Justification for your SUV is almost here!

You know what really grinds my gears? People that "need" a SUV or 4x4 truck, for the snow. I have many issues with this, so I'll make a list:

1: Not all SUVs are 4wd, and not all cars are 2wd. You could buy any Subaru, most, if not all Audis, a Suzuki sx4, a Volvo S40, a Toyota Matrix XR, an Infinity G35, the list goes on. Lots of cars are AWD. Ranging from cheap, commuter cars to high end luxury cars. Why do you need it to be a SUV to be good in the snow? Some people that buy their SUVs, don't realize, they are 2wd until the snow comes! They assume SUV = go anywhere, in any condition. Ford Escapes, Mazda Tributes, Nissan Rogues, Jeep Compass and many others are availble in 2wd.

2: You drive around a tank, getting 10 MPG, all year long, burning hundreds of dollars in extra fuel, for the 3 days a year there is snow on the ground. A lot of new SUVs are AWD, not 4wd. What's the difference? 4wd can be shut off, with the push of a button, and the vehicle becomes 2wd. AWD is always in 4wd. It doesn't shut off. On most domestic SUVs, this is a very poorly designed system, that has constant drag on the drive line, meaning a lot more fuel is needed to get the vehicle to move. So you pay an extra $5000 for your AWD system, hundreds of extra dollars in fuel every year, and added maintainance to the AWD system for the life of the vehicle, incase it snows. Wouldn't it be cheaper to stay home from work for those 3 days a year?

3: SUVs and 4x4 trucks spend more time in the ditches in the winter than 2wd cars. Why? If you have a 4wd/AWD vehicle, it accelerates much better in the snow/ice than a 2wd vehicle. The problem is, it doesn't turn or stop any better. People in SUVs hit the throttle and the vehicle takes off, convincing them, there is lots of traction on the road, so they drive comfortable, and faster. Unfortunatly, when they need to stop, or turn, that is when it becomes aparent to them, the roads are actually very slippery. SUV drivers very rarly buy snow tires, because they have 4wd, why would they need them? 4wd doesn't help you stop, or turn, snow tires do. I spend a lot of time driving on the freeway in the winter, and 4 out of 5 vehicles in the ditches are SUVs or 4x4 trucks. They are always traveling 20 or 30 KPH fatester than other vehicles, and when they need to stop, they lose control and in the ditch they go.

4: SUVs are safer right? No. Studys have shown SUVs are more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. Why? They rollover. I already stated that they spend more time in the ditch in the winter, and because they are "safer" people tend to drive them faster. Combine that with their high center of gravity, and they quite often end up on their roofs.

Last year, I was on my way to go snowboarding, up a local mountain. I was driving a 1994 Volvo front wheel drive with snow tires. In front of me was a 4wd SUV, I'm guessing without snow tires. We started climbing a small hill, which was covered in black ice. The SUV in front started losing traction with all four tires, which put him out of control very quickly. He ended up spinning 180 degrees and landing in the ditch across the road. I was going to stop to see if he was OK, but as I looked through his window I could see that all that was injured was his ego. I continued up the mountain in my 15 year old 2wd car and went snow boarding. He called a tow truck, and a bodyshop. Good thing he bought that SUV for the snow!

1994 Volvo 850- $1800
4 snow tires       - $500
Lift ticket            -$45
Driving past the untimate 4wd, $50,000 snow vehicle as it goes into a ditch- priceless.