Over the last few years, there has been a complete rise in the number of SUVs sold each year. Every car manufacturer is making an SUV. From Fiat to Ferrari, it’s the new trend. In fact, many mainstream manufacturers are planning to have an SUV only lineup, replacing their wagons, sedans, and hatchbacks. In fact, many legendary nameplates are being brought back into the world. Names such as Bronco from Ford or Land Rover with their new Defender. There are so many new SUVs coming out. The majority of new cars are SUVs it’s crazy.
Yet should you always buy an SUV as a family car? Right now there are so many SUVs on the market aimed at families but are they really the best option? In all honesty, it may shock you but most SUVs do not have the space most people think they do. The reason why is because is a lot of SUVs are based on hatchbacks or sedans hence space is near enough the same as a family sedan or hatchback. In fact sometimes due to the dimensions of an SUV they can be a smaller family car.
Another issue is that people assume SUVs are the safest for a family. Not true. Just because they have a high riding position does not mean they are completely safe. There are a lot of SUVs such as the Jeep Wrangler that have a woeful safety record. Even cars like the Fiat 500X or the Jeep Renegade aren’t too great in terms of safety.
What Caused the Suv Trend?
So what started this crazy trend. Why are so many people buying an SUV? Back in the day, the SUV was a farmer’s vehicle or a luxury hip-hop car like the Cadillac Escalade. In the late nineties and early noughties, these hip-hop luxury SUVs really did smash the market as they were cool and different from the other luxury cars on the market. They also looked powerful and had a real presence plus most were great off-road. An example of this was the L302 Range Rover as that was completely different from its predecessors as it was less utilitarian more so luxurious.
In the mid-noughties or so many mainstream manufacturers decided to take a leaf out of the big boy’s book. They too started to make SUVs and their aim was making something seen so luxurious and desirable affordable for most. These mainstream companies wanted to sell the SUV as a family car because it was seen as safe, big and it had a luxury presence. Some of the first SUVs of this kind were cars like the Nissan Qashqai in Europe.
Of course, many mainstream manufacturers had SUVs in their lineup in the 1990s and 2000s. But these SUVs were mostly dull. They had no character and most families turned their noses up to them because they were seen as uncool. Minivans or sedans were the way to go back then. Yet now in 2020 most mainstream car brands have cut out minivans or sedans completely.
It is very easy for a manufacturer to build an SUV nowadays. They can base it easily on existing cars using existing engines. It’s not like the old days where for every single SUV you had to make some crazy AWD system, an AWD differential, etc. Nowadays most people never take their SUV offroad hence why most manufacturers make their SUVs front-wheel drive or if it is four-wheel drive it is a system whereby most power is sent to the front.
Nowadays for some manufacturers, the SUV is their number one best-selling vehicle. Lamborghini has sold more Urus vehicles than they have of anything else combined. If a car manufacturer does not have an SUV in their lineup, they’re considered as weird. Companies like VW mainly have SUVs now in their lineup because they sell so well.
What Can I get Instead of an SUV?
There is still an array of sedans, trucks, hatchbacks, and wagons on the market today. Loads. An example of these includes the Audi A6, VW Golf, and the Toyota Camry. These cars are perfect family vehicles and in fact, the best-selling car in America is a sedan/hatch being the Toyota Corolla. The second-best-selling car though is the Ford F-Series which is a truck.
In Europe, the SUV market really is taking off hugely. Over there SUVs like the Nissan Qashqai and the Toyota RAV4 are top sellers. These are known as crossovers and they are essentially hatchbacks on stilts. The Europeans love these things as there are so many of these cars on sale. Most families in Europe are switching their sedan or hatchback to an SUV/Crossover as they are seen as trendy and a lot safer.
SUVs are also similarly priced to other equivalent sedans and hatchbacks. Sometimes a tad more expensive. But at the end of the day due to weight, they are far slower and less economical. The high-driving position may be cool but in terms of handling, it’s not so great. Most SUVs at high speeds feel far less stable than their sedan and hatchback counterparts. The reason why is physics. The centre of gravity is far higher hence they don’t handle as well. This though shouldn’t be an issue for the average family man.
Wagons are a good shout as they offer similar or even more space than SUVs. Wagons used to be so popular in the USA but now they’re a dime a dozen. It doesn’t make sense since these things can also seat 7 and they handle a lot better. Minivans too were great because of the sliding doors and the ease of getting in and out hence why they made great wheelchair cars.
The issue with SUVs is that because they’re a tad higher off the ground they are not so easy to get in and out of if you have issues. Hence why if you do have a wheelchair you will struggle.
Minivans were essentially SUVs without the driving position and the off-road bits. They were stereotypically “momsy” vehicles as they were made to carry the family. The Minivan was great though as it offered so much space inside and out plus they were so comfortable. Some of these new crossover SUVs priced at a similar point to these MPV’s are nowhere near as spacious or practical.
SUVs are not made for drivers at all. No matter the badge or engine do not expect whatsoever crazy driving dynamics. You simply cannot change physics. Most SUVs have terrible handling and body roll and most of these are family orientated cars. For environmentalists, Internal Combustion Engined SUVs emit more CO2 as they are heavier and electric SUVs tend to have a lesser range as they are heavier.
Parking is also a lot harder in an SUV which may scare some inexperienced drivers. They are far larger than sedans or hatches hence why you do need to get used to them at first. You will find due to their bulky size that they don’t fit in most parking spaces.
Featured image credits via: autoblog.com