An interesting article this morning on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/06/10...suvs/index.html Paris considering restricting SUV traffic in city centers. Now, I own an SUV, but I must concur a bit with the quote (from the article): "They're polluters, they're space-occupiers, they're dangerous for pedestrians and other road users. They're a caricature of a car." - Denis Baupin, Green Party(France) spokesman I like the convenience of an SUV--it's great with three kids, though I prefer a full-size pickup as an even better hauler for things other than children. I wonder, though, what sort of fuel or pollution or traffic crisis would cause such a backlash in North America? Is the public cognizant enough of such issues for the like to ever occur? Before answering affirmatively, remember that our forum tends to draw those ALREADY aware of environmental issues--we're different! I contend that most AMERICANS (I'm not going to lump you Canadians into this) won't care until it affects their ability to watch "Must-see-TV" or similarly affects their comfort or feelings of safety.
Paris is getting ready to ban SUVs Deja vu. http://www.lacar.com/modules.php?name=News...article&sid=249
Michael, I was wondering: why not a minivan instead of an SUV? Don't you generally have the same amount of interior space/kid-hauling capacity, less probability of a rollover, plus greater fuel economy? I know lots of people want SUVs so they can haul the entire soccer team to practice, but it seems that most minivans have more than enough space. Anyway, I'm guessing that it would take massive gas prices for such a backlash to happen, on the scale of what they have in Europe ($4/gal? $5?). Or maybe some authoritative report on how SUVs cause some obscene number of accidents or fatalities b/c of their size and high center of gravity. Or MAYBE if Osama bin Laden was seen riding around in one, giving it good reviews : ) That last one might be just a bit over the top though.
BTW, back when I was young, my family had a station wagon for carpooling to school (a Magnet school, 20 minutes away) and taking long road trips. I guess its a good thing they retired it a few years ago, since it probably put out as much air pollutants as 6 SUVs strapped together ('79 Chevy Impala). But I'm kinda sorry to see that station wagons have gone out of style. I'm also sorry to see SUVs overtake minivans in the kid-hauling business. When I was younger, I always wanted our family to get a minivan, since it seemed like a little treehouse on wheels. But that's just me.
For those of us on this board, the Hybrid Sienna would fit the bill just fine if/when it's released. If my family grew by one more, and the Prius just didn't handle it comfortably, I'd consider one. For now, we can easily fit two kids and a medium-large dog in the back seat for trips between CA and AZ w/o too much hassle. Then again, the Hybrid Highlander will have the third row seat. But it's an SUV :-/ (granted, car based vs. truck based, still has the stigma). As for minivan economy, it's only marginally better than an SUV when compared to our Prius. My wife recently had to drive her parent's minivan (Chrysler T&C) from AZ to CA and back, and she was lucky to get 17mpg in the thing (she won't use cruise).
We have to remember that car manufacturers kinda abandoned the minivan in the mid-90s due to the insane popularity of SUVs. Honda & Toyota were the only ones to be really innovative in the minivan market, and as the market shifts back to the minivan (which I believe it will), Honda & Toyota will have a clear market advantage. So, what I'm saying is that buying a minivan not only wasn't the chic thing to do, but you were also getting a car with fairly outdated features/refinements compared to the SUV market. That, and let's face it - a 35 year old dad would rather drive the Expedition to work than the Plymouth Voyager. Personal taste does come into the equation, and no one should be knocked for that.
Heh, sorry, I had completely forgotten about the "cool" factor of cars. Yeah, I can see how some SUVs would definitely look better on a guy than a minivan. Guess it'll take $5 gas to break that particular barrier.
