RANT within a RANT!


"Non-idiot SUV driver checking out. "


I won't say that such a person DOESN'T exist, but they're RARE. SUV's are heavier than station wagons and thus do more damage to the roads. They waste precious gallons of
unrenewable petroleum.( How many times have I seen a 9-seat behemoth chugging down the road to take Joe Pussgut [alone] over to the liquor store.) SUVS are supposed to be "safe". But ONLY to those inside. To regular-sized vehicles they pose a danger. SUVers glory in the view of the road they have from their high perch. Which is gained at the expense of normal height vehicles which can't see over or around them. SUV's are NOT cars. They are TRUCKS which have been given car style comfort (A/C, Power Steering/powerbrakes, carpeting ect) in order to get around CAFE* fuel economy figures which are considerably relaxed on trucks. Many folks buy them for that "Century Blizard" that never happens. I went thru a century Blizzard in '96. I couldn't drive for 24 hrs! END OF THE WORLD!!!( I starved to death and froze to death too. Also, the 4 wheel drive is NO aid to stoping on ice. It merely makes many SUV owners overconfidant in the ability of the vehicle to counter the negative effects of the weather. (Often resulting in rolling the thing over due to its top heaviness!)

Unless you have a specific reason for owning an SUV: hauling a trailer/boat, drive on a beach, or live in the boonies far from paved roads, the SUV is NOT a smart choice. For the environment, the road or YOUR POCKETBOOK!



* CAFE Corperate Average Fuel Economy. Which allows detroit to inflate the gas mileage by classing the SUVs as trucks, not cars, which must get better mileage.