those who have impossibly avoided the term, I’m talking about “fake 4x4s.”

A car that would have been a hatchback a dozen years ago, but is now wider, higher up, with fake 4x4 styling (flared wheel arches, roof rails, big plastic moulding).

I can’t stand them.

As someone who has owned two generations of Range Rovers when we lived off a track a mile or so from the main road, I realise people are free to lob back at me. but those cars had a purpose. We wanted to be comfortable; but we absolutely needed the traction and clearance that vehicle gave us.

Does anyone need what a Grandland X offers? A Mokka? (Jesus save me from that awful car. Worst on sale today - just buy a Corsa and stop being previous). Who needs a Sportage or a Qashqai? (the hallmarks of the aspiring, when years ago a Focus or a Golf would have done just fine).

The worst offenders for me are actually the so called luxury ones. BMW X5 is an abomination - can’t do anything off road, is massively wide on road, and two mums at our school park terribly with them and block the road for the other direction.

And that’s the thing - a large segment of folk who own them, can’t drive them properly. I go to the hospital car park twice weekly with my DD. If someone is careless (often are) and parks close to or on the white line… renders the next space completely useless. Which when hunting for the one or two spaces available for my vulnerable DD, can be infuriating.

We don’t need these things, but I get people love them for

• being “high up” (still doesn’t make the drivers any better at driving)

• Being “high up” to load DCs and allow elderly parents to get in and out without bending back

• some of them have a big boot

Ok, but my answer to all these three is..

an MPV. Cars like the Ford Galaxy, S Max, Touran, Alhambra - all high up seating, easy to get in and out of, massive boots.

But no.. the truth is fashion. Why buy a Corsa when you have a jacked up version. Why buy a 5 series when you can have an X5 and dominate the school run.

Meanwhile the greater fuel consumption, the materials cost to make the thing …

AIBU to irrationally hate these stupid wide massive things?

OP posts:
Joyfuljolly · 30/01/2023 09:11

Can’t imagine spending my time so focused on this that I delveloped a phobia and had to start a thread about it.

Original poster
SavoirFlair · 30/01/2023 09:13

Joyfuljolly · 30/01/2023 09:11

Can’t imagine spending my time so focused on this that I delveloped a phobia and had to start a thread about it.

And yet here you are, commenting. Thanks for being the first.

🙄

OP posts:
Joyfuljolly · 30/01/2023 09:14

What can I say, idly flicking through when waiting for a meeting to start.

AnonWeeMouse · 30/01/2023 09:14

I think people should stick to cars the size of which they can handle.

Too many idiots go and buy big cars that they can't drive well. You see them in car parks, struggling to get their ridiculous vehicle into a space, making a 17 point turn to reverse into a spot and they still don't get it central leaving their passenger door so close to your door they evidently think Mrs Pencil Thin drives the car next to theirs.

It's not just SUVs though.
Estate drivers and drivers of those Sales Executive cars. They can't judge the size of the vehicle properly so it makes their lives harder just so they can Ponce about in car bigger than they need. TBF, the standard of driving seems to be so awful on the roads that I've given up my car, it isn't the pleasure it was 20 years ago.

SnackSizeRaisin · 30/01/2023 09:15

Yabu for saying it's irrational to hate them. It's not. They are pointlessly polluting cars that should never have been allowed. Also more dangerous for pedestrians

tulips27 · 30/01/2023 09:16

YANBU they can hardly fit down the country roads down here, they look oversized and ludicrous and endanger other road users. Just bought and driven by people with no thought for others or the environment, including the local environment. That said, you are posting on a congregating place for the target demographic so I think you'll see a lot of denial about their issues in your thread.

Slowingdownagain · 30/01/2023 09:17

I am not sure that many those big people carrier type cars you mention are more environmentally friendly than an SUV.

You say "We wanted to be comfortable" so that's ok for you but not others?

I have a small(ish) SUV type car. But it's essentially just a higher up version of the estate version of the same. Both in terms of size (width and length) and fuel consumption. I am not sure how it would have been any better to have chosen the estate just because it's closer to the ground?

MrsMikeDrop · 30/01/2023 09:17

Totally agree with you. I actually think that the only reason they're so popular now is because of the reverse cameras etc because without those feastude most people wouldn't be able to drive them

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 30/01/2023 09:17

Can’t blame, you, OP. There are masses of the things - some of them like bloody great tanks - in our urban area - and no, I don’t for a moment think that they’re all off to their country cottage down a muddy, rutted lane every weekend.

Quite apart from anything ls, they take up more room in parking spaces!

Poppins2016 · 30/01/2023 09:19

AnonWeeMouse · 30/01/2023 09:14

I think people should stick to cars the size of which they can handle.

Too many idiots go and buy big cars that they can't drive well. You see them in car parks, struggling to get their ridiculous vehicle into a space, making a 17 point turn to reverse into a spot and they still don't get it central leaving their passenger door so close to your door they evidently think Mrs Pencil Thin drives the car next to theirs.

It's not just SUVs though.
Estate drivers and drivers of those Sales Executive cars. They can't judge the size of the vehicle properly so it makes their lives harder just so they can Ponce about in car bigger than they need. TBF, the standard of driving seems to be so awful on the roads that I've given up my car, it isn't the pleasure it was 20 years ago.

100% agree with this.

DH would like an SUV but I've said no and I'm staying firm because:

  1. We don't truly need one
  2. I don't feel comfortable driving huge cars like that and I value being able to drive and park with ease rather than struggling
  3. We live on a road with limited on street parking and frankly, I feel that owning a huge beast of a car (when you don't actually need it) in that situation is selfish, as it limits the parking available for others.
Oneortwo2022 · 30/01/2023 09:19

I unapologetically drive one of your names SUV’s and I love it. It has loads of space for all the kid stuff and a big boot for my large dog and shopping. We don’t fit in a hatch back and I can’t put the poor door in the boot of a sedan. Getting a wriggly toddler in and out of a higher up car is so much easier.

Noradavis · 30/01/2023 09:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

meetmeatmidnights · 30/01/2023 09:21

I think the whole point is yes it's an irrational hatred 🤷🏻‍♀️ I irrationally hate those awful Nissan jukes, they make my skin crawl 😂 but I also know it's irrational!

Tbh as a 4x4 lover / owner / driver I don't really mind what other people think, I can drive mine well and know how to park it which seems to be everyone's bug bear! Although some shops have horrendously narrow bays.

It's comfortable, suits our needs and as two giants it's one of the only cars we can do long trips in comfortably and safely - we wouldn't change it for the world.

Minfilia · 30/01/2023 09:22

I have an SUV.

I reverse park it and always park it bang in the middle of the white lines. Pretty easy, when you have a reversing camera, but still not rocket science when you have wing mirrors.

It’s electric, so no fuel consumption to worry about. Zero road tax, and cheap to insure.

I have four teenagers and a dog, so the space is needed.

And I live rurally. My car is narrower than the BMW 4 series convertible I had before this one so it causes no problems whatsoever to other people.

it’s the drivers, not the car, that’s the problem.

bitofablanklook · 30/01/2023 09:23

I also like my 'fake SUV'. Bought it as my disabled relative was struggling to get in and out of my little Peugeot. Every time he swings in and out of it easily, I am reminded how it was the right, most affordable choice for our family.

It was secondhand, the most I could afford and is low on emissions at £20 tax per year.

I'm sorry that you wouldn't like it and would prefer that I drove something else, but here we are.

NoSchoolToday · 30/01/2023 09:24

Not sure if it’s one of the ones you hate, but I have a duster and love it! I drive a lot for work so being high up is an advantage as it means I can see traffic from further away and can drive accordingly. Again because I need to drive for work, I need a large car that can fit stock in it. The seats are more comfortable, there’s more space for the kids, can easily fit buggy and dogs in boot. The car suits what I need, no idea why you’d have an issue with that?

balloontrip · 30/01/2023 09:25

I'm disabled and without my higher up version of a smaller car (not corsa it's a VW) I wouldn't be able to go out. It's got a 1 litre engine so I'm not too sure about the greater fuel consumption - my last saloon car was a 2 litre guzzler.

CupEmpty · 30/01/2023 09:25

I’m not sure you know as much about cars as you think you do…. Modern land rovers are absolutely shite, they break down all the time and the after customer care is appalling. They are full of faults and are the most overpriced ‘status car’ amongst your list!!

Im from a farming family and no one uses land rovers on the farm anymore - it’s all Mitsubishi, Toyota etc

SweetSakura · 30/01/2023 09:26

Yanbu. So many people who own them cant park them without taking up two spaces. They take up far more road space which means parked cars cause more congestion than they need to. And they are just so unnecessary for most people. I think a little less of anyone who owns one when they live.a suburban/urban lifestyle

LynneBenfield · 30/01/2023 09:26

SnackSizeRaisin · 30/01/2023 09:15

Yabu for saying it's irrational to hate them. It's not. They are pointlessly polluting cars that should never have been allowed. Also more dangerous for pedestrians

More dangerous for pedestrians

Nope, not always.

My large 4x4 is considerably safer for pedestrians than a Ford fiesta, Fiat 500, (model shape released 2years AFTER my vehicle), Vauxhall Corsa (4 years post my model), 2022 Peugeot 308, according to Euro NCAP ratings.

There are loads more but I’m not going to list them all here, it does rather illustrate my point though.

Picklypickles · 30/01/2023 09:28

I can't stand SUV's or 4x4's, something happens to people when they get a big car like that and they become horrible bullies on the road, forcing drivers in smaller cars to move aside or reverse for them in their BIG IMPORTANT CARS all the time, and yes so many can't actually drive them, can't reverse or park in an acceptable manner at all. I don't believe that anyone besides farmers or people who actuall go off-road regularly need landrovers, yet there are so many around where I live who just have them to fit an image of someone who lives in the countryside to go alongside their flat caps and tweed.

Passivhaus · 30/01/2023 09:29

Can't stand Chelsea tractors. Another middle class status symbol that's not needed. Generally driven by the type of people who hold bake sales for climate change

Oakbeam · 30/01/2023 09:30

My mum has one. She’s old, lives on her own and doesn’t want drive around in a massive people carrier. Her SUV has the same footprint on the ground as a hatchback, it’s just a few inches taller.

Slowingdownagain · 30/01/2023 09:30

They are loads safr for the driver/ passengers too I would think. Strudy builds so if you did have an accident (espeically with a bigger vehicle) you'd be much better off than in a fiat 500. We've all seen the big pile ups on the motorway and we know which cars crimple like paper and which don't.

For me, my SUV (it's not a 4x4 and is chargeable hybrid) is about safety most of all, I find it easier to drive as I am up higher, and it's convenient for space the kids, dogs, etc. My FIL with a bad knee finds it much easier to get in and out of than a lower car too, so that's a bonus. I am not a good parker (and never was - even with my little clio), but the huge armery of cameras and my "parking assistant" software makes me able to park perfectly in one go almost every time. Vs about 300 moves when I had a small car that only had mirrors to guide me.

I think your views on SUV are pretty outdated.

JassyRadlett · 30/01/2023 09:32

We chose ours as we only have on-street parking and it was much shorter than the equivalent estate and the same width (slightly narrower actually), so it needs less space on the street. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We wanted something that could deal with significant loads well and had room for looong people. Sadly having to say goodbye to it and coming up against the same issues. Not quite sure why a longer, wider car with similar emissions is preferable?

I grew up on a farm too - Toyota Land Cruiser all the way, Land Rovers were for wannabes.