RE: Alfa SUV

["Mike Baker" <mbbaker@domain.elided>]

  | Zak McGregor scrawled on my screen;
  |
  |
  | At the risk of re-igniting the SUV-haters' thread, "Sports" is most
  | definitely a misnomer. Those mechanical aberrations should be called
  | POSVs, not SUVs. A genuine off-roader is OK, but the RAV4s, X5s, M-Class
  | Mercs and all the other yuppie view-blocking motorised monstrosities
  | should be taken to the crusher forthwith. Inefficient doesn't even begin
  | to cover the wrongs - try also the sheer fugliness of them, their
  | massive bulk, their most un-sporting on-road behaviour, and their
  | almost-useless off-road ability. All they really are are poseurs' toys -
  | status-mobiles, moving showcases to lack of independent thought. But, I
  | wasn't going to re-ignite that thread... ;-)
  |
<snip>

Zak, I'm afraid you re-ignited the SUV thread.  You keep going on at how
inefficient they are, but have you considered the alternative to the
mission.  If I was only going to drive myself, then I would have to agree,
but I have a family of six, I suppose that you will now tell me how many
kids I can have.  Its a matter of economies of scale.  I can't get the whole
family and the neighbors kids in a car of any size.   So I guess you will
tell me I have drive a mini-van.  Well, my wife has a mini-van (Toyota
Sienna) with a v6 and it only gets about 2 miles per gallon better than my
Expedition.

My Expedition handles better, steers better, drives better than the Toyota.
When I travel with a group, we all go in my ONE vehicle.  Are you saying
that it is more efficient to take two or three cars?  Where's the fun in
that?  You can't even talk to one another.  To give you an example, last
year, I took a group of NINE people to a wedding two states over and didn't
have to get gas until we arrived at the destination.  When I filled up, I
computed my mileage and got just under 20 miles per gallon (19.8).  Not bad
for a butt-ugly SUV.  BTW, my mother drives a Caddy and it doesn't get as
good MPG as my SUV.

When you think vehicles, you have to think of the mission of that vehicle.
I wouldn't put 4 people in a Spider,,, at least not any more.  ;^)  Hey,
some people like the looks of an Aztec (sp?).

Mike B

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