Hopefully people who actually need them now, instead of people who just want to follow the latest trends.

they should stop making these ridiclous suvs. they have no function at all. I mean, people drive these things like ordinary car...

i thought SUVs where SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE not Urban Road Vehicle. Why an road vehicle require 4WD with LARGE TIRES and heavy duty Suspension and large engine anyways?? whats the use of these things?

You want a vehicle for simple offroading (not hardcore which these large SUV's arent good for anyways), get a Ford Escape Hybrid, RAV4, or Honda ... They are great and yet fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly.

I need one. for the safety, size, etc. Let's not let our nieghbor impose his desire just because he is a bit indignant...

check this out...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=imawEY0HEak

i'm not against SUVs, but there is a reason for speed limits on pickups and vans, and SUVs should be speed restricted too.

Christopher sounds like any other SUV Admiral...Exxon Valdez anyone?

The japanese are no different than the American auto companies. They offer the exact same things, people just wanted a change. Don't get yourselves wrong, Toyota is just as bad as Ford or GM. They just happen to make a slightly more reliable car than do the Americans and they happen to be a little more up on the times because they have to be. Please don't think for a second that if we bankrupt the big 3 that we won't be having a japanese suv extravaganza. Trust me, we will

The Honda SUV's are almost as environmentally friendly as your average Sedan, mostly because of the refined engine technology and the V4 engine. There is a HUGE difference between a Honda SUV and a Ford or GM "apocalypse SUV" from an environmental perspective!

But I guess having that V8 is too important for the neighbours eh?

/Z

I have 4 kids and live in the country and I LOVE MY SEQUOIA.....especially when it snows.

For the same reasons I love my Tundra. That is two V8's in one house:)

Look, I live in the big wooded state of Maine. Love outdoors and need room for equipment people tents gear etc and whatever I catch or shoot. Also live off road near a lake in the woods you know dirt roads, potholes, rocks. Need 4x4 to get out up and out in the winter. I need an SUV to get there and back and TOYOTA is reliable. This will be my fourth SUV. GO SUV.

Just because YOU don't want an SUV and YOU want to believe the global warming crap doesn't mean others are like YOU!

If you don't like SUV's then don't buy one. Get your prius and find a forum and flout your epeen. Go to a ecoterrorist site and claim your dominance.

There are legit reasons to owning a SUV. If the people who have them are willing to deal with the high gas prices, then YOU ecoterrorists should just shut up about it and live your OWN life and stop trying to foist your lifestyle on others.

Due to a disability, bone tumor just below the knee, I can't get in and out of a small car, such as a prius, but I find it very easy and comfortable to get in and out of my Avalanche.

Yes, after driving 2k miles this past week, I also do feel more safe in my Avalanche than I would a prius. After dealing with women and their makeup/cellphones, men/boys in their 4x4's, and those inconsiderate Semi truck drivers, not all, just seems a majority of them.

Enjoy your car, allows others to enjoy theirs. It isn't your money or your time that is invested in it, so stop acting like you should have an opinion about what others should be allowed to drive.

Who cares if someone wants to buy an SUV? If you think they suck too much gas, don't buy one. Don't criticize those who do because you disagree with them. If people decide to buy a gas guzzling vehicle when gas prices are at $3.50/gallon, let them. They are the ones making the decision to buy and they are not costing you any money, so what is it to you?

I don't tell you what to buy, don't tell me what to buy.

I don't care if people drive these things. What I do care about is when they drive these things 3 inches off my bumper, no matter how fast I am driving or what lane I am in. If people want to drive an SUV and can afford to pay for it and fill it up, more power to them. If what they drive and how they drive it has an adverse effect on others, then we have a problem. This isn't NASCAR buttnutt, quit driving like you think you're Junior.

How is it that these things are marketed as being such a good idea in rough terrain, but they are also the majority of what I see spun off the road and stuck in the median whenever it snows?

Best idea? Different driving test and license class for anybody operating one of these things. You have to have a different license and test to operate a motorcycle or a semi, why not a large truck or SUV?

Other best idea? Better mileage requirements. Think it can't be done? Your fooling yourself.

Seriously, we don't live in isolation on a remote planet from each other. Just like driving slowly in the left hand lane on the highway, digging through your change at the grocery store checkout line, very slowly walking with 3 friends down the sidewalk side-by-side, or swinging a flaming blanket around you in a crowded park, what you do affects many people. Moving 45 miles from work or driving a 15-mpg SUV back and forth everyday is having an effect on all of us ( I add the distance thing because everybody I've known who buys a home 40 or more miles from work almost immediately puchased a large SUV or pickup with the money they saved on the cheaper "out-of-town" property).

A few notes though: SUV crash ratings are typically lower than sedans across the board. Tractor-trailer crashes account for less than 2% of serious accidents nationwide and 94% of Reported accidents don't involve serious injury (do the math). Being in an SUV to save your life is as common as being thrown free of an accident without injury because you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

Minivans have more space and people-carrying capacity than all but a few SUV's, and average 60% better mileage but it's an attitude thing more than a need thing. There are a few people (very few) who actually need SUV's, so drive them if you like them, but for most people don't try to convice anybody that you need it, it's safer (most have pretty poor handling performance - but they're getting better - substantial blind spots (95% of americans don't adjust their side mirrors properly anyway - and I don't think Europeans are any better), and parking can be a nightmare for many - I've driven quite a few), or it doesn't affect anybody else.

Over $300 bln/yr in oil money gets shipped out of the US to mostly corrupt or terrorist-friendly countries. Just like water pollution, global overfishing, declining aquifer levels, depleting ozone, historical smog, etc, global warming is real whether you believe it or not, but like many of the previously mentioned items, we will likely find a way to overcome it once we stop denying it (the US gov't itself has never openly denied it in any statement - it's just allegedly "unaffordable" to correct, and most of the web sites that are anti-global warming don't show any legitimate statistical data to deny it - follow the links on these sites and read the documents. Almost all of them openly contradict the statements from the original site. But we don't click on these, do we? You'd be surprised what you'd find. People just use the sound bites from the site). Go to a legitimate site and read the real data: www.noaa.com

All I ask is that anybody who buys an SUV and drives it regularly stays out of the polls that complain about how gas prices are creating "financial difficulty".

I'm not about to spend $4000 more for a hybrid either. Get me a Diesel-powered plugh-in hybrid, maybe an SUV or pickup, and perhaps I'm in. The convenience of filling up once every 3 weeks or monthly would be nice. But most anti-SUV Americans are just cheap... and a bit self-righteous.

That you tube video posted above convineced me, everybody should be driving a t least a small SUV, prefreably a crossover for fuel milage and saftey..

Just a few points.
1. Some people do need an SUV.
2. Size and crash safety are not good reasons to own an SUV. Mini and full sized vans have as much or more room and are as safe or safer. PS nothing will has as much room as a Sprinter.
3. If you need to haul a good number of people and NEED 4X4 then you need a true SUV.
4. The US doesn't import most of it's oil from the middle east. Canada and Mexico are the top two with Canada being number one.

I am tired of all you communist scum bags that are living in this great country and telling other people what to do with their own money, if I want to drive somthing that gets 1mpg and is the size of a school but I can this is america! this country is to do somthing big if you want to do somthing small there is no room for you in this country you will only get mad and constantly complain, as far as the oil companies go they are corporations that are run greatly by smart minds and are filling the demand in the world by providing oil, as far as the money being shipped overseas, get over yourself its not your money! they earned this money they can do whatever they want with it, its called free enterprise, it is wrong to tell people what to do with their property (money) thats called thievery, this isnt some fairy tale like robin hood this is real life you go out earn money and do as you wish with it!!!! if you communists/socialists keep trying us we will have a civil war and see who wins!!! this is serious now the country is more and more divided each day....

I think it may be a good winter vehicle.
i'm from canada and sometimes, having bigger wheels can help you pass through 1 feet tall sticky snow. while cars will only get stuck on it.

4 wheel drive is for winter too.
that's where 4WD urban car come from

The real way to make people think twice about their choice of vehicle is to tax gasoline more. Our gasoline in the US is cheaper than anywhere in Europe and probably most places in the world, but yet Americans balk when gas goes over $3/gallon. But who has changed their driving (and purchasing!) habits as a result of increased gas prices? Almost no one. Maybe when gas goes to $5 or $8 per gallon in the US we will start to see these urban cowboys reconsider whether they "need" an SUV.

It sounds like "Chris II" up there has his head in the sand if he thinks that global warming is "crap". It is regrettable that I cant hold him personally responsible for the state the world in 75 years due to his unfortunate choices.

I live in canada too - and recently purchase the right vehicle for us - a mini suv - nissan's xtrail - much like a honda crv - Honestly I dind't want a v8 or v6. Its 4 cylinder is plenty, space is great and has 4 wheel drive when selected. I doubt most suv owners need a v8, unless u r pulling a trailer all the time.

shame u don't get the xtrail in the us - cos it is ruggid and easy on gas - now if we could get more desil engines available in north america, we'd b on the right page.

Everytime I cross the border, first thing I notice is vehicles do get larger, and honestly they don't need to b.

in canada, the top seller for years has been a civic, in the us, I'm sure its a bigger car.

I've always wondered why - could it be the portions of the fast food is way larger than the same meal here in canada? super size? could it be in general, us customers are larger? I'm not trying to make fun or anything, just stating facts

I love the justifications of freedom of choice, safety etc. This American mentality - if I can afford it, I have the RIGHT to do it!

There's a reason we have laws. People need guidance. We need to make companies not dump chemicals in the rivers or emit toxins in the air. Of course it should be the same for consumer products.

Let go of the idea of freedom. You don't have the freedom to kill someone. You don't have the freedom to dump your used car batteries out in the lake. There's plenty of freedom we dont have - all so that as a society / country we prosper.

Really - how many SUV owners couldn't get buy wih any of the 4wd wagon? Myself, I'm shopping right now for a new vehicle... and I do a lot of part-time construction so I'd like some more space and 4wd for when I need to go offroad. It'll either be a 4wd wagon or a diesel SUV (thanks MB!)

Money simply doesn't make a choice ethical.

If you think gas prices are too cheap in America and you like the European system of socialism and doing 'whats right for everyone else' go live in those socialist nations, you have no right in telling anyone how to spend their money or what vehicle for them is best for them. more taxes? are you joking?!?! we need more tax cuts, let the market decide when its a good time to cut down on gasoline usage, people will vote with their wallets, no need to force anything down anyones throats. I can't believe you actually think its 'correct' to tell people what to do, what twisted mentality is that? its called COMMUNISM and it doesnt work. as far as a nation of laws, we have laws...dont kill people, dont steal etc...but telling people how to live their lives? and what they can buy? screw you, I am glad I live in a state with no emmission laws

I don't have an issue with how people spend their money on cars, gas, etc. I do have an issue with people needlessly wasting a limited natural resource for fashion or ego. You need an SUV, buy one. But do you really need it? I have always tried to drive fuel efficient vehicles to save money and help stretch the limited oil resources this planet has. But frankly I just want to through in the towel sometimes and get a huge 4x4, which I would actually drive off road. If nobody else is willing to forgo a little in order to preserve oil for the future, why am I wasting my time? I might as well get my share while it lasts and have fun with it. Let the kids and grandkids figure out their own energy issues right?

I love how you people jusify big SUV just cause your a bunch of fat rears that can't conserve oil. Oh did we forget the reason our troops are dying over seas? Is it because of the spread of "freedom"..if it was we would ban Chinese imports. It is due to oil. And when oil is causing us to go to war, it is time to restrict it. I say you can have a gas guzzler if you serve a rotation in IRAQ. That will keep the closest armchair warriors at home and driving an ecobox.

My personal fav - hummer with a guy in a suit, going to work downtown - no kids, no mud.

Crown vic with only 1 driver all the time.

7 passenger suv v8, all shiny, and only 1 or 2 passengers and 40 series tires

There's nothing wrong with a large SUV if your lifestyle requires it. If you [i]need[/i] a large truck/SUV to tow a large boat or whatever. If you live in the mountains and you need 4WD...

I acknowledged that I didn't really [i]need[/i] an SUV. I live in the South with very infrequent bad weather, don't need to tow anything, rarely need to haul anything - most items can be delivered and the city offers special trash pickup for large items. So I sold my Explorer and bought a 4 door sedan.

For the same price as a honking SUV I was able to move into a luxury sedan. It's far more comfortable, has plenty of trunk space for our family, and has better performance in every single category and much better gas mileage to boot. It depends on your family needs and whether or not you really [i]need[/i] a honking SUV or not.

and some luxury/performance cars get the same bad gas mileage as SUVs but the greenies only target SUVs as "evil gas guzzling hogs" because they apparently can only see size instead of being able to do math :-)

And since why should you just a person's "needs"? Would it be ok if they decide what you "need" in your lifestyle?

Just let the free market forces do what they will. People who use a lot of gas will cut back when it gets to high or adopt gas conservation strategies that work (like diesel in Europe) instead of this pie in the sky stuff...

Hey you busybody nosy pinko commies of the proloteriat, I don't care what you think and I don't care if I need one or not. If I want one I will get one. Mind you own damn business and move to communist Cuba where you can get a bicycle for you commute. Fidel will be glad to have you in his workers paradise where the workers risk drowning fleeing to the good ol USA. In the mean time, we don't need no lectures from your ilk.

I for one will get the new Tundra next year, and will do so with a smile on my face. Those that think I don't need it, can stuff it!

Stavros

I think we should all be driving vehicles that get LESS than 5 MPG. This way we will be using up all the Arab, Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian oil and then we will have the technology to hold the these terrorists over a barrell. Take away the terrorist funding and they will go away.

As far as SUV prowess in winter conditions goes, I feel far safer driving my all wheel drive Subaru Legacy with four studded tires than I do my GMC Suburban with four studded tires. The Legacy is more nimble, more agile, brakes far far better, and has so far never gotten stuck in Colorado blizzards. I can't say the same for the Suburban.

Frankly, I only have a Suburban in order to tow things. I can't stand driving it.

If you don't want an SUV don't buy one, but this is America and if you want to drive one you should be able to. I am tired of people saying how no one needs them or they are stupid. There are alot of things we don't "need" but thankfully we live in a country that allows us to have those things. Let the market dictate the products and if gas is too high, people won't buy them. I love trucks, and V8's, so I am going to buy them. Everyone else go get a prius or suburu and stick all your silly liberal bumper stickers all over the back, its a free country. Just respect the rest of us and our beliefs.

I drive an SUV, albeit, an old '79 Ford Bronco. I would consider driving an econ car, but they just are not big enough on the inside. I am 6'7" tall and have a hard time fitting into smaller vehicles and most cars. My wife is 6'1" tall and drives an Expedition. Driving an SUV or big pickup allows you to see ahead several cars. Also, after being in an accident while riding in a Honda Accord (my right arm was broken and my right knee got ligament damage from the Kia that broadsided us), convinced me to not drive an econo box. Sure, the gas mileage sucks, but that is the price I pay for comfort. My Bronco is setup for offroad excursions as well, you know, 6-inch lift, 35" tires, lockers front and rear, custom stout steel bumpers, 6-point rollcage, custom seats and safety harnesses.

More power to the people that want to buy a big SUV or truck. It's their dollars.

And I sell Subaru's for a living!

Wasting gas in general is anti-American. Quite a bit of the money you use to fill your tank goes to hostile countries. It is different if you need an SUV but you should not use it for everyday commuting. There was a time when people would ask want they could do for their country and not what their country could do for them. You have the right to do what ever you please but it is your patriotic duty to support your country. I think the United States is the greatest country to have ever existed on the planet. The problem is that people have become complacent and irresponsible. They no longer care what effects their actions have on their country and the world.
I think we should tax energy imports. So what if gas goes to $10 a gallon. I drive 200 miles a week and that still would only cost me $50. All that tax money could be used to lower my income tax. Let the anti-Americans foot the bill.

Just let gas go to $5/gallon (or higher), and use the money for education, more jobs, or *gasp* actually fixing the roads/signs.

Maybe people will combine trips, consider a bicycle for short distances, and walk.

Maybe the answer to safety is just to re-evaluate dangerous intersections where it's hard/confusing to figure out where you are supposed to be.

We can't impose a lifestyle on people, but if someone is causing a financial burden on others, I don't see a reason it couldn't be spread out over those who cause the cost.

Additionally, maybe it would be safer if we removed distractions out of cars, or mandated distraction cams which checked if you were watching the road, or if you are doing something else stupid while the car is in gear and moving.

Just my two cents.

People with large families and that do occasional towing would need something like this. As for people that just buy one of these for the trend, or to just go back and forth to work, alone, it's a bit assinine.

But in another sense, some people like the fact that they're large feel safer, it's nice. Also some people, having the ability to carry more passengers and tow something if they need to is nice. Even if you don't do it on a regular basis, you can do it if needed. It also brings up the fact that they can have a second car, with better gas mileage, for when they don't need it for the conveniences that it gives. But then again, at $15,000 also equals about 5,000 gallons of gas.

You can spend your money however you want, but that doesn't mean you get dibs on all the oil because you paid for a bigger tank.

It's like a bunch of illiterate Ralph Naders ganging up on a group of inarticulate Rush Limbaughs in here.

He (She) who accelerates slowly, drives the speed limit or below and actually CHECKS his (her) gas mileage while operating with more than 49% of their seats filled at all times throw the first stone.

Oh, did I mention that the vehicle looks so-so uninspired and just plain big?

Okay everybody, you read it here, buying an SUV is unAmerican!
Silly whackjob liberals.

Stavros

"He (She) who accelerates slowly, drives the speed limit or below and actually CHECKS his (her) gas mileage while operating with more than 49% of their seats filled at all times throw the first stone."
I would fit that as long as you change all the time to most of the time. Say around 75%. I can not take my wife with me Christmas shopping and it hard to carry gifts on my motorcycle.

Notice my post way up top. I said that.
Some people do need SUVs.
You do not need and SUV for safety or room since their are better options for both those needs.

Some people do want SUVs for no other reason than they like them. Just like my wife likes red cars.

If you feel that your "like" of an SUV is more valuable to you than the cost of gas, the extra pollution, and the risk to other peoples safety that is your right. Yes SUVs are not any safer for their occupants than many smaller cars but they are a lot more dangerous to other vehicles.
I personally do like several small SUVs and a couple of Crossovers. My next car may be a TaurusX or depending on what is available a turbo diesel Maxim, Jetta, or some other car like that.
Everybody has the right of picking their trade offs. I just wanted to correct some of the misconceptions that SUVs where the right solution for safety and room.
I want and I need are too very different things I was just trying to straighten out those definitions for people.

Some of you need to get down of the high horse, both sides. First, SOME people need the size of their SUV, U stands for utility. I own a home and have projects which require hauling things. The suv has the space for plywood, mulch, drainage pipe, ect... If you have children and take a trip by passenger vehicle, lets see you get more than a couple of kids their stuff and your stuff in a car. Im inclined to believe that people who are so anti suv, do not have children or ever try to haul a sheet of plywood or other large items. A small suv just woudnt have met our needs. Hauling things and people are basically what these things are for, it just so happens you can haul people in style as well. We did not by our suv as a status symbol, as I could give SHT about the Jones'. As far as needing "guidance" on my choice of vehicle, well lets just say my wife and the bank are the only "guidance" needed in this house.
Next up diesel. My American attitude and brain says that diesel is very poor choice. Better fuel economy for more particulate emissions, ya good idea. How many diesel engines out there run as clean as gas...not many (if any, other than in a lab).
Less carbon dioxide, but higher soot (increases smog, acid rain and causes lung cancer faster) and it takes 25% more oil to make a gallon of diesel than a gallon of gas. Do the math, diesel does not add up. Im not a scientist (but I did stay in a holiday inn express last night :), but I do know that all the vehicle emissions cannot be good for anything or anyone. No one would argue there is only so much oil. Instead of greenies preaching and patronizing and everyone else telling them to screw off, what we need to do is find a sustainable answer.
1) We should be pissed at big oil for gouging us. They have not built a new refinery here for how long? All of the price increases are because of capacity problems. If there is only so much supply to satisfy demand, well you can see what happens next time you go to the pump. Say what you want, that is the deal. Do you really expect help from a president that has a vested interest in the oil industry?
2)We should be pissed off at the big auto makers for not giving us more efficient options. Lower horsepower,
better economy, whatever. New technology should have been in the pipeline...... ....long ago.
You give people the option of buying a vehicle (that fits their needs) that gets 20 mpg or one that gets 60 mpg which do think they will pick?
I for one will be taking my Yukon to Lowe's next time I need some sheetrock, or the next time I drive to Maryland to visit family. My every day driver will contiue to be my (deep breath) 95 Honda Accord VTEC 4cyl made in Ohio 95, 000 miles still gets 34 mpg on the highway doesnt burn any oil but leaks a little tranny fluid Sherwood green metallic 4 door sedan but the air dont work so good wonder car.

Most days I commute on my Kawasaki. I average 45-50 MPG. Does that qualify me for a stone to cast? ;)

You will do what you want anyways and I am not telling you to make the same choices I do nor that your choice or mine is better. I only want us to briefly consider that if we continue on a first come, first served, take all you want or can afford approach to our oil consumption that the finite reserves of oil on this planet will disappear quicker than we can painlessly transition to more energy efficient vehicles. Nobody debates that we won't run out, its just a matter of when.

I would rather be remembered by future generations as the ones who acted responsibly with a limited resource while also finding a better way to deal with our travel needs and recreation wants than the selfish generation who used all of the oil, went to war to get more, and plunged the planet into a crisis. (Fortunately, reality is usually more moderate than opinions on a board.) Necessity is the mother of invention and we or future generations will find a way to go on without abundant and affordable oil (no, it won't be the end of the world) but we probably won't until we have no more options.

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend those in the USA.

Hum.

High horse! What ideology is this. World or US thinking what's good for the world?
==================================================

Happy Memorial Day every"body". How many more we should endure.

Everything anybody does on this planet does effect somebody else. The choices poeple make with vehicles affect the air everyone has to breath. The foreign oil used to propel these things has our armies fighting imperialsitic wars. Ya, it's your choice but never think it doesn't effect other people.

Wow, Richard (great nick, btw), where did you get the statistic that it takes 25% more oil to make diesel than gasoline?

LWATCDR,

Glad to hear it, you get to throw 3 out of the 4 stones you'd like to.

wow, so many ignorent people in here. It's amazing how stupid people can be. I just love how some people say that suv's and trucks are safer so everyone should buy one. just my thinking here but, we started with cars hitting cars....so some of us say "hey bigger is better" so now we have "safer" SUV's and things. and those driving the suv's turn around and justify it by saying everyone should drive one cuz they are safer.... how are they safer if everyone starts driving them? do we then move to an even bigger "super" suv? when does the thinking that size equals safety so buy bigger stop?
i understand that people need size at times. I myself spent 8 of the 10 weeks in summer pulling a 2ton camper and a family around. I have to use a 4 door pickup truck just because nothing else can haul that weight. but I also have a small toyota echo for driving everyday and my wife walks the 4 or 5Km it takes her to get to work. if it rains I can drive her on my way into work. not that hard. the truck then only gets used maybe for MAX 40Km a week if it's used for when we go buy food or something.
I look around on the hwy's and see almost every large vechicle with only person in it. and there just stuck in traffic.
I just hate sitting there thinking that if they were in a smaller or more efficent car they could be putting out 50% + fewer emmitions.
also as a side note they do make large SUV's as hybrids. toyota makes a hylander that gets like 7-8 L/100Km (not sure what that is in MPG) but that the same as most small cars. for those who say they will buy the biggest thing they can just because that want to and can afford it. why wouldn't they just spend the extra $5000 or so and get it as a hybrid.

hummmm 25% more Oil to make diesel? did you factor in that the deasel you buy at the pumps is a byproduct (that would be a leftover, just so ya know richard) of making gas?

don't forget that the first ever diesel engine ran on peanut oil. we use fosil diesel because it's a byproduct and there for cheeper to produce.

there are also lots of other thing that a car can run off. electricity is more and more attractive, and some countries in europe (i don't actually remember what one it was) produce almost no emitions at all, that's not with just cars. public transit is all electric and they even reuse the animal leftover from slaughter to pave the roads (for those who say ewww or anything like that stop and think about what Oil actually is and how it's made...).

we had small crappy econoboxes in the 80's, They were forced down the consumers throats. Small engines making maybe 80 hp trying to drive mid-size cars all in the name of better gas mileage. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THAT!!!!!!!! After suffering the 70's 80's and early 90's with crappy cars we are finaly back to a point where it is no longer scary to merge on the highway, and you whiners want to go back to that? All those people who want to raise the gas tax? How about I come over to your house and take your money by gunpoint. Because that is exactly what taxation is. the moment you decide not to pay is the moment the police come knoking on your door. As for the global warming contingent, THERE IS NO SUCH THING. there is no reputable scientific proof of it. Temparature fluctuations are caused by the sun, The temperature on Mars is fluctuating right along with Earth's. Animals and Humans put out more CO2 and Methane than cars do.

So get over it, Stop telling people what they can and cannot drive or how to live, shut up and drive whatever the hell you want.

I live in Quebec, and up here we get very hot summers, and cold winters with full of snow.

Having done 80000km in less than a year, driving in all sorts of conditions I got to observer people's driving behavior and driving skills on the road !

Most SUV's I see are downtown or in the suburb's. Not many on the highway, but still quite a few.

I find it funny when people say they need a big SUV because they live out in the woods in Maine or whatever northern state or Province and/or because they are safe for the occupants.

Reason I find it funny is that usually, IMO (not a fact, just my opinion) people who state these reasons rarely can prove they need it !

Some few actually go and drive in bad weather, but most people who buy these big vehicules is for the security feeling, and thinking things like "When I'll drive up to the cottage this x-mas, I wont get stuck in the driveway on departing !"

If you need security and you drive in snow in the winter regularly, you will most likely benefit from 4x4 and a vehicule that is safe.

But that does not mean it has to be a SUV 1st, that it must be huge and tipsy, consume exorbitant volumes of gasoline and drive like dead weight with people who are not used to slowing down these kinda of heavy vehicles.

Then they get excited in the winter with their sub par skill sets and drive in bad weather thinking they are safe.

They drive too fast coming into turns with these vehicles, thinking "hey, it's safe" and I have ABS, if it is slides, I'll slam the brakes !

The only thing these are good for is to protect from another SUV heading towards you !

Aside from that, they are no good for most people.

BTW, I do know a lot of people who do use and need the big vehicles and such, but most SUV's are the new luxury products for car manufacturers, and people spend a huge amount of money to drive one of those when they do not need it.

If they really want them, I saw this, make them pay a tax for the fact that they guzzle too much gas, let them pay a tax for higher insurance costs (Sure your bumper barely got scratched, but the car you hit with 4 people will be 4 people eating thru a straw, they were lucky there alive) AND have them follow a mandatory special driving class.

But that last point could go to everyone on the road, even me heck !

regards

Farkas

PS : The only reason I would buy one is because I wouyld want to protect myself from the other SUV's !

No offense, but whats with over reaction? Where is tolerance? I only criticised the design and function of the large SUVs...

By the way:

1-GLOBAL WARMING IS REALand it has been supported by thousands of scientists around the world and has nothing to do with:

Liberals, Democrates, Communists, Homosexuals, African Americans, Middle Easterns, ASIANs, Jews, Muslims, ...

(it has nothing to do with politics, its a global issue)

2- What you do AFFECT not ONLY you but EVERYONE else!

You buy large SUVs, even though you have no problem with the gas prices, the demand raise and therefore the gas prices. The economy becomes more fragile and everybody will suffer from it.

I am not pointing finger at anybody at all but i am simply saying that if people consider themselves as moral folks, they should look at the morality side as well. Its not moral to only think about the safety and comfort of yourself alone when you have the options/choices to care about others as well.

@ Farkas:

Very well said.

It is so disturbing to see people justify their actions by blatantly ignoring the facts. Anyone that has done any research at all (no, Mark, FOX news does not count) knows that global warming is real--and virtually all the scientific community agrees that it is caused by human actions.

Please dont attempt to justify the fact that you purchased your oversized, fuel-hogging vehicle by pretending your actions are without consequence. Dont you care about the world you are leaving to your children? Get informed about the issues!

Just google diesel vs gas and you find alot of info.
Here is a link with links to people who care about the environment that say diesel is not the answer(yet).
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-12/diesel-vs-gasoline-article.htm
Now mike before you start running off at the keyboard, first do a little homework before you start condescending. If you are referring to almost zero emission diesels, that is incorrect (so far). Its an almost non existent tech for autos. You say electricity, well its made from coal 55%, nuclear 22 %, hydroelectric 10% with wind, biomass, geothermal and solar coming in at substantially lower numbers of kilowatts. How green is coal, nuclear? That is a whole other discussion.
The point of my post was simply that, some people use these bigger vehicles to the fullest, and there are simply no other choices out there to get the job done. Arash was right it is a global issue, the choices we make today affect everyone. But this whole thing is just talk until makers give us an actual choice. And for the people that say that the suv's are responsible for the end of the world, what about the coal plants, diesel train engines, ships, buses, third world countries with no rules on emissions, hell even lawn mowers emit more pollutants than cars. Folks its not how much fuel it chugs, its what comes out of the other end that is doing the damage. Give me a hummer with a fuel cell that runs on grey goose (they exist)....................perfect :)

Do u really need a v6/v8?

Ok so ur family is large and a small suv is required - why are more and more manufacturers bumping to a v6 - or if u get the 4 cylinder model, you can't get them fully loaded, unless its a v6.

honda don't bring the cvr in a v6, nissan keep ur next model as a 4, and does the ford/mazda really need a v6.

When I was shopping earlier this year, suzuki and mitsu were all new and I was really looking into them, but since they are only sold as v6s, nissan xtrail took my sale!

"Who still buys these things with the current gas prices?"

Americans.

If people buy SUV's for their safety, i would assume if US Government had allowed the army to sell its old tanks at affordable prices the way Police sells their cars, people in AMERICA would have started bringing tanks into highways. WHY?

Because its freaking safe. When merging highway, you dont have to worry of hitting another car when you are in a TANK. You can just go over it.

Some have it right, some have it wrong. Let me say a couple of things about some of the comments above.
1) The people that don't think others should drive large SUVs should try changing the laws; as long as it's LEGAL to own an SUV and drive it, you have no right to tell anyone they shouldn't, period, end of story.
2) I don't like huge SUVs off of my bumber, and I don't like them jacked up 4 feet up, but....see # 1 above. If they are breaking the law being too close or too high up, you just need to enforce the laws, not bark at all other SUV owners and tell them they shouldn't own one.
3) I used to own a Honda Pilot, a "fuel efficient" V6, and I used to get about 17-18 mpg. on it. I now have a Yukon XL, and in the year that I've owned it, I have 17.5 mpg on the yearly trip computer. And no, this isn't all freeway driving, and it didn't come easy. I coast to red lights and stop signs, and down hill; I put in on cruise controll on the freeway, etc. I use it for around town, and to haul 2 SeaDoo's to nearby lakes. On the Honda I'd drive it like it didn't matter, with this one I baby it. So all you who say to get a smaller SUV, it depends on how you drive it, because I got no better gas milage with the Honda than I do with this 3 ton behemoth.
4) With the Honda, when the five in our family would go anywhere, like the beach or a lake or the mountains, and we would take a couple of friends of the kids, the small SUV would be busting at the seams. No room for chairs or Ice chests, much less boogie boards or tents or anything else like that. A couple of times that we put a roof cargo carrier on, the V6 could barely make it up hills with a full load of 8 people plus cargo on the roof. Turn the air on and you're in trouble. So yes, there are MANY people who can use and in fact need to use, large SUVs. And every time my brother comes over, instead of having to take 2 cars, we all fit into our Yukon XL, and it's a pleasant experience for all, including whoever has to sit in the far back row.
5) Buying a large SUV for long trips and houling, and then a small car like a civic to use around town doesn't work out either. Not for your pocket book, or the environment. First of all you end up having to pay an extra car's insurance, which for a new Civic would be about another thousand dollars a year, which more than eats up what I would be saving in gas money. In the long run you end up having to pay more for repair on 2 cars, because even if you only drive one at a time and the other one sits in the garage, time itself is an enemy and deteriorates ruber seals, gaskets, etc, so both cars end up needing almost the same repairs as if you didn't let one sit half the time. Secondly you end up poluting more in the long run, because like I said, stuff like tires, engine and transmission oil, batteries and other things will need to be replaced on two cars, at almost the same rate as if you only had 1, because all that stuff breaks down with time. So you end up filling up landfills with batteries, oils, and tires, and eventually all the garbage from both cars, instead of just one. So how much have you saved the environment by having 2 cars; one small for personal comuting and then the large SUV only for weekends or vacations and/or hauling stuff? Nothing. In fact you would make it worse. And what about the gas milage? See # 3 above.
6) Yes, the government could "force" car manufacturers to make all cars hybrid, and/or to make those that aren't hybrid more fuel efficient. But we have come a long way. I used to get 19-20 mpg on my first car years ago, which was a 1971 VW Super Beatle, with a 70hp 4 cylinder, and the car didn't even weigh 1700 pounds. My Yukon XL weighs 6000 pounds, has 300 hp, and I get close to the same milage. On long trips without towing, and putting it on cruis controll (at 70 mph) I get consistently 19 mpg.
7) When Toyota comes out with the new Sequoia, I'll probably get one soon afterwards, when the initial demand and sky-high prices settle down.

One thing I didn't mention is global warming. I'm not an expert, but I see people on both sides of this issue just hatefully blasting the other, and judging by the coments, neither side that's arguing on this site is an expert in this field.
Let me reiterate, I'm not an expert, but there are a couple of things that I do think are true.
1) Global warming probably is real, but.....what is the main cause?
2) Those that say "thousands of scientist say glabal warming is real" are only saying a half truth. First, they don't say that many of these same scientists say the global warming is just an oscilating cycle that the planet goes through. Whether or not that is true, that is nonetheless what many of them say about the global warming. Secondly, not all scientist nor in fact most, would agree with that. Yes there is a larger percentage that do beleive that, probably 65% to 35%, but that's hardly "all" or "most". If we were talking about 95%, then that would be something else. But scientists are people like you and me, and they come to the table with all kinds of preconceived notions, agendas, biases, etc. Now I beleive in evolution, but do you think that when Richard Leaky found "Lucy" out in the African plains he was just out there to see what he might just happen to find, and then see just where it might happen to fit in? If you beleive that, then I have some good ocean front property for you over in Arizona. No, he like most other scientist, go out looking for what they want to find, and they want to find evidence to support what they already determined is the truth. Besides that, you have scientist split nearly 50-50 as to whether evolution is Neo-Darwinian, or like Stephen Jay Gouhl's Punctuated Equilibria. There are as many theories as to the function of Strings or Super Strings in the formation of the universe as there are dog species. Scientists are split as to whether there is a Cosmological Constant like Einstein said, thereby justifying the Steady State theory, or if there in fact is not enough Dark Matter and therefore not enough gravity to support such a model, in which case the traditional Inflationary Big Bang model would be correct. Personaly I think the standard Inflationary model is correct, and I could, like the global warming crowd, point out that "most" scientist think that's correct. But so what? The other's have very valid points, and at this time, there's no way to be 100% sure, not even 90% sure.
3) Here's a couple more facts, and you can do whatever you want with them, but they are just simple facts. Draw your own conclusions. A) Just 2 of the large volcanic erruptions in the 20th century put out more greenhouse causing gasses than ALL human activity since the beginning of time. B) Termites by themselves put out more greenhouse causing gasses yearly than does all human activity. C) The same goes for many other species, too numerous to name all here, just "google" it and see. D) If we gave up cars and rode horses instead, greehouse gasses would quadruple, since it would take more than 6 billion more horses to provide transportation, which would in turn be eating green vegetation, and "exhausting" thousands of metric tons of methane and other gases. Not to mention the increase of Bacteria and other diseases that would be brought on by the litterally tons of manuer that would be littering the streets. Can you imagine what N.Y. or L.A. or London, or Tokyo would be like if you had millions of horses walking up and down the streets, filling them with their "output"?
4) This planet has a cycle of about every 10-15 thousand years going into a 1000 year +/- Ice Age. This is an absolute undisputed fact. No one will dispute this fact, look all you want all over the internet. This planet WILL eventually go into another Ice Age, and will continue to do so for millions of years in the future. This is in fact the predominant patern of our planet. We also go into periods, lasting much less time, of global warming. This is also a fact. The only thing in question then really is: Are we helping this glabal warming cycle to come sooner. That's all. No more, no less. But the warming cylce WILL come, ice will melt, land masses will be flooded. This is the earths cycle. It's happened thousand of times in the past, and will happen thousand of times in the future. In between those times, will come much longer periods of ice build-ups. The Ice Ages have and will continue to come, and will be the major problem humans will have to deal with. The last Ice Age was about 14000 yrs ago, so enjoy the heat while you can.
5) Lets face it, earth is hospitable for life, and it's extremely stable, but just like the sun and every other planet in the universe, it's going to go through these changes. On earth these changes are relatively small, but they are and will be disruptive nonetheless. After this coming period of global warming, if that's what we're headed into is, try imagining how we're going to deal with the inevitable coming ice age. And while the periods of global warming usually last either decades or centuries, depending on which cycle we're headed into, the coming ice ages last thousands of years. Think about that.

It seems to me that the opinion of all you SUV-lovers is fairly accurately expressed by Dennis Leary in the classic song:

I'm an Asshole
______________

SPOKEN: Folks, I'd like to sing a song about the American dream
About me, about you
About the way our American hearts beat way down in the bottom of our
chests
About that special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts
Maybe even below the cockles
Maybe in the sub-cockle area
Maybe in the liver
Maybe in the kidneys
Maybe even in the colon
We don't know

SUNG: I'm just a regular Joe, with a regular job
I'm your average white, suburbanite slob
I like football, and porno, and books about war
I got an average house, with a nice hardwood floor
My wife and my job, my kids and my car
My feet on my table, and a Cuban cigar
But sometimes that just ain't enough to keep a man like me interested
(oh no, no way, uh-huh)
No, I've gotta go out and have fun at someone else's expense
(oh yea, yea yea, yea yea yea)
I drive really slow in the ultra-fast lane
While people behind me are going insane
I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole!)
I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, such an asshole!)
I use public toilets, and I piss on the seat
I walk abound in the summer-time saying "how about this heat"
I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole!)
I'm an asshole (He's the world's biggest asshole!)
Sometimes I park in handicapped spaces
While handicapped people make handicapped faces
I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole!)
I'm an asshole (He's a real fucking asshole!)
Maybe I shouldn't be singing this song
Ranting and raving and carrying on
Maybe they're right when they tell me I'm wrong
........NAH!
I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole!)
I'm an asshole (He's the world's biggest asshole!)

SPOKEN: Y'know what I'm gonna do?
I'm going to get myself a 1967 Cadillac eldorado convertible
Hot pink, with whale-skin hub-caps, and all-leather cow interior
And big brown baby seal eyes for headlights...Yea!
And I'm going to drive around in that baby
At 115 miles per hour, getting 1 mile per gallon
Sucking down quarter-pounder cheese-burgers from McDonald's
In the old-fashioned non-biodegradable styrofoam containers
And when I'm done sucking down those grease ball burgers, I'm going
to wipe my mouth with the American flag
And then I'm going to toss the styrofoam containers right out the side
And there ain't a God damn thing anybody can do about it
You know why? Because we got the bomb, that's why
Two words: nuclear fucking weapons, OK?
Russia, Germany, Romania, they can have all the democracy they want
They can have a big democracy cake, walk right through the middle of
Tienamin square, and it won't make a lick of difference
Because we got the bombs, OK?
John Wayne's not dead, he's frozen.
And as soon as we find a cure for cancer we're going to thaw out the
Duke and he's going to be pretty pissed off!
Y'know why? Have you ever taken a cold shower?
Well multiply that by 15 million times, that's how pissed the Duke's
gonna to be
I'm going to get the Duke, and John Cassaveties, and Lee Marvin
and.....

OTHER: Hey...you know you really are an asshole.

LEARY: Why don't you just shut up and sing this song, pal!

SUNG: I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole!)
I'm an asshole (He's the world's biggest asshole!)
A-S-S-H-O-L-E (everybody!)
A-S-S-H-O-L-E

SPOKEN: I'm an asshole and I'm proud of it!

---Dennis Leary

Chris, you're such a genius. I guess this is what happens when someone doesn't have anything intelligent to say. Really, is that as good as you can do? Usually when people have an intelligent response they say it. It's only the intellectually dwarfed that resort to either ad-hominem attacks or rambling nonsense such as above. So "Chis" (if that's your name - I doubt it since you wouldn't want anyone to even have an inkling of what kind of idiot submited the above) do you want to try again, and this time dig real deep, and see if you can muster the slightest bit of cohesive logic?

We all know that Toyota the makers of quality products and services such as toyota nerf bars, wheels, especially toyota fuel saver really help consumers and environment... That is why I think Toyota leads the car industry today.

I suppose all who are opposed to these gas-guzzling SUVs (and large cars) are also ready and willing to give up their vacations and business travel via large jets since they too are a waste of fuel and of course, unnecessary. Correct? Something to think about. Why is that not politically incorrect.

If the new Sequoia offers a one-touch, flatfolding 3rd row seat, 2nd row seats that can be adjusted to provide more leg room when the front row seats are back, a 10,000# tow rating, 380hp and all the top end luxuries that go with a $50-60K vehicle then I'm all in.

I currently drive a 2001 Denali XL and hate the front end of the new Denali. Not to mention the second row has less leg room room than an econobox and the 50lb 3rd row has to be removed to have a flat interior. The new Denali doesn't even offer 2nd row seats that fold flat.

I've been a GM fan for 4 decades however I'm on my third Avalon and they are absolutely great vehicles. I've never liked the Sequoia because it was too small and underpowered, particularly for the towing I do with a large boat.

Oh BTW...in addition to getting a new Sequoia if it offers the features above....I'll want to be the first one to get it because it 'll really piss-off all the global warming nut-jobs. Seeing them all stirred up is worth the price of driving a Sequoia even if gas goes to $10 a gallon:)

that suv of the toyota seq is a nice one and a preety nice looking one tttttttttttoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

As an undergrad, I once pondered what would happen to all the Sociology students that graduated from my university. What would they do? Where would they be employed? It appears that many of them are sitting in their local coffee shops posting here about how the rest of us should conduct our lives.

Many of you are young and without families. As usual, a 21 year old college student is the smartest one in the room. But, many of you will one day find yourself married with a batch of children. You will discover that your little Prius won't function well for the tasks of moving a large family around the country. A Honda mini-van will make you appear gay, and doesn't do well in the mountains of Colorado in the snow. Yes I know, you've driven a mini-van in the snow and it was great. Good for you!

I'm constantly amused with the group of people who say that global warming is a fact. Yes, the world is warmer by nearly a degree, but the jury is far from out as to the causation. Again, the General Studies students are always the ones decrying the finality of a science they don't understand. Hat tip, it's never too late to take college algebra.

The talisman of your movement, the little Prius is proving to be an environmental disaster of its own. Hard to believe how much waste and energy is involved in building a single battery for it. Imagine the toxic nightmare to come when its service life of 100k is exceeded.

I'm concerned that many are celebrating a new religion that casts man as the greatest evil in the world. With the population growing, we won't do a whole lot by getting an extra 15mpg from our cars. Nuclear power is our greatest short term answer, but the same people who orgasm when they see Al Gore's fat face, shiver at the thought of nuclear power. Instead, it's Prius cars and a solar water heater on the roof of their house. Can you say futile? Spend less time worrying about what the soccer mom down the street drives. If you really feel man is a villain, don't reproduce.

The SUV haters forget that pickups have been the #1 and #2 sellers for decades. And, these same pickups get no better and generally not as good mileage as the SUV's. In my part of the country most pickup drivers are people who just want the feel of a truck. They are not commercial drivers.

If you want to cut out pollution try other sources like power plants(big polluters) and jet emissions, including the private planes the rich people and Congressman/Senators like to use. While you are attacking them you might want to cut out NASCAR, IRL, and encourage people to have more than one person per car. Check the drivers around you and see how many cars have single occupants.

I was in a wreck recently, not my fault, was hit by a woman n my side door. Thank goodness for my SUV.
Thanks

I can only speak for myself but we just replaced our 8 year old chevy suburban. We used it to pull our boat and camper as well as preventing us from taking two cars on trips and outings when the kids bring along friends. Try to take a family of 4 to the beach with a cooler and bicycles and everybody's clothes and boogie and skim boards along with the kites. Oh, each boy wants to bring a friend along. AAAAAAnd it is going to rain on you while you drive to and from the beach. Not satisfied yet? Hook the camper up to stay in at the beach. It weighs about 6000 lbs. Give me a list of vehicles that will accomplish all this. You will find less than 6. They all weigh around 3 tons, will tow 4 tons, will seat 7-8 people and average about 15-17 mpg. We bought a 2006 GMC yukon xl denali. It does all the above

Well, it seems that there are two distinct trains of thought here and while I can obviously agree that vehicles such as trucks and suvs have a greater negative impact than regular cars, a lot of facts are greatly exaggerated.
We are contributing to global warming, but remember that even our part in it for vehicles amounts to only about 1/5 of the problem. Cut out meat consumption and you would bring about a greater benefit since they contribute more than 1/5 of the problem. The earth is in a natural warming cycle itself as well so there will be plenty of changes whether we wanted to be in it now or not.
But the real problem is not that there is another big SUV out; it is that there are no real alternatives. We have to deal with things like safety, weather, road conditions, etc. Some people can get by with a Prius, others need something much more substantial. Either way, we’re consuming fuel, transporting goods, transporting people, etc. There is nothing wrong with that except that until viable alternatives exist, there is not much use in arguing for/against a particular product.
Does anybody NEED a 60” LCD TV? Of course not, but look at all the waste and energy it takes to make one (never mind operate it). Sure it is more energy efficient and less “polluting” than the old CRT TVs, but so are car emissions now as opposed to 30 years ago.
Large companies can’t move quickly and until somebody makes a large SUV/Truck that gets 50mpg or uses a cheaper, more environmentally acceptable form of energy, there is no point in arguing. Get what serves your needs. If you are more sensitive to the environment, you may sacrifice a few things to do your part, if your other needs are more important, than just get something that will suit those as well.
Point is that this isn’t going to change overnight. Small improvements continuously make more of a difference over time than trying to make one big sudden change. People’s priorities will change according to their needs and conditions of the day…

Well said BE. (above) It is pointless to argue this all the time. When they make hydrogen powered Suburbans and Sequoias, then I'll buy one, even if it's a few thousand dollars more. But until then, many have no other choice than to get the gas guzzling version. And as long as they're legal to buy, all the environmentalist wack-jobs need to lay off. Just because I need a big vehicle to take care of my needs doesn't mean I'm a "earth hater". No one wants to DELIBERATELY polute the environment, so all you greenies out there.....chill.

I'd like to run over some of you with my Sequoia. I love my SUV, will buy a new one soon, and I'll put up with a little more in gas to have the flexability it gives me. Its need vs. must have. Do I absolutly need a big SUV, no, but my wife feels safe driving it, I can haul whatever I need, its comfortable when I have friends in it and it only costs me $10 more a week in gas then that P.O.S. you're driving. Move your hybrid out of my way!

Thanks Mikey, for helping the greenies make their point. You need to be thinking that what you drive is your decision to make based on what you want, not telling hybrids to move out of the way, (implying you intend to run them off the road if they don't). I don't want to control what someone else drives as long as they're paying their own way. And paying your own way based on market prices, not some inflated by taxes price.

Our government gives my corp a $25,000 investment tax credit (that's a direct reduction in what I owe) when I purchase a "heavy" SUV, I get only depretiation when I purchase a smaller vehicle. $25,000 will purchase 8,333 gallons of fuel @ $3.00/gal. What would you drive?

If we are to drive only those vehicle's that are small, fuel efficient and low in carbon emmissions, I think they already tried that in the 1930's..... design by Ferdinand Porshe, commissioned by Adolf Hitler, called the Volkswagon or the "Peoples Car" look how that turned out!!!

As an environmental scientist i am well aware of the need to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emmissions.
I also need a capable four wheel drive vehicle with an enclosed body to secure my gear when i am out doing my job i.e. an SUV.
My disgust lies with these gas guzzling petrol powered behemoths that seem to be favoured in north america.
There are luxuriously appointed 7 passenger SUVs sold in other parts of the world that get 30+ mpg. Diesel powered SUVs are the simplest most common sense solution to the dilema we as SUV buyers face today.
America is the problem here, their emissions laws are particularly harsh on particulates and nitrogen oxides but put no real limit on CO2 emissions. NOx emissions are easily dealt with in the atmosphere and soil, particulates also eventually settle to the ground, while CO2 is the real enemy. American emissions laws favor big gas guzzling petrol engines over clean efficient diesels.
Non petroleum based alternatives for diesel fuel are also less costly and more economically viable to produce than those for gasoline.
Fancy little hybrid ford escapes, rav fours and CR-Vs cant get where i need to go, A diesel powered land cruiser is ideal for me

I am 6' 5" tall and need an SUV for the headroom. I can not fit in 99% of cars out there without completely reclining my seat.

I just wish the "hybrid" SUVs actually got hybrid mileage not just slightly better mileage.

im a single mother, and i have 6 kids 3 of witch that are in car seats, i use all 3 rows of seats everyday 2 of them are adult sized. Most minivans dont come with AWD or 4WD. I like in a place where i cant get out of my driveway without high enough ground clearence and 4WD from November to the end of January. I am a person that needs an SUV i actually understand i am driving a larger car, i leave myself more room to stop and avoid any abosticals, I check my blind spot everytime i change lanes. And global warming, i dont drive that many miles a year and i drive 7 people everymorning and night im sorry but transforing 7 people in a not so efficent vechicle (i get 19 in my tahoe) 7 people to one car would be acceptable compared to 1 person per car who drives 14000 or more miles a year.