Do SUVs Make You Stupid? by Mark Morford

[ailsagirl]

Maybe stupid is too strong a word. Maybe it's more like willful ignorance. More like intentional blindness. More like a calm and conscious denial in the face of a staggering stack of overwhelming facts that if you looked at for even one minute would prove that land tanks are some of the most overrated and silly and harmful and utterly pointless vehicles on the planet.

OK, maybe stupid is the right word.

Because there really is no other explanation for the still-roaring success of the land tank. Still no other explanation for their bizarre popularity, for the fact that, according to the Census Bureau and despite California's legendary rep for organics and environmentalism and concerns of health and body and air, our fine and heavily Schwarzeneggered state leads the nation in new registrations for SUVs.

Sad but true. Registrations for the huge lumps of bulbous steel jumped 39 percent between 1997 and 2002, from 1.9 million to 2.75 million, and overall there's been a whopping 56 percent jump in sales of the beasts in a mere eight years across the country, totaling nearly 25 million of the ugly tanks now lumbering across the American landscape and hogging all the parking and burning up most of the oil and sneering in the face of air quality and all rational thought and flipping over and bursting into flame after hitting a pinecone at 80 mph.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/01/07/notes010705.DTL&nl=fix

[fortyfeetunder]

1. True DU confession: I bought a baby SUV

After 20+ years of driving Subarus, I had to consider the following:

== still need 4WD (live on top of a hill, and I need to get there during inclement weather)
== have a very tall spouse who cannot drive, much less fit in any of the Subarus I owned
== needed the car to carry the gear for my various hobbies and not cram it in a back seat or a trunk.
== now with kids and their various interests. The kid will be as tall as the spouse so I had to think 4-5 years ahead on this.

I didn't want a big honking SUV. But the 4WD station wagon market in my price range and relative reliability sucked. I don';t like mini-vans, too So I got the smallest one that met the needs above, a lowly Honda CR-V.

The CR-V has about the same mileage as my old Legacy 4WD station wagon. And the spouse can at least drive it..and for a few days he had to with few complaints (beggars can't be choosy, eh?).

I commute with the car and then I use it for my hobbies. And take good care of it. I am very courteous when I drive. So am I gonna get an IQ reduction because of my choice????

[ailsagirl]

2. Nah... just thought it was an interesting article

:)

[vpigrad]

3. OK, so you have valid reasons...

but all the young single women I know with them are complete idiots who hate the world and want to see it destroyed and are doing their part to see it happen.

[CatholicEdHead]

21. CRVs

Are not that bad. I have an 01 that was a lease return. It drives like a car, but has more space inside so I can haul my bike inside. It gets decent gas milage

I would probably not by a 02 or later CRV, as the Element is more my style. I would even consider the Scion xB in the future.

[Vektor]

4. I'm glad you asked...

And I disagree with the unfair judgment.
I am an SUV owner. After being hit, and nearly killed TWICE by drunk drivers while I was in a small car, I feel safer in an SUV. With airbags on every inch. Considering my two prior cars were turned into crumpled tin cans while I was in them, I thought it was time to upgrade to something a little more sturdy. I had an Explorer for a while, but sold it. What I have now is not the biggest behemoth on the road - not an Excursion or a Suburban, but a Toyota 4-Runner, mid-sized, and manufactured by the only automaker on buyblue.org that is listed as a Democratic donor.

I have no regrets.

1) The roll-over issue - yes, they are more prone to rolling over, but they are far safer than small cars in other ways, as well. Also, I survived a roll-over, (in a MINI VAN!) and if you have your seatbelt on, you likely will too, in the unfortunate event you're in one. Head on collisions are the ones you DO NOT want to get in, especially in a small car. Any model of car has things about it that make it more safe, or less safe than others. Driving safely works wonders in avoiding roll-overs, and most newer models of SUVs have many stability features which prevent rollovers as well. Pick-ups and mini-vans also are prone to rolling over, not just SUV's.

2) The gas. I have gotten flak from many of my city dwelling friends who drive older economy cars, about my SUV. Yes, their cars get about twice the gas mileage my vehicle gets...AND they commute about 50 miles a day for work, plus use their car for various other errands, most of them putting well over 20,000 miles a year on their car. I rarely drive, and there are some whole weeks my car sits in the driveway untouched. I live in a smaller town, and can walk to work - on the days I drive, it's about two miles. My Explorer, which I traded in recently to get my current vehicle was a 1996 model with 50,000 miles on it. That's about 5.5 thousand miles a year compared to my friends who drive more economical cars but put 20,000 per year on them. Do the math - who uses more gas? They do. As do most who commute long distances...even in a hybrid. It's not just the size of your car, its HOW OFTEN you drive it also.

3) The why. I live in a rural-ish area, plus own property in a mountainous area that has many 4WD accessible only areas. I am an outdoors person, who needs a larger vehicle to transport sporting equipment. I am also a charitable person who has adopted two large dogs from the pound, and I like having an area in back I can put a pet gate on, and take them places with me with comfort and ease. I am an avid gardener, I plant a LOT of trees on my property (environmentally friendly person that I am) as well as doing volunteer landscaping work for hospitals and elderly-care homes. Hauling potted plants, trees, shrubs, and yes BUSHES, plus gardening equipment requires a large vehicle. And yes, I DO live in Schwarzenegger's California, but we have some the strictest smog and emission regulations in the nation on our vehicles. If your car doesn't pass, you don't drive it.

4) I CARPOOL! I do not drive a lot, but when I do, it is usually on an occasional road trip, or to work, and that keeps five other cars off the road that day.

So...SUV owners can be responsible and conscientious, and do not deserve to be called stupid. I care about the earth - I recycle, I plant trees, I adopt shelter animals, I volunteer at health care facilities, support progressive/charitable causes, and yes, I own an SUV. And I am responsible about it. Not stupid.

This is an ugly and unfair stereotype.

[ElectroPrincess]

5. Yes, you're right, but the arrogant ones ruin it for others AND they

guzzle gas. We're losing precious soldiers in Iraq for the upper middle classes obsession with a vehicular version of the Sherman Tank.

I hate SUVs ... All of them. They hog the road and take up extra space in parking lots.

I know the above is biased but it's genuine.

[Vektor]

6. Mine only takes up one space...

and I never steal the "compact" spaces. :-)

[ElectroPrincess]

7. You're A OK and bet you'll be in for the hybrid SUVs ... sorry, just pissy

when some of "those beasts" dwarf my cute little Accord.

[Vektor]

8. Some of the hybrid SUV's are so cute...

...and no need to worry...I get pissy sometimes too. :-)

If it weren't for the fact that I am afraid of being squashed again, and I have all sorts of BIG things to carry around, I probably wouldn't desire one so much. Also, my husband is a musician by hobby, drums and guitar as it were, so though he has a small car, the biggun comes in handy in the event he needs to haul drums and amps. The SUV isn't our everyday driving car...and we don't bully others on the road!

[Wilms]

9. Sorry Vektor...

You not that safer in an SUV.

Reason? Rollovers.

In a crash with a mid-size car though, you're right, YOU are safer, but much more likely to kill the occupants of the other car. And thats no fun, either.

Lots o links:

<http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=CNDA,CNDA:2003-38,CNDA:en&q=SUV+Rollover>


Wear a seatbelt, regardless.

[bunkerbuster1]

23. And re: Vektor's "crushed like tin cans" comment.

That's why they're called "crumple zones."

SUV owners seem terrified of the concept that a car might sacrifice itself so that the occupants might live.

[eek MD]

28. i agree

i always cringe when i see someone say "i feel safer in an SUV because it's bigger".
if that's the case, why not drive a hummer?..or have them make something bigger than that?
The more SUV's there are on the road, the more "at risk" drivers of smaller vehicles are....some people fail to see the big picture though...:\

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Poetry break..."Jeep Cherokee" by Bruce A. Jacobs

You've never known
a single Indian
who wasn't painted
onto a football helmet
or branded in chrome
on a tailgate,
but there you go,
off mashing the landscape
like some edge-city explorer,
flinging yourself toward
new worlds beyond the driveway,
Lewis and Clark
with a seat belt.
Go ahead, you trampling trooper,
you goose-stepping little
Godzilla, you shining beast
of raging fashion,
riding the big teeth
of your tires as if you
would ever follow a dirt road
anywhere but to a car wash...

Read the rest at

http://judithpordon.tripod.com/poetry/id47.html


:-)

[Wells]

14. Mileage Test - Suburban vs Honda Insight?

The Suburban gets better mileage, when carrying 9 passengers.
I use this trick argument to widen debate beyond gas guzzling SUVs.

Theoretically, Hybrid SUVs, from the mid-size Ford Escape to full-size Suburbans, can easily surpass 50 MPG. Next Generation Hybrids can achieve 500+ MPG. The Hydrogen fuel cell car is a hoax. But, even the most efficient Hybrid, is just another car requiring roads and parking space, energy and resources to manufacture and maintain, drain budgets to finance and insure, etc.

Anyone who drives any car contributes to the greater problems cars impose. A better car is an incomplete solution. Their very presence is detrimental to alternate, far more efficient means of travel, (safe walking and bicycling, mass transit). Dependence upon cars has enabled an unsustainable form urban/suburban development, suburban sprawl, "garage w/ attached house, wage-slave workers quarters", housing compounds, culturally and economically isolated Red State voters commuting to distant worksites, trying to vacation far from the ugly reality of car world.

[Skittles]

11. yes they do

I f***ing despise SUVs; just being behind one and not being able to see the lights drives me nuts. I would never, EVER drive one - not for ANY F***ING REASON.

[bemildred]

12. Let's say there is a strong correlation between the two. nt

[MikeG]

13. Four reasons I hate SUVs:

1. They block your view on the road.
2. They take forever to pull off the road in front of you.
3. They block your view backing out of a parking space.
4. Their drivers back up into parking spaces, holding up traffic.

[Wright Patman]

15. Wait'll a Chevrolet Suburban

runs off the road into you going about 40 mph.

If you live through it, as I obviously did, you will never want to go near another one as long as you live.

I've also witnessed one that hydroplaned, ran off the road and rolled over, and then burst into flames as the upside down 18-year-old girl was screaming toward a house on the hill above her for help.

[roseBudd]

16. We just got 17 inches of snow a couple weeks ago and my 95 Suburu

Legacy wagon blew the doors off the SUVs as I sped around them just to show off. Rollovers aren't even an issue in my all wheel drive vehicle

[Coastie for Truth]

19. My point exactly

Truck based SUV's tip - and all of the microprocessor based "vehicle stability" magic add-ons will not defeat the laws of statics and dynamics.

Once you have "smart AWD" weight is almost irrelevant.

Truck based SUV's are a major scam (and a cash cow).

[Coastie for Truth]

17. A little bit of skulduggery

Did you notice - before SUV's really caught on with "soccer moms" (when they had floor mats instead of carpets, wind up windows instead of power windows, etc.) - each one of the "Big Three" had at least one four wheel drive family car? -Toyota had AWD Tercels, Corollas, and Camrys. There were even AWD sedans that the majors (US, Japanese, Swedes, Germans) sold only outside the US. Then there was the Merkur Scorpio AWD. There was even a "Checker" AWD prototype at the 1989 Detroit auto show.

As soon as soccer moms and macho guys on steroids started with SUV's, these AWD sedans and wagons disappeared. You could have any 4WD or AWD you wanted -- as long as it was a very high markup SUV on a truck frame - the small ones disappeared from the US market (except for the Quattro, and the Subaru, and a Mercedes luxury AWD)

Well,
1. when gasoline broke $2.25/gallon at Somerset (the little luxury mall in Troy MI - where GM shoots its advertising pictures) -

2. when terrorists hit Jeddah and Ryadh -

3. when Al Qaida hit the WTC --

4. when the "insurgents" in Iraq began hitting more of our troops ---

5. when Subaru sales took off - eating into regular SUV sales ---

6. when the waiting lists for Priuses grew infinitely long ---

all of a sudden the AWD and 4WD sedans and wagons came back.

Me - I owned an SUV when I lived in the snow belt (and couldn't buy a Camry AWD any more). As soon as I got to the land of eternal sunshine I bought a Corolla.

[aeolian]

18. It does seem that most of the dumb driving I see is done by SUVs

Just in general, of course.

[Raster]

20. Proposed Mandatory Hummer Bumper sticker:

Two soldiers died today in their Hummer, so I can play soldier in mine.

[Stuckinthebush]

24. Ouch.

Perhaps this as well:

"My penis is very, very small"

[bunkerbuster1]

25. Bin Laden (Hearts) My Gas-Guzzler!

[MADem]

22. With SUV's I cannot help but think

...that the person driving them has deficits that correlate to the MPG the vehicle gets. True, the smaller ones do not guzzle as badly as the big ones, but anyone driving a hummer has to either be lacking something or COMPENSATING in some fashion!

[midnight armadillo]

26. Go read high & mighty

It is an excellent book on the SUV phenom. SUVs actually exist due to loopholes in auto regulations that were intended to keep Jeep in business for nostalgia.

One startling section of the book is on SUV marketing. Now, granted, the above poster talks about their Toyota Highlander and makes an excellent case as to why they need that vehicle's attributes. That's fine, and I have no beef with it - it's ridiculous to suggest that sedans and wagons will legitimately meet all buyer's needs. Such buyers are a few percent of the SUV market, at most. So, who buys the other 95% of SUVs? According to auto industry marketers, it's self-centered, greedy, callous people who think only of themselves, and want to rule the roads in their macho car-crushing machines.

It's an excellent book. Go check it out.

[GumboYaYa]

27. SUVs have a very limited real usefulness.

The number of people who actually need the benefits of an SUV is dramatically small compared to the number of SUVs on the road. If I lived in a rural area with difficult terrain or had a job where hauling is important, I would look at an SUV or a truck. If I had to make that choice I think I would go with a truck fueled with boidiesel, but I can understand the need for functionality for a few people.

The vast majority of people who drive SUVs have no reason at all to be driving those monstrosities. Urban dwellers have no need to haul themselves around in an SUV when they could get to the same place in a smaller car. I think Morford's article is dead spot-on in talking about these people. There is no rational reason to drive an SUV in the city. It is more dangerous, uses more gas, and must be a bear to mauveur. Can you imagine trying to parallell park one of those tanks on a crowded city street?

I got rid of my car this year. Now I ride a scooter when I need to travel distances across town. Interestingly enough, on several occasions I have had SUV drivers get angry at me. Sometimes they glare, sometimes they flip me off (it's probably the "George W. Bush is a Punk Ass Chump" bumpersticker I have), and one guy even tried to run me off the road. I have never gotten those strong reactions from people in cars. To me it seems as if there is an agressive, I own the road, attitude among amany SUV drivers tha you don't see in car drivers.

Kudos to the poster who noted that it is cars and SUVs that have given us sprawl and the suburbanization of AMerica. Ultimately this is a bigger problem than SUVs alone.

[TOOLZ]

29. A Bumper Sticker I want To Vandalize Bush SUV's with:

In LA, it seemed whenever I had to sit in traffic behind someone with a Bush-Cheney sticker, it was a fucking SUV. I have oft fantasized about printing up bumper stickers to place just over their Bush sticker that would read:

"ANOTHER GAS GUZZLING, TERRORIST FUNDING, AIR POLLUTING SUV FOR..."
(Bush-Cheney)

I'd just keep a pile of them in my car and slap them on parked SUVs with the W stickers.


For more satirical rants, come visit me at <http://toolz.blogs.com/>.