Blind Auto full of soccer moms
Q5, Stelvio, Macan, etc Why is everyone wasting money on these "performance" SUVs? A sports-sedan or hot-hatch is a good mix of compromise, but the do-it-all nature tends to lose it's luster after a certain price point. The utility of an SUV is not going to be used properly by most people worried about keeping their luxury vehicle shiny, they aren't particularly good off-road even, save for a few models. Most of them have crazy body roll, they are heavy and need more ridiculous engines, more expensive brakes, more expensive wheels/tires, maintenance will invariably be worse. They aren't stylish, but it turns out no one cares, because they just want a nice Porsche logo on their big eggs. What reasons are left? Well, many people argue they want to be "up high" or "safe", or even that they have children. The reality is modern crash safety and crumple zones mean that all cars are exceptionally good in a crash compared to not that long ago, and vehicles with a higher center of gravity are more likely to rollover if they dig into the side of the road or get knocked off balance. Most blinders live in heavy populated areas, SUVs are terrible for navigating traffic, or finding parking in these spots, they are huge and will almost certainly acquire tons of door dings etc moreso than other cars. How many days out of the year do you actually use the space and "utility' that these cars have to offer? Is that number in the single, or even double digits? Why work so hard to get a high TC if you are just going to blow it? Get an actually fun car and then a cheap SUV you don't mind getting dirty.
Agree bruh. But suggest some alternatives as well
If you think you need the SUV for offroad, get a Jeep. If you think you need the SUV for space, you likely don't, get a hatchback, or just a mid-full size vehicle of any sort. Mini-van is last resort. If you think you need to haul things, get a truck, unless you don't haul regularly and it doesn't make sense, then just rent as-needed. If you MUST have a crossover/SUV, then wrap up the least amount of money in it as possible, so you can get a better side piece... maybe the Mazdas or even a used XC40.
And if you need to haul kids, get a mini van
what if i just rent it when necessary?
It's about space a lot more than anything else. Model S is decent as well - large sedan, plenty of cargo space, and much safer than any SUV.
If you are someone that never learned how condoms work and actually needs it, that's one thing. But in reality how many people actually need more space than a Model S or literally any hatchback? Both of which look better and drive better.
@Apple, you should have known better than to vertically scale, rather than horizontally scale, for this workload.
Any idea/experience with low suspension cars? Are those practical in dense cities and difficult parking spots (the building ramps are often high; also edges/extensions at the low end of the walls) like Seattle or SFO?
The Cayman isn't really bad in city driving aside from potholes, and the GT86 feels low for instance, but actually has pretty good ground clearance. Definitely you have to be more careful next to parking barriers, but you could try just being a good driver and see how that works. EDIT: I was mentioning stock height, I wouldn't do coilovers etc if I was commuting everyday in the city with it.
A stock Cayman S I would not want to lower at all, but an 86 can spare about 2cm of clearance before there's any issues.
I’ve been thinking of getting an SUV because I’m petite and the driving is definitely comfortable sitting “up there”. I will be driving on highways not off road. There are no alternatives for me other than a cross over I’m guessing?
I guess you don’t have kids. If you’re a car person and have kids, sports SUVs are the way to go. When you have kids and are constantly getting them in and out of their car seats and transporting strollers around, the height and the extra room of an SUV is significantly worth it. I currently have a large sports sedan and thinking of switching to a sport SUV. Current car is low to the ground and has a big trunk with awkward dimensions for strollers, camping gear, etc.
Well, the obvious mistake there was having kids lol.
People hauled their kids around for the better part of 100 years without SUVs, if a sports-sedan with 4 doors isn't good enough, then nothing will be. I also find it funny that people want something bigger for kids, when kids are small enough to fit almost anywhere. My suggestion for you is Focus RS, Golf R, or condoms.
@Bose, Agreed. The smaller the kid, the more stuff to lug around! :)
If they didn’t want to buy them, then they wouldn’t buy them.
If you want space, get a wagon
I also hate how rounded and slick modern SUVs are. If you're going to buy something so impractically gargantuan, at least throw some hard edges and aggression in there so it looks more T-Rex than Snorlax.
Aside from pedestrian safety, aerodynamics likely have a lot to do with this, in any last ditch effort to increase the fuel mileage to make it a more practical decision. Normal cars are getting rounder too, but they don't have to overcome nearly as many obstacles as SUV designers, because the platform isn't as fatally flawed.