a big +1 -- you hit the nail on the head!!!!!

I wish yearly registration fees would be about $5000 for a gas guzzing SUV.

 

as stated before most women cant even grasp the basic mechanical concepts of a car, then theres no way in heck most of them would be convinced that a smaller lighter vehicle would be safer than an larger heavier vehicle. Im not going to take an accident if I can avoid it, a better handling vehicle can do this far better than an SUV. Youd can easily get into a wreck trying to avoid something in an boat of an SUV. Face it, the real reason most guys wont drive a minivan because it isnt "macho" or "manly" which is a silly reason. Yes if I had a family and had to drive a minivan, I'd do it. Youre already married not like youre trying to pick up chicks anymore with your vehicle. My mom has a LX470 and I hate driving it, feels like im going to flip in turns, ridiculously slow, cant pass anything. Closest thing I'd ever consider close to an SUV is a crossover

 

My friends mother was killed the week before her High School graduation because she was hit in her Tahoe by a Cirrus, flipped over, and was ejected from the vehicle as she had forgotten to put on her seatbelt. Terrible.

 

I'd be plenty happy driving a Legacy GT wagon....if they still made them

 

I want to say first I'm sorry to hear your friends lost but she died because she didn't wear her seat belt. Not because she was driving an SUV.

 

Absolutely. There is nothing........repeat, NOTHING wrong with a male driving a minivan if that is the best vehicle for him and his family (as it indeed is in many cases). Whenever I hear people laugh at minivans and push that idiotic stereotype that they are for "wimps", and that "real men" can't drive them, I want to swing my own "real man" size-15 shoe back and plant it right up the rear crack of their pants.

 

Well that isn't entirely true. The problem was that the high ground clearence of the Tahoe allowed for the Cirrus to wedge it underneath the rear of the SUV, which was still accelerating at the time making it even easier for it to flip over.

Would she have faired better if she had been in a car in the same situation? I don't think anyone can say. But it would seem more likely to me that if you hit a car in that manner it would be more likely that it would spin around in a circle rather than flip over.

 

How old was the Tahoe? The reason I ask is that, for a number of years now, the designers of high-stance SUV's have been trying to make the frame and bumper heights on them more consistant with those of smaller, lower-riding vehicles. This will help prevent the "submarine" effect that you just described......smaller vehicles will be stopped before they have a chance to slide under and lose their roofs and perhaps decapitate their occupants.

 

I believe it was a 2000

 

I would never drive/own a minivan just like I wouldn't drive/own a little dodge neon or any other car I don't like. It's funny how people try to impose their own belief's on everyone. If they don't like SUV's oh no one should be driving them their bad. Thats the same dumbass attitude that I hear from people who bust my ***** because I drive japanese cars. People this is a free country if someone wants to drive a school bus for their everyday car it shouldn't be anyone elses problem. SUV's serve a great purpose for everyday use.

Maybe someone won't go offroading with a SUV but what if they want to tow something once in a while or if it's bad weather kick on the 4 wheel drive. Or go on a long trip or just to have a big car because they want it. People need to stop *****ing about what everyone else is doing.

 

wow people hate suv's but theres no reason too, don't forget, people live in certain areas that an suv can be called a neccesity, just like a pickup truck in the country. I mean, people can feel free to hate suv's all they want, but don't think the people who drive them think that they are better then you and got " the short end of the stick" as someone said, when they were growing up. it's like saying all people who drive bmw's are full of it, or most honda drivers are ricers, or hell, all buick drivers are old, it's not needed. i can understand hating a hummer h1, but range rovers and lx 470's? really the gas milage they get is either the same or better of that of a sc 400

 

I couldnt drive a minivan. Well maybe a FULL-Sized Van...that would be one of those huge conversion vans like the Chevrolet Express. But it would have to be a conversion van with the full size captain seats, TV/DVD, LED lighting, all the goodies. At least that puts off a more masculan image than say a Dodge Caravan.

Oh and I finally met someone else who knows how it feels to have to order shoes LOL.

 

Put it this way. Those that no nothing about how a car works other than D = forward, R = reverse and mirrors are used for backing up (not turning around and looking out the damn rear window themselves) also are tuned to be lazy and let the car do everything for them.

IOW:
TCS - controls the slip in acceleration
ABS - oh I can stop faster now
ESP - oh I can't spin out cause the car will stop me
SUV - I don't need to avoid jack, I'll just plow into the person because my arms are not strong enough to rotate the steering wheel quickly and avoid the obstacle.

 

Yeah, people shouldn't criticize other's buying decisions but I think we can all share our opinions on SUV's themselves. Afterall, a purchase mostly effects the buyer and if they can drop $125 a week on gas then they're very welcome to do so (although millions of these gas guzzlers around the world probably work together to diminish our supply of oil and raise gas prices).

And about people giving you a hard time about buying Japanese, well, thats what sucks about living in Michigan. Other parts of the country, especially the coastal states, will look down on you for making the mistake of buying American. The most informed and educated consumer buys Japanese!
(not to start a new argument, lol)

 

Anywone here drive the current Acura MDX or RDX?

Dynamically the best SUV's I've driven and being in the car business I've driven just about all of them. I have to admit that even as a Lexus guy, these two Acura's beat the Lexus SUV's hands down.

They handle much more like sports sedans/coupes then SUV's. You can actually fly around corners with total control. Never mind that their interiors are the best in the business. And they aren't huge. The MDX is the biggest I'd go if I was in the market.