Takumi Fujiwara
I take it you've never been stopped at a red light and had a woman on her call phone, driving an SUV, plow into your car at 40MPH? Or had an Excursion back up right onto the hood of your Miata? Or even been hit by an SUV who was parallel parking?
That's why I hate SUVs, they make the roads unsafe for anyone who doesn't prefer to drive a monster vehicle, especially drivers of sports/sporty cars. Not only are they engineered to simply obliterate smaller cars, they also isolate the driver, sealing out any outside noise, and being so high up and so squared off that obstacles/cars close to the front and rear are difficult to see.
Besides, there's another reason I'm anti-SUV. There isn't a lot of gas in the world, and there isn't gonna be any more anytime soon. The more SUVs on the road, the sooner the gas will run out, and, more immediately, their higher gas useage is causing gas prices to skyrocket.
I agree that some people that drive SUV's take for granted their size, and some of the inherent dangers they pose to people in "normal" size vehicles. But, I see stupid people on cell phones (without hands-free devices) in every thing from Cavaliers to Minivans, and Miatas to Excursions. I concede that if an Excursion backs into/over your Miata it will do considerably more damage than a Cavalier.
However, now that I own a big, honkin, SUV, I take exception to some of your remarks.
I bought an Excursion, with a diesel, not for everyday driving but for family trips to Colorado and North Carolina.
We have a big family, and it is the ONLY vehicle, short of a school bus, that will carry all my people, and their crap, COMFORTABLY. And with it I don't have to resort to carrying all the luggage on the roof, praying that it doesn't rain.
I wouldn't dream of trying to parallel park the thing. And mine is equipped with the back-up sensors that let you know when you get within 6 feet of something behind you. That knowing that I have been taught to back just about any vehicle anywhere I choose. But because of the sheer size of the Excursion I will only park it where I have plenty of room to maneuver, and clear lines of sight.
We chose the diesel because of the fuel economy. It is also powerful enough to climb the mountains in both directions with all 8 of us aboard. No huffing and puffing like my Venture. And about 3 times the torque. And this at a
net loss of 2 MPG compared to the Venture. I keep the Venture for moving the family around town for "short" (less than and hour) trips.
In fact, the Excursion with the turbodiesel is rated at 20 MPG highway. The smaller, gas engined Expedition is rated at 17 MPG highway. My neighbor says his Expedition gets 15 MPG.
Why would I buy a smaller vehicle for the 8 of us, that has poorer fuel economy ratings?
I won't belabor the point that gas prices went
down here last week, by about 11 cents a gallon. And for the record, Miatas aren't the thriftiest cars on the planet with gasoline. Nothing that is "sporty" is all that great on gas (30 MPG or better). I don't know about you, but I figure that if my Excursion can pull down 20 MPG with 8 people aboard, my mileage
per person is way better than a Miata.
That said: It's not about SUV's using up all the gasoline. It's about not planning your trips and errands so you travel the least miles while accomplishing everything that needs to be done.
SUV's aren't to blame for people's other brain farts.
In all you do remember the "7 P's"
(Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.)
It 'll save more than fossil fuel.
*edit*
and all the stuff the M5 said when he treed me.
).
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