The Rise (and Fall) of the Suburban Main Battle Tank

[ian]

I'm sure I've mentioned that come the first snow day in the US, you can count all the overturned SUVs in the roadside ditches. And trust me, you're going to need to borrow someone else's fingers too.

Large vehicles create a perception of safety, and like risk compensation, people adjust to take less care, overstate their driving abilities etc. There's also a blend of unfamiliarity. Drivers assume they are immune to the outside world, they need make no adjustment for snow etc; just press the big 4wd button.

The dark side of this, of course, is that large vehicles empower their drivers to bully more vulnerable road users.

But anyway, they're less safe for everyone, more polluting, and more intimating, and like I say, sadly they epitomise our response to climate change. The world as we know it may die! OK, I'll buy a bigger car.

But hey, it might be a hybrid, so all good.

[giropaul]

It’s maybe a bit different for us rural types. My village has / is cut off by floods yesterday and today. The community spirited owners of “ real” Landrovers ( not Chelsea Tractors) and the big Toyotas that are replacing them, have been carrying carers around ( lots of people here rely on several carer visits each day), and getting a few youngsters to work.
They’ve also been towing idiots who thought it didn’t look too deep out, to keep access clear for the emergency services.

[Kim]

I'd suggest that the practical off-road vehicles that are sometimes necessary in rural areas are a completely different kettle of fish, and much less objectionable.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

It’s maybe a bit different for us rural types. My village has / is cut off by floods yesterday and today. The community spirited owners of “ real” Landrovers ( not Chelsea Tractors) and the big Toyotas that are replacing them, have been carrying carers around ( lots of people here rely on several carer visits each day), and getting a few youngsters to work.
They’ve also been towing idiots who thought it didn’t look too deep out, to keep access clear for the emergency services.

When I had an old Golf GTI mk2 I was amazed at how good it was in snow.  Dad was taken ill near Inverness and drivers were advised not to travel.  We got from York to Inverness quite easily over almost deserted snow, covered roads.  The thing had surprisingly good grip possibly helped by not having power steering.  We had to stop once to help a RWD vauxhall but were able to leave them to it when the police got there.  Having lived in E. Anglia before I had previous at getting through snow and only got stuck once, in a drift only a snow plough would manage.   My current front-drive Yaris is comparatively useless on slippy roads, for one thing you can't turn off the abs. 

When a 4x4 gets stuck it does the job properly because it gets bellied and none of the wheels can grip, do what you like.  It has to be towed out, usually by a farm tractor.

Recently I read that the average age of a vehicle in the UK was 8 years.  I think that will rise significantly because car sellers are going to find it hard to fund the cheap finance in future.  Maybe fewer battle tanks will be bought?



 

[Jaded]

Narrow tyres, possibly. Was in a Moggy 1000 once, in Sussex, zipping* past all manner of thigs stuck on hills, the Moggie just carried on.

*relative term   

[hatler]

A Renault 4 with M&S tyres on takes some beating in snow.

[tatanab]

A Renault 4 with M&S tyres on takes some beating in snow.

One winter I lived in Basle, Switzerland.  We had a serious dump of snow one night.  I tried cycling to work but was making very little headway, so I set out to walk the 3 miles.   I saw lots of modern cars sliding around, and then I was given a lift in a 2CV.  He was having so much fun he was going round roundabouts several times for the joy of it.

[hatler]

I was in the Swiss hills with the Renault 4 one Winter. Our task was transport. It never got stuck.

[DuncanM]

I had an X1/9 one snowy winter. It was awesome. 135 tyres and an engine mounted directly above the driven wheels (and very little power). The only minor drawback was that the heating was terrible, so I kept having to stop to remove the ice from the inside of the windscreen!

[Mr Larrington]

Skinny tyres and no power FWIW.  Driving a RWD motor-car with 430 horespowers and 295 (at least) tyres in fresh SNO is a copybook example of Type 2 Fun.

[rafletcher]

I had an X1/9 one snowy winter. It was awesome. 135 tyres and an engine mounted directly above the driven wheels (and very little power). The only minor drawback was that the heating was terrible, so I kept having to stop to remove the ice from the inside of the windscreen!

Yes, but when it did let go, whoops! Mind you mine had twin 40 Webers fitted so was a bit more powerful (and the carb cooling fan removed, so fuel vapouristaion was an issue when stopping hot!).  I lived in Aberdeen at the time, and used to pop up to the Conoco car park on the first snowy Sunday to practice emergency stops and skid control  . I eventually traded it in for what would become the Jimny, and Suzuki SJ410. A bit more sedate lol.

[DuncanM]

I had an X1/9 one snowy winter. It was awesome. 135 tyres and an engine mounted directly above the driven wheels (and very little power). The only minor drawback was that the heating was terrible, so I kept having to stop to remove the ice from the inside of the windscreen!

Yes, but when it did let go, whoops! Mind you mine had twin 40 Webers fitted so was a bit more powerful (and the carb cooling fan removed, so fuel vapouristaion was an issue when stopping hot!).  I lived in Aberdeen at the time, and used to pop up to the Conoco car park on the first snowy Sunday to practice emergency stops and skid control  . I eventually traded it in for what would become the Jimny, and Suzuki SJ410. A bit more sedate lol.

Sounds like fun.
I traded mine for a modified Uno Turbo, which was a right giggle until it started blowing up driveshafts!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Certainly out in ye Polish villages, where the nearest tarmac road can be a mile away, no one has a SUV or 4x4. But they do have proper winter tyres.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Meanwhile, there's a lot of rise and a bit of criticism of the SMBT here but no evidence of an actual fall.

[hatler]

This site would appear to confirm that the fall hasn't started yet (but is about to).

[slowfen]

This is what finally converted me to winter tyres

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA

[fuzzy]

I travelled back from Salford last night after watching the mighty Swindon Town FC win a game of football.

Several times I was blinded by headlights reflecting in my drivers door mirror. The journey finished with me having a thumping headache. 

In all but one case, the vehicle with the dazzling lights was an SUV. It seems the height of the front lights is perfect for pissing off drivers they are overtaking.

[Kim]

In all but one case, the vehicle with the dazzling lights was an SUV. It seems the height of the front lights is perfect for pissing off drivers they are overtaking.

This is your fault for not driving an SUV.

[sojournermike]

I travelled back from Salford last night after watching the mighty Swindon Town FC win a game of football.

Several times I was blinded by headlights reflecting in my drivers door mirror. The journey finished with me having a thumping headache. 

In all but one case, the vehicle with the dazzling lights was an SUV. It seems the height of the front lights is perfect for pissing off drivers they are overtaking.

This post is nothing to do with motoring - you just wanted to crow about Swindon Town FC I think;)

[Cudzoziemiec]

Top of League 2 but can they stay ahead of Forest Green Rovers only 2 points behind and with a game in hand? Tune in next week to find out!

[Jaded]

Rovers lost to Plymouth at home. Played well but beaten by the wylier side

[simonp]

In all but one case, the vehicle with the dazzling lights was an SUV. It seems the height of the front lights is perfect for pissing off drivers they are overtaking.

This is your fault for not driving an SUV.

I remember back in the 90s on the uk.rec.transport newsgroup, some idiot was proclaiming how great his SUV was, because it gave him such a great view over traffic.

It only works as long as no-one* else has one, you imbecile.

* Approximation.

[fuzzy]

I travelled back from Salford last night after watching the mighty Swindon Town FC win a game of football.

Several times I was blinded by headlights reflecting in my drivers door mirror. The journey finished with me having a thumping headache. 

In all but one case, the vehicle with the dazzling lights was an SUV. It seems the height of the front lights is perfect for pissing off drivers they are overtaking.

This post is nothing to do with motoring - you just wanted to crow about Swindon Town FC I think;)

Not quite accurate.
My crowing about the Mighty Reds gave me a perfect opportunity to moan post about SU fucking V's
 

[quixoticgeek]

Elon isn't really hiding the fact this is built for urban warfare.

https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/cybertruck

Looks like a humvee crossed with a tank...

It is not good for our roads.

J

[grams]

I read a breathless tech site summary of this that was all about how contractors "need" pickup trucks like this and that it can auto park itself "if one ever finds its way into a city".

Looking forward to seeing them pottering around Kensington and Hampstead.