subject: Cabriolet Cars [print this page] SUVs, an acronym for sport utility vehicles, are facing a hard time from all quarters. Known somewhat unaffectionately in many quarters as Chelsea tractors for the fact that although they were designed with their off road capabilities in mind, they have turned out to be more marketable to inner city mothers on the school run, they have received an unremittingly bad press over the past few years. But what have SUVs done to deserve this bad hype and are things about to change?
When asked what attracts people to purchasing an SUV, the most common response is that they make the driver feel safe from other vehicles. This is because they are built on a light truck chassis which lifts the driver of such vehicles to a height literally towering over other private vehicle drivers on the road. In a collision, inevitably an SUV is going to come out of it better than most other cars.
So if they are so popular for this reason, what is the drawback? Cost. Not simply to the wallet of their owner but also to the environment at large. SUVs have high fuel consumption which leads them to be pronounced gas guzzlers. They carry a higher rate of road tax and in many inner city areas there are additional fees to be paid for bringing them into built up areas. It looked for a time that these vehicles might be on their way out, but after a recent dip in sales it looks like SUVs are on the up again. Maybe in these complicated times, the simplicity and security offered by these tanks of cars are the perfect response to the general fear that people have about travelling today. So if you have the money to spend, an SUV might well still be the answer for you for quite some years to come.
