Comments on: Why do SUV’s suck?

By: Danimal

Danimal — Wed, 24 Sep 2003 02:54:30 +0000

I think the carpooling thing brings up a good point–more moms and other folks do need big cars, whether vans, station wagons, or what have you. Convincing a soccer mom to get a Honda often isn’t an option. And hey, as a guy who carts around drums and amps everywhere, I’m kind of in the same boat (or van, I should say). So what cars or light trucks are available that are safer, more efficient, yet have the room a lot of families and busy folks need? Knowing that would be better ammunition for the people we’re trying to convince. Also, doesn’t Honda or somebody put out a car that technically is an “SUV” yet has better safety and fuel efficiency? That way these people could get their status car yet not be tainted with the normal SUV problems. Why not a hybrid that has the look of an SUV without the polluting engine?

By: tom

tom — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:40:40 +0000

my friend just got the honda hybrid. he loves it. i rode in it the other day. if i could afford to, i’d get one today.

as for appealing to the safety- the problem is that most people trust the commercials on t.v. more than they trust their friends and newspapers. it’s sick, but that’s the truth of it. they’ve been brainwashed into thinking that these are the safest cars on the road.

also, they are all brainwashed into thinking that they need a car that seats 9 when the average family has 2.5 kids. now, granted, they need the extra space for carpooling, and i’m all in support of carpooling. but still… if the issue was just carpooling, then the mini-vans would be plenty, if not more, sufficient.

the main issue is the status of it. i don’t understand why there is more status in driving the same thing that everyone else is driving on the road, but then, i don’t think in terms of status at all to begin with. people just get mindlessly swept up in a trend and they love it.

i think the status and the image is the biggest selling point for these vehicles. safety is just the excuse that people like to give, but really they just want to be seen driving around in the “coolest” car on the market.

By: Earnest

Earnest — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 18:19:31 +0000

Aesthetically I prefer the Honda. I think the issue for soccer moms can be found at the beginning of their nickname. Guys can go and buy sportscars because they’re just speeding their trophy girlfriends around. Soccer moms, though, often have to transport trophy-contender soccer “teams” around… or just large groups of children, in general. When I tutored the kids at Emerson and got rides from Carver with friends’ moms, I definitely preferred riding in minivans to piling into the backseats of passenger cars.

By: greg

greg — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 18:01:36 +0000

What I find shocking is that the one-two punch of increased costs and decreased safety isn’t enough to convince most people. You’d think that just appealing to her as a mother would be enough. If somebody said to me “your kids are more likely to die in an SUV than in a sedan”, there’s no way in hell I’d buy one.

Do you prefer the Toyota or the Honda?

I’ve always been a Honda guy. They last forever. To be fair though, I’ve never driven a Toyota and I’ve never test driven a Hybrid.

By: tom

tom — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 17:05:58 +0000

a better analogy is whether to have a ritzy $2500 flat in the trendiest part of LA, or a modest $800 apartment in the valley.

i think the problem with convincing people is that any person that is already considering getting an SUV is not the type of person who would ever think about those issues in the first place. eventually you start getting replies like “well, maybe i should consider getting a mini-van instead, but really- i’m not going to be seen driving around in a mini-van.”

i think that SUVs have kind of become the midlife chrisis car of soccer-moms. you know the cliche about men buying a porsche when they turn 40? women somehow feel empowered by driving their kids around in an SUV instead of a mini-van.

convincing my sister-in-law to not buy an SUV is like trying to convince one of my meat-eating friends to become Vegan. it’s just not ever gonna happen, and there’s no way to convince them. i could pile up tons of articles and books about the health, the environment, the cost, the cruelty, etc, etc, etc… and they still wouldn’t listen because they would just rather eat meat.

or trying to convince a friend to quit smoking. eventually it’s going to have to be their decision, and no ammount of your persuasion is going to help, until they make that decision on their own.

maybe i’m wrong to give up trying to convince my sister-in-law. but when dealing with a friend or relative, you eventually have to bite your tongue and give up because there’s no way to convince them without causing some sort of rift in the family. hopefully, i at least made her think about these things that she hadn’t considered. but i don’t know.

By: Earnest

Earnest — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:56:47 +0000

Part of the problem with convincing people not to by SUVs is that it’s like convincing someone who can afford a nice ranch home in the suburbs that they would really prefer an apartment in the city. Yeah, the upkeep on the ranch home is more expensive, but there’s something to be said for the ability to take a swim in your backyard.

Do you prefer the Toyota or the Honda?