SUVs are having a moment, well several moments as they saw a growth of more than 150% in sales in the past decade.
People love SUVs and many automakers in Malaysia no longer sell sedan variants of their lineup in favour of only selling SUVs and pickups (we’re looking at you Mitsubishi).
While it’s fine to choose a car based on its looks, you also need to be informed about what you’re actually getting when you buy an SUV.
People always think bigger is always better and when you can pay little more for a car that’s way higher and has a more commanding view of the road, it’s easy to see why many people have been suckered into getting an SUV.
Well, for the uninformed, here’s 5 reasons why you shouldn’t buy an SUV.
#1 SUVs are more expensive to maintain
Bigger cars mean bigger tyres, stronger brakes, and bigger engines. And as they say, the bigger they are…
All of these bigger things on the car costs more to change when they breakdown. Tyres are an easy example as bigger tyres are disproportionately priced higher than smaller tyres—ditto the rims.
If you don’t have a lot of disposable cash to buy big tyres every two years or so, getting an SUV will be a potentially dangerous proposition.
#2 SUVs aren’t as good to drive
The ground clearance that everyone enjoys in an SUV is also its greatest weakness.
As you go higher off the ground, the center of gravity also increases and around corners, body roll and comfort take a hit.
Sure, it’s not going to be a problem if you drive sensibly, but if you aren’t careful, a sharp turn is going to cause the car to turn turtle quite easily.
#3 SUVs are more deadly to pedestrians
According to WIRED SUVs increase the percentage of pedestrian death by up to 99%. SUVs typically have taller hoods and square-ish designs and that trait increases the damage it causes when hitting a pedestrian.
While the solution might be to educate drivers and pedestrians, you can also choose a more pedestrian-friendly design for your car.
#4 SUVs lead the way in emissions
Bigger car, bigger engine, bigger emissions. Add to that, the growing popularity of the car means that there are more SUVs on the road today than ever.
Volkswagen and Hyundai claim to be leaders in their zero emissions goals but the fact that they sell gas guzzling SUVs that can never inherently meet fuel efficiency goals is a bit ironic.
#5 You probably don’t need an SUV
Think about its name: Sports Utility Vehicle. You don’t need it for sports and it probably doesn’t serve any utility to you.
Most people don’t go off-roading, don’t need the ground clearance, and don’t ever need to strap anything to the hood of their cars.
In fact, most SUVs don’t even have real railings on them anymore.
