NYT: Climbing Down from the S.U.V., and Liking the View

[DeepModem Mom]

SPENDING
Climbing Down from the S.U.V., and Liking the View
By FARA WARNER

Published: September 26, 2004


....While there has not been a stampede of consumers out of S.U.V.'s - one of the auto industry's most popular and profitable segments - there are signs that their popularity is weakening. The market share of some popular S.U.V. models has declined even as that for some new station wagons, which have some S.U.V.-like features, has climbed....

***

Several factors are at work. Although gasoline prices are down from their peak in May of $2.07 a gallon, on average, for self-serve unleaded regular, they still averaged $1.86 a gallon on Sept. 10, according to the Lundberg Survey. In many places, the price remains above $2.

And new safety warnings about the stability of truck-based sport utilities, especially in rollover ratings, have some people reassessing their belief that S.U.V.'s are safer. Such safety issues are starting to outweigh what many people say drew them to S.U.V.'s: the bad-weather traction of four-wheel drive and the ability to drive on rough terrain.

Finally, some new vehicles offer many of the cargo-carrying, people-hauling capabilities of an S.U.V. without the downsides. "Americans like big cars with plenty of space to put their stuff," said David Champion, director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, which published an article in September about vehicles that try to combine fuel efficiency with cargo capacity. His team found that just because a vehicle looks big doesn't mean it has a lot of cargo space....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/26/business/yourmoney/26suv.html

[demoman123]

1. Then again, some people will be buying THESE (see pic below):

The CXT, the new monster pickup
from heavy truck maker Navistar.

Now Americans can feel even MORE DOMINANT!

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/13/pf/autos/monster_truck/index.htm?cnn=yes

[NJCher]

2. yes indeed

As their influence in the world wanes due to the chimp's imperial policies, Americans can play pretend on the turnpike!

Looks like common sense rears its lovely head:

A quote from the article:

"It cost me $100 each week to fill up the Expedition," said Mr. Rhee, who commutes close to 30 miles a day, from northern Glendale, Calif., to Century City in Los Angeles. "I don't expect that gas is going to go below $2 for the foreseeable future."

What a maroon--spending $400 a month just to get to work!


Cher

[Elginoid]

14. Plenty of people pay even more than that.

when you consider parking fees of $20/day in big cities, other factors besides gas- car payments, insurance, oil, tolls, general wear and tear on the car, etc..., plenty of people pay way more than $400/month just to "get to work"-
But then, many of them make well enough into the 6 figures that it just doesn't mattter what they spend- it's just so much chicken feed.

[SHRED]

3. 12% greater risk of death

In a SUV due to roll over.
When I tell my SUV owner friends that they are at a 12% greater risk of death they don't believe me. Then I let them know that it is due to roll over and they stare blankly with a question mark in their eyes.

[Elginoid]

15. actually, your thinking is flawed-

12% greater risk of death in a roll-over perhaps, but when you consider all the other types of possible accidents, and how well an SUV will survive them better than a car, it still works out to being much much safer in an SUV.

[LizW]

4. There was a report the other night about low-speed crashes

showing how incredibly expensive they are because the "bumpers" of the SUVs are so high that they cause massive damage to the other car. The combined dollar cost of the damage to a car and SUV averaged around $4000 in a so-called "fender-bender". Interestingly, the tests also showed that the SUVs fared poorly, damage-wise, in 10 mph crashes. Quite often they suffered radiator damage and were undrivable.

I believe this was on ABC News, but I'm not positive.

[rfkrocks]

5. this SUV culture is the bush administration

pollute-cause injuries to the person who you hit with your car,start a war because you want to, cut taxes and charge it to the next generation-what a bunch of losers our country has become-a disgrace

[cosmicone]

6. Simple solution...

Automatically increase all damage awards by 10x in all cases where an SUV is at fault.

The resulting premium increases will stop the SUV madness.

[ozone_man]

7. Trying to find your car in a parking lot with SUVs

can be a challenge. The worst is going to one of those big box stores like Home Depot (sorry there are few small hardware stores to support anymore).

[steely]

8. What are the ins premiums for an SUV I wonder? eom

[Elginoid]

16. under what justification?

what a stupid idea.

[Zhade]

23. Just curious - do you own an SUV?

Considering SUVs are far more dangerous to other cars, I think it's a fair trade-off.

[LibDemAlways]

9. Yesterday I spotted a hummer

painted up to look like an American flag. It's bad enough that someone would drive such a huge, gas-guzzling piece of shit in the first place, but to equate it with "patriotism" is just sick.

[Longhorn]

10. I counted how many trucks/SUVs compared to cars on my commute

the other day, since I feel very outnumbered driving a car. I noted about 60 vehicles coming and going and the ratio was 2 to 1, pickup trucks/SUVs.

I didn't count large commercial trucks and my trip was from the outskirts of Austin to a small community about ten miles away. But I have noticed this pattern all over Austin.

[Radius]

11. Truck vs SUV

Many people who drive trucks are using them for their jobs or to do work that you can not get done with a light vehicle.

Small Toyota trucks run forever and can do what most people need. Haul crap from Lowe's, tow a boat, or trailer.

I use mine to haul landscaping stuff and tow heavy equipment(larger truck). They helpful around the farm. I run b-20.

SUV's are very different. Most people do not use a Tahoe for work. Some use suburbans for commercial work but this is rare.

Any vehicle with a high center of gravity is subject to rollover, this only happens if you put the vehicle in a position where the CG moves outside the wheelbase. Like a massive swerve. You can roll any vehicle with this process.

I can tell you from first hand experience that when involved in an accident in a truck you are much better off. Someone pulled out in front (fail to yield) of me and I hit them in an f-150. Their car was totaled, the trunk was crushed to the rear window. My front bumper was dented, I removed it and pounded the dent out with a sledge, used the insurance money to buy beer.

Newtonian physics are always right.

[Misunderestimator]

20. Well... isn't that nice... lobbying for SUVs and Trucks

because you can TOTAL other sensible cars with them. That's the whole effing problem, dude.

[Radius]

24. Blame newton, not me.

I drive a truck because I have to, in a collision it is better than a honda accord...BTW the other the driver was at fault and uninjured.

I ride a motorcycle so I get both sides of the picture.

[Wright Patman]

12. As someone who was hit

head-on by a Chevrolet Suburban going about 40 mph which ran off the road into me, all I can say is good riddance to these gas-guzzling mutant vehicles.

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper" is coming true in my case. Sales have been on the decline ever since I was nearly killed last Nov. 9.

[Radius]

13. A Mercedes 500SL

Will also "win" in a collision with a compact car. So will a Volvo, or Crown Vic.

A suburban is useful if you are a surveyor or are a commercial contractor. Not so useful if you are a cell chatting soccer mommy.

The suburban has been around for ever and will not go away. Hopefully people who have no need for them will stop buying them.

[napi21]

17. You are all ignoring the main reason most people are buying SUV's

They're a STATUS SYMBOL!

I've had this argument with quite a number of SUV owners. Most were 26 to 36 years old. They of course deny it, but will give you every reason under the sun for why they'd NEVER drive a van or station wagon.

I have to give them one advantage point though. As long as you KNOW how to drive an SUV, and respect it's higher point of gravity to reduce the risk of rollovers, YOU are safer in an SUV in a crash than you are in something smaller. Pretty simple laws of physics. The bigger and heavier thing wins.

[AngryAmish]

18. And now the Prius is a status symbol.

[Zhade]

25. Symbol of what? Idiocy? Greed? Selfishness? Egocentrism?

Yeah, I hate those gas-guzzling, 25-45%-more-pollution-than-normal-cars-causing, road-hogging, dangerous, ugly, useless vehicles. Can ya tell?

[belle]

19. Christ, we can hope.

[KittyWampus]

21. At Some Point Some Other Type Of Car Will Become "Hip"

marketing is the only reason SUV's became so ubiquitous.

[VegasWolf]

22. Yea! Saw this blond with legs clear to heaven climbing down --

sorry guys, with a headline like that, it was too hard to resist!!!