>From: "Andrew B. Lundgren" <lundgren@iname.com>
>An SUV in the city is as close as you can get to a tank for your loved
>ones to ride it. I learned to drive in Denver in a Suburban that my
>older brother and sister had already, how shall I say, "broken in." By
>the time I was old enough to drive people stayed out of the way for
>fear of being killed. :) (My sister bashed in the passenger side
>front door. My brother got the passenger side back door and back
>quarter panel (separate wreaks; one on icy roads). And I got the
>drivers side back door a month after I got my license in an unscheduled
>appointment on icy roads with a lady who thought she could corner fast
>than she could.)
>
>My wife no longer feels safe if she is not in an SUV... She drives the
>truck now and I drive one of the cars to work. (MG in nice weather,
>toyota when I might have another unscheduled appointment.)
And yet, the typical SUV will probably kill you in a head-on crash with
a barrier or another vehicle. SUV's such as the Nissan Patrol and the
little Blazer/Frontera of not-so-long-ago were designed with a crumple
zone also known as the passenger compartment.
I think there may be an US NHTSA web site with crash test results.
SUV's have the advantage of mass, they have advantage of size in that
the driver has a good view of the road and the vehicle gets more respect
from other drivers. Note that these are relative advantage, more SUVs on
the road means greater the risk to small car passengers, poorer view for
other drivers, and risk of not being noticed.
SUV's have the disadvantage of poor manoeuverability (greater mass to
shift, suspensions not designed for cornering, tires not suited to
paved road surfaces) They have the disadvantage of passenger
compartments that are often NOT designed to protect the occupants in
a crash.
Obligatory MG content:
During the summer I live in an area with many unpaved tracks. I used
to own a 4wd Subaru, and so I have become used to taking the road
that is the shortest distance between two points.
While visiting the home of a colleague I noted that his house was
actually very close to that of our boss. He replied that the road
between them was impassible.
ME: 'But you drive a Ford Ranger with really high ground clearance.'
HIM: 'You would need better than that for this road, the ruts are
much too deep and the surface doesn't give you any traction for
getting up the slopes.'
ME: 'I don't remember it being so bad'
HIM: 'When did you last try it?'
ME: 'I came that way tonight.'
HIM: 'What are you driving??'
ME: 'My MGB.'
Douglas McKinnie
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