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why do people drive big 4x4 SUVs in the city?

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I get the train these days. I was driving home from harrogate when a Range rover caused me to crash as well :frown:

It's the worst. Seriously. None of them have any idea about the size of their cars, I was forced off the road twice before my accident on my way to work.

Drive me nuts.

It's a shame but you can't really tell people what they can and can't drive at a legal level so really the only option is to drive one too. If you can't beat them, join them.

Reply 41

Reue

Original post by james1211

Again that is a product of being on a motorcycle. It's just inherently dangerous by very virtue of the way they are. It's a shame because they're wonderful machines.

I only ever use them off road for that reason. I'm a bicyclist too so i'm a massive hypocrite!

Oh, I agree that its dangerous.. and thats the chance I choose to risk when balanced against cost, time and dangers of being in a car on the road for longer.

My point was though, these SUVs used purely for commuting are a pita.

Reply 42

redferry

Original post by james1211

It's a shame but you can't really tell people what they can and can't drive at a legal level so really the only option is to drive one too. If you can't beat them, join them.

I couldn't afford one even if I wanted to - which I think is a big part of the problem. Us ****ty car owners (well ok I have a decent car now but I still identify as a ka driver :P ) bear the brunt of road deaths mainly because we don't have much money.

Reply 43

455409

Original post by Reue

It's a status thing for some but people often have a legitimate reason to own them too, such as having more than 3 children or carrying large volumes of stuff around on weekends or for work. My dad has to have a large SUV as he owns a small business and can't afford to pay costs to third party companies to move his stuff around - he has to drop my sister off at school though, as it's too far for her to walk and there's no direct bus. Sure it clogs the city up with obtusely large vehicles but often it's impractical to go otherwise.

There will be a minority who just have one for the sake of it and commute a mile or two with no legitimate reason for it, but there are much worse things to concern ourselves with than this, i believe.

I am maybe protesting at the wrong people here, as i still believe the OP posted what he did to be controvertial and it was a premeditated argument, rather than a "tell me the reason why people like them", it was more of "there are no legitimate reasons why someone should own them".

Reply 44

chukster97

To run over peasant cyclists.

Reply 45

455409

Original post by redferry

I think that is unfortunately the world we live in, unless you were to ban them people won't stop driving them just because someone else can't afford to protect themselves with one.

Reply 46

redferry

Original post by james1211

I think that is unfortunately the world we live in, unless you were to ban them people won't stop driving them just because someone else can't afford to protect themselves with one.

I think in an ideal world I would ban them :tongue:

You have to have a 4x4 licence like a shotgun licence !! HeeHee

Reply 47

455409

Original post by redferry

I think in an ideal world I would ban them :tongue:

You have to have a 4x4 licence like a shotgun licence !! HeeHee

Bitter

Reply 48

Reue

Original post by james1211

...

Oh i know. My father used to drive a Landrover 4x4 and then a Minibus as the family transport.. but we did have a huge family :biggrin:

Reply 49

redferry

Original post by james1211

Bitter

You would be too if you had to drive in and around Harrogate!!!!! :mad:

Reply 50

455409

Original post by redferry

You would be too if you had to drive in and around Harrogate!!!!! :mad:

Trust me the accent there was enough of an irritation to distract me from the footballers wives driving the Range Rooneys :tongue:

Reply 51

redferry

Original post by james1211

Trust me the accent there was enough of an irritation to distract me from the footballers wives driving the Range Rooneys :tongue:

Nout wrong with the accent!

Actually most people don't really have an accent here, it's like a weird bubble.

Reply 52

Solemn Rain

As a keen cyclist they drive me nuts!

Reply 53

455409

Original post by redferry

Nout wrong with the accent!

Actually most people don't really have an accent here, it's like a weird bubble.

You must be joking :tongue:

well maybe other accents are more distinct to me being a geordie...

Reply 54

redferry

Original post by james1211

You must be joking :tongue:

well maybe other accents are more distinct to me being a geordie...

Well less accenty than Leeds or Brum then :P

Reply 55

JC.

Original post by Drewski

While I have nothing against anybody picking whatever car they want for whatever purpose they want, these comments always amuse me and arouse my interest.

Do you really believe that in order to drive in snow and/or ice that you have to have a 4x4? Are you saying that 'ordinary' cars are incapable of driving in such conditions? I've lived and worked in extremely snowy conditions all over the world (far snowier than anything we see in the UK by a long way) and in 99% of the world they get by perfectly well without resorting to 4x4s (the one notable exception being the US and Canada).
So I'm just curious why this is used as an argument for them, when the reality is they make very little difference to how one is able to get about.

I live at the top of a very steep hill.
I can leave just fine but at some point it'd be nice to come home.
I actually have no problem driving in some of my older cars with skinny tyres. Modern stuff with wide tyres doesn't do so well...
On the other hand, why cover thousands of pounds worth of classic cars in salt spray when a cheap n cheerful 4 wheel drive will do...

Also, here in the UK, we have different type of snow. It melts during the day and freezes at night so you end up with black ice everywhere.
You don't get nearly so much ice in other countries as the snow doesn't melt quite so much during the day.

Reply 56

Alfissti

Original post by Rump Steak

They're generally better equipped, and thought to be more comfortable and luxurious etc etc
Also since the last two winters have seen (a modicum of) snow, everyone's turning to 4x4s

Why's this? I know the A6 and S80 are seen as 'premium cars' and stuff, but fail to see why they'd outprice a Q7!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Something to do with the thing called a Certificate of Entitlement in Singapore. The A6 and Q7 has a $20k difference in price by the retailer but the CoE for the A6 is a lot more due to it needing to compete with the many buyers of the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E-class.

Original post by redferry

because they have money to burn and don't give a crap about the environment or other drivers.

Original post by redferry

4x4 have very high emissions, if you care about the environment you wouldn't have one.

Your former Ford KA had high emissions too, 150g/km which is appalling for a car that is only 900kg in weight and powered by a weezy 1.3l engine. Took around 1000kg of CO2 to build as well. You wouldn't have driven one if you cared for the environment :smile:

My Land Rover isn't any dirtier, while it emits 255g/km which isn't bad for a 3.0l vehicle that weighs 2.6tonnes. Also took the same amount of CO2 to build. A big difference is when I bought it I also had to pay for a Carbon Offset Program, meant somewhere in the world Land Rover did something to reduce CO2 by 1000kg, mostly along the lines of reforesting areas. I also have the option to renew that offset every 3 years for another 1000kg. Did you ever do such a thing? Thought not.

Reply 57

Dasmaya

Because they're big and big cars are awesome? Seriously though, I wouldn't know. All I know is that ever since I was child and saw a Jeep for the first time, I said I would have one of those when I grow up. Something like an ongoing middle-life crisis since the age of 8? I do get your point, they really aren't meant for the city. But nor is Lamborghini or any sports car, for that matter. So it's more like a choice of preference; some like big cars, some like fast cars, etc.

Reply 58

redferry

Original post by Alfissti

Some of us dont have a lot of money though. It was the best emissions of any car I could fond for under a grand by a country mile.

my car was 1.2l not 1.3

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 59

Amphiprion

Original post by james1211

Trash talk. Owning a 4x4 versus owning a small hatchback does virtually no difference to the environmental damage you do. Countless studies have been done on this.

If you cared about the environment, changes that make the largest effect are not owning a pet (huge amounts of CO2 released in the manufacture of pet food), not eating red meat (Methane release from cows - ten times as potent as a global warming agent than CO2), cycling instead of using any car at all, growing vegetables in their own garden or allotment, dying (no carbon or particulate matter release from someone who isn't alive).

People who own a small car instead of an SUV are token middle class environmentalists who don't know anything of the garbage they're spouting.

Well if people "cared" about the environment they would drive hybrids or not drive at all (impractical or what?). People who drive either 4x4s or average fuel economy cars of any kind aren't in a position to preach about environmentalism. Fact is cars are crap for the environment but they are not about to go out of use any time soon. It still causes a vast amount of emissions to MAKE a hybrid, about the same as any other car but they just put out less once they're up and running.

Published in Nature: http://www.drtulsian.com/interestingReading/energy/Hybrid_vehicles.pdf

I'm marine biologist about to graduate driving a £700, 2003 ford fiesta at about 39mpg (161g/km) - which is pretty poor but about your average - but that's because I was a student when I bought it and it's all I could afford despite fully understanding the environmental impacts of road vehicles.

If I could be driving anything right now it'd probably be a Ford reflex(65-78mpg) which sadly isn't being marketed yet or an audi A3(about 56mpg).