5 ms·

It snows where I live. My street floods. I have a family. I frequently want to carry a large number of items. I get that SUV's aren't for everyone. Acting like

It snows where I live. My street floods. I have a family. I frequently want to carry a large number of items. I get that SUV's aren't for everyone. Acting like they are for no one is silly though.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
GP wrote "most people", not "anyone" (though I did write my comment as a little dig ;)). Though to be honest, me & my SO are driving a compact MPV which is larger than our basic needs (no children so far) - we were wondering whether to get something smaller, but it was the best used vehicle available within the budget at the time. And we frequently find use for the extra interior space.
hhh 8y ago
I was rear ended and totaled and got an SUV, ended up that I would be moving every few weeks or months for a year. Having an SUV was amazing for this purpose. I'm finally settled and will probably get a car again for fuel efficiency (40 mile commute) but a truck/SUV is something that can be useful for anyone. I can fit a full 48u rack and have some spare storage left, and having it available if I see something cool is nice.
mikestew 8y ago
It snows where I live. I grew up where it snowed a lot. I've never owned anything that sat particularly high nor with 4WD, and I've never missed a day of work due to snow. My street floods. If the water is above the air intake of a Honda Civic, your SUV isn't going to do you any good. I frequently want to carry a large number of items. I'm continually shocked at how few SUVs exceed the cargo volume of our 35mpg Scion xB. I've moved furniture for a friend because his Equinox wouldn't carry it. I rented a Nissan Xterra to carry a bicycle box that fit less snugly in the Scion than it did in the Nissan. SUVs might have a use, but carrying things is not one of them. Until you threw in the ol' "I have a family" (because the children can not be seen in a Volvo wagon), I thought you were doing a parody of "Excuses SUV Owners Use to Justify Their Big-Ass Vehicle". I'm pretty sure I was wrong.
- ectospheno 8y ago
  The snow and flooding comments were related to ground clearance, not 4wd.
  - mikestew 8y ago
    Edited to reflect the reasoning for snow. Ground clearance isn't your main issue in a flood. YouTube is filled with videos of SUVs getting washed away because the owner thought their ground clearance would save them (okay, maybe not "filled", but I've seen more than one video).
    - ectospheno 8y ago
      The difference in ground clearance between an accord and a cr-v is 2.4 inches. On unplowed side streets and my street that is 8 feet above sea level in a town that averages 14 feet above sea level that matters. Why you keep arguing when our situations are different is surprising.
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago
  >I'm continually shocked at how few SUVs exceed the cargo volume of our 35mpg Scion xB. I've moved furniture for a friend because his Equinox wouldn't carry it. I rented a Nissan Xterra to carry a bicycle box that fit less snugly in the Scion than it did in the Nissan. SUVs might have a use, but carrying things is not one of them. That's like saying you don't need a fullsize truck because the methheads seem to do just find hauling scrap metal in their Dodge Caravan. For a load with a constant amount of space usage (e.g. kids + sports stuff) having more space will make hauling that load less of a chore. If you do it regularly then the luxury of a bigger vehicle is often considered worth the cost. I can and have hauled fridges, office desks, etc on the roof of my wagon. I always prefer to use my truck for those things unless the item can't stand getting dirty from the truck or I'm going so far that the extra fuel economy and better driving experience of the car makes it worth it. Strapping a desk to the roof of a car and not doing a crap job is a chore. Just tossing it in a truck and strapping it down takes like 30sec. A vehicle with more space can haul more crap or haul the same crap more easily. As an aside, I wouldn't let my kids be seen in a Volvo Wagon. I'm white trash, not some hipster. A rusted out Subaru is more my style.

It snows where I live. My street floods. I have a family. I frequently want to carry a large number of items. I get that SUV's aren't for everyone. Acting like they are for no one is silly though.

TeMPOraL 8y ago

GP wrote "most people", not "anyone" (though I did write my comment as a little dig ;)). Though to be honest, me & my SO are driving a compact MPV which is larger than our basic needs (no children so far) - we were wondering whether to get something smaller, but it was the best used vehicle available within the budget at the time. And we frequently find use for the extra interior space.

hhh 8y ago

I was rear ended and totaled and got an SUV, ended up that I would be moving every few weeks or months for a year. Having an SUV was amazing for this purpose. I'm finally settled and will probably get a car again for fuel efficiency (40 mile commute) but a truck/SUV is something that can be useful for anyone. I can fit a full 48u rack and have some spare storage left, and having it available if I see something cool is nice.

mikestew 8y ago

It snows where I live. I grew up where it snowed a lot. I've never owned anything that sat particularly high nor with 4WD, and I've never missed a day of work due to snow. My street floods. If the water is above the air intake of a Honda Civic, your SUV isn't going to do you any good. I frequently want to carry a large number of items. I'm continually shocked at how few SUVs exceed the cargo volume of our 35mpg Scion xB. I've moved furniture for a friend because his Equinox wouldn't carry it. I rented a Nissan Xterra to carry a bicycle box that fit less snugly in the Scion than it did in the Nissan. SUVs might have a use, but carrying things is not one of them. Until you threw in the ol' "I have a family" (because the children can not be seen in a Volvo wagon), I thought you were doing a parody of "Excuses SUV Owners Use to Justify Their Big-Ass Vehicle". I'm pretty sure I was wrong.

ectospheno 8y ago
The snow and flooding comments were related to ground clearance, not 4wd.
- mikestew 8y ago
  Edited to reflect the reasoning for snow. Ground clearance isn't your main issue in a flood. YouTube is filled with videos of SUVs getting washed away because the owner thought their ground clearance would save them (okay, maybe not "filled", but I've seen more than one video).
  - ectospheno 8y ago
    The difference in ground clearance between an accord and a cr-v is 2.4 inches. On unplowed side streets and my street that is 8 feet above sea level in a town that averages 14 feet above sea level that matters. Why you keep arguing when our situations are different is surprising.
dsfyu404ed 8y ago
>I'm continually shocked at how few SUVs exceed the cargo volume of our 35mpg Scion xB. I've moved furniture for a friend because his Equinox wouldn't carry it. I rented a Nissan Xterra to carry a bicycle box that fit less snugly in the Scion than it did in the Nissan. SUVs might have a use, but carrying things is not one of them. That's like saying you don't need a fullsize truck because the methheads seem to do just find hauling scrap metal in their Dodge Caravan. For a load with a constant amount of space usage (e.g. kids + sports stuff) having more space will make hauling that load less of a chore. If you do it regularly then the luxury of a bigger vehicle is often considered worth the cost. I can and have hauled fridges, office desks, etc on the roof of my wagon. I always prefer to use my truck for those things unless the item can't stand getting dirty from the truck or I'm going so far that the extra fuel economy and better driving experience of the car makes it worth it. Strapping a desk to the roof of a car and not doing a crap job is a chore. Just tossing it in a truck and strapping it down takes like 30sec. A vehicle with more space can haul more crap or haul the same crap more easily. As an aside, I wouldn't let my kids be seen in a Volvo Wagon. I'm white trash, not some hipster. A rusted out Subaru is more my style.