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I drive my Yukon Denali because it's comfortable, sits up higher, can pull a boat trailer, and because I LIKE IT. I'm not one to keep up on trends, right now SUV's are unpopular because of gas prices but I'm still happily driving mine. The real trend right now seems to be Hybrids...
If SUVs aren't the trend, why is it that at a minimum, 6 out of 10 cars I see on the roads are SUVs? Hybrids make up maybe 1 in 20 cars.
If SUVs aren't the trend, why is it that at a minimum, 6 out of 10 cars I see on the roads are SUVs? Hybrids make up maybe 1 in 20 cars.
Look - there are many vehicles define / described as being SUV's - but, IMO, what most are complaining about are the HUMMERS of the world - the ones that don't get good gas mileage
Lets be honest - SUV's today, with the exception of a few like the H3's, are todays answer to the station wagons of old. Most of the hybrids out there tend to be, for the moment, smaller, and they don't work with todays modern, active families.
Peoples lifestyles today are much more active and involved in years past - including much more outdoor recreation which necessitates larger vehicles. As an example, we went to an RV show this past week and I was fascinated at how fancy the "toy haulers" had become. You know - the trailers that have dual uses: Living and hauling the 4 wheelers or motorcycles etc?
Frankly, a Toyota Prius won't pull one of those -
SUV's, or Pickups are here to stay. And many of them get the same, or better gas mileage as the automobiles.
Isn't it funny that we rarely hear or read objections to the low gas mileage cars on the road -
Just bought a Suzuki SX-4 as my errand car - the one I run to town in (30 miles one way), shuttle the dogs around in, get groceries, etc etc. It was fairly cheap, is reasonably quiet, has a ton of headroom and front seat-legroom (I pulled the seats out of the back to get a level cargo floor and for the dogs). For my slushy, muddy gravel and dirt roads, it has good ground clearance, and can be switched from front wheel drive to all-wheel drive to locked AWD (basically 4wd) at the push of a button. 2.0L, inline 4 cyl, 143 hp.
So far the mileage has been around 24/25 in town and 32/33 on the highway, but it's only got about 500 miles on it, and I haven't switched to synthetics fluids yet. It's also regular gas, not premium like the rest of my cars. It's very nimble, has great braking, a short turning radius and gets far better gas mileage than the competing cars. The top of the car is about 3" lower than my Jeep Grand Cherokee, so it's definitely taller than a car, but shorter than a standard SUV. It has a LOT of glass, and unobstructed views out the windows, with no blind spot like the Jeep. Doesn't tow, though.
The dealer extended the bumper-to-bumper warranty to be the same as the powertrain warranty - 7yrs/100,000 miles. It's an inexpensive car (I paid right around $15k) and it doesn't have a lot of upscale features - basic interior, basic seats that could use a little more butt padding, no sunroof, no heated seats - but otherwise it has a great combination of features.
As to the future, GM [for one] is banking much on their hybrid technology, in these SUV's and pickup trucks - to help satisfy the needs of people that Greatday has mentioned; those that need to haul, pull, tow, etc. larger amounts, but still have desire to get improved fuel economy [less emissions, less fuel being burnt...].
If interested, here are a couple articles:
Driving Impressions: Super-Sized Hybrid - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/03/07/solutions-green-car-yukon-oped-cx_sk_0307yukon.html - broken link)
The Oakland Press: Business (http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/030908/bus_20080309362.shtml - broken link)
{as an aside, slightly off-topic here: one main negative to all these electric vehicles though: what to do w/ the batteries when they are spent? Save fuel and lower emissions, only to degrade the air & water & land w/ the pollution of wasted batteries, and the added resources to create them in the first place? A great future for those interested in working and helping solve this kind of problem... Argonne Transportation - Batteries for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (broken link) }
The mileage figures they give in the Forbes article for the hybrid Yukon is the same in town and a little less on the freeway as I get with my 9 year old Suburban that weighs the same as the hybrid. Plus the 'Burb is bigger and can tow more. Why would I spend more, to get less than I already have?
The mileage figures they give in the Forbes article for the hybrid Yukon is the same in town and a little less on the freeway as I get with my 9 year old Suburban that weighs the same as the hybrid. Plus the 'Burb is bigger and can tow more. Why would I spend more, to get less than I already have?
EPA changed how they calculate mileage ratings (last year, I think) and now the numbers look worse. By the EPA's page, a 1995 'Burban WAS rated at 12/15 and now it's listed as 9/13. So the hybrid version probably will get better gas mileage.
I don't know anyone who actually GETS what the EPA ratings indicate, but at least they are a comparison. My Jeep mileage has always been better than the EPA's guess (16 around town, 22 highway, 20 towing), as has my Mini Cooper S (23 around town, 32 highway).
Besides the mileage, don't forget too the potential better emission, improved safety, and other factors too that can come into play. With that said, I do understand what you are saying - for example, I still drive a '92 Toyota Celica GT-S - she is 16 years old, yet I still get 29-34 mpg. That, honestly, is what buggers my mind - here is a car w/ "ancient" technology that gets as good if not better mpg than many new cars. Only changes I've done is smoother exhaust and better air intake, along with keeping oil, spark plugs, carbon build-up, tires [alignment, pressure], etc. maintained consistently.
Anyhow, getting back more on track here still, for a new SUV, I really like the capability of the RAV-4. Quite nice looking, excellent riding vehicle, with quite good performance, along with its mpg & safety ratings.
Anyhow, getting back more on track here still, for a new SUV, I really like the capability of the RAV-4. Quite nice looking, excellent riding vehicle, with quite good performance, along with its mpg & safety ratings.
Looked at that - didn't like the price or the mileage, and was willing to trade interior posh for mileage and price since this was going to be a second car.
Handling was also a concern for me, and the ratings don't address that, but they gave me a place to start.
EDIT: There is a word filter in place that won;t let me link to the entire URL. Go to the above, and, on the right just below the top banner, click on "Find and Compare Cars"
Most people who drive SUVs don't need vehicles that big. I know many couples with no children and no pets who drive hummers, when they could very easily drive a hybrid. People drive SUVs for one reason - they are trendy. Same as compact cars were in the '90s. Its amazing that auto manufacturers are bragging about fuel efficiency yet the average MPG for cars sold in 1988 was 22.8 mpg, in 2007 it was 16.7 mpg. The reason is most people prefer huge gas-guzzling SUVs and it is having a devastating impact on our environment and our economy in the form of fuel prices.
Quite frankly, if someone wants to spend their money on a freaking Hummer and they are single with no children and 5' tall, that's none of your business. I'm so sick of the dirt people trying to tell everyone else how to spend their money. They worked for it and they should spend it how they want. That's how the market works.
That said, am I worried about the planet? Yes, of course. Do I believe the global warming hype? No. There's just too much proof that the world's temps are cyclical. I watched a show on Discovery a while back called 'Before the Dinosaurs' or something that said millions of years ago the planet (at this particular time) was 20% hotter than it is today. I don't recall finding any Hummer fossils when they dug up the dinosaur's, so obviously since that time the planet's been cooling, not warming.
The market needs to make decisions like this, not congress. For example, the incandescent light bulb has been outlawed. The makers of the bulb have until 2010 or something to phase it out and then we all must use the new 'eco-friendly' bulbs. Honestly, I don't like them. They don't light a room the same way - it's much dimmer, even with the high wattage bulbs. And to make matters worse, the new bulbs are made with mercury. Mercury is highly poisonous to humans. When questioned about that, we are told that - basically - the cost to human life is much less relevant than the cost to the environment!! So, now saving electricity is more imporatant than keeping humans safe? Come on! Our government isn't doing it's job if it's forcing companies to make products that will be used by the public that are known to be dangerous.
So no, I don't buy all the global warming hype and I think our government is out of line backing something that has no hard scientific proof. Does that mean I'm going to go dump motor oil in our lakes and streams? Set off nuclear devices just because I'm bored on Saturday night? No. We each have to make our own decisions to keep the planet healthy and clean. Don't litter. Recycle when you can. Reduce the waste you produce. Reuse what you can. We can all do little things that combined will make a big difference. But I do not believe that my husband needing an SUV is going to bring this planet to an end. That's ludicrous.
Now, back to the actual point of this thread, what SUV to get him?? I'll go back and clarify the begining of the original post for the dirt people who's ADD is so severe that they can't even get through the first paragraph before they begin spouting their Al Gore hype.
have you thought about the crossovers? or the ford escape hybrid? my husband recently wrecked my suv and I went to yahoo and looked under autos and found some of the vehicles and got the buyers opinion. in the end I would suggest going out and driving a few and see what will fit your family and your lifestle.
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. I'm not one to keep up on trends, right now SUV's are unpopular because of gas prices but I'm still happily driving mine. The real trend right now seems to be Hybrids...
still, for a new SUV, I really like the capability of the RAV-4. Quite nice looking, excellent riding vehicle, with quite good performance, along with its mpg & safety ratings.
