Remember SUVs?

[Steve F]

Here is something a little different

http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/951411143.html

[carnutzzz]

Originally Posted by dd74

You are, obviously.

30 cubic feet? What's that hold? A case of diet Coke?

Here's some real math: How many Fits fit in the cost of one V10 Touareg?

What are you talking about- a case of diet coke is ~1.75 cubic feet.

Besides Fits look ridiculous, don't tow, and don't have any ground clearance. Thus, they still aren't a replacement for an SUV.

So- for you SUV haters, are you cool with imposing housing square footage limits? Certainly a family of 5 doesn't NEED anything beyond 2,000 square feet.

[911boost]

I love my big ol 'merican V8 SUV.

What else can you throw a set of chains on and drive through 36 inches of snow to get to the one open beer store?

Carnuttz you are wastingyour breath.

Matt, I rented a Chrysler minivan last year for my annual VA to NC beach trip. I barely got 18 mpg in that POS. The year before I had a Durango that equaled the gas mileage.

Bill

[dd74]

Originally Posted by carnutzzz

What are you talking about- a case of diet coke is ~1.75 cubic feet.

That was a guess. I don't drink the stuff. It supposedly stays in your small intestine for upwards of four years, doing God knows what.

Originally Posted by carnutzzz

Besides Fits look ridiculous,

And so do some Ferrari models.

Originally Posted by carnutzzz

don't tow, and don't have any ground clearance.Thus, they still aren't a replacement for an SUV.

LOL! You need glasses for your short-sightedness. On one hand, there are plenty of so-called SUVs that don't ordinarily tow nor have ground clearance. The Cayenne Turbo S is one model I have yet to see with a hitch on it. And ground clearance? The Porsche has trouble fording steep driveways in Beverly Hills, so what makes you think it'll fair better on the Beau and Luke Duke North Georgia trails?

As to the Fit: Of course a Fit is a more than adequate replacement for an SUV. Think beyond your own needs, and you may (or may not) figure that out.

Originally Posted by carnutzzz

So- for you SUV haters, are you cool with imposing housing square footage limits? Certainly a family of 5 doesn't NEED anything beyond 2,000 square feet.

Considering all the venison you've blasted to bits while on your off road jaunts, and now need to store in the freezer section of your palatial home, I'm sure the tree huggers will detract from knocking on your door while holding burning stakes and sharpened pitchforks. You're just trying to survive in a big house.

Or am I being pejorative toward the entire lot of SUV lovers as hicks who kill their own meat and as a consequence, live large?

[Red Baron]

Originally Posted by Rikao4

neighbor beotched about gas ..
sold his Armada...(no kids/no dogs)..
last week he got a Hummer..
his wife drives a big GMC...
when gas was 3 + he was carpooling with buddies to work..
forgotten....

Rika

Those type of morons sure make for some good water cooler jokes at the dealership!

He's ALMOST as dumb as the ant-SUV Nazis.

[turbo6bar]

Like I said, we get what we deserve. If we deserve the right to drive SUVs, we deserve the right to get raped by high oil prices. Similarly, the Big three deserve the right to build fuel efficient vehicles, and they deserve to rot when the market passes.

I drive a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel. It is essential for business (towing upwards of 15,000 lb). It makes me more productive. However, I believe it is in America's best interests to move towards more efficient machines. The "I got mine, to hell with everyone else" mentality is getting old.

[carnutzzz]

Ok DD74, you win.

I'll buy you a Fit, as long as you can follow me back to the cabin from the fishin' hole...

[SLO-BOB]

I guess I own all the objects of derision -



AND the seat in front of the Fit is for, horror of horrors - a minivan!!

Like I said earlier, the right tool for the right job. The Fit carries a HUGE amount of stuff. It uses all of it's space very efficiently. I can easily carry my wife, 17 year old son, large dog and small dog in carrier, groceries, 2 - 5 gallon water jugs, among other things. My son actually has more legroom in the back of the Fit than the back of the Yukon XL.

Whomever said that a sport wagon will substiture for a SUV may be right for some, but there is no sportwagon that will pull my fishing boat. The better SUVs like the Yukon XL still have a purpose. They have been around since the 50s, so they are not born of trendiness like X5s and Explorers. That said a whole bunch of people in SUVs would be much better off in the Fit.

[tabs]

We voted for Obama so we could drive our SUV's...he will get the US off of foreign dependence on oil...we will all be able to have wine and brie...yes we can change.

[carnutzzz]

Originally Posted by tabs

We voted for Obama so we could drive our SUV's...he will get the US off of foreign dependence on oil...we will all be able to have wine and brie...yes we can change.

PLUS, I heard we all get time machines and we can eat pizza for breakfast.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by BSiple

Matt, I rented a Chrysler minivan last year for my annual VA to NC beach trip. I barely got 18 mpg in that POS. The year before I had a Durango that equaled the gas mileage.

Bill

I bolded the problem with that sentence. Our Mazda MPV (small minivan) gets an easy 25 MPG on the highway, about 21 in town. It also has more room for people than the Ford Expedition I just sold for my in-laws, and more space behind the 3rd row seat. It's also much smaller on the exterior, just much better packaged inside. My wife was a die-hard SUV driver, but once I finally pried her away from her gas hog she now confesses that she likes her minivan. Our next vehicle will be a Honda Odyssey, which is a bit bigger. The Odyssey, by the way, can haul sheets of 4x8 materials laying flat inside with the hatch shut (try that with most SUVs).

Basically, I'd be willing to bet 95% of SUV drivers would be better served by a car or minivan. Need to haul kids? A minivan is superior, no question. Commuter car? A car will better suit your needs. If you tow or go off-road, an SUV is superior. But how many SUV drivers do either?

I'm cool with people driving whatever they want. Just don't try to justify it as being the "practical choice". Hell, I've almost bought both a Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Disco. But it's because I liked the damn things.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I'm cool with people driving whatever they want. Just don't try to justify it as being the "practical choice". Hell, I've almost bought both a Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Disco. But it's because I liked the damn things.

They most certainly are a practical choice for many but certainly not most...but as you alluded, that shouldn't matter anyway.

[BlueSideUp]

We have an SUV, a big truck, and a Mini Cooper. The Mini is what we normally drive, the truck is used for our business, and the Jeep is my vehicle.

Our business is fitness and the truck is used to haul around a lot of weights, mats, etc.. Generally heavy stuff. I don't think that 90% of the large vehicles on the road are ever used to capacity but some are. I tried to make it work using a Jetta wagon, the rear shocks were blown out within 10K miles, literally leaking fluid all over the place. It was also unsafe to haul around heavy items in the back of an essentially open vehicle. I tried to get my wife to strap equipment down but it never seemed to get done.

The truck is a Nissan Titan and generally gets 14 mpg in town and 18mpg highway. Pretty impressive since it's so much larger than my Jeep that gets similar mileage. I think the American manufacturers have really missed the boat on engine technology, instead spending development dollars on stock dividends and chrome. The Corvette may be an exception but I haven't heard of many Hemi owners talking gas mileage.

And yes my wife has had people stop her in a parking lot to tell her how she's ruining the environment. For one A-hole she opened the back of the truck and asked "are you going to fit all of these weights in the back of your Prius? Some people actually use these vehicles genius."

We have the Jeep because it's paid for and I drive less than 4000 miles a year. I hope to be back in a 911 some day for a daily but it'll be a little while.

[tobster1911]

Originally Posted by BlueSideUp

The truck is a Nissan Titan and generally gets 14 mpg in town and 18mpg highway. Pretty impressive since it's so much larger than my Jeep that gets similar mileage. I think the American manufacturers have really missed the boat on engine technology, instead spending development dollars on stock dividends and chrome.

I really truly feel that this is a HUGE misconception. The US vehicles do get similar if not better gas mileage. I picked 2007 just off hand. I don't know what year your Titan is. Don't get me wrong, the import trucks are ok but they are not models of fuel economy.

[onewhippedpuppy]

American trucks get good MPG (for a truck). It's the American CARS that suck.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

American trucks get good MPG (for a truck). It's the American CARS that suck.

American SUVs are trucks.

[BlueSideUp]

Oh no I agree that the ratings look similar but I am talking about the actual numbers from owners. When we were looking at trucks most owners of Ram Hemis were getting 12mpg average. In general the American manufacturers just don't seem to put as much money into vehicle development. The American idea is to give as much return to the stockholders as possible, often at the expense of development.

This translates to cars as well. I used to own a VW Passat sedan with the 1.8T and a 5 speed. The car had a cD of .28 and returned 36mpg highway/28 city. How many Taurus' or Oldsmobuicks can make those numbers or even get above 30mpg?

Americans can build cars that sell, look at Honda, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW, and Toyota...all of them have vehicles built in the US. The issue is in the design of the vehicles. Don't build crappy outdated cars and you won't have to sit in front of a congressional committee begging for money.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

American SUVs are trucks.

Ok, American SUVs get good MPG (for a truck).

[tobster1911]

Originally Posted by BlueSideUp

Oh no I agree that the ratings look similar but I am talking about the actual numbers from owners. When we were looking at trucks most owners of Ram Hemis were getting 12mpg average.

That chart does have data from real owners for whatever it is worth. The Ram Hemi is a special case of trying to capitalize on the retro thing. The regular ram in more inline. Go to fueleconomy.gov and play around. Try a cobalt, civic, camry.

More fun. The ridgeline is cheating with a 6cyl and still is not that much better.

[911boost]

I hear you on the Mazda Matt, if I recall, those are what I reccomended on your mini van thread, smile.

On a side note, my Tahoe gets a consistent 17 mpg, and my wifes V8 Volvo XC90 gets 23 mpg on the interstate. Not great, but not horrible.

Bill