LAT: Enter the anti-SUVs

[DeepModem Mom]

August 18, 2004

RUMBLE SEAT
Enter, the anti-SUVs
Sport wagons use less gas and are more likely to stay upright. Is it time to climb down from the sport-utility perch?

By Dan Neil, Times Staff Writer


This just in from the government's Bureau of the Obvious: SUVs are more likely to roll over than cars. Coming soon: a statistical regression analysis involving fingers and light sockets.

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled a new component in its five-star system for ranking vehicles' rollover risk. NHTSA will now issue a percentage representing the odds that a vehicle will roll over in a single-car accident. According to this scale, for example, the Mazda RX-8 has only an 8% chance of rollover. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4x2 has a 34.8% chance of rollover, the highest of any vehicle in the latest testing cycle. (The results can be viewed at http://www.nhtsa.gov.)

***

Rollovers occur in only a small percentage of highway accidents but account for a quarter of all traffic fatalities, according to the government's statistics. Rollover deaths in accidents involving SUVs rose 6.8% last year, to 2,639, accounting for 40% of fatalities in SUV accidents. For the same period, rollover deaths in cars declined 7.5%....

***

Consider your options. There are more than a dozen all-wheel-drive station wagons on the market, vehicles that combine foul-weather intrepidity, flexible cargo space, car-like performance and handling, and conscionable fuel economy, all with a marked proclivity for staying right side up....On this page are two doses of SUV antidote: the BMW 325xi wagon and the new-for-2005 Volvo V50 T5 AWD....Both wagons are 25% lighter than a four-wheel-drive Ford Explorer, America's bestselling SUV. Both are 20% lower in height. Both wagons return 25% better highway fuel economy than the Explorer. And both have significantly shorter stopping distances than the Ford — stopping distance being one of the great ignored safety factors in most peoples' car-buying cerebrations....

***

I hate being right all the time. Nonetheless, I predicted some time ago that the SUV's house of cards — or is that House of Saud? — was imperiled by the threat of rising fuel costs and the long-term aggravation that these vehicles impose on their drivers. Now that fuel prices have indeed spiked, buyers are leaving SUVs in droves (the bribing incentive and rebate structure of the manufacturers notwithstanding)....


http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-neil18aug18,1,7812897.story?coll=la-home-highway1

[No Mandate Here.]

1. Our 2000 Passat wagon is bigger

(but not wider) than most Hawgs, and averages almost 30 mpg for cruising around. I carried a foursome of big guys in it for a couple hundred miles, for a weekend of golf, and they didn't complain. We live in an area where we get at least 100 inches of snow per year, and only have two wheel drive. In the three winters, I stayed home anbout two days each year because of snow, but these were 12" or more snowfalls, and I did it by choice, not necessity.

Who really needs 4WD? IMHO, certainly not most of the people who have it.

[thinkingwoman]

6. I need a new vehicle...

will the passat wagon seat 2 adults, 2 teens and 2 big dogs?

We're driving a mazda 626 at the moment...obviously it's not working for us.

[radwriter0555]

10. think SCION! VERY affordable, slick looking and efficient...

I have the XA for my lil family and trips around town. Of course my SMALLER car is a miata.

I downsized. I had an explorer and felt I was making too big an imprint on the planet for no reason.

LOVE my lil scion.

Everywhere else I've ever traveled has no big hog cars like we do in America. It's time to catch up to the rest of the world,

[midnight armadillo]

13. Probably

Take all 4 people and the dogs to the dealer to try it out. The people will def. fit, the dogs...maybe not. The Volvo and Saab wagons are a little bigger than the Passat, I think.

[thinkingwoman]

30. thanks!

I'm actually looking forward to shopping now instead of dreading it.

[No Mandate Here.]

26. When we shopped,

we got in the cars, adjusted the driver's seat for me (6'0" tall and about 215#). I then sat behind the drivers seat- in the back, and in the Passat I have about six inches between my knees and the seat- far more than any other car. Our two kids are each 5'10 or more, and are also pretty big. Two big dogs might be alright in the way back, but I don't know. The other wagons cited below might be bigger,, but are also at least 10K more. The smaller Volvo wagon is actually smaller than a Passat. We checked Subaru, (a tin box), the smaller Volvo (a glorified Ford Escort these days) and Honda Odyssey (which may be the way to go for you.)

Good luck.

[thinkingwoman]

31. thanks!

I'm writing all this down...I love DU!

[No Mandate Here.]

38. The other cool thing about Passats,

is that their styling is fine and they don't change every year or two.

If you get one, get a 6 cylinder with a five speed- either full manual or Tiptronic. Lots of power, and incredibly quiet.

[GoneOffShore]

8. had a Passat for a week

last year in Italy. It was wonderful. Though 4 adults + some big suitcases made it a bit tight (it was the saloon(sedan) rather than the estate(wagon)). But it was a diesel, got excellent mileage, and would cruise quite happily on the autostrada at 130 kmh and it still had plenty of oomph left if I needed to go faster.

[progressivebydesign]

21. I considered that Passat wagon..

I ended up with a nice VW Golf. Smaller than the Passat wagon.. but can do an amazing presto-chango and turn into a small wagon, itself. The wagons are really versatile... I cringe every time I see some 90 lb. stepford wife climbing out of her Hummer with a small bag of groceries and a small child. Talk about overkill. She'd do just as well in a Subaru or VW wagon. I hope the death of SUVs is near...

We also own a minivan for my husband's music biz. We looked at SUVs, too.. but realized they hold very little... and consume so much more gas. I realized years ago, that my car does not reflect my personality... that it's just a tool that needs to work for for me. Once people extricate their egos from the car buying process, SUVs are much less attractive.

[demoman123]

35. But it doesn't have the intimidation value of a SUV

or the illusion of being intimidating, which is what people buy SUV's for. SUVS are the visible symbol of the mentality that supports US imperialism.

[mrbassman03]

36. But how will some of these people get into the rugged wilderness?

Without some of the huge (26") wheels I see on the random Denali and Escalade, how can we expect anyone to make it across some of dangerous terrain? The former SUV owners will be stuck being only able to drive to the grocery store and pick kids up from soccer practice!

[Kolesar]

2. The only reason SUVs are popular is that minivans are perceived as dull

Why drive a roomy, safe, and more efficient minivan when you can drive a trendy, aggressive off-road capable SUV with big knobby tires? /sarcasm

People who buy SUVs for winter use would be better off just buying a set of snow tires for a front wheel drive vehicle. It would cost a lot less and be safer.

[shanti]

18. i must be a dullard

as i have a 3 month old minivan...just call me basketball mom cause i need it to haul all these long-legged boys!:-)

my previous car was a toyota tercel. great gas mileage, but we just outgrew it. it's being stored and will be driven by my 14 yr old when the time comes.

[NMDemDist2]

3. I am loving those cute station wagons I'm seeing n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Well, I confessed yesterday that I had an SUV I'll be replacing...

so I was interested in alternatives myself!

[luaneryder]

4. I drive a Subaru Forester

and it is considered an SUV by many states for insurance purposes. No matter that any other of those monsters on the road could flatten me. I get decent gas milage and the AWD capability has gotten me out of loads of problems with the snow up here in the mountains. The hulking SUV's are only some sort of status symbol and the people who own them are paying thru the teeth for that status.

[DavidMS]

15. When I bought my camry, I took a hard look at the Subaru Legacy Sedan

Great car, loved how it handled, the only reasion I didn't buy one is that it was too hard to find a used 2000 in my price range and I had some concerns about matience. When I buy a new car (hopefully not for many years) if there is a Subaru with axle-mounted electric traction motors I would almost certanly get it.

But for the washington DC area, front wheel drive is enough.

[trogdor]

20. Subaru's AWD system is interesting.

I heard from a friend that the power distribution on dry pavement was about 90% front, 10% rear, and a computer adjusts that for road conditions. That's why the Forester gets decent mileage.

I also hear it's the safest SUV on the road.

[JM]

22. Subaru Forester story for you

My next door neighbor has one. She was cut off on the highway doing over 60, and when she swerved into the median, it went airborne and rolled quite a few times. Long story short, she crawled out of the totalled Forester and was in the hospital for around a week. A few broken ribs, cuts, etc, but other than that.

Safe? I'd say so. I'd get one if I could. Won't be buying again for another 3-4 years though unless something major happens.

JM

[neomonkey]

28. The XT 2.5

haul's ass too! It uses a tuned down version of the WRX Sti powerplant and can hit 60 in about 5.3 seconds. Not too many SUV's can do that...

[hatrack]

7. So the last 15 years were just an incredibly wasteful detour . . .

. . . on the way to making station wagons "cool" and/or "socially acceptable" again? We are a nation of morons.

[TommyO]

9. Fortunately it's only a majority

of the nation that's hung up on their SUVs, not everybody. There are those of us who never hopped on the SUV bandwagon, preferring to buy smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. People are waking up, just look at the demand for Toyota's Prius, and VW easily sells each and every diesel Beetle, Golf, Jetta, and Passat they bring into the U.S. as well. Had the Jetta wagon been available when I bought my Jetta TDI, I would have opted for that!

[Geo55]

11. *

[DeepModem Mom]

12. LOL!

[Seabiscuit]

17. ROTFLMAO!!!

"Soldiers are dying in their Hummers so you can play soldier in yours"

[Tight_rope]

40. LMBAO...that's funny but true...

[AP]

32. It was part of the plan: designed obsolescence with a twist.

Everyone needs to get rid of their SUV's because they aren't safe and because gas is expensive.

[Tight_rope]

41. I totally agree...No matter how much gas goes up... people in Texas

have to have those SUV's....It's a matter of life and death. They prefer "DEATH".

[midnight armadillo]

14. We have a wagon

1998 Subaru Legacy L. Not a sport wagon (wimpy 2.2L bulletproof engine), but it has decent room and plenty of cargo space. Perfect for a family of three! The next step with the next kid will prob. be a Toyota Sienna minivan, AWD, esp. once they release the hybrid version.

We don't really need AWD in Mass., but it's a nice feature to have in poorer weather. The Subaru sticks to the road like it's glued there when the going gets tough.

[Geo55]

16. Yep

"The Subaru sticks to the road like it's glued "

First winter I had ours I got over confident , it handled so well...
you DO have to stop.

[Eurobabe]

19. gas mileage on Vovlo V50 is better

than XC90, which I was considering, until I saw it got 15mpg. Just can't justify it. Will look at this new wagon, but I still wish they'd get it in gear with hybrids!!

[Xithras]

23. Are there any sport wagons with third row seating?

I'd love to ditch my gas hog Durango, but can't find anything with reasonable offroad capabilities AND third row seating.

[Bunny]

33. Check out the Dodge Magnum.

It might have what you need.

[Xithras]

34. The Magnum isn't a sport wagon.

I'm looking for the ground clearance and seating capability of an SUV without the terrible mileage and rollover prone body.

[Bunny]

Well, it IS classified as a wagon.

I don't know if it's a sport wagon, tho.

[BraveDave]

24. I hate to rant,

...but folks who buy those Ford Explorers, keep food on my family's table.

[minkyboodle]

25. I'm praying for a return of the Camry Wagon

I really don't understand why they stopped making them as I found them to be roomy, fun and unbelievably reliable. Hopefully the minivan and wagon can make a return to prominence.

[rlpincus]

27. Trying this one last time

again

[DeepModem Mom]

29. Hi, rlpincus!

[Tight_rope]

39. Welcome to DU rlpincus!

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Tight_rope]

42. Kick again!