SUVs

Over half of new cars sold in the UK are now SUVs.
Surely these are not all being bought by people who truly need this kind of vehicle?

M0nica

All the things thaat people say SUVs are necessary for, we have done - and still do - with an estate car. For most of the time it has been SAAB estates, but we have, in our time, had Volvos, Renaults and others.

But it’s not ‘one size fits all’ Monica. We have both tried all models and both driven all manner of saloons and estates during our employment when we were fit, healthy and a great deal more flexible! Certainly couldn’t do that now!

The newer Škoda Superb and Octavia estate cars are good for taller people and those with some physical disabilities/limited mobility too.
I think they are worth a look. The head and legroom and wide-opening doors are the key things here.

We have a Jazz - but I don't like it.
😂
It is (amazingly) great for both tall and mobility impaired people though!!

GrannyGravy13

PaynesGray

How stupid it all is, this need to be seen to be wealthy

You have no idea why most people need a larger car, it’s not all about money!

As for parking, maybe people should learn how to park correctly?

I m 5’2” can park our large 4 wheel drive car in a standard parking space, with room to get out of all doors. Whereas I often come across small cars parked over the lines, at odd angles, too far forward or back…

Well said! Yes, some people clearly have them as a status symbol and nothing else - but many people have them for very genuine reasons. I'm 5'2 as well and we used to have a large Toyota four-wheel drive, which was a real workhorse and used to tow a horsebox. I could park it on a sixpence and like you, in standard spaces leaving plenty of room to get in and out, both for myself and whoever was parked next to me.

Our 8 seater Peugeot was easier to park than any car I have driven before or since.
Some vehicles just do have terrific handling!

I’ve had 3 Land Rover discoveries as we used to have 2 dogs . There was plenty of room for the dogs. Plus 2 small seats for other kids as I used to share the school run. And plenty of room for uk holidays .
We now have an old Volvo estate as a dog and workhorse car and a Yaris hybrid for general driving .
I don’t hate SUVs as I understand why families get them. Where I live there’s loads of them . What annoys me is many can’t park them and take up 2 parking spaces . And many think they own the road and bomb past parked cars , when I’ve got right of way. Only today I had a woman indicate that I should reverse back , when I had right of way and a queue of cars behind me . She eventually had to reverse back to let us through .

Since when people buy cars because they need them?

We all buy things because we also want them

NotSpaghetti

Our 8 seater Peugeot was easier to park than any car I have driven before or since.
Some vehicles just do have terrific handling!

I loved mine. I kept it far longer than was economical. It carried 5 childre, often a couple of extras, a dog or 2 and all their school stuff. And, it took us all over Europe full of camping gear. I wish they still made them.

Gosh there are some massive chips on shoulders on display in this thread!!

Cabbie21

Can anyone recommend a car which is a bit higher than most, so easier to get in/ out, but not a SUV?

I’ve had a Honda Jazz for the past 10 years. 110k miles of pretty much trouble free motoring all over the UK and Ireland. I struggle to get in and out of my AC’s cars due to arthritis but find the Jazz very comfortable due to the extra height.

My niece, a paediatric consultant, is very anti these monsters cars. They are so dangerous for pedestrians, particularly children in an accident. She used to leaflet such cars about the statistics.

Like everything else people choose what is best for them I chose a medium sized car easy to park cheapish to run and it has 4 doors and a hatch so it can accommodate grandchildren dogs and tip runs.
My DH on the other hand has a much better car we use for holidays ect it's an SUV for his mobility issues and much more comfortable and powerful than my car much better for motorway driving. He does have to choose his parking spaces carefully if I am not with him as he does need space to get in parking spaces can sometimes be ridiculously small.

Parking spaces in some places are not wide enough to accommodate a large car. However well parked ( is that a word?) there is no room for a car in the next space to open the doors.
Credit to our local Sainsbury's and Asda stores who adjusted their spaces accordingly when they repainted their parking areas
When Tesco redid their parking area, they made no such changes

Hithere

If you hate SUVs, dont come to the US, where the minivan is queen (an even bigger than SUVs)!

I could be wrong, but I am guessing that your average road in the US is much wider than ours here in the UK, and parking spaces too.

If we had similar infrastructure, these huge vehicles (relatively-speaking) would be less of an issue, but here in England roads in most of our towns and villages, and large parts of cities too, are quite narrow and with no room either side to widen them any more.

Chocolatelovinggran

Parking spaces in some places are not wide enough to accommodate a large car. However well parked ( is that a word?) there is no room for a car in the next space to open the doors.
Credit to our local Sainsbury's and Asda stores who adjusted their spaces accordingly when they repainted their parking areas
When Tesco redid their parking area, they made no such changes

Yes, and at local Tesco the disabled bays are more than TWO lanes away from the door as are Parent and Child bays! Seemingly, the able bodied solo shopper has more rights than anyone else! 😡😡😡

Around here (hardly a rural area where they might actually be needed) there are so many bloody enormous great cars, like tanks. I feel very strongly that there should be at least double road tax for these monsters - for the extra wear and tear on the roads.
These vehicles are extremely expensive to buy, so I don’t think anyone can argue that the owners couldn’t afford it.

tanith

Cabbie21 I had a Qashqai for ages and loved it high driving position huge boot and comfy as well I passed it on to a GS when the ULEZcame in in London and bought a Corsa it’s lower and smaller all round but I actually like it now, it’s 3 door and the door is wide making it easy to get in and out.
I do recommend the Qashqai though.

A Qashqai is quite small in comparison to some cars - being higher up, DH thought it would easier for me to get in and out. His is only 1.3 so is efficient, not a gas guzzler.
The boot's a reasonable size, good for carrying 'stuff'.

Witzend

Around here (hardly a rural area where they might actually be needed) there are so many bloody enormous great cars, like tanks. I feel very strongly that there should be at least double road tax for these monsters - for the extra wear and tear on the roads.
These vehicles are extremely expensive to buy, so I don’t think anyone can argue that the owners couldn’t afford it.

They are taxed more DH pays £760 per annum.

Cabbie21

Can anyone recommend a car which is a bit higher than most, so easier to get in/ out, but not a SUV?

Apparently the Qashqai is a compact SUV (I didn't know until I just checked after seeing this thread).
It's ok, although I do in fact prefer my little hybrid car.

Astitchintime

Chocolatelovinggran

Parking spaces in some places are not wide enough to accommodate a large car. However well parked ( is that a word?) there is no room for a car in the next space to open the doors.
Credit to our local Sainsbury's and Asda stores who adjusted their spaces accordingly when they repainted their parking areas
When Tesco redid their parking area, they made no such changes

Yes, and at local Tesco the disabled bays are more than TWO lanes away from the door as are Parent and Child bays! Seemingly, the able bodied solo shopper has more rights than anyone else! 😡😡😡

At our Tesco the Parent and Child and some ordinary spaces are much nearer the door than those for blue badge holders!

I see numerous large SUVs jockeying for space outside the local primary school. I suspect the only time most of them go off road is when they bump their wheels up onto the pavement outside the school to avoid completely blocking the road.

I bought an SUV last month (not new). It is 3/4 in wider and 7 ins shorter than the estate it replaced, so it's actually easier to park. The biggest benefit, though, is the extra 3ins ground clearance. I live in a rural area and our roads are definitely not a priority when it comes to fixing potholes.

We have two. We live rurally, have always had dogs and the SUV is ideal. With the state of some rural roads, mud, uneven, potholes, I wouldn't be wanting to drive a Mercedes Convertible around these lanes. Yes - I had one of these when I didnt live rurally and when roads were reasonable. We need something robust enough to cope.

They have better headroom for tall drivers and all the modern additional safety features require wider bodies to fit in and a heavier car is likely to protect its occupants more than one of the lightweights of yesteryear. I don't drive one ( we have a Volvo V70 estate) but I can see their advantages.

Our 4WD SUV was hit from behind a few weeks ago. As a courtesy car we have been given an 'ordinary' saloon car that is actually longer and wider than or SUV.