Motors ARGH - This is retarded, 20mpg hybrid!!!

You are truly enlightened sir.

 

The problem some conscious drivers have of SUVs is that there is little merit behind buying one, no matter how you want to slice it. Unless you're an avid off-roader (quite unlikely) or someone who *may* need such towing capacity combined with high seating capacity, there are several other alternatives. You'd might as well get a modern full-sized pickup truck if you haul often because they've become much more comfortable and roomy in the past few years, or a mid-sized crossover if you want the luxuries that tend to be found in SUVs while retaining a size and respectable performance similar to that of a car. Honestly, SUVs serve not much more than an uninspiring representation of achievement.

 

no different than people thinking all american cars are junk. there are SOME fairly nice european cars but all japanese cars suck in my opinion. any car out there thats not GM either isn't any good or GM has a car that is better. really for vehicles all would ever need is a vette and duramax diesel truck. and i plan to get a vette in the next few years then maybe a camaro for winter or a hummer.

 

For someone who lives in a country whose sales of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are statistically unrivaled by the rest of the world, you've got a lot to say against Japanese automobiles...

 

The thing your missing though is that for some people a car is not just a means of getting from place to place. A car is an extension of their personality. For some it's sports cars or a 4x4 truck or a lowered truck or even SUVs. People have different tastes and for some reason people like to talk badly about what other people like. I really don't understand why people can't enjoy what THEY like and not care about what others drive

 

I think this quite nicely sums up why people get upset at the North Americas obsession with low mpg vehicles
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_usa_per_per-energy-usage-per-person


I have nothing against low mpg per say, however at least get some thing fast or fit for purpose, a 355, a DB9 or even a Cobra and if your towing get a diesel or as every one has now pointed out to me... an electric train

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but that is my point. To me people who drive SUVs to get around in city traffic are saying "I want to be bigger and badder than anyone else and I don't care what I have to spend or how much damage I do to the enviroment to feel superior". Call me bigoted, but I tend to think less of someone who makes that statement about themselves.

 

Thats the thing though....you're assuming that they are trying to be "bigger and badder"....when maybe they just like the body style of SUVs. As far as the environment goes todays SUVs are much more friendlier to the environment than cars from the 70's and earlier. My 76 Monte Carlo with a 350 is what you should be worried about if the environment is your main concern. I can guarantee an SUV burns fuel a lot cleaner than any 70's 327/350/400CI engine.

 

the thing that cracks me up is when people say that X maker of cars is superior in every aspect compared to everyone else..... BMW has now a car that i can classify as a wicked ride and does more MPG in the city than out of the city..... VW has a 4 seat light car that does 78MPG... the vauxhall astra is a beautiful, efficient, fast and safe ride..... the honda civic 2L has a beautiful 2L diesel engine that is beautifully silent.... fiat are making small and fun cars like the new fiat 500..... the new volvos are stylish as hell....... chevrolets are becoming popular around here, especially the kalos....... peugeot makes very nice cars that are good for about everyone.... citroen has some of the most technologically advanced cars in the world...... etc.... every maker has its good and bad cars.

the thing that also annoys me is when people moan about parking space and the prices of fuel when they are driving cars that are not adequate to their life style...... a one or two person family can do with a smart, peugeot 107, toyota aygo, citroen C1..... etc they are small, fuel efficient, fast and don't need a big parking space, some of them can be parked almost everywhere (i saw 2 smarts parked on a space that fitted only one normal car), people with a small family can do with a peugeot 207 or 307, citroen C2 or C3, ford fiesta or ford focus, vauxhall corsa or astra, the new efficient BMW's, honda civics or a renault clio or megane.... people with big families can opt by minivans or even something like the new fiat multipla (the old one was ugly as sin) that has 6 seats or something classy and efficient or even a diesel powered 9 seater car with a big trunk...... if you are one of the off-road king "I AM A BIG MAN/WOMAN AND I WANT A BIG CAR" type then by all means buy an SUV or pickup truck, but ffs vote with your wallet and buy a diesel powered one, it does more MPG, diesel is cheaper, it has more torque, are cleaner today, are fast enough for your roads.... etc.
and there are the ones that buy "drunk" super cars.... for those people i say: "its your wallet and your ass, but please don't be driving in excessive speed because that may end up killing people"

in respect of safety i believe in these guys: http://www.euroncap.com

 

This thing about towing capacity meaning you nead an SUV does make me wonder what the hell some americans think we do in Europe. People two jetski's here as well ya know, usually behind a big capacity (3L) diesle, or maybe a 2.5b blown engine, like the Volvo D5 for instance, that thing won't run out of power or torque whilst towing, a bit more to tow, ok, a freelander perhaps will suit your needs, but this is a nice small SUV, in fact, they are available in the states.

My 3dr Rav4 seems to average 27mpg. It's not good, but it isn't pretending to be. Do I feel guilty? Well yes, I've only had it for a couple of months so I won't be getting rid of it, but I needed a new car and we've moved to the middle of no where that actually requires 4x4 to get home in the winter. I couldn't get a diesel one in my price range sadly and I wanted something reliable (hence no Landie). But I will make ammends with my next car, I'm going to get something thats 60mpg minimum (Shouldn't take too long to save up enough, couple of years perhaps). BUT here of course is my point, whilst my car isn't efficient, (I need 4wd, I could have got an scooby but it's about the same and I can't afford the insurance) it isn't trying to be. When I first saw this "Hybrid SUV" I was thinking, oooo 40mpg, that's going to be good, but no, 20mpg. JESUS a Discovery TD5 does more than that, no tickery.

I don't understand the American reluctance to turbo's over cubic capacity either, using the towing example again, imagine going up a steep old hill, your slowing down, so you kickdown the auto box, raise the rev's, turbo kicks in and BAM, up the hill you go.

 

Just take public, oh wait that doesn't really exist over there (or so I'm told...)

 

I guess it's down to the huge scale of the country. I guess china is on a similar size perhaps, but are the rural areas of that accessible by anything other than motorised vehicles!?

 

Donkey

 

hmmm, I'd worry about giving some of those hick's donkey's.

(back on topic shall we? This could turn into a slagging match).

 

Also your argument about diesel being cheaper isn't valid here in the US. Diesel has gone up in the last few years and is now just as much and more often than not more expensive than gasoline.

At least here in California....I can't speak for other states but I imagine they followed the same pattern.

 

Americans don't use turbo's on their cars?

even if they are the same price a diesel engine does more MPG hence you save money anyway..... here diesel is about 1 euro, 98 octane gas is about 1.40 euros and 95 octane is about 1.20 euros, this all by liter.

 

Diesel is always more expensive here, but it has a much higher energy content than petrol so its still cheaper to run

btw 95 93.9, Diesel 95.9 pence per liter, nearly a fiver a gallon and thats real money.

 

A vehicle with a diesel engine is also more expensive than one with a gas engine. So it really isn't cheaper. You just put more money into buying the vehicle instead of into the fuel tank. Diesel engines also have a much higher cost to repair when they break down years down the road.

 

Only in super-duty full-sized pickups (and a tiny handful of sports coupes/sedans). Stupid, I know.

 

Many many years down the road.... Old school diesel engines will do a million miles if well looked after modern ones are more depended on trickery much like a modern petrol. Which will also cost a fortune to repair less far down the road, that doesn't really wash either mate. They are more expensive to buy but the decreased running cost make up for it pretty quickly if you do enough milage, which of course you would be doing towing... stuff round the country with your electric SUV.