What's the lesser of two automotive evils...

[Peregrin Toker]

That's a sight I'd pay good money to see . . . a Suburban going off-road.

It's probably called the Suburban for a reason.

Unimog is apparently quite good but very mechanically complex.

Don't forget that a Unimog is very big, too.

That list is somewhat annoying since it dismisses vehicles that are perfectly capable off-road but are primarily used by people who do not use them for that.

Strangely enough, he hasn't dismissed the Nissan Patrol for that reason. I've seen many Patrols which probably never have gone off-road.

[phongn]

That's a sight I'd pay good money to see . . . a Suburban going off-road.

It's probably called the Suburban for a reason.

The Suburban is actually very old design and was always intended as an off-road vehcile. It's apparently good at it.

I once saw an Excusion that had huge modifications to it for severe off-road duty. It was amazing, but I was half afraid the thing would crush my car.

Don't forget that a Unimog is very big, too.

Yes, but it has the German flair for microengineering, making its maintenance quite difficult I hear.

[Peregrin Toker]

The Suburban is actually very old design and was always intended as an off-road vehcile. It's apparently good at it.

Then why the heck is it called "Suburban"??? Given that it's supposed to be driving in the woods and not on tarmac, shouldn't it be called the "Sylvan"??

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

That's a sight I'd pay good money to see . . . a Suburban going off-road.

It's probably called the Suburban for a reason. :P

The Suburban is actually very old design and was always intended as an off-road vehcile. It's apparently good at it.

I once saw an Excusion that had huge modifications to it for severe off-road duty. It was amazing, but I was half afraid the thing would crush my car.

The Suburban is really nothing more than a 1500-series Chevrolet full-sized truck with a full-length body bolted onto the chassis. And those trucks are impressive off the road, especially given their size. Mind you, I almost got one stuck several times when we were trying to get up to a site so we could get my own vehicle out of a stuck.

And I wouldn't trust any Ford younger than myself off-road. For that matter, I have a hard time trusting a Ford younger than myself on-road..

[Crayz9000]

Then why the heck is it called "Suburban"??? Given that it's supposed to be driving in the woods and not on tarmac, shouldn't it be called the "Sylvan"??

The name Suburban came in the late 1960s when they changed the body design. It was originally simply a 4WD panel wagon.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

The Suburban is actually very old design and was always intended as an off-road vehcile. It's apparently good at it.

Then why the heck is it called "Suburban"??? Given that it's supposed to be driving in the woods and not on tarmac, shouldn't it be called the "Sylvan"??

They're probably being honest, as it's not like anyone drives it offroad anyway.

[Peregrin Toker]

Interesting subject:

I recently counted how many SUVs, sports cars and minivans I saw passing by as I rode the bus.

I saw 4 sports cars (2 Toyota Celicas, a Chevrolet Camaro and a BMW Z-3), 17 SUVs and 72 minivans!

That's about how dominant SUVs are in Denmark. For each sports car, you see 4 SUVs. But for every SUV you see, you see 4 minivans.

Just because I wanna know, I ask:
How is the SUV-per-minivan ratio in the USA??

[Queeb Salaron]

Just because I wanna know, I ask:
How is the SUV-per-minivan ratio in the USA??

Not nearly as high as it is in Denmark.

Europeans like to play soccer. Hence there are a lot of soccer-moms. And soccer-moms drive minivans.

Soccer isn't as popular here, so we don't have so many minivans.

Simple logic.

[phongn]

Either that, or soccer moms don't want to look like that, so they traded their minivan in for an SUV.

[Death from the Sea]

Bah, I will take my Chevy Silverado P/U over either the SUV or the sports car any day. Sports cars are only good for their looks and getting the driver and one passenger(no cargo) to the destination.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Bah, I will take my Chevy Silverado P/U over either the SUV or the sports car any day. Sports cars are only good for their looks and getting the driver and one passenger(no cargo) to the destination.

Hey, you could probably stuff four passengers into some sports cars . . . if you broke their spines and legs and folded them using a hydraulic press.

I drive an old 4WD station wagon myself. Great for camping in weird locations and hauling shit around.

[Peregrin Toker]

Bah, I will take my Chevy Silverado P/U over either the SUV or the sports car any day. Sports cars are only good for their looks and getting the driver and one passenger(no cargo) to the destination.

Hey, you could probably stuff four passengers into some sports cars . . . if you broke their spines and legs and folded them using a hydraulic press.

You're referring to the first Mazda RX-7 which had 3 seats because Japanese law required it to have, aren't you?

[TrailerParkJawa]

I think a SUV is the lesser of two evils. Take the case of my own life.

Friend #1 : Hyundai Sante Fe
Friend #2: BMW M3

The M3 is a pretty nice ride, but there is no where in the Bay Area to go fast without risking a ticket. We did 120 mph on 237 a week ago. Not really smart, but the ride was equivelent to my Civic at 65. But 60K buys a lot of quality. Problem is where you going to use it?

Now the Sante Fe is smallish for an SUV, but it was still good enough to make multiple trips to Home Depot for 80lb bags of concrete, wood, etc. When you are done hauling stuff, you can clean it out and take the wife , kid and friends to dinner. The M3 isnt good for that stuff. So I think the SUV while not really used for off roading comes in handy more than a sports car.

[Peregrin Toker]

Now the Sante Fe is smallish for an SUV, but it was still good enough to make multiple trips to Home Depot for 80lb bags of concrete, wood, etc. When you are done hauling stuff, you can clean it out and take the wife , kid and friends to dinner. The M3 isnt good for that stuff. So I think the SUV while not really used for off roading comes in handy more than a sports car.

A Hyundai Santa Fe is not really a SUV, it's more akin to a high-riding station wagon.

[Howedar]

Bah, I will take my Chevy Silverado P/U over either the SUV or the sports car any day. Sports cars are only good for their looks and getting the driver and one passenger(no cargo) to the destination.

They're fun to drive, and some varieties are very fuel-efficient (my mother's Miata, for instance).