Pale Rider
Legendary Member
SUVs really are a dead loss for anyone needing to carry lots of luggage - unless you buy one the size of a small house.
There's plenty of evidence to support this statement.
The pro peloton teams all use estate cars because they have a genuine need to carry lots of bikes and rider support equipment.
The coppers are another example.
Most traffic cars and armed response vehicles are estates for the same reasons.
A poster in a Brompton thread said the folded bike took up 'a lot of room' in his Audi Q5.
That's daft, my Brommie would easily fit in my Focus hatchback with plenty of room left over for bags of shopping.
SUVs do have a bit more ground clearance - handy to avoid grounding getting on and off ferries during that Scottish SUV 'adventure' which, in reality, is driving from one tea shop to another.
A far better solution is one of the few high ground clearance estates, such as the Volvo XC.
Experience suggests this type of estate car does not sell well.
Merc made a couple, but withdrew them from the UK market due to poor sales, to be replaced by any number of SUVs.
The Audi Allroad has been in and out of the catalogue.
Thus we tend to get the cars we want, even if those cars make no logical sense.
My conclusion is SUVs are a triumph of style over substance, and a victory for the car makers' marketing departments.
There's plenty of evidence to support this statement.
The pro peloton teams all use estate cars because they have a genuine need to carry lots of bikes and rider support equipment.
The coppers are another example.
Most traffic cars and armed response vehicles are estates for the same reasons.
A poster in a Brompton thread said the folded bike took up 'a lot of room' in his Audi Q5.
That's daft, my Brommie would easily fit in my Focus hatchback with plenty of room left over for bags of shopping.
SUVs do have a bit more ground clearance - handy to avoid grounding getting on and off ferries during that Scottish SUV 'adventure' which, in reality, is driving from one tea shop to another.
A far better solution is one of the few high ground clearance estates, such as the Volvo XC.
Experience suggests this type of estate car does not sell well.
Merc made a couple, but withdrew them from the UK market due to poor sales, to be replaced by any number of SUVs.
The Audi Allroad has been in and out of the catalogue.
Thus we tend to get the cars we want, even if those cars make no logical sense.
My conclusion is SUVs are a triumph of style over substance, and a victory for the car makers' marketing departments.