What is the attraction with the small SUV's?

[giddyup]

I really don't get it. SUV's like the CRV, CX-5, Eco-sport etc are hardly any bigger than your average family saloon, have little more ground clearance or height, so what is the attraction? I can understand the appeal of the Everest, MUX, Fortuna etc as they have much higher clearance and better visibility, same as the pickups, but a CRV, that to me is just another hatchback.

[shady86]

For me it's the ride height and easy of going in and coming out. I'm 1.8m and I find these just nice to get in and out and the seating height is just comfortable. Pickup SUVs are little to high for me. Interior space wise, I find crv have comparable space to a big saloon like camry

and accord. I've tried the latest everest and Fortuner and don't find them much more spacious then crv. The extra 2 seats at the back are not conformable at all.

 

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, shady86 said:

For me it's the ride height and easy of going in and coming out. I'm 1.8m and I find these just nice to get in and out and the seating height is just comfortable. Pickup SUVs are little to high for me. Interior space wise, I find crv have comparable space to a big saloon like camry

and accord. I've tried the latest everest and Fortuner and don't find them much more spacious then crv. The extra 2 seats at the back are not conformable at all.

 

It seems like you are paying a premium for that couple of inches of extra height. I preferred the older small SUV's like the Suzuki Rav4 and the Vitara.

[Kwasaki]

32 minutes ago, giddyup said:

so what is the attraction?

They have little more ground clearance and height than your average family saloon.  

 

I like the  'Juke '  looks a mixture of both.

[giddyup]

Just now, Kwasaki said:

They have little more ground clearance and height than your average family saloon.  

 

I like the  'Juke '  looks a mixture of both.

I sat in a Juke not long after they were released, the cabin felt positively claustrophobic. Horrible.

[shady86]

It seems like you are paying a premium for that couple of inches of extra height. I preferred the older small SUV's like the Suzuki Rav4 and the Vitara.

I don't care much about ground clearance, seating position and comfort are more important for me. I find these SUVs are even more confortable than big saloons due to confortable seat height. Also ride with SUVs are more confortable due to the bigger wheels. Rav4 is comparable to crv but Toyota don't sell here.

[giddyup]

Just now, shady86 said:

 

I don't care much about ground clearance, seating position and comfort are more important for me. I find these SUVs are even more confortable than big saloons due to confortable seat height. Also ride with SUVs are more confortable due to the bigger wheels. Rav4 is comparable to crv but Toyota don't sell here.

 

Isn't it the ground clearance that gives you the higher seating position?

[humqdpf]

9 hours ago, shady86 said:

For me it's the ride height and easy of going in and coming out. I'm 1.8m and I find these just nice to get in and out and the seating height is just comfortable. Pickup SUVs are little to high for me. Interior space wise, I find crv have comparable space to a big saloon like camry

and accord. I've tried the latest everest and Fortuner and don't find them much more spacious then crv. The extra 2 seats at the back are not conformable at all.

 

It is a mixture of price, parking/manouverability and comfort. Due to a medical condition that bothers many older people, my days of crouching down to get into a saloon car where the roof inclines too much and I cannot get my head/neck around it are long over. An SUV overcomes that problem as I step up into the vehicle.

 

The larger size SUV is hard to park in urban areas - I have in mind the modern version of the Landcruiser. Besides the cost of my CX5 is less than half of what the cheapest Landcruiser costs.

 

 

[cardinalblue]

I think you mean the HRV and not CRV? The CRV meets the definition of SUV in my eyes  but these smaller sub compacts like Eco XV HRV and Juke has zero storage for sports/recreational equipment..a station wagon design like the Subaru outback has more interior space/storage than these sub compacts...

Edited July 8, 2017 by cardinalblue

[shady86]

Isn't it the ground clearance that gives you the higher seating position?

Nope it's the seat height. Placing a SUV and sedan side by side and you will understand what I mean. You get extra 20-30cm of seat height for 10cm of ground clearance difference.

[newnative]

My partner and I love our Honda HR-V.  We traded in our Civic 4 door sedan for it. The sedan was very limiting in regard to being able to carry large items. Contrary to what several posters have said about small SUVs, the HR-V can really hold a lot of stuff.  Recently we went to IKEA and we were able to bring back a daybed that unfolds into a double bed, the mattress pads, a Billy bookcase, a small cabinet, and several other items.  Yes, the daybed and the other furniture items came unassembled but we still had to get the packages, some over 200 centimeters long, into the car. We had room to spare as the front passenger seat folds flat and the back seats both fold down. The long packages went from the back to the front passenger seat and I rode in the back side seat. The car was pretty packed but it all fit in.  Same thing with a driving trip we took to Chiang Mai.  Came back with the car loaded with a coffee table, another cabinet, several large wood floor sculptures, two seating stools, and assorted other items.  We couldn't fit things like this in the Civic.  On the highway, the car is very stable with plenty of power.  We like that its not too big for narrow Pattaya side streets and we like the higher seating position.  After owning an SUV-type auto I doubt we would ever go back to a sedan--the SUV is just so versatile.

[sirineou]

For most of as,The operative letter in the SUV acronym is the letter  "U" 

Edited July 8, 2017 by sirineou

[janpharma]

The Toyota CRV would be a wonderful car...but not available in LOS....

[little mary sunshine]

New Honda BRV....EZ to drive in City, room

for four plus luggage.  Excellent gas mileage 

as well as powerful to get you going.  Excellent

visability, Hatch back is great.   I am sold on

my new BRV...

[Grumpy Duck]

In Calif I owned a Ford Exploder (Explorer XLT 4wd) it had the same engine as the Escape. It had over 250,000 miles, (402,000+ km) On it. It was ok for hwy or city driving in the usa but lacked power. I would not dream of trying to drive that beast on the small soi here and parking would be next to impossible at the malls here I would stick to VIP parking. I stick to my motorbike as I would hate to try dealing with the Bangkok traffic (Aka parking strips). My friend has an escape and a low profile mercedez. I don't like climbing down into the mercedez but once in it, it is comfy. I don't care about ride height, and when traveling the escape has enough room for my photo equipment and bags. Which is the only reason I would care to drive it. One question, how does a person drive a saloon (old west style bar)? 

 

[newnative]

2 hours ago, janpharma said:

The Toyota CRV would be a wonderful car...but not available in LOS....

Not available anywhere since I don't think Toyota makes a CRV.  Name would be awfully close to Honda's CR-V.  Maybe you are thinking of a Toyota RAV--which would be a nice model for Thailand. 

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, little mary sunshine said:

New Honda BRV....EZ to drive in City, room

for four plus luggage.  Excellent gas mileage 

as well as powerful to get you going.  Excellent

visability, Hatch back is great.   I am sold on

my new BRV...

What size engine is that?

[1FinickyOne]

I like that I do not have to climb into it... as it goes with the big suv - nice ride, a bit higher... 

[little mary sunshine]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

What size engine is that?

1500cc

[jacko45k]

On 08/07/2017 at 6:08 AM, Kwasaki said:

They have little more ground clearance and height than your average family saloon.  

 

I like the  'Juke '  looks a mixture of both.

Got one outside, reminds me of driving a mini after the truck. Not so great on the motorway.

[DavisH]

On 7/8/2017 at 0:08 PM, giddyup said:

It seems like you are paying a premium for that couple of inches of extra height. I preferred the older small SUV's like the Suzuki Rav4 and the Vitara.

Compare the prices of the new cr-v to that of an everest/fortuner, etc. There isn't much difference! I feel you get more for your money if you get a larger suv, albeit it may be a bit less comfortable. I've sat in the second row of the crv when the drivers seat is in my position. Not much room back there, but I'm 189 cm (not the seat can be slid back a bit but didn't try that. If you are less than 6 ft it may be ok in the second row, or for small adults or kids. The cx-3 is ridiculous for rear space. I could barely get my legs in. 

 

I like the cr-v, they should have a 5 seat variant where the 2nd row can be slid far back. The new honda civic and accord I have no problem sitting in the back seat. Plenty of room there - and more comfortable than the above-mentioned vehicles. They just lack good ride height. 

[Kwasaki]

8 hours ago, little mary sunshine said:

1500cc

Same engine as the City,  did they the diesel one too. ?

[giddyup]

Just now, Kwasaki said:

Same engine as the City,  did they the diesel one too. ?

Quite honestly, 1500 is as small as I'd be prepared to go. These new cars with 1100 motors are probably fine as long as you only have the driver and don't hit an incline or a head wind.

[Kwasaki]

53 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Got one outside, reminds me of driving a mini after the truck. Not so great on the motorway.

I found it drove well,  good engine.  

[JaseTheBass]

So, you'd prefer, say, a 1.6 with less power and torque than a 1.0 with more? [emoji848]

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[giddyup]

1 hour ago, JaseTheBass said:

So, you'd prefer, say, a 1.6 with less power and torque than a 1.0 with more?

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Give me some examples.

[wwest5829]

On July 8, 2017 at 0:08 PM, giddyup said:

It seems like you are paying a premium for that couple of inches of extra height. I preferred the older small SUV's like the Suzuki Rav4 and the Vitara.

Hmm, I had an older Vitara in the US. Here I have a Honda CRV but it is 2002 so maybe why I found the sizes about the same. Being vertically challenged, the larger vehicles are not a comfortable match.

[JaseTheBass]

As a Ford fanboy, the 1.0 Ecoboost engine produces 100, 125 or 140 PS (that's metric horsepower to the Romans out there) versus 85 or 120 PS from the 1.5.

Pretty much all of the European and Japanese companies realised a while ago that smaller, higher tech engines are the way forward, at least until the internal combustion engine is retired in a few years time.

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[Gary A]

The increased ground clearance is great and it prevents drivers from destroying all the plastic junk on the front of the low slung cars when you hit a curb, They are easier to get in and out of and and the visibility is better because you sit higher. Not quite as good as a pickup truck but easier to park and definitely better than a car.

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, JaseTheBass said:

As a Ford fanboy, the 1.0 Ecoboost engine produces 100, 125 or 140 PS (that's metric horsepower to the Romans out there) versus 85 or 120 PS from the 1.5.

Pretty much all of the European and Japanese companies realised a while ago that smaller, higher tech engines are the way forward, at least until the internal combustion engine is retired in a few years time.

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How does the lifespan compare?