Chris's Opinions : Ford Excusion - An SUV owner responds

Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 20:45:15 -0600
To: mihalis@ix.netcom.com
From: [SNIP]
Subject: SUV article

I'm not sure what to think of the revision to that article.  What purpose
did they think was served by softening up the obvious bad news?

I happen to be a Suburban owner who's really tried of all the SUV bashing,
but I also believe that steps need to be taken to ensure the safety of the
people with whom these behemoths share the road.  

However, something that's frequently overlooked is that the semi's
outnumber us and they're far larger, and their accident statistics don't
look too nice unless you average them out over the number of miles driven.
Bottom line is, not even a Suburban will survive an encounter with one of them.

A huge disparity in vehicle sizes will always exist.  It needs to.  A Geo
Metro isn't going to be a good car for everyone.

Though I own a Sub, and will likely buy the Excursion this year (unless
Chevy updates the Suburban enough), I still just slowly shake my head in
disbelief at most of the SUV's I see.  Most of them have never hauled a
heavy trailer, been off-road, or carried a load of sheetrock and lumber
inside them.

Mine does all of the above and more.  A running joke around my place is
that when my Ford 2N tractor isn't up to snuff for a large job, such as
hauling a large tree stump, we have to call in "The Chevy Tractor".  I even
used it once to pull my tractor out when it was stuck in very deep mud.
Down a very steep hill.

I don't like that "pretenders" buy these things, but I don't think they
should be prevented from doing so, either.

And I certainly don't think those of us who really *need* these things
should be prevented from owning them, either.

Of course, I think I've got all of the answers, and I'll share them with
you. 

Fuel economy:

I plan to personally address this in the very near future.  I've got many
ideas I want to try out on my next one.  I'm wanting to trade mine in
because it rattles like crazy inside (from the off-road pounding it's
taken) and is underpowered for my needs and my particular one lacks
posi-track, which is a major flaw.

But even with the Diesel I want in the Excursion (which should get much
better economy than the V10), it should be possible to have all of those
horses on tap without having to feed them constantly.  I believe an
electric motor assist like one of the new Honda's has would be a nice fit,
and Lord knows there's plenty of room to add motors to this thing.  

There are many other ideas I intend to try out.  But I would think the
manufacturers would be able to do something.

Especially if the government would force them to.  When they're going to
make upwards of $20k profit per unit, I think they could find a way to meet
stringent economy and emissions standards while delivering the horsepower
it takes to get the money out of my pocket.

Safety:

"There are no unsafe vehicles.  Only unsafe drivers."

Well, that's stretching it a bit, but I think you catch my drift.

I'm fanatical about safety.  Been to 12 driving schools, and have certain
habits I think all SUV owners should develop.

1.  Of course, seatbelts.  Not only for your own protection, but for
everyone else's.  An SUV can throw you far enough to be nowhere near the
controls while still being *in* the vehicle.

2.  I always ride the right edge of the lane I'm in, since most folks can't
see around me.  And if someone's trying to get a look around me for passing
on a two-lane, I put the right side onto the shoulder so they can see.

3.  This one's my favorite, and I was a strong advocate of it for
motorcycles, to no avail: Tiered Licensing.

Basically, require a special license for driving certain vehicles, and make
the test tough, including emergency handling, safe following distance,
ultra-conservative passing practices, etc.

And give tickets for SUV's not riding the right edge of the lane.  And
suspend the license's SUV endorsement for especially dangerous activities
like speeding (speed doesn't kill -- differences in speeds kill.  90mph
isn't dangerous unless you're passing someone doing 70 or there's oncoming
traffic) and tailgating.  And like I think we should do with all vehicles;
mandatory long jail time for DUI (attempted manslaughter, in my book).

4.  Tack more onto the price of these things to discourage some of the
pretenders.  And use that money to fund 3rd-party attempts at making them
more efficient and safe.

5.  Mandatory impact heights.  The technology exists (for a price -- oh
well) to let these things ride at a nice low level while still allowing for
increased clearance when needed.  Their mass is still a problem, but if
they don't ride up over the passengers of other cars, the people in those
other cars have a much better chance of survival if they're belted in.
Perhaps a "cow-catcher" type of arrangement that deploys only under heavy
braking.

Personally, the people who buy these things just for looks tick me off
enough that it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if we had to demonstrate a
need for one of these vehicles before being allowed to buy them.

And, as tired as I am of dirty looks and occasionally being flipped off
when mine's loaded full of lumber and hauling an equally-loaded trailer,
I'm even more tempted to flip off the guys and gals talking on their cell
phones while blasting past my mud-encrusted Sub in their never-seen-dirt
versions while tailgating Metros at high speed.

The people are the problem; not the vehicles.

And if knowing that they're paying $50k for a $30k vehicle doesn't
discourage them, there need to be other ways to deal with the problem.

The automakers have a right to a profit, and they owe it to their
shareholders to make as much as they can.  I have a right to buy as much
vehicle as I need.  However, others have a right to not be in danger of my
killing them with my monster ute.

I don't think all of these rights are mutually exclusive if enough thought
is put into the problem.

I'm very much a tree-hugger myself ("Mother Earth News", "Home Power", 40
acres, most of which is very actively managed as wildlife habitat, etc),
but the rights of the more radical of my ilk aren't more important than my
rights and mine aren't more important than theirs.

Enough tiradin' for me.  Would be interested in your thoughts.

[SNIP]