RE: SUVs Recategorised
Wednesday 10th April 2002
SUVs Recategorised
Canada recategories SUVs as cars - is this the beginning of the end?
Discussion
quote:
Another joke from the boneheads on the other side of the ocean
Tsss...let's hope this plague won't spread over here
Hold tight Thom, most of them are Frogs, aren't they ? Bit sporting, to knock your own, mate. I'm impressed.
It is mad though, at least they aren't categorised as lorries, then it won't be legal (at least over here in Blighty) to wear seat belts. Horror
quote:
they've escaped some of the stricter safety and emissions rules applicable to cars.
I agree with this.
What I'm not sure of with the idea they get categorised as cars is people may get to use them as cars in a careless and unsafe way: imagine being closely followed by a numpty in a X5 deliberately looking for provocating you; in case you need to brake in emergency, IMO at best you can kiss your back end good bye...What I mean is that the mass of these vehicles may prove more dangerous than "normal" cars in case of a hit.
When it comes to the USA, in some way it makes sense suvs are so popular there: they may not be much heavier than the average American car but may have a much better roadholding.
As for in Europe...well let's wait and see if this Cayenne thing will change the deal
They are, almost without exception used as cars, they should be treated the same as cars.
If things worked properly, which aint gonna happen, school run/shopping soft-roaders would pass the same safety tests as normal cars while anyone actually wanting to use a vehicle off-road would be able to buy a Defender(or similar) after passing a stricter test suitable for that category of vehicle.
If things worked properly, which aint gonna happen, school run/shopping soft-roaders would pass the same safety tests as normal cars while anyone actually wanting to use a vehicle off-road would be able to buy a Defender(or similar) after passing a stricter test suitable for that category of vehicle.
I'm not sure that you mean "driven unsafely" Thom - I hardly see SUV's weaving in and out of traffic on my way to and from work.
I think part of the problem is that people have been fooled by advertisers that some of these damn things handle just like cars. They do not.
As you say, the momentum of these things makes them harder to stop, and the bulk of them makes them more difficult to handle - it's always a compromise between on and off-road ability.
About time though.
Will it affect sales though, Ted ? Do you mean on a worldwide basis? Canada's not the largest SUV market is it ? I know the weather's bloody cold there most of the time, and most of it's pretty undeveloped, but do they buy all the Ford Expeditions ?
I think part of the problem is that people have been fooled by advertisers that some of these damn things handle just like cars. They do not.
As you say, the momentum of these things makes them harder to stop, and the bulk of them makes them more difficult to handle - it's always a compromise between on and off-road ability.
About time though.
Will it affect sales though, Ted ? Do you mean on a worldwide basis? Canada's not the largest SUV market is it ? I know the weather's bloody cold there most of the time, and most of it's pretty undeveloped, but do they buy all the Ford Expeditions ?
Thank God - finally! Since I don't think that the maggots running the U.S. manufacturers will ever be shamed into doing the same thing, the obvious solution (other than banning the U.S.'s other imports, or declaring war, or something) is to make it impossible to market the damn' things elsewhere, except as actual utility vehicles, that is...
i luv my wyfs suv it gos kwit kwik to I think the thing that scares me the most, apart from the simple physics of these damn things hitting you, is that they do not have the requirement to have their bumpers at the same height as a car.
As far as I undertsand it, modern cars are required to have their bumpers at a similar height so that in the event of a head-on or rear-ender, two cars will hit bumper-to-bumper.
SUVs / 4x4s have no such requirement and have their bumpers much higher, thus increasing the damage even more than their masss & momentum does.
Of course, I could be talking complete bollards here.
As far as I undertsand it, modern cars are required to have their bumpers at a similar height so that in the event of a head-on or rear-ender, two cars will hit bumper-to-bumper.
SUVs / 4x4s have no such requirement and have their bumpers much higher, thus increasing the damage even more than their masss & momentum does.
Of course, I could be talking complete bollards here.
It's the fact that the bumpers are higher, followed by a dirty great chassis at the same height. When one of these things hits you, the whole SUV mounts your normal height car and rolls over the top of it.
When 2 cars hit each other, the bumpers and the chassis they are attached to are at roughly the same height, allowing the crumple zones etc. to work as they are supposed to.
Nothing will be changed over here or in the US though, the car makers have too much clout with the governments.
When 2 cars hit each other, the bumpers and the chassis they are attached to are at roughly the same height, allowing the crumple zones etc. to work as they are supposed to.
Nothing will be changed over here or in the US though, the car makers have too much clout with the governments.
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