I want my SUV!

MSNBC ^ | Feb 19, 2003 | Howard Mortman

[xsrdx]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — In the great SUV debate, I’m finally convinced. Put me in the pro-SUV camp. And I don’t even own one. For America, SUVs are a good thing. And drivers of sport utility vehicles are America’s newest heroes. The big snowstorm provided all the evidence I needed.

[xsrdx]

The grocery store parking lot Saturday PM looked like an SUV and 4x4 used car lot. Plenty of "4x4's needed" tickers on the evening news, from hospitals to Meals on Wheels.

Lots of people on the East coast gained a new appreciation for SUV capability when they realized the only people who could move were driving them.

[Lil'freeper]

We just bought one and are so glad we did. The storm hit our area (northern MD) pretty hard but our mobility was never hampered. Big snows are so much more enjoyable if you're not trapped.

[jz638]

All the above is true, but four wheel drive does not equal God mode on the highway, part of the sale of an SUV should include having to repeat that aloud ten times.

[xsrdx]

four wheel drive does not equal God mode

True enough, the proportion of poor drivers does not vary with vehicle choice, for better or worse.

You can't stop a Range Rover any faster than a Camry, regardless of the weather.

[bandleader]

I wouldn't trade my 2002 Yukon for anything!I live in western Mass and I wasn't troubled in the least by our recent snow!The"Grabbers"can have my Yukon when"They Pry It From My Cold,Dead Fingers"!!That goes for other items as well!!!

[PatriotGames]

I absolutely HATE all of you terrorist-aiding, holier-than-thou SUV owners but only because I CAN'T AFFORD ONE! :-)

[PatriotGames]

Yeah, and you're unpatriotic, too!

[HitmanLV]

I've always hated SUV's because they seemed excessive to me, and I am a true-blue Saab lover.

I think they are fine for small families, because face it, young moms carting around children, tricycles, food, whatever need all the room and help they can get.

Then i saw some info on the new Volvo 2003 SUV - holy moley, that thing is a work of art!

If I ever get an SUV (that is, if I marry my honey and we have some kids to cart around) I vote for the Volvo!

Then again, I am a macho man and know full well that decision will be my bride's! ;-)

[Eva]

We bought our first SUV in '89, a Bronco II that I insisted we buy because I didn't want to drive another station wagon. We moved to the Northwest the next year and encountered a 100 year storm, hurricaine force winds, 15 inches of snow, topped with 2 inches of ice. My husband backed my car out of the driveway and went to work (where there was backup electricity and heat) while the neighbors came out to watch. We have had at least one four wheel drive vehicle ever since.

[xsrdx]

Then i saw some info on the new Volvo 2003 SUV - holy moley, that thing is a work of art!

My wife drives an 02 Grand Cherokee, but we have a neighbor with the new Volvo - my wife goes ga-ga everytime she sees it. She loves her Jeep but I think if the Volvo had been widely available last year, she would have bought it instead.

Volvo has worked hard to escape the "boxy-but safe" pigeonhole, the newer ones look sweet.

[HitmanLV]

I'm not an SUV guy, as I said. I think they are great for young moms carting around families, but for a bachelor like me, they are just too much and they have no appeal.

I am sooooo happy I never bought a German car (I've always disliked Germans and German cars, pre Iraq campaign days) so I always drive Swedish wheels (with no regrets!).

I just picked up a beautiful silver 2002 Saab 9-3 4 door hatchback back in July, just before GM 'retired' the hatch for a few years. I'm glad I got the last Saab that actually looks like a Saab, and I really love the car! I live in a desert climate so I have no need for tackling snow, etc.

Comfy, safe, and stylish, but not excessive, Saabs and Volvos have always been my favorites. And Volvo has faught hard to overcome their image, though I always liked their old image, I confess! That being said, that new Volvo SUV is sweet - I want to go down to my dealership and just take it for a test spin!

One of my most serious girlfriends of my past had a Volvo stationwagon - she loved it and so did I. Old memories die hard? Haha! Lots of room to maneuver in the old stationwagon! ;-)

I love swedish cars, what can I say.

Saabs and Volvo's aren't for everyone, but they do rock and roll, as far as I am concerned. I was so happy to see the Volvo SUV - I am a fan of the station wagon, as I said, and SUV's have out-classed station wagons.

By the way, I always wondered why other car companies don't position the ignition in between the front seats like Saab has for decades? It's such a logical and safe place to put it, out of the way and keeping keychains from dangling dangerously near the wheel. Hmmmm....

Keep the faith - my pal Jenny drives a Cherokee and loves it also!

[Lil'freeper]

Saab afficionado bump.

[agrace]

I MISS my SUV! :) My husband has driven it to work the past two days since the snow stopped.

[KOZ.]

drove my yukon from jersey to the carolinas starting late sunday afternoon. damn that was fun! only took me 16 hours though. unstoppable.....i am in God mode...i am in God mode...

koz.