Never had any particular desire to be king of the road, but the view is arguably better from a higher seating position, and opposing/following headlights are less of an issue.
If the Fit's many virtues were available in a vehicle the height of a phone booth (remember phone booths?), I just might be interested.
I've seen boorish driving by people in all kinds of vehicles.
Moon

 

The average American's ass has gotten so big that they feel they need an SUV-sized seat.

My neighbor has a Chevy Avalanche and an H2 Hummer. He typically starts one of the things and lets it idle for 30 minutes while he eats breakfast, before driving off in a nice warm car. This is in Atlanta, not Calgary or Minneapolis.

Do SUVs turn people into a$$holes, or just make the a$$oles easier to spot?

 

The last time I drove in the snow in Atlanta, there were SUVs in ditches everywhere.

 

No offense, Selden, but does driving a small, fuel efficient vehicle make a person a self-righteous pain in the ass, or does it work the other way around?
And what must people say about me, since I own a Jeep and a Fit?

Moon

 

No offense taken, but I've never been tailgated at 80 mph, forced out of my lane, or nearly off the road, or nearly run over in a pedestrian crosswalk by a Fit driver, while I have experience these countless times by aggressive SUV drivers. I'm sure there are plenty of jerks in the Fit community, not to mention motorcyclists (don't get me started on loud pipes). I know for a fact that I've been a complete a$$hole on a motorcycle many times in the past, although I'm trying to reform as I get older.

 

Hence this post by a member about fog lights: you can read it here: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-all-time.html

Remember all those soccer moms who insisted on driving Honda minivans and making a status symbol out of it???


I must be the biggest A$$hole of all. I drive a Fit, a 3/4 ton Suburban with 4WD and a diesel, and a 1 ton Dodge Ram long bed extended cab dually 4WD and a Diesel. . .

Oh well, I'll be an a$$hole.

Oh, I do agree, there is no real need for a Escalade or whatever that Cadalac truck was (and similar high end SUV's). Who honestly would own one of those and put a load of gravel or manure in the back??? However, you could make the same argument about a Lexis car and other high-end sedans which several of our members stepped down from. Where is the line drawn and who gets to draw it?

 

Most of these complaints about SUV's... I've had the same thoughts about pretty much all cars while on my motorcycle.

 

If you're on ANYTHING with two wheels, ya' gotta feel like a Messerschmitt pilot over Coventry...they're all out to get you.

As far as other assorted idiots, they seem to drive about anything.
Moon

 

yeah. A helmet, gear, etc will help you if you have single vehicle crash (impact wtb and sliding across pavement) but another car? You are coming out at the short end of the ouchie stick. Defensive driving becomes your ONLY real protection, and that spidey-sense makes you a safer rider as well as driver.

 

Those high-end sedans over alot more then just luxury. They usually come equiped with the latest technology when it comes to safety. They have above average horsepower wich helps creating safer conditions to drive. They are much safer vehicle to drive. And their mileage is not bad at all. A BMW 3 series for example gets pretty good mileage.

They also offer alot more refinement, comfort, confidence on the road, technology and alot of fun. Without being excessive at all. They are also professional looking so if you wouldnt look like an idiot when you drive your fit to an important business meeting. I think those high-sedans are great allrounders with no real weaknesses and its ultimately what I am aiming for. Or I might go for the supercar + fit combo.

 

There is no escaping the reality that a car is just a tool to get you from point a to point b 90% of the time. Even for ethusiasts like us we still have places we need to be most of the time at aren't out just driving for fun every day.

A 2x - 3x higher car note is not a weakness? I like having extra money to spend on crack ... umm ... I mean ... .


""They have above average horsepower wich helps creating safer conditions to drive"" Could you point me to some statistical evidence that proves this? I have to tell you that for some reason the accident rates on high HP vehicles are much higher than compairable vehicles with a lower HP. At least thats what my underwriters tell me but hey its not like the insurance companies need to accurately determine risk or anything. If you give a man power he will use it.

""you wouldnt look like an idiot when you drive your fit to an important business meeting."" None of the bigshots at work ever give me a hard time about my FIT. Quite a few have complimented it. Only my fellow peons ever bitch about it.

Don't be so ashamed of having such a practical car. Nobody gets rich by pissing their money away on vehicles that constantly lose value. Buy a nicer house instead at least that should retain its value in the long run (well, for the most part, this decade notwithstanding)

 

Well personally I have no problem with people who have SUVs - especially those that really need their capabilities: towing, going off-road on rock crawls and muddy fields, and hauling a lot of heavy stuff that needs serious torque to move.

They're just not a fit for me. I'm probably perpetually biased towards small cars.

 

Re SUV safety, as the guys on Mythbusters would say, busted: SUV Rollover Accident and Death Statistics

 

people that drive big suv's think their s**t dont stink, drive like a-holes, and are usually trying to compensate for things that they lack themselves. not all, but most. black friday i went to the outlets shopping. there was this teenage girl, looked liked she could barely see over the wheel driving the esclade esv, the huge one, while talking on her cell phone. made me want to key the s**t out of it.

 

I hear you there. I've owned a Jeep, pickup, Element, and a couple of other cars. I learned to drive in a Jeep SUV. I simply decided that I enjoy smaller cars more, especially one that doesn't give up much in practicality.

While on vacation in October, we had a Toyota Sienna minivan as a rental (got the free upgrade). Know what? It was a damn nice vehicle, which offered far more as a road vehicle than a full sized SUV. Surprisingly, on a highway trip during our vacation, we were clocking over 30 mpg on the highway. Around town, it never dropped below 20. Seeing a 4500+ lbs vehicle with a 275 hp V6 pull in better mileage than my Element really was the nail in the coffin of my infatuation with it!

But anyway, that Sienna seemed like one of the most useful vehicles around. Take out the seats, and you have a cargo hold that makes most SUV's look cramped. The comfort was terrific, even carrying 7. The road manners were flawless. Look goofy driving a minivan? Maybe, but heck, I had the Element and now own a Fit! Not like driving a goofy looking car is going to bother me!

 

This thread is full of all kinds of fail.

I love my SUV. I love my Fit.

My fit will not pull a trailer. My fit will not comfortably haul my family, two dogs, and our luggage. My wife likes to drive her SUV, and it makes her feel comfortable.

Do I get irritated when I see someone driving a Hummer, sure for a minute, Then I remember that we live in AMERICA, where we get to chose what we want to drive. Just be glad people drive hummers and the like. Otherwise, we'd have even worse roads to drive on with out the gas tax they so willing pay everytime they fill up.

If you honestly believe that they way people drive is dependent on the vehicle they are in, your mistaken. I'll run you off the road in the fast lane if your poking around no matter what I am driving. In fact, I'd say that I drive the Fit a little crazier than the SUV because it is so much fun to drive. My anecdotal evidence aside, there is another issue going on in this thread. Good for you that the Fit FITS your lifestyle, but don't assume that your lifestyle is one that everyone else should have.

Why care so much about what other people drive? You drive that works for you and leave everyone else to make their own decisions. Otherwise, this tread looks like the little green monster. ENVY.

 

It has nothing to do with envy. I am sure we all could have gotten SUVs if we really wanted to. But I just dont. I think they are ugly, costly and unpractical. Have you seen the inside of an average SUV? it doesnt have alot of space like everyone claims it to have. I could fit 5 people comfortable in my fit and still have room for luggage. If I put my magic seats down I could have 3 in front and atleast 6-7 people in the back. Thats already 9-10 people in a little car. It will transport your family, luggage and two dogs for those once in a blue moon occasions. If it doesnt then a SUV probably cant do it either.

And god why do you need to tow your trailer behind you everyday? Why do you even have to do it any time? Whats the purpose? Why didnt you buy a pickup truck instead wich offers alot more cargo and towing capacity at a much cheaper price? Or a bus? Btw we one time rented a midsized sedan for a 3 week trip and it could perfectly fit 4 adults with 3 weeks of luggage for 4 persons.

Why is it btw that single vehicle crashes are much higher in SUVs then all other cars? The sheer stupidity to crash your own vehicle when theres no one around. Does it really make a driver a moron or is it the otherway around that morons buy suvs?

 

Please explain to me how you can safely fit 9-10 people in the fit? Am I just not understanding you correctly?

I tow a trailer once or twice a week. Not a big trailer, but it more than the fit could tow. I got and SUV instead of a truck because unlike a truck, which I don't need, my SUV is capable of getting 24 mpg on the highway when not pulling a trailer.

I guess I fail to understand why any one cares what anyone else drives. If I want to drive an SUV, truck, transfer truck, airplane, boat, and whatever else, and can afford to do so, then what's the problem. I drive my fit about 3000-4000 miles a month. I use more gas than a person who drives their SUV 1000 miles a month. Who's worse for the environment? Me.

As far as the crash statistics, I'd have to look at the actual statistics to make a judgement. SUVs and trucks are likely reported in the same category. Being that there are, or were, more SUVs and trucks on the road than cars, it follows that more SUVs would be involved in single vehicle accidents than cars. Additionally, more single vehicle accidents occur on back, two-lane country roads than city or interstate. What kind of vehicle is usually utilized by nice folks living in the country? Trucks and SUVs. I also expect them to be involved in more crashes overall. Not because of the driver, but simply because there are more on the road. Again I do not know what statistics you are citing, so I am withholding judgement.

 

Also, minivans and wagons are very practical. I wish I had looked at them a little closer when shopping for a vehicle for my wife. My wife, however, didn't want to be a soccer mom with a Minivan. Next time we go car shopping, we will definitely look at some bigger wagons.

 

The only thing more annoying than huge SUV's (Armadas, Land Cruisers, Sequoias, etc) are AMERICAN made huge SUV's. People own them and treat them as if they are something special - when they still exist as simply body-on-frame copies of pickups. Went out of town a month or two ago and got a 09' Tahoe as a rental. 3400 miles on it and this thing drove like it was built in the mid-80s. Green dash backlighting GM? Really? This isn't 1991. And the fit and finish of this apparent $30k SUV is laughable. I've seen less panel gaps and casting marks on my 1995 Civic.

I agree there are people that buy them for functionality - and I'm for that. What I DONT get are families with one or two childern who buy an Escalade or a Suburban just to own one. The security factor may be the illusion, since taller, body on frame SUVS don't usually stay on the road as well as better engineered large crossovers, ie. Pilot, X5, Q7, ML, etc.
And I don't know why these people buy huge 4x4 vehicles when they still go 4mph in a snowstorm and manage to crash every 100 feet.

In defense, I've seen a few large SUVs at my dealership (Cayenne Turbos and Q7's) with trailer hitches (and trailers! lol), covered in mud and more then a few with an interior totally filled with gear, or dog crates. It's true at least 1/2 the people that buy large SUVs actually use them. I'm okay with that. But the other 1/2....yeah, about that.