Large personal vehicles are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Of course, they have been very popular in the US for some time. However they are actually a problem. They are mostly more polluting - whether CO2 emissions or particles thrown off from wear of tyres. They take more materials and energy to make so they hog resources. And some might suggest they are bought just to make the male owner feel better about their own inadequacies. For smaller European towns and cities, they are too big for standard parking spaces. Paris already has x3 cost to park these large cars. Should other cities or countries do the same? Or much higher road tax? Or even higher sales tax?
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In the USA, many women have SUVs to drive the kids around, go shopping, and suchlike. When a smaller car gets into a wreck, the occupants are more likely to be injured or killed. Driving a larger car is safer for its occupants. Women and kids are both occupants that I prefer to protect. Your âinadequaciesâ comment was inaccurate, uncalled for, and reflects poorly on you.
The very long distances we have to drive in the USA mean we like comfortable vehicles, and SUVs are more comfortable than smaller cars. In Houston, where my US house is located, I can start in Houston, drive nonstop in a straight line for over an hour at 100 kph (61 mph) and still be in Houston. If I want to go to Austin or San Antonio or Dallas, thatâs three or four hours also while averaging 100 kph. Europeans have no concept of the distances we regularly drive in the USA. Belgians think itâs a long way from Charleroi to Antwerp. For some Houstonians, thatâs just the one-way length of their daily work commute.
In terms of area, the State of Texas is over 2.5 larger than the entire UK. You could fit The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Macedonia, Luxembourg, and Hungary all inside of Texas at the same time. We also like to drive to New Orleans for the party atmosphere sometimes. And thatâs just one State. SUVs are definitely more comfortable for longer drives.
You can have your Fiat 500. Iâm keeping my Tahoe.
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You describe well a need that is met by large SUVs. Large distances, large roads, mostly SUVs already, no-one proving anything by buying an SUV. What I was describing was a situation where no such need exists. Worse, the constraints of road size, parking size, numbers of pedestrians all make large cars inherently more inconvenient, even dangerous.
The safety factor is a two-way issue. Yes, a large SUV will fare better than a small car in a collision. Iâm sure safety is a factor in buying such large cars. However, you can turn that statement round to SUV makes driving a smaller car much less safe. A collision between two small cars might end up without injury. In a situation where a large, heavy SUV hits a small car the occupants of the small car are significantly more likely to be hurt. The SUV becomes the danger.
So thanks for the âits big in Texasâ perspective but that was not the issue I was describing.
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Guardinsta.
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I have to disagee having owned and still I have, I had everything from several Toyoto Amazon 4.2 diesels to Ford Explorer and now own a Nissan Xtrail to name but a few. The advantage is first of all getting in and out of without banging the head on the upper door frame. My Xtrail is a 7 seater with a 4x2 drive. Large SUV can tow bigger caravans/trailers, emmisions are now lower to meet ULEZ requirements for London.
What is a pollution maker is you have not mentioned is 20mph or lower going pass a shool. This means selecting a lower gear with the engine turning faster creating more pollution than necessary.
Now what about weight carrying? a SUV can carry a heavier permitted weight than a car, and a larger cargo carrying area.Now waiting for that fridge to be delivered?just put it in the back of a SUV.
As for road safety, being able to see over the top of a car roof that allows one to avoid any event happening, a lot sooner than only being able to only see the exhaust from the car in front of you.
This is what happens when a car owner meet My Nissan SUV. His car was a rightoff, mine only needed a new front panel area. Sue was driving I wasnât there
which proves SUV owners are more careful on the road than car drivers
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Living where we do we need our big 4x4 and land rover, we live on a farm and small cars couldnât cope, also most would never manage in the winters we get.
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I think context is indeed the key. After all, it wouldnât be sensible for me to buy a huge eff-off tractor to drive around town (although the pot holes wouldnât bother me anymore if I did), and it wouldnât be sensible for those who have to travel long distances on a regular basis, or who have to work on the land, to buy a ride on lawnmower to get around.
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I agree with the context is the key ⊠as Iâm a pedestrian.
Large SUVâs are a pain in my small village where the roads can be narrow or lack pavements on one side.
When there are lines of parked vehicles they mount the kerb to get past ⊠with no regard whatsoever for anyone walking there.
Theyâre truly not suited for village life and some of the worst offenders are women picking up their kids from school.
Donât they already pay a hefty âshowroom taxâ at point of sale?
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Once again⊠as a pedestrian Iâm also 44% more likely to be killed if hit by a SUV than a regular sized car.
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You are very right - cars that sit higher are much easier to enter and exit. What is less correct is that means SUVs are better. My Renault Kangoo is no SUV, lets be clear, its a van. But it is tall and easy to get in and out of. Note - my friends LandRover Defender is a real pain to get in and out of.
Very true. I think this is an extension of what we can now call the Texas Pro-SUV Argument. In many scenarios an SUV is useful or even essential. But that is not related to the point about too many SUVs in European cities.
Does this issue differentiate between different vehicles? Are you claiming an SUV with a large engine is less polluting going at 20mph than a small car with a small engine at the same speed? If so, wow.
I have direct experience of carrying a fridge, a large oven and a dishwasher (not all at the same time) in the back of my Kangoo. This argument is in favour of vehicles with large cabins, not in favour of SUVs. Same as being able to see over the top of other vehicles. Kangoo wins every time.
I think you have just confirmed my point about SUVs actually being a danger to other road users. The mass and rigid structure of your SUV meant your vehicle was ok but also meant it badly damaged the other car. That is a single perspective on safety. It was not more safe for the smaller car. Same as them being a danger to pedestrians - see other posts for more support for this. Iâm glad Sue was ok after the collision in the video. I hope the driver of the written off car was ok as well. BTW your video proves nothing about SUV drivers being more careful. It shows one driver not looking, that is all.
Hey, its a complex issue and I am not trying to say all SUV drivers are bad. I think the issue is that there are many town & city dwellers who buy an SUV without regard to other road users or pedestrians.
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How often do you buy a fridge?
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And arenât they supposed to stay upright in transit?
Impossible for something like a âSmegâ to be stood up in most SUVâs
I think I agree with Lincs on this one. Towns and cities mostly date back to times when there were only horse drawn vehicles and the roads are not designed for the traffic or the volume of traffic they have to cope with today. I can see a time when the centre of towns and cities will be off limits to all traffic, barring invalid carriages, delivery vehicles (only allowed at certains times) and public transport, if they arenât already. Park and ride should be more popular than it is.
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Couldnât agree more. Conway is a case in point- inside the town walls would be an excellent place if it were pedestrianised. As would my own shopping area. But this would require not only improve Park and Ride facilities, but also a significant improvement of general public transport.
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I love Conwy, but as you say, the traffic can be horrendous Dex. It certainly is a good example of towns not designed for todayâs traffic. Another example is York, but they have at least made some pedestrian areas and theyâve got a brilliant park and ride system using electric buses. Probably the only place where I think electric is bestâŠOh! and golf coursesâŠof course.
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I have a RAV which is small version of SUV and happy with it .
When I bought it I asked the " kid " if they had it with roll up windows and he had no idea what I was talking about .
I used to go fishing so it was good for that like fishing rod in back , etc but have not fished in over a year now but still do light local plumbing jobs so it is nice to have the room .
When self driving cars come out that will be for me , lol
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These big vehicles are a pain in the city. Residential roads are wide enough for a parked car down each sides and whatâs left of the road is for single or double lane traffic, if you know what I mean. They fight it out. Thatâs the way it goes, and the system has always worked. Until now, people canât drive these things and they canât park these things. This chaos results in poor little me, and my sensible sized car with more dents and scratched than ever before.
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i think some people with comments in this thread donât know what they are talking about
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But theyâre right.
Thereâs too many vehicles and too many tank-like cars on roads and city streets not designed for them.
Out in the wilds where the terrain is rougher and more open is a different matter.
Quite possibly. I, for one, would welcome your own views as to why you are pro/con/ambivolent. 
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