Why You May Not Need an SUV

Many people are switching to more economical vehicles, giving up their SUV for a car, or perhaps a large car for a smaller car.

Besides high gasoline prices prompting some buyers to think about the fuel economy of the vehicle they're going to buy, two things are going on here.

First, people who feel they need a four-wheel drive vehicle--probably for driving in snow and ice more than through mud or other off-the-road conditions, since studies have shown that few SUV buyers actually ever take their vehicles off-road--realize that they have options other than an SUV, such as four-wheel drive car models from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, BMW, VW, Porsche, Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Cadillac, Lincoln, and Subaru (these are not all expensive makes/models!).

Second, small cars have become more appealing. At one time small cars were cheap and were perceived as cheap. Now, small cars can be had with nice appointments like comfortable seats and attractive styling in and out, and as great a choice of options as more expensive makes and models. And, after many unfortunate attempts by the American car manufacturers to produce small cars—"unfortunate" for a variety of reasons, including not taking small cars seriously or the mistaken idea that they could take a larger car and just shrink it--small cars from American manufacturers have gotten much better, and are now decent or even quite good in many of the real "car" qualities like ride, performance, and handling (steering, braking, cornering).

Copyright © 2012 by Richard Stein