THE SUV: A RED HERRING ON STEROIDS. 7.18.06
I know I'm about to go against the grain here, in a big way- but seeing as my naysayers are the members and blind followers of the news media industry, I'll gladly take my chances. Because, well... all of those people are idiots.
The media would have you believe that SUVs and their owners are day-walking vampires of fossil fuel, out to suck America dry of its precious (and ill-gotten) resources. But, as anyone with half a brain knows, the antidote for unwarranted condemnation is... simple math. So let's do some.
The Honda Accord (with a 6-cylinder engine) is a car most of us would buy in a second, with no fear of gas prices. It's the poster child for economy, after all. It gets about 24mpg and has a total cargo volume of 120 cu.ft. The Dodge Durango (with an 8-cylinder engine) is a monstrosity of an SUV, and driving one is a surefire way to get you some dirty looks from the neighbors. It gets about 16mpg and has a total cargo volume of 180 cu.ft. Any math majors out there starting to get my drift?
Given those numbers, the Accord and Durango get the same exact MPG per cubic foot of volume. What's more, to move the people and cargo you can move with one Durango, you'd need to drive one-and-a-half Accords... sounds damn inconvenient to me.
Now, the obvious rebuttal here is that you aren't always using your SUV's full capacity; in fact, most of the time, you're using very little of its cargo capacity, and no more than you'd have used if you had an Accord. That's fine, I'm not here to claim it's an even exchange. But the thing to take away from all this is that an SUV doesn't guzzle gas, it simply trades greater consumption for greater capability. Will your Honda Accord tow your boat, or pick up a sofa from Ikea®? Hell no. And guess what: the truck you'll have to rent to do either of those things gets about 5mpg. Good thinking, Einstein.
Oh, and will your Honda Accord get you through 14 inches of snow with ease? Will your Honda Accord turn another vehicle into mush in the case of an accident, as your loved ones step out unscathed? Think about it people. There's nothing inherently evil about SUVs. They bring a lot to the table in exchange for a little extra sip of the petrol, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with owning one if you're going to make use of those capabilities. For instance, if you have a seven-passenger SUV, why not take your neighbors' kids to soccer practice too, rather than having two cars out on the road? Or, be a friend to anyone who needs large furniture moved, and you'll be doing the environment a favor as well.
America's gas problem stems from its citizens' simple unwillingness to conserve. We consume too much food, too much water, and too much oil. We have over 200 million passenger vehicles in the U.S.- over one third of the world's total. Whether those are 200 million Durangos or 200 million Accords is not the issue.
Now, if you just have to have a scapegoat, look to the egomaniacs who drive V12 sports cars like the Lamborghini Murcielago. With its twelve cylinders and 11mpg average, it's like driving three Toyota Corollas at once every time you turn the key. And of course, the only thing the Lamborghini gives you, in exchange for its deplorable gas guzzling, is a false sense of importance and the illusion of a bigger penis.