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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:16:22 PM EDT
[#1]
Some folks like the size & design of a SUV & will never use/need 4WD.
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:16:58 PM EDT
[#2]
+1 Max |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:17:24 PM EDT
[#3]
It gets the kiddos to and from soccer practice.
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:17:52 PM EDT
[#4]
I think it's dumb as hell too, but part of the problem is that so many so called SUV's are nothing more than tall cars, and now that it's "trendy" to have one, every women and idiot thinks they need to be able to say that they own one too.
They really don't even make 'real" SUV's anymore, not like my 4wd 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:19:38 PM EDT
[#5]
Why they don't just get a station wagon is beyond me. SUV = station wagon with bigger tires and a lift kit. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:20:29 PM EDT
[#6]
Because they don't make full-sized station wagons anymore? |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:23:26 PM EDT
[#7]
they look cooler than a mini-van.
Unfortunately many people are too cheap to pay the extra 3000 on a 35000 vechile (after they luxed out the interior with 2 LCD monitors and surround sound) to get something they are bound to need one day. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:25:32 PM EDT
[#8]
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:25:49 PM EDT
[#9]
Correct. And they're good for road-raging. Take a look at who does most of the incessant cutting in and out of traffic, tailgating, and a general lack of turn signals. It's mostly SUV people. They are the same ones who don't want YOU to have weapons, but they want to try to intimidate you with theirs. It makes them feel "safe." |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:27:43 PM EDT
[#10]
big station wagon
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:31:05 PM EDT
[#11]
My wife cornered me one day and told me that we are now going to go and look for a new vehicle. We ended up at a Toyota lot where I was informed that she wanted a 4Runner.
So I poke around the lot and found a nice one in 2wd. She asked why and I told her that she would never take it off road and since we lived in sunny So. Cal. there was no need for it. Besides it costs a bunch more. She says okay and wrote the check. Its a practical thing. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:32:14 PM EDT
[#12]
I have a 2WD Expedition.
I need the towing capacity. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:32:57 PM EDT
[#13]
for the same reason they make trucks in 2wd
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:36:34 PM EDT
[#14]
How often do you use or need 4wheel Drive? I own a 2wheel drive Suburban and love it. It has the room I need and gets 24 mpg. I can go to the ranch with my dogs in it - it has a higher clearance then my car, better traction than a pick up. If its too snowy and icy for the burb, I use our Jimmy or stay home. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:38:44 PM EDT
[#15]
I have had my 4wd pickup for three months or so and I have used teh 4wd about 7 times |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:42:11 PM EDT
[#16]
And it looks way cooler than a minivan. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:46:44 PM EDT
[#17]
Exactly... why Diamler Chrysler didn't put a third row in the Magnum is beyond me. I couldn't believe it the first time I rode in a Magnum... what a joke! GM was the last company to make a full-sized station wagon. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:48:46 PM EDT
[#18]
Wait... what about |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:50:02 PM EDT
[#19]
Higher riding position to see over and around cars more easily.
More capacity than a similar car. Better gas mileage than the same SUV in 4WD/AWD. Less wear items over time. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:52:44 PM EDT
[#20]
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:53:32 PM EDT
[#21]
Sure.
I live in a flat state and I dont live in the country. I live in a suburb. I like my 2wd Pathfinder because its super reliable, I can roll over medians when I want to make a U turn when I want and I appreciate the way it handles when I take the dirt road home. I have a dirt access road behind my house that is pretty bumpy. Even without the dirt road usage I like sitting higher than a car, I have the option of just going around traffic by bouncing over a sidewalk and rolling up the little hill into the parking lot I need to get into. 4wd is waste for 90 % of people I sure dont see the need to waste my money or gas on one. Its practical as can be for me. 4wd would be a waste in mycase. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 3:57:19 PM EDT
[#22]
Several of the older couples at my church got mid-size SUV, minimal lifting of things in and out, easy to get in and out, etc.
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:00:02 PM EDT
[#23]
2WD = housewife mobile.
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:00:15 PM EDT
[#24]
I never even knew they made broncos and cherokees in 2wd until I seen a few listed in SC area
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:03:41 PM EDT
[#25]
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:04:08 PM EDT
[#26]
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:07:33 PM EDT
[#27]
I have my Z71 for the 4WD, but on the weekends, I haul the family around in a 2WD Yukon. It rides a little nicer and as mentioned before, it looks so much better than a minivan. Living around Atlanta, your everyday driving does not require an all terrain vehicle.
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Posted: 2/2/2006 4:10:54 PM EDT
[#28]
The title of the thread should be "Why do most SUV's have 4 wheel drive" Many, many people buy 4wd and never ever use it.
Ive got a 4wd pickup. Its nice to have when the weather turns bad. The only time I really NEEDED it when I was picking up snapping turtles in fields, I wasn't paying attention and put the truck in a ditch. 4wd LOW walked her right back out. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 5:47:56 PM EDT
[#29]
 |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:02:40 PM EDT
[#30]
fixed it for you SUC=sport utility car  (not for off road use)
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:08:45 PM EDT
[#31]
I thought you boners loved RWD. Sheesh, can't satisfy anyone these days...
Please don't pretend people buy things for practical reasons. Do you have an AR, AK, FAL, etc... because you are expecting combat, or simply because you can? |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:13:59 PM EDT
[#32]
Of course I love RWD. I love full-frames too... but that doesn't mean one should combine them both in truck/SUV form! SUVs are definitely soccermom-mobiles, when combined with only 2WD, that just makes having an SUV even dumber. It's like saying you need a gun for protection... then going out and buying a Red Ryder, or a bolt-action .22lr. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:14:23 PM EDT
[#33]
Two more miles per gallon gas mileage over the 4WD.
Only 1 out of 20 4WD vechicals will ever go off road even once in their life. (parking it in the dirt in front of your trailer home doesn't count). A 2WD SUV will typically have the same seating and towing ability of the 4WD model. I have a 4WD with full time 4WD and go off road a couple times a month three seasons a year (too freaking hot in the summer time) following the mining and oil jeep trails out in the BLM property. Rarely does the 4WD actually kick in even in most sand and climbing. If I run across sugar sand the 4WD makes all the difference which is why I bought my cute-ute with it. I'm looking at a mid-sized SUV or a full-sized pick up and the 2WD models are looking pretty appealing as gas sits at $2.70 a gallon today. The extra 15% gas mileage would be nice. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:18:11 PM EDT
[#34]
Outsider_10fp and SHIVAN
Stop it. Please and Thank you. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 6:48:04 PM EDT
[#35]
1. RELIABILITY - 4WD or AWD adds extra complexity, and plenty of extra wear-prone parts.
2. PERFORMANCE - 4WD or AWD can add 500+ pounds to the weight of some vehicles, permanently reducing the acceleration, braking and emergency handling characteristics. The extra weight also reduces the tow ratings. 3. ECONOMY - Not only does 4WD or AWD add several thousand dollars to the vehicle's purchase cost, but the extra weight reduces fuel economy for as long as you own the vehicle. It also tends to aggravate front end alignment and tire wear problems, adding to repair/maintenance costs. BOTTOM LINE: Unless you absolutely must have it...you don't need it. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 7:00:24 PM EDT
[#36]
Yup, I'm from northern MN and have never had anything 4wd except a jeep cherokee and have never missed it, except a few times out hunting where I took questionable trails, which usually turned out to be snowmobile trails...
I've also noticed that after every major snowfall the VAST majority of the vehicles in the ditches are the 4wd SUV's and trucks. Most of the time their pounds per inch on the ground is lower due to their big tires, and the drivers get the mistaken idea they are invincible in them. The biggest problem these folks don't realize is they still take just as long if not longer to stop on icy roads. They are heavier ya know... In fact the only time in my life I ever went into a ditch due to icy roads was in a 4wd... go figure... But I did drive right back out. Key is NOT stopping!
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Posted: 2/2/2006 7:27:57 PM EDT
[#37]
Why would anybody care really?
pretty sure it boils down to intended use. I'll be sure and submit a drivetrain specifications sheet to the ARFCOM sub comittee on planned vehicle purchases before I buy my next vehicle. '04 Suburban - AWD because I want the room and I go hunting and work on a farm. there ya go - vehicle matches my intended use....May I keep it?
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Posted: 2/2/2006 7:37:43 PM EDT
[#38]
Ok I have a small SUV. A ford escape, not a real SUV but close. I purchased a 2wd because, my wife takes the MIL to all dr appointments etc. She is handicapped and she can get into a 2wd escape. I also told my wife that if she needs 4wd she has no business out driving.
I have a ranger that I have built for off road, lift, tires, gear ratios, winch. I it needs 4wd MIL is not going. Thus said, for me, samll SUV= room, gas milage. Oh and BTW it has been said (by whom I don't know) a 4wd can only get you hung-up 50 yards further than a 2wd. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 7:59:53 PM EDT
[#39]
I had a Jeep Grand Wagoneer for nearly two years. I never used the 4WD and got 12 mph with a 360. I got rid of it because we didn't need it and it was falling apart.
I traded in my '02 Dodge 1500 (beautiful truck!  ) for an Expedition because I got married to a woman who had two kids. I had three already. I needed the extra seats and slightly better fuel economy. I have hauled 8 people and a trailer more than once, but it's mostly just us 7. My wife told me that if I had been in a minivan on our first date, that would have been our last date. Now she's having conniptions that she's warming up to the idea of a minivan because of gas prices. I thought of a couple of compromises, a church van or a Buick Roadmaster station wagon if it's got a third row seat. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:05:13 PM EDT
[#40]
I really don't think anyone needs to explain their car buying choices to you, unless you write the check for their purchase. Now, while I defend someone's right to buy what they want, I do believe that most that have SUVs would be better served by a minivan. I am not talking about those who need towing capacity. You can actually get more people/stuff/kids/etc in a minivan than you can in a normal sized SUV. Granted, there are some monster SUVs, such as the Excursion, that might carry more, but I am talking about all the Explorer sized SUVs on the road. You also get better mileage, but I guess there is no coolness factor. 
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:05:58 PM EDT
[#41]
Yeah, like we need 4WD a lot down here............. 
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:09:14 PM EDT
[#42]
If you look at some of the new designs, they are going back there. First, no-one wanted to be seen in a station wagon. Then, no-one wanted to be seen in a minivan. Now, many are getting tired of climbing into and feeding their SUVs. So the station wagon (which was the best configuration for the soccer mom in the first place) is making a stylish comeback in the form of the Dodge Magnum, Pacifica, Subaru outback, etc. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:09:40 PM EDT
[#43]
WHY you buy 4wd:
- snow - mud - offroad capability I'll probably never be w/out at least one 4wd vehicle again |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:10:42 PM EDT
[#44]
Seems that I have read some specs that indicate that the towing capacity for a 2WD is actually more than a comparable 4WD. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:13:16 PM EDT
[#45]
I bought a 2wd truck once as I don't "need" 4wd
well guess what you never know what ya have until you lose it I found out all those times I used 4wd and felt i didn't need it ,I did need it next truck was 4wd and ill never own another 2wd unless it is a Lighting or something same with a SUV But i used to live in bumfuck and helped my dad with the construction bussiness My mom thought the same thing getting a 2wd Cherokee to replace her old 4wd one so we are kinda the exception to the rule |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:19:48 PM EDT
[#46]
Yes, they are typically rated higher. Now, try to ACTUALLY tow a heavy boat up a steep, slimely ramp with 2wd..... |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:20:22 PM EDT
[#47]
I have an older 2wd Suburban. I bought it because of the safety ratings (highwaysafety.org) and the size. When I bought it we had a frequent need to haul lots of stuff, people, and dogs, so we needed 3 rows of seats plus cargo room. The 2wd models do get better fuel economy and they need fewer repairs. There has been one occasion so far when I wished I had 4wd, I was on a very icy road and the 2wd Suburban could not climb it.
GunLvr |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:28:00 PM EDT
[#48]
I completely agree with that, but if I am towing something down to Florida, I would rather it be with a 2wd due to many reasons already mentioned. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:29:47 PM EDT
[#49]
+100 I know a guy whose 2WD Ford PU slid right into the lake that way (launching, actually) it jsut kept sliding and sliding. Up to the roof. He got a Dodge Ram in 4WD out of that. |
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Posted: 2/2/2006 8:37:53 PM EDT
[#50]
That's exactly why, we have friends in Georgia that have an suv and I asked why no 4wd, they just never have to use it and it costs more. They like the suv for the size and the safety, I know everyone says they're just as safe in a car. They will never convince me. |
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