Yes, Why Are SUV's Getting Even Bigger?

Things change, we have moved on from horse and carts and a man walking in front of the first motor vehicles.

What needs to be done is that the older car parks need to make parking spaces bigger.

I do find the stereotyping of those driving larger vehicles rather petty and infantile.

I am a petite blonde, who has driven a large 4 X 4 for the last 19 years. I will not justify my choice of vehicle or reasons for that choice on here or anywhere.

Peoples egos are bigger for whatever the reason here it's usually women in very large vehicles doing the school run less than a quarter of a mile from their homes.
We do however have a lot of tractors as we are surrounded by farm land still. Owners of these large vehicles drive around as if they are privileged and no other driver on the road matters.

Perhaps Chelsea Tractors wouldn't be so unpopular if they weren't usually carrying one small blonde woman.

There was a TV programme about them some years ago. It was when many of them were fitted with Bull Bars and experts were trying to demonstrate how dangerous they were to pedestrians, especially small children. They were also demonstrating the way small children disappeared if they walked behind the back of one because the rear windscreen is so high. Some people started to rethink what sort of car they wanted, but I remember one man saying firmly that he needed his giant 4X4 "Because it shows the sort of man I am!" I wondered how many other viewers were yelling "Yes it does! That's the point!"

I’m going to sell ours, I think.
We bought an electric hybrid Q7 in early May because it had become apparent that my wonderful husband would need a mobility scooter so we would need to be able to put it in the car.

That's worrying Greyduster.

In my local town the Council, in their wisdom, have spent £m's on widening the pavements thereby narrowing the roads. I can't see the sense of it especially as the OP says, cars are getting bigger.

I read somewhere that it’s not only the size of these vehicles that is causing concerns, it’s the weight of large cars with hybrid and fully electric batteries and the pressures they put on the infrastructure of ageing multi-storey car parks.

I know what you mean TheatreLover. I am very aware when my GC are with me in town at crossings. Many drivers of smaller (normal) sized cars say they are blinded by the headlights of these cars, due to the height of the lights being at the height of the face of the oncoming car.

Plevey08

Yes AmberGran, smaller cars too. But we are discussing large vehicles. And somehow they are far more imposing.

I agree with you Plevey that larger cars do seem more imposing, particularly to pedestrians. I'm 5' 6", so not particularly short, but when crossing on a pedestrian crossing recently, I was aware that the driver of the huge car, first in line to move off, would only have just been able to see the top of my head above the bonnet as I passed by. They certainly wouldn't have been able to see a small child passing in front of them. Close up, I was actually astonished at just how huge this car was.

You do not have to drive a Chelsea Tractor to be an inconsiderate driver, awful parker or a rude t**t

The above drive all sorts of vehicles

Plevey08

I think these huge vehicles are scary and some of the drivers are too! I've seen greedy arrogant parking from quite a few. And some of them just can't park, especially in supermarket and hospital carparks, as Primrose experienced.. They just look stupid and unnecessary. Of course if needed for a disability it is more understandable. The width of them stop other vehicles parking next to them, on one side. As someone said in Norway they are making spaces smaller deliberately. We have about 50million more people in this country than Norway . So why don't people just get that!

As a pedestrian, I find these monsters scarey as well, particularly when I'm walking with my grandchildren in a busy city. I doubt if people driving SUV's have any idea how scarey they can seem to pedestrians.

Good for Norway for making parking spaces smaller.

It is unacceptable that Primrose should have experienced such inconsiderate parking of a SUV at a hospital of all places. And why should FallingStar's husband, who has a disability, and people with a wheelchair or pram, have to endanger themselves by having to walk in the road, again because of inconsiderate SUV parking.

Good for you JaneJudge...could you start online parking advice for all the others pleeese!

M0nica

People have an erroneous idea that they are safer than smaller cars. They are not, they are less stable and are more likely to kill any person they hit, than smaller cars.

There are few situations, if any in this country were other than those professional involved with land management need to drive off road - and they drive good old fashioned land rovers or their modern equivalent. DS is an archaeologist and some sites he has worked on have been pretty remote and he has always managed with just a family saloon car.

These Chelsea tractors also have minimal luggage space, we have always run estate cars of various makes because we do need carrying space.

I suspect, except for a few who have a specialised need for such vehicles, it is entirely a question of machismo, or as we say in this household, short willy syndrome.

Not many farmers can splash out on a Landrover these days, Monica - hav e you seen how much they cost new? It's japanese 4wd pick-ups for most.

I am able to reverse park a minibus full of people who wont shut up
I have many talents, parking is one of them

we are a land rover family, they are nothing to show off about
we have them because they are reliable

Yes AmberGran, smaller cars too. But we are discussing large vehicles. And somehow they are far more imposing.

The drivers of lots of small cars can't park (or drive well) either though - the number of people unable to reverse park is staggering. People use our driveway to reverse in. I once watched a lady do a 53 point turn in the corner of our drive.

We got jammed into a car park between two quite small cars so we couldn't even open our doors. They each parked so their driver had lots of room to get in and out. But we couldn't open our doors. Fortunately our EV has self drive and we managed to get it out of the space so we could get in.

I think these huge vehicles are scary and some of the drivers are too! I've seen greedy arrogant parking from quite a few. And some of them just can't park, especially in supermarket and hospital carparks, as Primrose experienced.. They just look stupid and unnecessary. Of course if needed for a disability it is more understandable. The width of them stop other vehicles parking next to them, on one side. As someone said in Norway they are making spaces smaller deliberately. We have about 50million more people in this country than Norway . So why don't people just get that!

Tenko

Sorry posted too soon . I also need the space for my mums wheelchair.
I don’t care what people drive as long as they can drive and park it properly.

Am afraid the parking of such massive vehicles is the bugbear, have seen they are quite often over the white line in car parks reducing options for other cars and in a street near us with off street parking the cars stick out over the end of the private parking space onto the pavement meaning that my husband who is disabled and walks with assistance has to risk going in the road as do people with prams or pushing wheelchairs.

Sorry posted too soon . I also need the space for my mums wheelchair.
I don’t care what people drive as long as they can drive and park it properly.

nanna8

I drive a small hybrid because I find it easier to park and it has a very good turning circle. Most families here drive very large vehicles. Probably partly because they want to go off road into the bush occasionally- the roads out there are unsurfaced and very bumpy. A lot of the ordinary roads are pretty dire,too. Our other car is a bit bigger, Subaru ,but still not as big as many. They tow caravans and things, though , so need powerful cars.

I think lots of valid reasons for having huge cars in your large country!

I too don’t judge as I don’t know the circumstances. My neighbour has a large SUV as she needs space for a wheelchair for her DH , otherwise she has to put the back seats down every time they go out . We has a SUV as we need space for a dog crate

With electric you get more space inside. I like the flat area in front of the back seat. Also room for a handbag between the front seats in my ID3. 😊

M0nica

ViceVersa

Well, if you're a family with two or more children, then you may well struggle to fit their car seats into a small car - that's one possible reason why people may want them.

We got two car seats and two children into a small saloon car. We ran several SAABs - about the size and shape of a Volkswagen beatle. DH as a thing about car safety and he installed safety belts that we used, long before they were compulsory and they saved us from certain injury and if DS had been on my lap, from certain death, on one occasion.

So did we - I used to have two in a Mini, but car seats are very different now, as is the law about using them. They're much larger, especially for very young children, and most use the Isofix system.

GrannyGravy13

DH has a Lexus 4 X 4 (plug in hybrid) I have a little 2 X 2 soft top.

I need more space to open my doors as it is a two door car than DH needs with his bigger car.

I try not to judge people on the cars they drive. I do not know their circumstances.

I’m the same. I couldn’t care less what vehicles people drive but they should be able to drive and park them properly.

When we had the horses we had various 4 x 4’s which we needed to tow the horse box. We had Land Rover, Nissan Terrano and a Big Horn at various times so i do realise people sometimes need big vehicles. Having said that lots of these vehicles just get bigger and bigger.