SUV drivers (MB excepted, of course)

[Bellow]

It certainly doesn’t go that larger vehicles are easy to get into .

Despite its huge size , a colleagues Mitsubishi L200 is one of the most awkward and painful things to get in and out of that I have experienced.

apart from having to climb up ( there is at least a handle on the A pillar , the combination of seat height and the top of the door aperture is such that when I get my backside on the seat , I have to duck my head down to clear the top of the door aperture, literally a pain in the neck .

Agreed - and I alluded to that with reference to 'taller SUVs'. Has the L200 an external (foot) step? Makes life a lot easier but ducking is still required.

There is actually more clearance in my R129 for getting in and out , and it has never been an issue with the many generations of MB that I’ve had : W105,W111,W114/5/6,W123/4/6,W201/3,W140 - all have been easy to get in and out of without the difficulty that pick up truck posed .

But lower crossovers must be nearly perfect and easier than any saloon. Fortwos are a breeze in comparison.

I also have to question the practicality of such vehicles- sure there is a decent sized load bay , but first it’s so high of the ground that stuff has to be lifted up into it , and the stupid half tailgate prevents you reaching far inside to load anything in or out . At least with my estate cars you could open a side door to access the front of the load area , or indeed you can just lean in through the tailgate .

Pick-up based is really the cause of that. An 'estate' type body can have vertically hinged tailgate, side opening door or two barn doors and access via rear side doors. Dry and secure (lockable) and flexible (load capacity or seating) load area is then a reality. And at a decent height. What is dropped into a estate car deck will have to be lifted out.


My conclusion is that crossovers are bought primarily for the ease of entry/egress and an additional level of practicality that a hatchback can't quite match.
And larger SUVs bought for a whole load of different reasons. Some of the seat height advantage, some practical (eg, towing ability), some down to personal preference. Not overlooking how aggressively Mitsubishi are marketing their L200 in hire deals.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It certainly doesn’t go that larger vehicles are easy to get into .

Despite its huge size , a colleagues Mitsubishi L200 is one of the most awkward and painful things to get in and out of that I have experienced.

apart from having to climb up ( there is at least a handle on the A pillar , the combination of seat height and the top of the door aperture is such that when I get my backside on the seat , I have to duck my head down to clear the top of the door aperture, literally a pain in the neck .

I also have to question the practicality of such vehicles- sure there is a decent sized load bay , but first it’s so high of the ground that stuff has to be lifted up into it , and the stupid half tailgate prevents you reaching far inside to load anything in or out . At least with my estate cars you could open a side door to access the front of the load area , or indeed you can just lean in through the tailgate .

Yes, they’re really impractical are 4x4 pickups, I can see why no-one buys them either for private use or work use.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It certainly doesn’t go that larger vehicles are easy to get into .

Despite its huge size , a colleagues Mitsubishi L200 is one of the most awkward and painful things to get in and out of that I have experienced.

apart from having to climb up ( there is at least a handle on the A pillar , the combination of seat height and the top of the door aperture is such that when I get my backside on the seat , I have to duck my head down to clear the top of the door aperture, literally a pain in the neck .

There is actually more clearance in my R129 for getting in and out , and it has never been an issue with the many generations of MB that I’ve had : W105,W111,W114/5/6,W123/4/6,W201/3,W140 - all have been easy to get in and out of without the difficulty that pick up truck posed .

I also have to question the practicality of such vehicles- sure there is a decent sized load bay , but first it’s so high of the ground that stuff has to be lifted up into it , and the stupid half tailgate prevents you reaching far inside to load anything in or out . At least with my estate cars you could open a side door to access the front of the load area , or indeed you can just lean in through the tailgate .

Pick up trucks have a short cab - and therefore short doors - to maximise the length of the load bed. Was it a crew cab? The doors are even shorter on a crew cab as they squeeze in two sets of doors. A crew cab is far from a sensible approximation of an SUV.

You mentioned the inability to reach in to the load space and that an estate is better because you can reach in through the rear doors. Well does’t a pick up enable you to reach in to the kid bay 270 degrees around it - only limited at the cab end. Sounds even better than an estate to me.

A pick up or crew cab is severely comprised of being used as a car, but so is a car when used to carry large, heavy, dirty loads off-road. Strange to compare the two.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Yes, they’re really impractical are 4x4 pickups, I can see why no-one buys them either for private use or work use.

They're all buying 30 year old MBs instead.

 

[23 Romeo Tango]

I also have to question the practicality of such vehicles- sure there is a decent sized load bay , but first it’s so high of the ground that stuff has to be lifted up into it , and the stupid half tailgate prevents you reaching far inside to load anything in or out . At least with my estate cars you could open a side door to access the front of the load area , or indeed you can just lean in through the tailgate .

Most problems have a solution.
This bed slide has been a God send for our needs. It slides out past the folded down tailgate making access to items (usually a double Dog crate) at the back so easy. It can be locked at 4 different positions depending on how far you require it to be pulled out.

 

[23 Romeo Tango]

Pick up trucks have a short cab - and therefore short doors - to maximise the length of the load bed. Was it a crew cab? The doors are even shorter on a crew cab as they squeeze in two sets of doors. A crew cab is far from a sensible approximation of an SUV.

I haven't done any comparisons or looked at interior dimensions, but I'd be surprised if our double cab is any smaller inside than most estate or saloon cars. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if it was bigger.
As you mention pick-ups come in different cab sizes. Typically a Single cab has no rear seat a Crew cab has a picnic bench seat (with half size rear door) and a Double cab has the full fat rear seat/leg room/head room.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

They're all buying 30 year old MBs instead.

Can you fit a bale of hay or get a ton in the back of one of those?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Can you fit a bale of hay or get a ton in the back of one of those?

Not sure but you can get a sheep in the back,




so I've heard anyway.

 

[baxlin]

Is a Kia Sportage an SUV? I thought it was closer to a crossover, ie a tall hatchback.

I’ve had a few SUVs over the years, and strangely the things you mention would be the last thing I would say about any of them.

Excellent visibility looking down to the corners of the bonnet, and square footprint means you know exactly where the corners are.

Big doors and high roof means that there’s loads of headroom, and getting an out is a breeze - no banging head and no stopping.

Now had you been talking about SLS AMG Roadster or GT C Roadster then I would be in absolute agreement!

Possibly not an SUV then, although it was badged AWD, but I posted as I found!

 

[Bellow]

Possibly not an SUV then, although it was badged AWD, but I posted as I found!

So were Imprezza Turbos.....

The 4WD tag doesn't have much relevance now. When the SUV trend started with early Discoverys, Fronteras, etc it did not least as they were referred to as 4WDs before the SUV tag filtered down from Range Rovers and the likes. But as more sophisticated underpinnings appeared with crossovers the 4WD element wasn't assured but prolonged I suspect by marketing it as an extra bit of security in poor weather. Pretty sure a lot of crossovers are now only 2WD (with possibly 4WD as an option) making them little more than taller hatchbacks.
The difference between a crossover and an SUV? Status and cost?

 

[baxlin]

Mmmm

It appears WhatCar placed the Sportage in their 'Family SUV' category, along with Nissan Qashqai and the like.

"A rose by any other name......."?

 

[219]

Yes, they’re really impractical are 4x4 pickups, I can see why no-one buys them either for private use or work use.

Most buyers are company car users taking advantage that they are taxed as vans

 

[219]

Pick up trucks have a short cab - and therefore short doors - to maximise the length of the load bed. Was it a crew cab? The doors are even shorter on a crew cab as they squeeze in two sets of doors. A crew cab is far from a sensible approximation of an SUV.

You mentioned the inability to reach in to the load space and that an estate is better because you can reach in through the rear doors. Well does’t a pick up enable you to reach in to the kid bay 270 degrees around it - only limited at the cab end. Sounds even better than an estate to me.

A pick up or crew cab is severely comprised of being used as a car, but so is a car when used to carry large, heavy, dirty loads off-road. Strange to compare the two.

Not sure what you mean by kid bay but only access to L200 load bay is via the tailgate. The cab is entirely separate and there is even a gap between the two compartments.

the cabin looks to me about the same length as a normal car

 

[219]

Can you fit a bale of hay or get a ton in the back of one of those?

You can easily get a bale of hay into a 124 estate and 2 tonnes thanks to SLS

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You can easily get a bale of hay into a 124 estate and 2 tonnes thanks to SLS

A 124 can carry 2 tonnes in the boot?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not sure what you mean by kid bay but only access to L200 load bay is via the tailgate. The cab is entirely separate and there is even a gap between the two compartments.

the cabin looks to me about the same length as a normal car

“Kid bay” is “load bay” with silly sausage fingers and autocorrect conspiring against me.

 

[Bellow]

You can easily get a bale of hay into a 124 estate and 2 tonnes thanks to SLS

Not plausible.
Have a look at USA ''full size'' pick-ups and the designations are 150, 250, 350 (eg Ford) or 1500, 2500, 3500 (eg GM). Respectively, they represent pay loads of 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton. By the time you are at 350/3500 (1 ton) you are into dual rear wheels and denied the highest diff gearing options. One of the (myriad) differences between a GM 1500 and 2500 is a shift from six bolt wheel retention to eight. A heavier duty (auto) transmission is another. A mere car cannot look at that.

 

[219]

A 124 can carry 2 tonnes in the boot?

2100Kg according to the handbook

 

[Oli]

How come you never see old Defenders or Landcruisers driven or parked badly?, I guess they don't really count as SUVs though.

 

[Bellow]

2100Kg according to the handbook

Does the fixed chassis late mirror that?
Really am struggling to believe a car can accept 2 tons in its boot space!
A 3500kg GVW pick-up/drop side weighs around 2000kg which only leaves a payload of 1500kg.