Four-wheel-drives and our new obsession

[Brettly-2008]

Bit of a rant but forums need more activity so here goes:

I honestly can't comprehend where the whole 4WD trend has come from, and it is a trend 100%. Very few people need the capability and size of a dual cab or other such 4WD/SUV and yet they're fast becoming the must-have vehicle for the everyday commuter. 'Oh but I need to tow my boat and fit the kids' "so you've got a 3-tonne boat to tow each day and exactly how many kids do you have?"

Like many of us I subscribe to several 'buy' 'sell' 'swap' online pages and the amount of people selling cars (the normal vehicular kind, often Commodores) and their reason "i need a 4wd" like it's a total necessity in life, is staggering.

Working in media, another thing I see (read) daily is the the serious crash Police media releases. Increasingly, these serious crashes are involving dual cab utes and Landcruisers etc. Just got one 10 minutes ago: Ford Ranger vs Daewoo Lanos... no prizes for guessing which occupants were air-lifted to hospital. Not saying drivers of these vehicles are reckless, but it's more a sign of the sheer number of these things now on the road.

On a less tangible note, some of the more aggressive interactions i've had on the road have been drivers behind the wheel of Prados, Hiluxes and Rangers. I drive a 6.0 Commodore but I get tailgated like I'm driving a Datsun. It honestly feels like there's been a shift in the way the road works and I'm laying a lot of blame at this new trend of big vehicle ownership.

So what's the future? You can't back out of a parking space unless your truck is as big as the next one, so do we join the masses? Or will the trend die when the country's disposable cash dries up?

 

[mpower]

i watched FTA last night for the first time in ages - ads for RAM.

it's only getting worse.

 

[VS 5.0]

You can't back out of a parking space unless your truck is as big as the next one

Reverse park overcomes that issue.

In some industries it is a requirement, as it is at my workplace.

 

[rambunctious]

Reverse park overcomes that issue.

In some industries it is a requirement, as it is at my workplace.

Wow, common sense, but sadly a bloody lot of people cannot reverse park in any way.
I always reverse park but I have to be so careful of freddy and freda farkwit coming up my arsse as I attempt to reverse in, to the point I now use my hazards during every reverse.

 

[EYY]

Working in media, another thing I see (read) daily is the the serious crash Police media releases. Increasingly, these serious crashes are involving dual cab utes and Landcruisers etc. Just got one 10 minutes ago: Ford Ranger vs Daewoo Lanos... no prizes for guessing which occupants were air-lifted to hospital. Not saying drivers of these vehicles are reckless, but it's more a sign of the sheer number of these things now on the road.

There are more cars on the road now than ever before, and consumers also have a wider variety of vehicles to choose from. The more modern diesels (whilst more expensive to purchase and maintain) are excellent on fuel, have excellent safety features and handling and are incredibly versatile when compared to older 4x4's. I'd much rather be driving a 4x4 than a sedan in the event of an accident; the additional weight and larger crumple zones can definitely work in the occupants' favour. The ability to add accessories such as bull bars and driving lights along with decent ground clearance can mean that incidents involving wildlife and/or obstacles aren't as serious as they would be in a smaller vehicle.

On a less tangible note, some of the more aggressive interactions i've had on the road have been drivers behind the wheel of Prados, Hiluxes and Rangers. I drive a 6.0 Commodore but I get tailgated like I'm driving a Datsun. It honestly feels like there's been a shift in the way the road works and I'm laying a lot of blame at this new trend of big vehicle ownership

The medium sized SUV's generally don't have much more cabin space than a hatchback. The added height can mean it's easier to get the kids into the car when young, and makes it easier for the elderly to slide straight into the seat rather than sitting down into a shorter vehicle.

The additional ground clearance and higher positioning of the drivers seat means that the driver can see much more when following a vehicle in front, and so are more comfortable following at a very short distance. On the other hand, when you're driving a taller/larger vehicle the tailgating issue is very much reduced due to a lack of vision by the following vehicles.

I drove my vs for 8 years before getting a Prado late last year. Much more enjoyable driving experience. When I get back into the VS, the tailgating is back on again. It's just the way it is - not much you can do about it. If you can't beat em', join em'.

 

[rtmpgt]

There's many reasons.

On a car enthusiast front, there's no real need to have a fast street car and they attract a lot of attention from the cops due to Yahoos being idiots. Commodores are a prime target for that. As such, 4WDs have much less restrictions on them as far as customisations are concerned. They can't go that fast, but you can do more stuff with them.

As for SUVs? I think it's a safety thing. As you mentioned before, big 4WD Landcruiser vs. Daewoo Lanos... Who's gonna win, especially if you've got kids in the back? The truth is that most normal drivers care about safety, and couldn't give a rats arse if the car's a gas guzzler or slow as all hell. So long as little timmy can get to footy practice, who cares about other drivers?

What's also beneficial is the height that SUVs have, especially if you have hip problems. My mum's bought a Kona for that exact reason, the extra height makes it easier on her hips to get in and out.

Also, if you're a working man, especially if you're a tradie, a dual cab Ute's a more convincing tax write-off than a Commodore is... Unless you're a sales rep. You can always say the car's for work purposes and score that sweet, sweet tax break. You get four seats, a tray and plenty of room for activities whilst also having the capability to go offroad.

 

[Brettly-2008]

It's just the way it is - not much you can do about it. If you can't beat em', join em'.

I think you've just summed up my disdain for the whole movement...

 

[J_D 2.0]

Shits me to ******* tears that so many of them try and drive their diesel 4x4s like they are sports cars, tailgating you and trying the weave in and out of traffic with black smoke pouring out everywhere. If you wanted to drive fast and be able to accelerate in less than two ice ages then maybe you shouldn’t have bought the diesel powered titanic! Buy a V8 commodore or even (got forbid) a falcon but not a 4x4!

 

[blackve76]

Bloody X trails an CX3 CX5 are a joke, these idiots get on the highway and think there senna trying to overtake b doubles etc.

I own a PX2 ranger with tray for work duties it's a good drive although fuel economy is great with fuel at 99c the VF just hit 7000kms long live the V8

 

[Calaber]

There are more cars on the road now than ever before, and consumers also have a wider variety of vehicles to choose from. The more modern diesels (whilst more expensive to purchase and maintain) are excellent on fuel, have excellent safety features and handling and are incredibly versatile when compared to older 4x4's. I'd much rather be driving a 4x4 than a sedan in the event of an accident; the additional weight and larger crumple zones can definitely work in the occupants' favour. The ability to add accessories such as bull bars and driving lights along with decent ground clearance can mean that incidents involving wildlife and/or obstacles aren't as serious as they would be in a smaller vehicle.

The medium sized SUV's generally don't have much more cabin space than a hatchback. The added height can mean it's easier to get the kids into the car when young, and makes it easier for the elderly to slide straight into the seat rather than sitting down into a shorter vehicle.

The additional ground clearance and higher positioning of the drivers seat means that the driver can see much more when following a vehicle in front, and so are more comfortable following at a very short distance. On the other hand, when you're driving a taller/larger vehicle the tailgating issue is very much reduced due to a lack of vision by the following vehicles.

I drove my vs for 8 years before getting a Prado late last year. Much more enjoyable driving experience. When I get back into the VS, the tailgating is back on again. It's just the way it is - not much you can do about it. If you can't beat em', join em'.

EYY
Can't agree about four door utes being good for family transport. My daughter purchased a new Triton early last year thinking it's versatility as a people/load carrier met their needs. Already, she hates the poor ride quality. Harsh on poor roads and uncomfortable for the rear seat passengers, 13 and 8. Good equipment and driving position led them to overlook the obvious shortcomings. Rear seat space will become cramped as the kids grow. Roadholding in the wet is poor in the rear unless it's carrying weight in the tray, which it seldom does. Any "advantages" it offers are far outweighed by its total unsuitability as family transport.
Why do so many buy them? Perhaps because of marketing. Watch the TV ads. I think the majority are for SUV's and trucks, because that's what they really are. Four door trucks. When will their popularity wane? After a few years, people will realise their uselessness for anything other than short journeys with the family or as a tradies workhorse. I've seen our market go through cycles since the 70's. Panel vans, then converted vans like the Express, 4wd's which morphed into SUV's and now, trucks. We'll blindly follow the US into even bigger trucks but eventually, size, maintenance costs and traffic congestion will force a rethink by many and these useless things will start to clutter used car yards.