Can anyone explain the logic of SUV vehicles?

SmallTown said:
Again you're getting SUV confused with AWD aren't you? I see this a lot. People thinking having a tall car means it's an off roader. I've had plenty of saloons with good towing capapcity
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No I’m not, you generally cant get an suv that can tow 2.2 tonne plus unless it’s AWD or 4x4. The two wheel drive ones especially the newer ones are usually only 1.6 as they are petrol, some of the older diesels might have been 1.8 tonne.

You are mixing up off roading and uneven farm tracks they aren’t the same, ground clearance / ride height plays a part with equestrian use as much as AWD/4x4.

The towing capacity on a saloon and even most awd saloons (there isn’t many) usually isn’t good enough to tow 2 horses. They usually max out around 2 tonne but most are lower petrols are usually 1.6 diesels 1.8 tonne.. The only common exception I’m aware of as I already mentioned is the 2.2 diesel mondeo that tows 2.2 tonne.

A trailer with 2 horses or a horse and pony is considerably heavier than a caravan.
 
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The Ruthsayer said:
Ok, so you accept my other reasons. Good. Being a little higher reduces the amount of spray and associated crap that gets onto the windscreen. It helps me to see better, especially at night (and no, I don’t need a sight test).
As for being flawed, perhaps ‘sub-optimal’ might be a more accurate adjective? And even that depends on what you want to do with the car. Personally, I drive in a very sensible manner, so being 160mm taller than the nearest equivalent estate isn’t an issue for me.
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No I think the spray thing is a desperate reason. Especially as the above mentioned dynamic flaws make driving in the rain worse.
 
Priv said:
No I’m not, you generally cant get an suv that can tow 2.2 tonne plus unless it’s AWD or 4x4.

The towing capacity on an awd saloon usually isn’t good enough to tow 2 horses. They usually max out around 2 tonne but many are lower.
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I don’t know why? Surely engine and drivetrain dictate how good a car is at towing? Not it's height
 
gramercy said:
I have one because I like it.

The agenda that people seem to have against them is misguided.
The equivalent saloon version of mine, weighs roughly the same, has the same dimensions barring height and has roughly the same economy figures.
In the eyes of the media one is evil and one is ok.
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That's because every car is now becoming supersized, even so called saloon cars. Its a neoliberal fashion that speaks of fear and vulnerability. When animals feel threatened they try and big themselves up to put off an attack. See also women's shoulder pads and the fad for going to the gym to supersize yourself. One day when neoliberalism is no longer with us (currently it is in an undead zombie form) we will look back and ask ourselves how did we ever wanted to associate ourselves with these ugly, hulking, brutalist, polluting machines.
 
SmallTown said:
No I think the spray thing is a desperate reason. Especially as the above mentioned dynamic flaws make driving in the rain worse.
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Ok fine ST. You know how I see better than I do (other half has a little sports car and I can see the difference). The car handles beautifully in the wet. I don’t need a justification for the vehicle I have, just sharing some observations, but I’m afraid you’ve decided to become both personal and unnecessarily aggressive. Not for the first time. Shame.
 
The Ruthsayer said:
Ok fine ST. You know how I see better than I do (other half has a little sports car and I can see the difference). The car handles beautifully in the wet. I don’t need a justification for the vehicle I have, just sharing some observations, but I’m afraid you’ve decided to become both personal and unnecessarily aggressive. Not for the first time. Shame.
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It did seem a desperate reason if I’m honest. Especially given the driving dynamics which, of course, make handling worse in the wet. Also, is a bit cheeky to use the passive aggressive “I drive in a sensible manner” and then complain about me being personal. But let’s let that one slide.
 
SmallTown said:
It did seem a desperate reason if I’m honest. Especially given the driving dynamics which, of course, make handling worse in the wet. Also, is a bit cheeky to use the passive aggressive “I drive in a sensible manner” and then complain about me being personal. But let’s let that one slide.
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Ok. I didn’t mean to be ‘passive aggressive’, in that statement; if I were I apologise. Simply wanted to make the point that a minor impact on the handling wouldn’t affect me as I’m (now!) a pretty cautious driver.
 
The Ruthsayer said:
Ok. I didn’t mean to be ‘passive aggressive’, in that statement; if I were I apologise. Simply wanted to make the point that a minor impact on the handling wouldn’t affect me as I’m (now!) a pretty cautious driver.
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Fair enough. I just worry that suv give the illusion of safety rather than safety itself.

Apologies for the “desperate” comment. It was uncalled for
 
BaronSmoggie said:
How do you know where to go when some knobhead has Tippexed all the road signs? :)
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The contents of those signs would give away my daughters school, I know at least 3 other members live somewhere near me so they may well recognise that junction, but we do have a few weirdos on this board that I wouldn’t be fully comfortable disclosing that info too.
 
How could anyone argue with the concept of a higher driving position? I'm 6ft 1 and my wife is 5ft 6. Having a height advantage when walking through crowds means I can see ahead and make my way through a crowd far easier than she can. It's really no different when driving. Approaching traffic, junctions, roundabouts in a raised seating position gives you better visibility. Yes, you could argue that a lower position is better for things like racing but most people aren't racing their cars and would rather see things more clearly than be more aerodynamic.

You don't need an SUV for towing or driving off-road. In fact my SUV is rear wheel drive so is probably useless off-road.

I have an SUV for several reasons. Boot is big. Raised seating position gives better visibility. It's more comfortable getting kids in and out of car seats without having to bend right down. Mainly it is a comfortable car and it was good value (there weren't many electric non-SUVS that were worth it anyway).
 
SmallTown said:
I don’t know why? Surely engine and drivetrain dictate how good a car is at towing? Not it's height
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God knows but options are very limited when it comes to being able to tow 2 horses. The wife needs a new car and she wants a towing capacity of at least 2.2 tonnes in case her horse box breaks and takes ages to be fixed (it’s happened before), she did have a pick up truck but the chassis snapped on it so shes been borrowing a friends car for the last couple of months who lives abroad half the year but they are due back in Feb. Without having my pants pulled down on MPG and Tax I’m probably going to buy a Tiguan 2.0 diesel 4 motion for her as they can tow 2.2 or may go with a Volvo XC90 which is 2.4 but is high tax. She’d prefer a shogun or another pick up but when they go wrong cost a fortune to repair.

Mines a Phev with a 1.6 petrol engine so can only tow 1.6tonne, which is fine for the daughters pony but not the wife’s horse or both together.
 
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It's incredible how many people on here judge other people's car choices. Jealous much?
 
Nano said:
How could anyone argue with the concept of a higher driving position? I'm 6ft 1 and my wife is 5ft 6. Having a height advantage when walking through crowds means I can see ahead and make my way through a crowd far easier than she can. It's really no different when driving. Approaching traffic, junctions, roundabouts in a raised seating position gives you better visibility. Yes, you could argue that a lower position is better for things like racing but most people aren't racing their cars and would rather see things more clearly than be more aerodynamic.

You don't need an SUV for towing or driving off-road. In fact my SUV is rear wheel drive so is probably useless off-road.

I have an SUV for several reasons. Boot is big. Raised seating position gives better visibility. It's more comfortable getting kids in and out of car seats without having to bend right down. Mainly it is a comfortable car and it was good value (there weren't many electric non-SUVS that were worth it anyway).
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Because it makes no sense to me really. I can see fine from a saloon car as can most people. The only decent argument I've seen on this thread for a high driving position is if you very specifically drive on country lanes with hedges of a certain height. Other than that it's a strange argument
 
Littlejimmy said:
See also massive ******* pick-up trucks driven by people who live in towns and don't work on farms, etc. Why? I had a pick up or SUV behind me (in my Golf) last night for a few miles and his LED headlights were blinding me in my wing mirrors and even my rear view on night setting was struggling.
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They fall into the commercial vehicle for company tax purposes so can be cheaper to own.
 
SmallTown said:
Because it makes no sense to me really. I can see fine from a saloon car as can most people. The only decent argument I've seen on this thread for a high driving position is if you very specifically drive on country lanes with hedges of a certain height. Other than that it's a strange argument
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Not sure I get the reasoning behind height too, I don’t see how a higher driving position helps when you are behind a bus, articulated truck or Luton type van for example. If height removes risk I don’t see why wagon drivers have accidents if they’re higher seated than SUV drivers. I don’t see how a high seating position helps see cars or cyclists coming in country lanes if those vehicles are lower than the hedges.
Surely that worse to have false confidence that nothing is coming?
 
smoggs03 said:
Not sure I get the reasoning behind height too, I don’t see how a higher driving position helps when you are behind a bus, articulated truck or Luton type van for example. If height removes risk I don’t see why wagon drivers have accidents if they’re higher seated than SUV drivers. I don’t see how a high seating position helps see cars or cyclists coming in country lanes if those vehicles are lower than the hedges.
Surely that worse to have false confidence that nothing is coming?
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Have you ever driven a higher seated vehicle like a Landrover Defender on country lanes ? Probably not. Over many years I have driven 5 Defenders numerous Golf GTI's and a few low sports cars. The Defenders give better forward vision on country lanes than any of the low alternatives. You are obviously not going to see everything but you see vastly more than a normal car.
 
My last car was an old Volvo XC90. The simple reason I had it was because at the time it was the only car I found within my £1700 price range that ticked all the boxes of the car I was looking for(seven seats, automatic, room in the boot for a double buggy and 3 full size seats on the middle row). Even though it was an old car it was still one of the nicest cars comfort wise to drive I would imagine the newer ones being very comfortable and nice to drive. Now my needs are slightly different I have a Kia Carens which is also a nice car and A MPV rather than an SUV. The strange thing about the Kia Carens is it doesn't look very big from the outside and it feels more like driving a mid sized hatchback(VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus) than any other 7 seater I have driven but is also surprisingly roomy inside.
 
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