Why does everyone need a massive car these days?

[Britishsummertime22]

Tesco this morning. Full of people who don't know how to drive or park their fuck off range rovers.

I drive a 4x4 and I live rurally. I know how to drive down country lanes and move over safely to allow others to pass. A lot of drivers go rabbit in the headlights when driving down narrow lanes and absolutely refuse to even put an inch of their tyres off the tarmac. I'm quite happy to pull off onto the verge.

Notwithstanding this I have to drive on major roads as well and have you seen the size of the Pantechnicon lorries? Bloody hell I don't fancy my chances in my car against some of these let alone a small car, so I'm hanging on to it at the moment. I'll probably give up driving in the next few years and get my free bus pass (but that's another thread on here he he)

I grew up in a family with multiple children ( rare today) and we have one of those old Volvos with 2 sets of seats. Like a longer estate car. It was roomy but not wide or high. I don’t understand why, in a country where roads are so narrow, they don’t make more cars like that? They look tiny these days when see them ( they last decades!) next to the tanks everyone is driving now.
It’s 100% a status thing. I live in a suburb where everyone has 2 kids and a dog and you see more SUV s than anything. There are loads of country lanes near me and they are bloody awful for country driving generally as there’s no room to pass, yet because these drivers are in tanks they just barrel towards oncoming traffic, forcing them into hedgerows to avoid being hit.
Very few people need a car like that that. I wish the government would tax the ever living fuck out of massive cars and car manufacturers would start making long estates again.

Had a scan of the thread and saw someone point out that you're safer in an SUV in an accident whereas pedestrians and cyclists come off much worse however this didn't factor in how higher your chances of rolling in an SUV are opposed to a regular car. No one seems to want to think about this when they're being pushed by the car manufacturers into thinking bigger is better. I get there's a small percentage who need an SUV but it's mostly for show.

If you need the space there are some nice estates out there if you put in a bit of effort with a search.

Genuine question, what motivated you to write such a snarky comment? Was it meant to make me feel a certain way?

I used to have an Up! And yes, two car seats, a couple of suitcases and a buggy would all fit. Obviously not enormous suitcases, but the items listed would all fit. They're great cars, including for families, and every inch of space is used cleverly. The boot space is a lot bigger/more sensible shape than lots of SUVs I've used.
I drove mine all over Europe and it was an absolute dream. The only issue was transporting adults over about 5ft 10ins in the rear seats - they'd fit but it wasn't the comfiest ride for them.

I can’t drive big cars as I just can’t see out of them! I’m awful at parking in my Picanto. I just completely lack spatial awareness. So many cars are just huge these days. We have a very narrow junction in our town and if you get two bigger cars they have a job getting past each other. I know some people who have range rovers as ‘look at me i drive a Range Rover’. I live in quite a rural area and there are a lot of range rovers around.

We have a massive dog! Only reason which you wouldn’t know from looking at it in Tesco car park.

Because it actually made me laugh imagining someone thinking a Jeep Wrangler looked cool.

I have a large 4x4 because I need to tow and anything smaller just wouldn't cut it.

I can also park it safely and accurately absolutely anywhere, with or without the trailer hitched on.

Having seen so many drivers of large 4x4s who clearly can't drive or manoeuvre them, I do think you should have to prove you can before you can buy one (though I know this just wouldn't be possible in practise)

But you haven’t answered my question - I’m glad it gave you a laugh, but why write it? In any case, I’m ok with someone on the internet not thinking my car is cool 😎

Many drivers cant control bigger cars, but I can't say I hear about many fatalities caused by reversing out of a parking spot or around a corner. If a lorry is going to smash into me I would much rather take my chances in a bigger car than a smaller one.

Well that's me impressed then! DB has an Up, and I'd never imagine fitting all that in, it's really tiny!

Well I think the difference (although I'm happy to be corrected) is that when you take out a mortgage you are buying a house, an asset which will grow in value, but conversely when you buy a car it depreciates in value.
There must be an opportunity for profit (interest or equivalent) on the leases it the manufacturers/dealerships wouldn't offer them.
So if you are paying cash you are saving yourself that?
If you have been convinced that paying cash makes you a wally have you not just fallen for their sales blurb? All sounds very 'emperor's new clothes' to me!

2 young kids so that includes a pram, 2 dogs and a weeks worth of "stuff" that gets driven from the south coast to Scotland at least 3 times a year.

We have a very large estate rather than an SUV but we need every inch of space we can.

In past years Land Rover used to include a free off road training session whenever you bought one of their cars. This included a lecture beforehand on how to drive one the road safely. I presume other manufacturers offer the same.

You can also buy off road experiences and I would expect talks on how to drive these vehicles on road to be included in these training sessions.

Edited for punctuation and sense

They still do new or approved used gets you a half day off roading. I’ve done it, it was quite fun and although I was not the Landrover owner in the car, some of the obstacles really showcased what the cars can do. Sadly no lesson on how to park at Tesco.

But it’s not off-roading that makes these cars an issue for other road users - it’s the on-roading. Parking. Being unable to gauge the width of your car. Being able to reverse your car down a hill between parked cars (this happened once - we were coming down the hill and were towing another car so couldn’t reverse, driver of 4x4 first thought there was room for both cars to pass so started up the hill while we were coming down, and then flapped when she realised there wasn’t room and we couldn’t reverse. Eventually, DH, who is as mild-mannered as they come, got out, yanked her door open, told her to get out and did it for her. She shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of that car. She was a danger to others.)

Before we bought our first Discovery, it was about 28 years ago, we had it for a half days test drive so again I don't know if they do this anymore, we took it to a pub car park and I learnt that the best thing to do is to reverse into a car parking space.

Off road day I remember driving down a small river which proved invaluable as we regularly got flooded where we lived so I learnt the correct way to drive through a flood.

You are correct I think the trainer with us parked the car when we got back to the centre.

The rise in number of SUV type panzer tank cars is the most irresponsible thing the car industry has done in recent years, given all the information we have about climate change. If you own one perhaps you could learn to drive it properly as well, thanks a mil.

I’ve got a VW Sharan as someone on MN told me it would be shitty step mothering to put DSD (5”8 in socks and still growing!!) on the roof when we have her and normal cars don’t have proper middle seats so…
I’ll be running this car into the ground though as when we were looking, all the SUV type cars seemed to have next- to- useless middle seats too, taking an infant car seat on each side into consideration, and MPVs have now mostly been discontinued.

I totally agree with you @Britishsummertime22 - and worse, the car manufacturers are responding to this trend by making cars gradually bigger each time they do a redesign so even the "small city runabout" in each brand's range of models is now about 50cm bigger than it used to be.

It's difficult to find small ones! I drive a (very ) small SUV. Tiny boot and easy to park. Love it. Went to upgrade, same car, newer model, 9 inches wider and a foot longer. WHY?

So don't always blame the driver! I need a 'high' car as I struggle getting out of a low one. No small cars allow this.

In part they are scaling up so that they can have one model whether electric or petrol, so there is less variation across production lines. The extra space is needed to accommodate the battery.

www.carwow.co.uk/small-cars/high-driving-position?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_account=6984742135&utm_campaign=12365861913&utm_group=113090377850&utm_keyword=&device=m&campaignid=12365861913&adgroupid=113090377850&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAw5W-BhAhEiwApv4goKYkPg2jsQ4Af3PJPAkOr6yRi8h01-QuNN1RJCgmUde9wRYrIfnBchoCXnkQAvD_BwE

@SlaveToAGoldenRetriever Where do you park though? Is there a car park? Do you drag the other kids with you, so you have to faff about getting everyone out of their car seats? Sounds like it would take forever and be really chaotic.

DS is 5 and can't undo the straps on his high-back booster, so barely slowing down wouldn't be an option.