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Need an SUV? Reasons why the Sport-Ute may not be the one for you

The lowdown on the hottest rides in town

SUVs are outselling sedans in the American market by a ratio of 2:1. The rest of the world is following suit. We get it! The SUV offers several advantages that has helped displace the humble sedan from people’s hearts and garages. And who wouldn’t want a little edge over one’s neighbour, work colleague, or fellow motorist, for whatever reason?

But they also have several disadvantages, some apparent and some that need further investigation, that you may not want to welcome into your life. For your convenience, we have collated a small list of popular reasons why one may desire an SUV and what are their related shortcomings.

Ride height

Arguably, the number one reason why someone may want to purchase an SUV is ride height. Now we aren’t talking about crossovers that sit close to the ground, much like sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks. We are talking about the 4-wheeled mammoths like Nissan Patrols, Jeep Wranglers, and Ram pickup trucks that give people a commanding view over the rest of the highway traffic. And with the greater ride height comes a more imposing road presence, which is yet another powerful motivator for a buyer in Dubai. But being a few extra inches off the ground means that it also requires greater effort to get into the vehicle, which may not be a thing for you, me, and the sugar-fuelled high schooler, but it does make it harder for senior citizens and even young children to get on board. This may also be bothersome for pregnant women and your football buddy who ruptured his Achilles tendon and needs to be picked up from the hospital. So, if you are an avid off-roader or if your only available parking space is in a kaccha area (undeveloped area), go ahead and get the high-riding people hauler, but also give due consideration to the folk that travel with you often.

Fuel economy

Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration i.e., f = m x a. This is an equation we all learn in early high school. If it wasn’t obvious through common sense, this equation proves that it requires greater energy to move an object with a larger mass. And all those extra joules of energy come from burning more fuel. Have doubts? Here is an example to clarify the matter. A mid-size Toyota Fortuner has a gross weight of 2,650 kg, while a mid-size Camry weighs in at 2,100 kg. The result is that the Fortuner 4.0L can only manage a claimed fuel economy of 9.6 km/l while the lighter Camry 3.5L achieves better economy, as seen in the claimed figure of 14.2 km/l.

And it’s not just weight, there are several other factors that give the sedan the advantage. The taller SUV body also means a larger frontal area that is exposed to the wind, which is directly proportional to the aerodynamics of the vehicle. What it translates to is that the engine in the Fortuner would have to work harder to maintain the same speed as a Camry would.

Also note that SUVs are usually equipped with all-terrain tyres, which have deeper grooves i.e., tyre tread, and have a higher profile as well. All of this adds to the rolling resistance of the tyres, which thereby makes it less fuel efficient to run, as opposed to the sedan with smoother summer tyres that have a lower rolling resistance.

So, if you have a long run to the office and back or are in a job that requires you to move about town a lot, maybe you should consider getting something that is fuel efficient, like a sedan or a hatchback even.

Environmental impact

Greater fuel consumption also translates to greater emissions out of the tailpipe usually. They can be measured using several metrics, including carbon dioxide emissions per km. For example, the mid-size Skoda Superb achieves a CO2 rating of 140 g/km approximately, while its SUV equivalent, the Kodiaq produces around 170 grams of CO2 per km. Again, the sedan wins!

SUVs are also appreciably larger and are often built for a rugged purpose, which means they have a larger and more rigid chassis, larger bodywork and parts etc. Again, manufacturing these parts that are of a greater specification can take more energy to produce and result in greater carbon emissions than a 4-door.

A larger interior also means greater cooling is required to maintain a comfortable temperature within the cabin. This implies that even when you are stationary, you are burning more fuel and generating more greenhouse gases than a sedan.

Braking and handling

SUVs generally have a higher centre of gravity. This not only means that their road manners aren’t nearly as good as a sedan, but they also have an increased risk of rollovers in certain situations, which can be of a major safety concern especially if you’re a parent.

Speaking of handling, the ultra-dynamic Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT SUV was able to lap the 20.832-kilometre Nurburgring Nordschleife in a time of 7:38.9 minutes, while the new Panamera Turbo was still quicker managing a time of 7:29.81 minutes. This is with Porsche, which is a manufacturer that can make a track weapon out of any class of vehicle. But the real-world handling between a regular sedan and an SUV, let’s say a Land Cruiser and an Avalon is much more perceivable.

The added weight over a sedan also increases the stopping distance for an SUV, be it from 120 km/h or 80 km/h, which may result in more fender-bender situations. On average, the taller, heavier vehicle takes 10 to 15 more feet to stop from 100 km/h over the average family sedan.

Price & running costs

SUVs are generally more expensive to purchase than their equivalent-sized sedans, for many reasons, which include the use of more materials to produce etc. The flagship vehicles from Honda have a price differential of about Dh20,000 with the top-spec Honda Pilot SUV costing Dh. 174,900 and the equivalent Honda Accord costing Dh154,900, which is an amount you can put towards fuel and insurance costs if you get the Accord.

And it’s not just the price of the vehicle, the cost of servicing an SUV is more than a similar-sized sedan. Let’s take some examples from the brand Chevrolet. As per their local distributor’s website, the cumulative cost of servicing the 2022 Malibu sedan ten times, once every 10,000 kms is Dh 6655, while that of a 2023 Blazer 3.6L SUV is Dh. 8140. Things like tyres, wheels, and engine oil would cost significantly more to replace due to their size and spec. And of course, fuel economy is something we’ve discussed earlier as well.

Even something as simple as washing is more expensive if you own an SUV, often costing 10 to 15 dirhams more than a smaller vehicle. If you’re someone who washes his or her vehicle once a week that’s an extra 520— 780 bucks you need to fit into your budget if you drive an SUV… or at the very least you need to consider an extra 120 — 180 bucks if you choose to do it monthly. And the fee for detailing an SUV is higher as well.

The summary

So, you see while SUVs may offer some advantages, they may also end up being burdensome not just from a financial aspect but from accessibility, drivability, and maintenance aspect as well. If you resonate with a few of these points, you may want to write back to Santa and ask for something else this Christmas. And I’m pretty sure there are other reasons that you may be able to think of that may not favour the SUV. Our suggestion is to match your wants with your needs before you get a Sport-Utility Vehicle, otherwise, you’d just be adding more problems in the pursuit of solving some.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com