On 2008-06-18, Jay Honeck wrote:
That's because trucks and SUVs are more useful than itty-bitty cars.

Bottom line: SUVs can do all sorts of things that econocars cannot, while
SUVs can do everything that the econocar can do, better. With one
exception: Fuel consumption.

Most people don't live in relatively rural spots like yourself - most
live in fairly urban areas.

Some things a midsize car can do that an SUV can't:
- Go around corners without feeling like they are going to tip over
- Avoid accidents (to such an extent you're twice as likely to be killed
in a Ford Explorer than in a VW Jetta)
- Fit in urban parking garages comfortably with enough room to open the
doors fully
- Parallel park in a small space

I have a midsize car (I used to have a truck). I do not miss my F-150
one bit, my Audi is nicer to drive, uses half the fuel, is quieter, more
responsive, costs the same to insure, has less expensive consumables
(resulting in less expensive maintenance) and looks much nicer. It's
also galvanized so it doesn't rust.

In the last 5 years, I've needed something with more carrying capacity
than the Audi just once. Now consider the money saved from using half
the fuel - how much truck rental can that pay for? Much more than one
day in 5 years. The Audi can tow a glider trailer very happily, so
I don't even need a truck to do that.

Now for some people, an SUV makes sense. But not the typical urban
commuter in an office job: they just have the SUV as a fashion
statement. The people who actually *need* them on a frequent basis are a
very small minority.

You see people with SUVs around here, but typically they are blue,
covered in mud, and have 'Land Rover' stuck on them somewhere and a
piece of agricultural machinery on the towbar.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.