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While the SUV I drive is considered one of the most car like. Driving a normal sedan still amazes me at how much better they handle. Also another observation is how well they coast at speeds, with SUV when you let off the throttle the speed starts droppingquick. With sedan they continue to just accelerate which felt different.
Also I feel the brakes on non SUVs are too touchy and agressive, perhaps SUVs just have weak brakes?
Also by far the biggest difference is on the highway - the stiffer setup, increased aerodynamic drag and ride height and weight of SUVs contribute to a bouncy fidgety ride as speed increases. I felt sedans drive smoother the higher the speed.
In conclusion I recommend anyone who thinks about getting an SUV to just give the humble sedan/hatch/wagon another go and truly see how good they are.
Main pros of sedan/hatch/wagon over SUVs
More comfortable
More efficient
Much better handling
Smoother ride
Quieter
More fun to drive (good part!)
I feel the opposite way about them. Except for efficiency my SUV is better in the other categories than most cars. I haven't felt a bouncy fidgety ride even at high speeds.
Way too much generalization in the OP. You need to compare like-size and like-weight vehicles, at the bare minimum. Don’t even include SUVs that are designed to handle towing capacities similar to those of same-category pickup trucks. Car-type unibody to unibody, no mixing and matching of body-on-frame to unibody.
Are you a car salesman? Your post smells of sales pitch.
Unless I'm downtown with tight parking, I always prefer driving my SUV. Versus a reg car, the SUV feels more planted to the road, provides a commanding view of the road, has greater passenger & cargo space, etc.
I have never owned a conventional car unless you call a 2 seater convertible one. I call it more of a toy. I have only owned trucks a JeeP wrangler and a van. I do hear what you are saying OP. We rented a Camry when we were in Vegas and put about 1000 miles on it and that was one smooth car. In England we rented a Audi wagon and that was smooth too.
Maybe someday I will own a sedan for all the reasons you listed but right now I prefer my truck, my convertible and my wifes Grand Cherokee.
Between my wife and I we've owned a few SUVs. But as soon as I got into my first sporty hatchback(Acura RSX Type S) I knew there was no going back for me. At least until I get old and crotchety enough for my knees and back to not appreciate getting in/out of the lower vehicle.
I enjoy the G forces in quick tight turns too much for something with a high center of gravity.
Oh and oddly I am 6'6 and find I have much more leg and head room in hatchbacks than I do in even full size SUVs.
It's funny the OP posted this thread because this past weekend my wife and I were in Seattle for my stepson's wedding and had a Volkswagen Passat for our rental vehicle.
Other than getting reacquainted with the lower seating height, we enjoyed our time with the vehicle and had forgotten how fun sedans are to drive, especially on highway and in the curves.
When we returned home, we didn't really notice any difference between the Passat and our personal vehicle (a new VW Tiguan).
However, the next morning, I immediately noticed the difference between both the Passat and Tiguan and my company vehicle (a Ford Edge) when I sat down. The first thing that struck me was how the Edge seating position felt elevated and the handling felt very much like an SUV. I have driven this vehicle for a few years and have only noticed this once before and that was after driving a rented Nissan Versa for about a week and a half while traveling.
Also, the ride height and handling on both our Tiguan or our Subaru Outback seemed normal even though they share a similar ride height to the Edge.
I find it curious how driving a sedan for a weekend revealed just how SUV-like the feel and handling of the Ford Edge really is and how numb to it I had become.
In my opinion it depends on the SUV in question. I have extensive experience with BMW X5s and Range Rovers. Both of which handle well. X5's are like sports cars on stilts.
If we're talking about a Toyota Rav4...I can see where the OP is coming from.
In our part of the country, you can go to any parking lot and you will find that 3/4 of all vehicles will be mid size and larger SUV or Pickups (4 door), and all will be 4X4 models. Yesterday I was at our local post office, and there were just over 20 vehicles in the parking lot. Not one of them was a regular car. Here we drive vehicles that are able to go, no matter the weather and road conditions.
My wife and I both in our latter 80s, drive a F-150 Ford Pickup, and a Ford Explorer (mid size) SUV.
Pickups are the big sellers around the country. Top 3 selling vehicle models in the nation are:
1--Ford F-150 2--Chevrolet 3--Dodge ram. The F150 sells more than twice the number of any standard automobile.
Just think, Tesla will lose about a Billion Dollars this year total.
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