For those who love their SUVs

Soldato
Joined
11 Dec 2005
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Cheshire
But thats essentially what you'd get in an estate, I'm not sure compared a small car to even a crossover is a valid comparison, they always seem to be the next size up.

Estates tend to be longer rather than taller. And longer usually means harder to park for some people.

One thing I’ve heard is people with young kids prefer a crossover/SUV as it’s much easier putting kids into child seats rather than hunching down into a lower hatch/estate/saloon car.

Ultimately it seems an SUV type car is all about convenience for a normal non performance motorist(the majority of the public):

Pros
- 4wd models better in inclement/off road conditions
- raised ride high can deal with potholes and driving up kerbs without destroying a wheel/front splitter
- generally more luggage/passenger space than a estate/saloon
- easier to get in & out usually
- better vision of the road ahead
- usually safer in an accident
- towing capability due to higher vehicle weight

Cons:
- usually higher running costs due to weight, bigger wheels, wear on brakes etc
- cost to buy is normally higher compared to equivalent saloon/hatch/estate
- worse handling compared to a normal ride height car
- larger vehicle means harder to park and takes up more space on the road


The reality is, cost & size are really the main drawbacks for the motoring public. I’d argue size is not a big deal as most crossovers and mid size SUVs aren’t much bigger than a regular sized hatchback or mid sized saloon car. Offset those points against the hugely increased practicality and you see why for most, it’s a no brainer.

I didn’t add status or looks etc in the mix as these are too subjective to really be quantified.

Performance SUVs on the other hand are something entirely different.
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 Jan 2005
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Co Durham
My Tiguan 4 motion just has a dial, normal driving, off road, snow, all electrics. Saying that I have had it off road in mud and occasionally snow and it's not got stuck yet.

Thats still got 4 wheel drive though,. There are a lot of SUVs you can buy with just 2 wheel drive, including the Tiguan. That was Rroff's point I think, a lot of the SUVs you can buy nowadays and just 2wd so they make even less sense.
 
Soldato
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16 Jun 2005
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In the middle
Thats still got 4 wheel drive though,. There are a lot of SUVs you can buy with just 2 wheel drive, including the Tiguan. That was Rroff's point I think, a lot of the SUVs you can buy nowadays and just 2wd so they make even less sense.
Yes I don't much see the point in a 2 wheel drive SUV, apart from being higher up, but that's probably enough for some people. Personally it doesn't bother me what other people want to drive.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
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21,781
SUEV is still reducing those relative disadvantages of an SUV weight/handling/economy
@ current petrol prices my wallet is telling me what owning an SUV would be like.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,821
Thats still got 4 wheel drive though,. There are a lot of SUVs you can buy with just 2 wheel drive, including the Tiguan. That was Rroff's point I think, a lot of the SUVs you can buy nowadays and just 2wd so they make even less sense.

Though I doubt they'd stand up to a thrashing like some older SUVs which were designed from the ground up to be a little more rugged the top model Tiguans do actually do pretty well especially on the right tyres where 4x4 becomes handy. Sadly lot of models now where that isn't the case at all - some even do worse than a regular car.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jan 2007
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3,442
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Bristol
Lots of reasons really

Ability to sit on the tailgate whilst drinking champs and eating cheese
Can carry all the shot guns and cartridges securely
Plenty of space for the dogs
Off road ability means it can get across the fields in winter
Comfortable on the road
The boot has power outlets
The Queen has one
 
Associate
Joined
31 Jul 2021
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28
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Dublin
I love the higher up driving position and whenever I get into a saloon or similar, I feel like I'm sitting on the road. Just my tuppence, not a snob about them but as I'm getting older I appreciate less back strain as I get in/out of them.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Jul 2004
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4,455
Location
Melbourne , Oz.
Got a RR Sport. First SUV I have had after years in V8 saloons, C63 and before that an Audi S5. I absolutely love it and if it got stolen from my drive tonight I'd get another one.
Wanted something I could load up with camping gear, bikes etc and get away into the country. The thing carries so much stuff with the back seats down, is as solid on a dirt road at 100kmh as it is on the motorway. I can actually see more than just the car in front. Zero aquaplaning when we have epic storms, does near to 1,000km on a full tank of diesel, handles my admittedly limited amount of off roading extremely well and I drive it on construction sites at work on occasions too. Never had a problem parking it and it's plenty quick and sharp enough. Thought I'd miss the Merc but haven't looked back. Service and running costs cheaper too. Fingers crossed it doesn't decide to randomly flip over on to it's roof anytime soon. Didn't realise that was a thing until I read this thread :confused:

The particle filter filling quickly has been an absolute pain throughout our various lockdowns though. Had to limp it to the dealer twice to get sorted.
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Mar 2013
Posts
9,121
Got a RR Sport. First SUV I have had after years in V8 saloons, C63 and before that an Audi S5. I absolutely love it and if it got stolen from my drive tonight I'd get another one.
Wanted something I could load up with camping gear, bikes etc and get away into the country. The thing carries so much stuff with the back seats down, is as solid on a dirt road at 100kmh as it is on the motorway. I can actually see more than just the car in front. Zero aquaplaning when we have epic storms, does near to 1,000km on a full tank of diesel, handles my admittedly limited amount of off roading extremely well and I drive it on construction sites at work on occasions too. Never had a problem parking it and it's plenty quick and sharp enough. Thought I'd miss the Merc but haven't looked back. Service and running costs cheaper too. Fingers crossed it doesn't decide to randomly flip over on to it's roof anytime soon. Didn't realise that was a thing until I read this thread :confused:

The particle filter filling quickly has been an absolute pain throughout our various lockdowns though. Had to limp it to the dealer twice to get sorted.
The stability thing is very situational, basic physics says they're less stable due to a higher centre of gravity. They're more likely to roll but that doesn't mean they will roll. Although the only time I've been in one was a freelander about 15 years ago and it was ****, the amount of body roll fell like a ship on a rough sea:cry:. I have heard old people like them as they're a bit like driving an armchair:D. I do think a lot drive like tools in them, but that might just be because they're probably the most popular "car" type, and so the figures are skewed, I find there's all a small proportion of poor drivers in every type of car.
 
Caporegime
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20 Oct 2004
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....
I get them, I just don't get the small ones bought by woman who want loads of space and have less space than a ford ka - mind blowing.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Jul 2004
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4,455
Location
Melbourne , Oz.
The stability thing is very situational, basic physics says they're less stable due to a higher centre of gravity. They're more likely to roll but that doesn't mean they will roll. Although the only time I've been in one was a freelander about 15 years ago and it was ****, the amount of body roll fell like a ship on a rough sea:cry:. I have heard old people like them as they're a bit like driving an armchair:D. I do think a lot drive like tools in them, but that might just be because they're probably the most popular "car" type, and so the figures are skewed, I find there's all a small proportion of poor drivers in every type of car.
Ha, yeah wasn't being entirely serious. Never felt in danger of rolling, even when traversing tricky terrain. Behaves just like a car on the roads. I considered a Cayenne too, that thing is even better. Very sharp braking and cornering. Liked it a lot.
 
Man of Honour
Man of Honour
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23 Dec 2002
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London
The question wasn't "why did you not buy an estate", but to answer it - it's taller so there is more space.

how about a better question, ie why not buy an MPV?
Unfortunately the market for them has seriously dried up, leaving us with a fairly small choice, and those that do exist haven’t had anything like the investment that SUVs have received.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
Posts
90,821
The stability thing is very situational, basic physics says they're less stable due to a higher centre of gravity. They're more likely to roll but that doesn't mean they will roll. Although the only time I've been in one was a freelander about 15 years ago and it was ****, the amount of body roll fell like a ship on a rough sea:cry:. I have heard old people like them as they're a bit like driving an armchair:D. I do think a lot drive like tools in them, but that might just be because they're probably the most popular "car" type, and so the figures are skewed, I find there's all a small proportion of poor drivers in every type of car.

I've found that very mixed - VW ones tend to feel quite stable but the Nissan SUVs I've been in have literally felt like being in a small boat on the ocean on undulating roads to the point I at first thought the ones I'd had lifts in had some kind of fault...

In better days my Navara was somewhat like driving an armchair - helped by having decent seats and a relatively refined engine with lazy power - sadly it has seen better days now though.
 
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