SUVs

Can’t say I dislike them my DH has one but he chose one the make it easier for him to get in and out it’s not particularly longer or wider than our previous car just taller. Not really sure why SUVs are charged more to park as I said it takes up no more floor space than our previous saloon car.

DH has inherited a very old large SUV 4 wheel drive from me.

It was used for towing horse boxes, and as it had two extra seats at the back could get all children in (5) and us when needed.

Not all SUV’s are a status symbol, some are a necessity.

I can understand why people want one, the are higher than the majority of cars on the road, which means less glare from the new headlights.

Car seats are bigger now, prams and buggies take up more room.

It must be frustrating when there is no off road parking available though.

When I moved from country to town I swapped my SUV for an urban ‘runabout.’
To begin with I loved the way I could easily squeeze into tight parking spaces and my petrol bill halved but I do miss the comfort and feeling of safety especially when driving on motorways or negotiating multi-laned roundabouts.
Driving in heavy traffic is far less stressful when you can see what’s going on ahead.
I have to agree though that SUVs are a pain in the proverbial in busy built up areas and I’ve joined the FFS brigade when they take up so much room in a supermarket car park.

DH has a SUV but needs it for his work which often involves transporting heavy awkwardly shaped car parts related to his work restoring vintage cars. He also uses the towing bracket when necessary. I like car as a passenger but wouldnt want to drive it. I have a lovely teeny wee car which runs on a teaspoon of petrol and is very easy to park. I love it!

They are a damned nuisance for anyone driving a modest small car because of the glare they cause and not being able to see round (through) them in car parks.

I always reverse into a space and will avoid one next to a SUV if I can. However, Sod’s Law says that if the space next to me becomes free then someone in a bluddy Range Rover or similar will park there.

This means that when I leave, I have to edge forward very, very slowly in order to see what’s coming. I pray that whoever is coming can see me edging forward as I can't see them. Front parkers must have a very difficult time.

I think these monster vehicles (which are status symbols for most and nothing whatsoever to do with sports utility) need to be corralled in a separate place in car parks furthest away from everything.

Some years ago, a lot of damage was done to my car when I was tailgated by a woman in a Range Rover. I was turning left, indicated in plenty of time, slowed right down but she crashed into the side of me anyway as I turned. Her excuse? She was too high up to see my indicators.

I have friends whose children went to a fee paying school for a while. She was very happy driving her Ford Fiesta until she became aware that virtually very other parent drove an SUV to take their children to school. So she and her husband got into debt to buy one. She hated driving it, hated parking it but said she did it to fit in and not be looked upon as poorer than the other parents. Eventually dad lost his job, the children went to state schools (and were much happier there) and the parents returned to driving a modest small car.

How stupid it all is, this need to be seen to be wealthy.

‘Carspreading’ on the BBC news site today, I drive one, at 5’11” it’s easier to get in and out of, plenty of space in the boot when I had my allotment too. Much easier for people to stow walkers/wheelchairs in, visibility better and it’s sturdy.
The increase in permit price, at least in Cardiff, is on the kg weight of the car, mine isn’t that heavy.

Just read your post PaynesGrey mines a Skoda, similar price to a lot of saloon cars, not an exhibition of wealth.

What is a “posh” town?

Jaxjacky

Just read your post PaynesGrey mines a Skoda, similar price to a lot of saloon cars, not an exhibition of wealth.

Perhaps, but the monster Range Rovers, costs ranging from £76,350 to £174,545 are.

I don’t dislike SUVs as such, but I think the drivers are a bit daft, I mean why drive such an enormous vehicle that won’t fit into an ordinary parking space and is not even that nice to look at - I compare them to those ugly transformer vehicles children played with, am still waiting for one to suddenly change shape into something else entirely.
Of course is a trend and in years to come many of us will look back at this rather silly fashion and say ‘why on earth did we drive one of those.’

PaynesGray

How stupid it all is, this need to be seen to be wealthy

You have no idea why most people need a larger car, it’s not all about money!

As for parking, maybe people should learn how to park correctly?

I m 5’2” can park our large 4 wheel drive car in a standard parking space, with room to get out of all doors. Whereas I often come across small cars parked over the lines, at odd angles, too far forward or back…

PaynesGray

Jaxjacky

Just read your post PaynesGrey mines a Skoda, similar price to a lot of saloon cars, not an exhibition of wealth.

Perhaps, but the monster Range Rovers, costs ranging from £76,350 to £174,545 are.

Aah so you object to people being able to afford an expensive car…

Can anyone recommend a car which is a bit higher than most, so easier to get in/ out, but not a SUV?

We have two cars, a modest mini and large luxury 4WD.

It’s not about showing off but after years of working very hard being able to afford something nice.

Why is this wrong?

People, drivers and passengers alike, who can actually get into a standard saloon car are extremely lucky! My Oh and I both struggle with those, hence we choose to drive an SUV because of reduced mobility and certainly NOT because we want a bigger vehicle!

Sago

We have two cars, a modest mini and large luxury 4WD.

It’s not about showing off but after years of working very hard being able to afford something nice.

Why is this wrong?

Totally agree Sago 👍

If you hate SUVs, dont come to the US, where the minivan is queen (an even bigger than SUVs)!

All the things thaat people say SUVs are necessary for, we have done - and still do - with an estate car. For most of the time it has been SAAB estates, but we have, in our time, had Volvos, Renaults and others.

I have always driven a big car (5 children like GG, with all their 'stuff')

Ours wasn't a status symbol either - more a necessity. We have downsized now but I really miss the high driving position and we might have another (albeit smaller) next time.

Aah so you object to people being able to afford an expensive car.

Not particularly but there is something obscene about the number of people who will spend more on a car than the cost of a house.

My post was in response to Jaxjacky who said the cost of her SUV was modest.

My objection to monster SUVs is primarily that they make life difficult for drivers of smaller vehicles in car parks and at night with their blinding headlights. I have to drive home late a couple of nights a week and have to regularly flip my rear view mirror to shut out the glare from these high vehicles. I rarely had to do this before these vehicles became ubiquitous.

I admit, I don’t like them. I live near four secondary schools. Each morning and afternoon the roads are cogged with them taking and picking children up from school. There is no sports utility involved in this so why are they called SUVs?

I’m tired or women at my local parade of shops who can’t park the darned things, manage to get one wheel on the pavement and leave the back end jutting out at 45 degrees so nobody can get past. Nine times out of ten, the vehicle parked on the double yellows at the same shopping parade - and blocking the wheelchair access that the lines are there to protect - is an SUV. Why is that? What do the drivers of these vehicles think that the Highway Code doesn’t apply to them?

The latest publicity is about carspreading - the fact these vehicles take up more than their fair share of space. There is no doubt in my mind that they do, both legally, illegally and dangerously.

Cabbie21 I had a Qashqai for ages and loved it high driving position huge boot and comfy as well I passed it on to a GS when the ULEZcame in in London and bought a Corsa it’s lower and smaller all round but I actually like it now, it’s 3 door and the door is wide making it easy to get in and out.
I do recommend the Qashqai though.

When my children were at a private school. I drove a very old SAAB car (not estate car). It cost me £200.

My son told me that my battered old saloon gave him real street cred at school and once when I collected DS and some friends from the local station to take back to school and was driving the family estate car, the boys were so disappointed I drove back home and swapped cars.

Cabbie21 what about an Audi Q5 or Q3 good quality and not as big as the Q7’s.

*Cabbie21 skoda yeti is high.

We bought one 11 years ago as DH could not get into a lower driving seat. Now it is a cult car, easy to maintain and trouble-free so is selling second hand at high prices, the yeti is no longer made. Easy to park with the footprint of a normal compact car. I suppose it might be called a SUV because it has a high profile. Mine has 4wd and is very versatile inside

I used to pull a horse box with first a landrover and later with a range rover, the yeti has not the same weight as those two