Why the Attack on SUVs

It seems that there are many people who have decided to attack SUVs, but the question is why? They make many claims, but those same claims apply to other vehicles as well. They choose to ignore that often SUVs can carry more passengers, cargo and can tow more than average passenger cars. They also ignore that the vehicles are often 4wd, which allow them to drive in snow and ice without having to put on chains and also can go on roads which require high clearance, such as many in Death Valley National Park. Renting a 4wd can be difficult to find in some areas and also expensive, plus if you tow a trailer with electric brakes, it is very difficult to find a place which rents a vehicle with an electric brake controller (I found one place that does, it is expensive and it is a stake bed truck, just the vehicle for a vacation :-).

They are not going after vehicles based on the fuel economy, just what it looks like. They don't seem to care about pickups which get poor fuel economy since it is more obvious that a pickup can be used to haul things. They don't go after vehicles which have bigger than needed engines, perhaps because those are harder to spot. They also fail to notice that if the vehicle manufacturers would sell diesels then the fuel economy of SUVs could double (in some cases) overnight. For example, take a look at the Volkswagen TDI Jetta, Golf and New Beetle. Those get really good fuel economy and are nice to drive. In Australia you can get a Land Cruiser in a Turbo Diesel and that gets much better fuel economy than what is sold here. I talked to some who owns a 80 series Land Cruiser with a turbo diesel engine. He told me that on the highway he got 27mpg. This is one of the few 80 series diesels in the US. I would love to be able to buy one of these, but can not do so because it is nearly impossible to import one.

While there are some people who buy these vehicles for no reason other than it is cool, that is no excuse for attacking everyone else. Add to that the wackos who think that it is acceptable to take the law into their own hands and damage these vehicles, you can see the insane mentality that some of these people have. The wackos who burned many Hummer H2s is a prime example. They complain about the pollution, yet THEY caused more pollution by burning those vehicles than the vehicles would have ever produced. Add to that the wasted energy and resources that went into building the vehicles, as well as having to repair the ones that could be repaired, and you can see how anti-environment these people really are.

One thing that is funny about some of the SUV buyers is those who buy the Hummer H2. The original Hummer, which is based on the military HUMVEE, had many features which made it unique, such as very good ground clearance, air system, which is very useful for non-paved roads (we can talk about which does more damage, a paved road or a 4wd on a dirt road going relatively slowly), etc. The H2 seems to be just a GMC Yukon with a different body. It is not the capable vehicle that the Hummer is. There might be better approach and departure angles, but take a look under the vehicle and see all the stuff hanging down, just waiting to be hit by a rock should you actually take it on a real 4wd road!