It is the macho image of the SUV, or the fear of the soccer mom image associated with the minivan. There was a book written by a former advertising executive whose job it was to market the Explorer. I forgot the title, but it said something about how Ford changed American driving habits for the worse with the Explorer. Their strategy was to play on the insecurities of the American public. Their advertisements were directed at the most selfish and self-centered instincts of the car buyer. They knew that for most people, buying a car is a very emotional event, and it does not take much persuasion to make one completely lose his sensibilities. The macho image of SUVs just became a really strong selling point.

The extreme example has to be those Hummer commercials. A recent one shows how a housewife/mother was being bullied by another woman in a supermarket. Her response? Buying a Hummer of course! They stopped just short of showing her running her new H2 over the other woman. But today, with gas prices exceeding $3.50/gallon, a lot less people are buying those things, and a local Hummer dealership (Team Hummer!) has closed up shop due to slow sales. (I say good riddance.)

The words "Sport/Utility Vehicle" has to be the biggest misnomer in recent history of the English language. First of all, despite the pretense, NONE of them can be considered sports cars. Second, a van, even a minivan, like the Aerostar, has much more utility value than any vehicle classified as an SUV (with the possible exception of the Suburban). And even though there is an on-going discussion about the Aero's gas mileage, it is better than any SUVs of similar size.

 

there has been a many SUVs rolled over by the soccer mom in a hurry. Expeditions are some of the worst. spend more time on their room than upright. can't tell you how many i've seen out in the pucker brush along the freeway on their side or roof during ice or freezing rain. women drivers going 75 or exec's headed for work at 80 in the ice and their 4wdr

 

Oh yes, the misconception that you are safer in a large SUV than in a smaller car. That's the predatory instinct that disregards safety of others for your own. It was also mentioned in the book. (I think Volvo tried to sell that concept for a while.) That may be true in a collision with smaller cars, but it counts for nothing when mother nature turns nasty. And yet, you still see it in car ads every day.

The net result is that people who drive these bigger cars tend to be more reckless, and drive less safe, than people who drive smaller cars, who tend to be more paranoid about safety, and end driving more safely. It seems that when these people throw away their common sense when they buy these cars, they never get it back during ownership.

 

Let's see, which comedian was it that said, "You can't fix stupid......!"

 

all the tax excapee DINKS from Oregon and Cali. that have moved here go up in the hills, build a huge MacMansion on some mountain side. get a huge Hummer, 4wdr Suburban, or Excursion and then drive like hell Cali. style in the winter snow and ice.
the first ones sorted out at the country morgue are the really stupid ones

permanent fix.