What makes many SUV drivers think they are in a performance car?

errant_hero

Simply due to the fact that these people feel the sheer size provides added safety. Most of these people probably don't realize that their SUVs have higher center of gravity, which makes for poor handling. Furthermore, because the driver sits higher above, compared to normal people driving standard cars, their field of view is expanded, which also gives them additional confidence.

Granted, there are exceptions where some SUVs actually do handle better than some of the cars on the road today -- e.g., BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and even some domestics and imports.

Of course, I still feel that SUVs are more for image than for function.

Deb

Now that you mention it have you ever seen them drive in the snow???

buddhaboy

back in the early 80's not many 4x4 suvs around. They were used as trail vehicles and people understood how to drive them. When people wanted something different for a family ride, but did not want a station wagon the suv was perfect. But they did not understand the handling was different. So if an emergency arised, they would panic and oversteer the vehicle resulting in rollovers. They think it handles like a regular car. It may ride like one but it doesn't handle like one. Most of these vehicles are driven by women with children in the back and result in many deaths. I believe that owners of high centered vehicles should at least have some training before they are handed the keys. If atv riders have to have it then shouldn't suv drivers too?

Susan M

Hey now, don't lump everyone together! I drive an Acura MDX. I do not drive aggressively. I have the car because I like it. I drives really comfortably. It is super safe if someone hits me (again). Our second car is a Honda Insight.
If someone hits me while I'm in it, I hope I die, fast.

There are performance SUVs and unfortunately that it the trend (cf: the new RDX). BMW, Porsche, Audi and Volvo have SUVs. These have worse mileage. The 2007 MDX is coming out with a turbo and other changes which make it less desirable to me. It has been an ultra-low emissions vehicle and I hope that stays part of the package.

People are just so caught up in their own egomaniacal bubbles, not just drivers of SUVs, but they are some of the scariest due to the size of the vehicle and attitudes of some drivers.

The MDX was the first with the stabilization devices. It is good at cornering and although it's wide it's been great on forest roads here in Montana.

Anyone stupid enough to run from police and dies saves us the cost of court. It does endanger everyone anywhere near them, and no one has the right to jeopardize the rest of us that way.

Dear Blabby

My guess would be the false sense of security they get from the size of those things... and your correct, a good number of them cant drive a car let alone a boat of an SUV... After many hundreds of miles up and down the interstate (35) they don't look when they change lanes, they speed and they are always the ones getting pulled over by the local Highway Patrol ( with apologies to all you SAFE SUV drivers reading here )

BTW there ARE performance SUV's out there, Porsche makes one as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8

druid

<>It is probably the same misconception that lead them to think they are invulnerable, that they won't get hurt in an accident. I think the heyday of the giant SUV has come and gone (look at the H3!) and vehicles will once again start to be scaled down as they were when the gas crunch first hit in the 70s.

Shenlong The God Dragon

Most suv's are powerfull,look at the escalade!

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