New SUVs

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I know. I just didn't want to create a sparsely populated MPV thread.

I understand the avoidance of a separate MPV thread, but wouldn't the B-Class fit better in the 'Small and Family Cars' thread?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

That's an SUV?? Looks like more like a hatchback that grew a bit, a TINY bit

Such a tiny bit that it kinda just looks out of proportion than anything else. Bonnet looks like it melted.

[NaBUru38]

BMW X7

5.15 m long
265-400 hp

[ScotsBrutesFan]

I hope that front end looks better in real life than that image

[Akrapovic]

Not even going to mention the front end, that's just bad. But the rear arch is all out of proportion too. The gap between the wheel and the window is massive. It makes the car look stretched height-wise.

[FIRE]

The whole car looks out of proportion.

[E.B]

It looks awful. Without BMW badges on it I would have thought it was a badly executed Chinese knock off.

[GregUK]

Originally Posted by E.B

It looks awful. Without BMW badges on it I would have thought it was a badly executed Chinese knock off.

A bit like the X1 front end

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by E.B

It looks awful. Without BMW badges on it I would have thought it was a badly executed Chinese knock off.

Spot on! Except the knock off would probably have looked better......

Hideous!

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by E.B

It looks awful. Without BMW badges on it I would have thought it was a badly executed Chinese knock off.

[NaBUru38]

Volkswagen T-Cross
(not to be confused with the T-Roc)

4.11 m long
95-150 hp engines
Front-wheel drive only

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

4.11 m long
95-150 hp engines
Front-wheel drive only

Reads like the specs of a hatchback, not an SUV.

IIRC, that would be too small to be eligible for btcc regs?

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Without any scale I'd have said it was the newest version of a Golf on oversize rims

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

Without any scale I'd have said it was the newest version of a Golf on oversize rims

It's closer to the size of a Polo!

[FIRE]

I like it.

[NaBUru38]

The T-Cross will be a success in Latin America.

[NaBUru38]

Ranger Rover Evoque

4.37 m long
150-300 hp engines

[NaBUru38]

Honda Passport

It's claimed to be more off-road capable than the Pilot.

4.85 m long
3.5L 280 hp gasoline engine
9-speed automatic gearbox
Front- and four-wheel drive

[NaBUru38]

Kia Soul

150-200 hp gasoline engines
140 kW electric engine, 64 kWh battery

[Akrapovic]

I liked the old Soul. It was different enough to be funky but not different enough to be horrible. This one straddles the wrong side of that line.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I liked the old Soul. It was different enough to be funky but not different enough to be horrible. This one straddles the wrong side of that line.

Particularly in that colour.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I liked the old Soul. It was different enough to be funky but not different enough to be horrible. This one straddles the wrong side of that line.

I’ve got a hi-viz that colour!

It’s almost as if Kia thought- “We sold a reasonable number of the previous model, so if we make it less odd / funky we’ll sell more.......”

No.

[BertMk2]

Am I the only person on the planet that doesn't get the point of SUV's?

The basic rule seems to be - take a hatchback, make it taller, increase ride height add general chunkiness. So basically you get a heavier, worse handling car - that costs more to buy, more to run and has no advantages over the equivalent sized hatchback.

What am I missing?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Am I the only person on the planet that doesn't get the point of SUV's?

The basic rule seems to be - take a hatchback, make it taller, increase ride height add general chunkiness. So basically you get a heavier, worse handling car - that costs more to buy, more to run and has no advantages over the equivalent sized hatchback.

What am I missing?

Higher ride height improves visibility and it gives the illusion of safety. I like driving the work van because of the visibility. And to be honest, whilst we here are sensitive to things like handling, most people aren't - they just want a vehicle that drives at 70mph and goes around corners. SUVs fit that.

Not saying it's a good idea, but for most it works.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Higher ride height improves visibility and it gives the illusion of safety. I like driving the work van because of the visibility. And to be honest, whilst we here are sensitive to things like handling, most people aren't - they just want a vehicle that drives at 70mph and goes around corners. SUVs fit that.

Not saying it's a good idea, but for most it works.

I always feel liking I'm sitting on an SUV rather than in it. Not a fan of high driving position - it's like driving a van

Height aside, the extra weight means that fuel consumption is worse, acceleration is worse, braking is worse. The safety aspect is also, as you say, an illusion.

A friend has a Ford Kuga - I was surprised how little space there is inside it given how big it is.