3 ms·

To add to this, why is it that every single SUV now has a sports variation of it, i don't understand the appeal of having 500+ HP SUV's.

D13Fd 5y ago
It's because enough people are willing to pay a premium for the sports variant to make them worth manufacturing and selling.
rsynnott 5y ago
The industry is willing to make arbitrarily stupid items, if people are willing to buy them at a premium...
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
High performance SUVs let people scratch that itch for a nice, fun to drive, car to reflect their current financial situation (most people get richer over their careers) while still being a practical A to B family hauler befitting a responsible adult. Think of it like being an expensive way to have both a Honda CRV and a Dodge Challenger while only using up one parking spot.
- asdff 5y ago
  I doubt its as fun to drive as a light weight convertible. The market for these super fast SUVs aren't driving purists, but those people you see who go 90mph on the freeway and drift right to left to right again with zero blinker. The people who see you trying to get over, then hit the accelerator to cut you off lest they let you get ahead of them and damage their pride. The people who merge into the exit only lane and try to hit the throttle and pass you on the right side before the exit lane barrier appears. Manufacturers are playing right into all the bad habits I see drivers do on the road.
  - lazerpants 5y ago
    Big fast SUVs aren't as fun as a Boxster, but the Range Rover Supercharged (as an example) is very fun to drive for a large SUV. Same with the Cayenne Turbo. With adaptive dampening a lot of big cars can feel much smaller if you're willing to spend the cash. And anecdotally, everyone I know who drives a sports version of an SUV also owns a sports car of the variety you're describing. You see lots of people hauling their GT3s to track days in those sorts of SUVs.
    - asdff 5y ago
      They still seem like such brutally overpowered cars for what is actually considered legal or defensive driving. If you buy a GT3 and take it to the track, I get it. You have a place where you drive it unsafely but privately and in a controlled area where you can kill yourself and not harm others. It still begs the question, why are you buying the cayenne turbo if speeding and driving recklessly is illegal, and at safe operating speeds without driving recklessly you aren't ever going to be tapping into those extra horses you paid for. Car manufacturers really do a serious wink wink nudge nudge with these overpowered cars, implying you will drive safely and legally when the speedometer goes to 200mph and the advertisement features someone drifting around downtown los angeles. It reminds me of how during prohibition, budweiser would just sell you all the ingredients required to brew your own beer at home and put on a label that says "not to be used to make illegal beer." Nine times out of ten when I see an AMG g wagon on the road they are doing something dangerous with a phone in one hand. Usually just ripping the throttle to get to 50mph from a stop as fast as possible, then that's their baseline speed for driving around any and all residential roads in my city where the speed limit might be half that.
      - pandaman 5y ago
        You don't need a powerful engine to speed: even Kia Sorento can still drive 100+ mph. Powerful engine gives better acceleration, which provides comfort and safety not just for yourself but other drivers. For example you don't create a hazard while doing a left turn, merging from a ramp, passing on the oncoming lane, doing a right turn from a secondary street into a high speed road etc. And, unless it's a DIY mod, a car with a powerful engine also comes with suspension and brakes to match so it's safer overall.

D13Fd 5y ago

It's because enough people are willing to pay a premium for the sports variant to make them worth manufacturing and selling.

rsynnott 5y ago

The industry is willing to make arbitrarily stupid items, if people are willing to buy them at a premium...

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

High performance SUVs let people scratch that itch for a nice, fun to drive, car to reflect their current financial situation (most people get richer over their careers) while still being a practical A to B family hauler befitting a responsible adult. Think of it like being an expensive way to have both a Honda CRV and a Dodge Challenger while only using up one parking spot.

asdff 5y ago
I doubt its as fun to drive as a light weight convertible. The market for these super fast SUVs aren't driving purists, but those people you see who go 90mph on the freeway and drift right to left to right again with zero blinker. The people who see you trying to get over, then hit the accelerator to cut you off lest they let you get ahead of them and damage their pride. The people who merge into the exit only lane and try to hit the throttle and pass you on the right side before the exit lane barrier appears. Manufacturers are playing right into all the bad habits I see drivers do on the road.
- lazerpants 5y ago
  Big fast SUVs aren't as fun as a Boxster, but the Range Rover Supercharged (as an example) is very fun to drive for a large SUV. Same with the Cayenne Turbo. With adaptive dampening a lot of big cars can feel much smaller if you're willing to spend the cash. And anecdotally, everyone I know who drives a sports version of an SUV also owns a sports car of the variety you're describing. You see lots of people hauling their GT3s to track days in those sorts of SUVs.
  - asdff 5y ago
    They still seem like such brutally overpowered cars for what is actually considered legal or defensive driving. If you buy a GT3 and take it to the track, I get it. You have a place where you drive it unsafely but privately and in a controlled area where you can kill yourself and not harm others. It still begs the question, why are you buying the cayenne turbo if speeding and driving recklessly is illegal, and at safe operating speeds without driving recklessly you aren't ever going to be tapping into those extra horses you paid for. Car manufacturers really do a serious wink wink nudge nudge with these overpowered cars, implying you will drive safely and legally when the speedometer goes to 200mph and the advertisement features someone drifting around downtown los angeles. It reminds me of how during prohibition, budweiser would just sell you all the ingredients required to brew your own beer at home and put on a label that says "not to be used to make illegal beer." Nine times out of ten when I see an AMG g wagon on the road they are doing something dangerous with a phone in one hand. Usually just ripping the throttle to get to 50mph from a stop as fast as possible, then that's their baseline speed for driving around any and all residential roads in my city where the speed limit might be half that.
    - pandaman 5y ago
      You don't need a powerful engine to speed: even Kia Sorento can still drive 100+ mph. Powerful engine gives better acceleration, which provides comfort and safety not just for yourself but other drivers. For example you don't create a hazard while doing a left turn, merging from a ramp, passing on the oncoming lane, doing a right turn from a secondary street into a high speed road etc. And, unless it's a DIY mod, a car with a powerful engine also comes with suspension and brakes to match so it's safer overall.