Quote:
Originally Posted by alstensby
I doubt they'll ever truly go away as there is a legitimate role for them. However, I think they'll fall from being the status symbol "I have to have one" item they have been for the last decade or so. Afterall, the only "off-road" action about 95% of the SUVs out there ever see is when someone accidentally backs over the flowerbed.
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Is it really honestly a "legitimate" use"?, or just our perceived one. The most popular well used four wheel drive vehicle in the worl is the Toyota Hi-Lux. While we all think we really need that Super-Duty, I doubt the majority of us really do. We can adapt our lifestyles to fit the new world I think. My Dad has an old Fiat Panda 4X4 car over there, that will go almost anywwhere.
The true "off-road' crowd in Italy all drive Toyota Land Cruisers, and not the massive Luxury SUV's we havem but the real thing, the 2 door Jeep type vehicle..........and 99.9% of them run diesel too.
Our little rental car had a 1.2 litre engine and could very comfortable cruise at 140km/hr. It had way more guts than my wife's 2litre Dodge Neon.
I think that the rest of the world has spent the past 10+ years adapting to high fuel prices while we in the west have been hiding from the impending truth behind the wheels of our SUV's.
The most popular estate (wagon) car I saw was the Audi A4, with a 1.8(ish) litre engine. They were everywhere.