It's official. CUVs/Midsize SUVs are uncool

Samir

Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
379
Car(s)
2005 Honda Accord EX-L, 2002 Ford Mustang LX
My boss just bought a Lexus RX. My boss has owned nothing but Chrysler Caravans since 1990. The "CUV" craze has now been absorbed by family life, and is the domain of soccer moms and their husbands who have given up on fun.

I'm never buying one now!
 
Hi, where have you been for the last 7 years?
 
The "CUV" craze has now been absorbed by family life, and is the domain of soccer moms and their husbands who have given up on fun.
captain.jpg

:p
 
I hate all multi-purpose type vehicles. They end up sucking at all of the purposes they were intended to be used for.

For me, it's sportscars, sedans, SUVs (the good kind from like the 80s, not modern ones) and pickup trucks. Everything else is shit IMHO.
 
It seems that 90% of the new threads I look at (and no I do not read most of the threads here) the first reply is some snotty response from Blind_io...

Really, is there nothing better for you to do. If you dont like the topic leave it alone, a possibility perhaps?? Some people like to discuss about topics you are not interested in...
 
Midsize suv's rock. I don't know where you're coming from but here, 18 cm of ground clearance and 4wd is gold in winter. I can fit 4 friends and their luggage. I got enough power for norwegian speed limits and then some. 5 years warranty when purchased. Not one electronic or mechanical error during 9 years of ownership. So I really don't care if it's cool or not.
 
It seems that 90% of the new threads I look at (and no I do not read most of the threads here) the first reply is some snotty response from Blind_io...

Really, is there nothing better for you to do. If you dont like the topic leave it alone, a possibility perhaps?? Some people like to discuss about topics you are not interested in...
he's just pointing out that what Samir realized has been known for a while

I cant think of a good reason for buying a CUV instead of a comparable sized wagon. Most CUV's have ground clearance, but are only slightly better than some cars. CUV's are tall but do not have the type of vertical interior space that you get in a minivan
 
he's just pointing out that what Samir realized has been known for a while

I cant think of a good reason for buying a CUV instead of a comparable sized wagon. Most CUV's have ground clearance, but are only slightly better than some cars. CUV's are tall but do not have the type of vertical interior space that you get in a minivan

It's the look. For 40 years the only family transport was the wagon and people got tired of it. Then there was the van and that was not much better. The SUV came along and that helped to fix the appearance issues but most were too much like trucks. Crossovers give the best of both worlds.

But remember that I like them all. Wagons, SUVS, CUVs, etc. They are all good in their own ways.
 
It seems that 90% of the new threads I look at (and no I do not read most of the threads here) the first reply is some snotty response from Blind_io...

Really, is there nothing better for you to do. If you dont like the topic leave it alone, a possibility perhaps?? Some people like to discuss about topics you are not interested in...
Before this gets ugly, I just want to say that he's got as much of a right to post stuff here as anybody else. Don't you have anything better to do than make useless personal attacks against other forum members?
 
Now now, be nice :comfort:


I can't ever remember in my short life midsize SUV's even being cool. But I don't mind the Lexus RX however....
 
I can't ever remember in my short life midsize SUV's even being cool. But I don't mind the Lexus RX however....

Die. I know you're a mod, but die:p . My mom has a Lexus RX, and her car history of one of "impossible to find in a parking lot because there are fifty other cars that look exactly the same:
-maroon Corolla
-green Plymouth Voyager
-beige Camry
and now, silver Lexus RX. Trust me on this, the Lexus RX is soft, wallowy, and plasticky inside: the perfect American car, and thus a horrifying soul-sucker.
 
Never liked CUVs/crossovers. I prefer the body on frame truck fullsize SUVs but I will keep driving midsize cars or sedans.
 
Last edited:
I'm just lucky that I have the confidence in my driving and the physical stature to not need a high ride height. I guess all the 5 foot 2 inch women that own minivans and CUVs don't have either of those things.
 
CUV's are pretty much useless, in my opinion. There isn't anything they can do that can't be done better by a minivan. Most CUV are not 4wd (AWD is not the same thing) and many are not even AWD. There are a few minivans out there with AWD that will do anything a CUV can do, and do it better.

CUVs do have greater ground clearance than vans, but that is totally pointless unless you have the suspension and drive system to go along with it. When was the last time you saw a CUV even drive over a curb? (crappy parking mistakes do not count). These vehicles are used as cars, and are justified by a false sense of security. Most don't hold up as well in a crash as many vans or estates and the CUVs are more likely to roll over.

I have seen many single vehicle accidents involving CUVs and "pavement queens" because of the false sense of security they give the driver. Shortly after the Cayenne was released I saw one that had slid off the road down Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. This is a popular, but dangerous road, and it leads to two popular ski resorts. I offered to pull the Porsche out with my Jeep but the driver refused. She said that the performance tires were too dangerous to drive on and she would wait for the plow to come by. Once again, a driver with 4wd and a "utility" vehicle got in over his head and paid the price. All the old beater Subarus with AWD and all season tires did fine, as did all the FWD cars with snow tires. This case shows both a failure of the driver and the vehicle, and it's something I see all too often.
 
You know what they say about SUV/CUV drivers. First ones in the ditch ;).
 
Trust me on this, the Lexus RX is soft, wallowy, and plasticky inside: the perfect American car, and thus a horrifying soul-sucker.

I know where you're coming from but honestly, the RX is the only car with the interior problem for some reason. I've been in alll the Lexus since the first LS and they never had a problem, the previous RX/Harrier was perfect, the interior was spot on and they got everything perfect, then I got into the new one and all the materials seemed cheaper and it just felt cheap... but that was the only time I have ever experienced that feeling in a Lexus.
 
CUV's are pretty much useless, in my opinion. There isn't anything they can do that can't be done better by a minivan. Most CUV are not 4wd (AWD is not the same thing) and many are not even AWD. There are a few minivans out there with AWD that will do anything a CUV can do, and do it better.

CUVs do have greater ground clearance than vans, but that is totally pointless unless you have the suspension and drive system to go along with it. When was the last time you saw a CUV even drive over a curb? (crappy parking mistakes do not count). These vehicles are used as cars, and are justified by a false sense of security. Most don't hold up as well in a crash as many vans or estates and the CUVs are more likely to roll over.

I have seen many single vehicle accidents involving CUVs and "pavement queens" because of the false sense of security they give the driver. Shortly after the Cayenne was released I saw one that had slid off the road down Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. This is a popular, but dangerous road, and it leads to two popular ski resorts. I offered to pull the Porsche out with my Jeep but the driver refused. She said that the performance tires were too dangerous to drive on and she would wait for the plow to come by. Once again, a driver with 4wd and a "utility" vehicle got in over his head and paid the price. All the old beater Subarus with AWD and all season tires did fine, as did all the FWD cars with snow tires. This case shows both a failure of the driver and the vehicle, and it's something I see all too often.

As I have said it is about the look. Remember that how a vehicle looks is quite important in the decision process for most people when purchasing a vehicle. Mothers are tired of driving vans and fathers just don't want them. When another option came up, ie SUV and CUV, came up they jumped on it.
 
I gotta agree with Blind Io. I was returning home from a ski trip last winter, going through snowy, hilly terrain, badly paved, unmaintained country roads and I saw a Cayenne teetering on the edge of the ditch, with a wheel broken off! Well it was not broken off, but it was definitely crooked and the outside of the tire was perpendicular to the rest car, as if it were placed to let the car roll sideways. I think the poor bugger tried to take a dip in the road too hard, hit a rock or a pothole and off he went.

I was so happy to have a rented big GMC Trailblazer truck at that point. Ah, yes... real-time selectable 4WD... thank you very much. Truck handled like a drunk whooly mammoth abover 50 kph, but at least it could get through those potholes!

What I find ironic about CUVs is the utter conformity they have come to represent. Originally a backlash against vans and station wagons (estates), their owners have basically just started conforming to a different standard. So in essence, why bother changing types of vehicles.

I would actually get a minivan now if I needed 5+ seats.
 
Last edited:
If I have to get a van, I'd be opting for the GMC/Chevy Astro/Safari. RWD owns you :).

I actually do hate it that people choose style over utility. A 5-seat CUV can't be better than a 6-seat wagon.
 
Top