What is the point of a 2 door SUV?

crashmaxx

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I don't mean something like a Wrangler. That makes sense.

But the old 2 door Explorers and things like that. Why in the world would someone buy that? You need a huge SUV but don't need access to the back seats? You think having two doors makes it look cooler?

Seems like an actual truck or a normal car would be a far better choice.
 
2-Door Explorers weren't exactly massive.

Essentially, shorter vehicles are often better off road - see: Jeep Wrangler - and early SUVs were mostly work vehicles, and the back areas were designed to carry stuff with weather protection, rather than carry people in back seats - though the back seats were good to have. Also, early SUVs were primarily made out of trucks and there were few crew cab trucks in those days, so there weren't cheap and easy doors to slap on.

I'm sure someone will have a more thorough explanation.
 
The Explorer Sport 2-door was basically the updated Bronco II. My parents had a 1991 or 2 (the first year) and I had a 96. We both loved 'em.

Cons: Ok, so fine, you don't have 4 doors. *shrugs* We, as kids, were old enough that we didn't need car seats, so getting in and out of the back was actually pretty easy. My parents recently purchased a 2006, and while the back seats are easier to get into for adults, both of my parents said they prefered owning and driving the 2-door.

What I loved about mine was just how maneuverable it was! The turning circle was fantastic, I think. It was miles better than my next car, a 2002 Dodge Stratus sedan.

Man, I miss my old Explorer. :( That thing was tough, too! It was airborne more than any of my other vehicles, and never failed on me.

The vehicle I had that I traded away to get the Explorer was a Jeep Wrangler.
 
Also, early SUVs were primarily made out of trucks and there were few crew cab trucks in those days, so there weren't cheap and easy doors to slap on.

That's actually a pretty good bit of logic. 2 door SUVs shared a lot with the pickup trucks, and the backseats, if they had them, were really rudimentary.

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Was basically one of these with a walk through:

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Same with these:

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And

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So when Ford brought out the Explorer, which was still basically the same truck, they left the 2 door version in there as the replacement for the Bronco II, which was a smaller version of the full size 2 door Bronco.

Most 2 door SUVs are really just enclosed versions of the pickup trucks, like the Tahoe was available as a 2 door, since it was the short version of the closed full size pickup. Essentially a replacement for the original Blazer:

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Station wagons were often available the same way, with both 2 and 4 door versions back in the day. If ll you wanted was 2 doors, you could get them.
 
When gas was $1.09/gal they weren't as unfashionable as they are now. They were 4x4 vehicles (lived in rural wisconsin) that I could carry all of my guitar equipment, etc in without it being exposed to the elements. Yeah, a pickup truck is more flexible, however when taking in to consideration my lifestyle and the cargo I commonly transported, the enclosed vehicle made way more sense.

And it didn't look like a minivan. Trucks are cool, minivans are not. Plain and simple. And aesthetics, while really pointless, is the main thing that draws most people to specific vehicles first.
 
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Better question: Whats the Point of an SUV at all?


Everyone knows the disadvatages of those penispumps, I dont need to list them do I?

Cheap, roomy, high driving position, and can tow, to list a few of the advantages that these vehicles have. Yes, they have downsides, as I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to point out, but those are the points that drove their sales.
 
Believe it or not, but around here people very commonly buy SUV's for only one reason. Higher driving position.
And all kinds of people with no children buy vans for the exact same reason too. It's also why so many SUV's are sold with FWD only.

It's sad but the average person seems to think Higher = Safer. These are usually the same people who rely on ABS and Traction control to drive the car for them.
 
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...pls continue :lol:

We're not talking about those things. We're talking about the beasts in Merc63's post. I agree those are crap, but that's a completely different thread derailment.
 
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Cheap, roomy, high driving position, and can tow, to list a few of the advantages that these vehicles have. Yes, they have downsides, as I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to point out, but those are the points that drove their sales.

90% of the SUVs on the market today aren't any of those things.
 
90% of the SUVs on the market today aren't any of those things.
Probably a majority of "SUVs" are able to do those things. Its the "cross-over" things that aren't made for that kind of stuff. There aren't THAT many true SUVs anymore, the cross-over is, well, taking over.
 
Considering terms such as SUV are purely marketing bullshit it's hard to differ between real SUVs and unreal SUVs.
 
BMW-X6.jpg


...pls continue :lol:

...you said an SUV which implies all SUVs.

Though these crossovers are kinda pointless, they can be useful for some cases. I cant fit my snowboards and all my gear in my midsize car and fit 4 people without taking off my bindings. However, this can be done in a Q5 which is a small SUV. I could get a van but I'm not middle aged and I could get a wagon but once again I'm not middle aged.

My friend and I also made a case that an X6 or any suv would be faster than any sports car in New York City. Simple reason is that with the shitty roads we have, most of the time I need to travel much lower than speed limit due to ground clearance. My friends S2000? Forget it....going 30mph over some roads will result in massive damage. However, any suv with higher ground clearance and wider tires can easily go through all the potholes and ruts on the road.
 
BMW-X6.jpg


...pls continue :lol:

Yeah, because every SUV is a BMW X6. Are you retarded?

I love my Range Rover.

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And yeah, that higher seating position is nice when coming up to suburban corners where fences, shrubs, and things like mailboxes on the sidewalk get in the way of seeing down the street you are intersecting with. Today pulling out from my side street, I was next to a full size van and the Range Rover allowed me to see through his side windows down teh street to see if anyone was coming so I could make a right turn. My BMW would not allow that.
 
90% of the SUVs on the market today aren't any of those things.

And 90% of SUVs on the market aren't 2 doors, either, which is what the thread is about. So my original post is spot on.
 
...you said an SUV which implies all SUVs.

Though these crossovers are kinda pointless, they can be useful for some cases. I cant fit my snowboards and all my gear in my midsize car and fit 4 people without taking off my bindings. However, this can be done in a Q5 which is a small SUV. I could get a van but I'm not middle aged and I could get a wagon but once again I'm not middle aged.
If you're not getting a wagon because you're "not middle aged", why are you getting an SUV? Most people who have one are 40 year old mothers of two.
 
Two door cars IN GENERAL make a lot more sense for most drivers. Most trips made by car (SUV, whatever) are made solo, or with one passeneger. The two-door SUV or station wagon is equally useful. Station wagons in America are, sadly, a dying breed, and most small SUVs are too bulky to actually hold the same amount of cargo as a station wagon.
 
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