Should we still be buying SUVs?
Results so far:
| Yes | 53% | 484 votes | Total: 909 votes | |
| No | 47% | 425 votes |
Yes
by Steve Lach
Created on: December 09, 2009
SUV's, or Sports Utility vehicles, have gotten a bad rap in years past for a few reasons. The biggest reason being gas mileage. Other reasons include, size and design, lack of power due to size (in some cases), and also cost of upkeep. Some of the barb associated with SUV's is legitimate and will hold up to fact, but I still believe that we, as a consumer, need to continue buying Sport Utility Vehicles.
A lot of foreign auto-manufacturers have been making smaller 4-cylinder vehicles to stay in line with rising oil prices. Typically 4-cylinder vehicles get better gas mileage than 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder engines. (that is given the GVW isn’t ridiculously high for the given engine) Since SUV’s are larger, and typically weigh more the average car, they need a larger engine to move them. With the introduction of the 2-door Honda Insight (the first hybrid to hit the mass market in the U.S.), hybrid technology started to become relevant in the United States.
There are many advantages to owning an SUV over a standard car. Ford was the first manufacturer to introduce a hybrid SUV, the Escape in 2004. Since then, SUV’s have been known to rival much smaller vehicles in gas mileage without loss of power or style. Companies like Honda, Saturn, Chevrolet, Lexus, and Toyota have jumped on board and put hybrid models out as well. Some smaller Sport Utility vehicles are averaging upwards of 34 MPG highway and mid to upper 20's in the city to compete with mid-size cars. SUV’s are usually safer than smaller cars and offer a greater practicality. With higher towing torque and power capabilities you can tow greater amounts much further than you could if you had a car. There is also ample cabin and storage capacity in sport utility vehicles, making the inside feel spacious and comfortable.
With foreign auto makers competing with American auto manufacturers there has been a decrease in truck and SUV sales. Most auto companies offer some kind of hybrid or low emission SUV to help combat those falling numbers. They have spent a lot of money to research and build these semi-electric engines and I hope their attempts see a return.
Hey, it's a matter of opinion, but I would buy a hybrid SUV long before I ever bought a van of any type. I'm sure that's a pretty consistent feeling amongst consumers. Let's make the SUV relevant once again.
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No
by Jim Osborn
Created on: February 15, 2010
We've all been suckered in with the clever advertising portraying SUV's as American icons in transportation. How many people do you know who use their SUV's for off-road use? With the exception of areas of the country that have real nasty winters the rest of us are chumps. I paid 25,500 for my 2005 Eddie Bauer Explorer with payments close to 500.00 per month. I can hardy afford to take it out of the garage because of its insatiable desire to consume all the fossil fuel in existence.
It handles poorly if the road is rough and gets real bouncy and has 17 inch tires and rims, so take an educated guess at the price I pay when it's time for new tires. The insurance rates aren't cheap and when it needed new brakes I thought the shop was going to ask me for a pound of flesh. It's a beautiful truck in reality but an all-wheel drive sedan or some studded snow tires that could be used three months of the year would have sufficed for my needs.
I bought my SUV not because I needed it but because I wanted it and when we make unpractical and impulsive decisions we will ultimately pay the price. One day when our arrogance and wastefulness have depleted our resources and polluted environment we will all regret our choices.
Safety must be a consideration as well, and it's common knowledge that SUV's just don't handle as well as a sedan,aerodynamics, wind resistance, and driver error that compounds horrific traffic collisions all over the nation. Many people driving a SUV in the winter believe that because they have a 4x4 that it somehow empowers them and they drive faster and more carelessly, but in reality nothing drives good on packed snow and ice with the exception of a snowmobile and having a SUV in adverse weather conditions is better then driving a flat-lander sedan but caution and care are still necessary for survival.
Who do you know in this sick economy who can afford to drive a Hummer, Excursion, or Suburban? My SUV is a backup vehicle at best and regularly gathers dust in my garage. The big car makers are all going broke because they didn't smell the roses and realize that they were pricing themselves out of business and people were going broke trying to afford big car payments, insurance, gas, and then the housing market took a giant dump on all home owners.
A company out of China owns Hummer now! Image driving a Hummer now! The prestige is tarnished with a stamp on the fender that says "Made In China". Soon, if drastic changes aren't implemented by American car companies we will all be driving cars and trucks made in China, Taiwan, Korea, and third world countries who can afford the labor costs and are drooling to make a financial killing by supplying autos to a country dependent upon them more so then any country on this planet.
So, should we continue to buy gas-hog road tanks that pollute our roadways? NO. We need to be responsible and smart and start using hybrid vehicles and electric powered cars. We must adapt to new situations or we will go extinct just like the dinosaurs did and just like huge, gas-guzzling SUV's need to.
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