HavocXphere
Honorary Master
Yeah. Though SUVs nowadays are mostly used to haul a single person to work & back, so not quite as irrelevant as one might think. :/Anyone else think that the whole notion of the "fastest SUV" is a tad silly tho?
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Yeah. Though SUVs nowadays are mostly used to haul a single person to work & back, so not quite as irrelevant as one might think. :/Anyone else think that the whole notion of the "fastest SUV" is a tad silly tho?
A performance SUV is not a SUV... it's a shiny gold watch saying "Look how much money I have to spend on a motor vehicle"
performance SUVs:
1) Can't go offroad - at all... you can't even mount a curb because you'll damage the low profile tires and/or the 20" alloy rim
2) They don't have more space than a regular car - not anymore
3) They're fuel consumption is silly
4) They can't go around corners...
5) They claim to be safer - well, buying a performance car because it is safer in a motor crash is a little fatalistic and a poor excuse.
6) They're practical? Not really - if you're looking for a car that's practical, why choose one that's the hardest to park and the most expensive to maintain. Surely a station wagon can fit it all in?
7) They're big, muscular and masculine... right? I always see Betties driving ze X5's and ze Q7's.
So why do they exist?
Because they cost a lot and they have more presence because of their size.
Performance SUV is an EGO extension. Hence the "Who'd win?" topic... no?
PS... I have a proper 4x4 (Toyota Hilux single cab 2.7 Raider)... and I got a SUV (Toyota Prado VX)
Guess who drives the Prado?
Haha well put.Verbose inefficiency to the max.
Higher center of gravity so cornering etc is definitely less safe than a sedan. In a car-car collision they'll have the upper hand though.5. No idea on how safe they are but I'm pretty sure they are just as safe as most sedans.
I think the Porsche, Touareg and Audi are very capable offroaders - yet no one would take them offroad.
My parents had an ML270CDI, X5 3.0d, Touareg 2.5TDI, Touareg V10 and Porsche Cayenne Hybrid. They each have their place with some being great offroaders and others capable onroaders than can corner![]()
It's very cool - awesome system and it doesn't use tons of fuel because of it.
It doesn't fit in the super faster SUV class - but it is 6.5 seconds to 100km/h which isn't too bad. With th emotor engaged, it's only 279kw - but 580nm torque.
1. Yes they can, I mean the Cayenne turbo is not as capable as the Cayenne s which in turn is not as capable as for example a Range Rover but they can go off road. Little crazy but saying they can't go off road.... no. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ps0QNZoYW4
2. Ever been in a Q7?
3. True, but so are high performance sedans.
4. Yes they can - Watch the first 1.5min of this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdE_qj-mQgs&feature=&p=56982494D2E2A4F5&index=0&playnext=1
5. No idea on how safe they are but I'm pretty sure they are just as safe as most sedans.
6. Hardest to park and expensive to maintain? If you have a license you should be able to park them just fine, they even come with things like reversing cameras and PDC. It's called motorplan/freeway plan.... services cost nothing. Tyres are a bit expensive however since they tend to run 275-315.
7. You want to use that as an argument???
It's actually quite funny since on the 4x4 events I have been the Raiders got stuck in areas the Prado/Range Rover/Land Cruisers didn't.![]()
Alrighty... Lemme back up my comments a little better.
1) The performance SUVs, have all been tweaked to perform better on the road. So, they've ditched weighty things like "Low Range" and sump protection plates. They've also sacrificed articulating, long travel suspension for more rigid, performance suspension. But the biggest area that they've hindered the Off road capabilities of the performance SUVs is by fitting VAST slick, low profile tires that can't be deflated and by fitting ENORMOUS expensive rims that would get damaged by a thorn tree. Not to mention the WILLINGNESS of going through a thorn tree in your R1 500 000 jam jar? I don't care if I scratch the paint on my Hilux... coz, its a Hilux, it needs scratches for credibility!
2) They are spacious, BUT, they're NOT MORE SPACIOUS than another option, like a MPV or even a large saloon. So when people say they buy SUVs for the space, I think its a silly argument. If it's space you want, then a station wagon or a 7 seater MPV has more of it, and is not 5 hundred meters off the ground. And with Subaru's and Audi's wagons, they might be quicker too.
3) A high performance sedan with the same engine displacement will not consume as much as the 4x4 version. due to the permanent 4 wheel drive and the extra weight. Just saying that you'll feel your SUV when you go to the pumps MORE than a regular car of similar performance. To anticipate a point, they do have larger fuel tanks though!
4) (please note: I didn't watch the video - sorry) The fact that the SUV is higher off the ground and more top heavy, makes it much more difficult to maneuver around a corner at higher speeds. Perhaps my original comment was too "Clarkeson". It is, according to the laws of physics, much more difficult and expensive to make a performance SUV go around a track better than its low slung counterpart. which would be better around a track? The ML63 AMG? or the C63 AMG? or the E63 AMG? all 3 have the same engine... and the ML is the most expensive.
5) Their higher center of mass tends to make them "safer" in a crash with another vehicle. Because, most of the energy is diverted UP and over the other vehicle's center of mass, making the car decelerate more gently and without as much damage. The other car's energy however is diverted down and into more SUV or more road, which doesn't make it so kieff. My mother, for example, swears by her 4x4. She will not drive a sedan again because she BELIEVES that a SUV is safer (which it is to a degree). However, I feel that buying a performance SUV because it "might" be safer in a crash should not be the primary reason for buying a vehicle. By that rationale, we should ALL be driving Volvo XC-90's.
6) Dude, cmon... i won't even bother discussing the parking. They're much harder to park than a regular sized car. their longer wheelbase and higher height makes them more difficult to maneuver and turning the steering wheel from lock to lock while stationary with those MONSTER tires doesn't do the steering pump much good. As for maintenance: Those motor plans are factored into the price you pay for the car... and its only valid for 100 000kms, when your 4x4 passes that barrier... oh boy. My Grand Cherokee and my Prado had 10 billion things go wrong with them. Things that usually don't go wrong with their saloon or sedan counterparts. like I mentioned earlier, steering pumps, water pumps, drive belts and side shafts get damaged more often in a SUV. the parts are also generally bigger and more expensive. Prop shafts and gearboxes take more of a beating too.
7) Hahahaha, you got me there! I can't produce any data other than I usually notice Moms in their X5s! That could be BECAUSE I HAVE A PENIS, and I notice moms in ANY CAR! Hahaha!
Those SUVs you mentioned, LC's, and RR's are the most capable off-roaders money can buy. Their bare bones counterparts are used to penetrate terrain that would make my Hilux look silly. Land Cruisers (and their babies -the Prados) have got much more off-road gadgets and technology. Independent suspension with extra travel and traction control. They've got HDC and 2nd Gear start buttons. They've got auto-boxes and a computer. You know, LC's come standard with OME suspension, as well as proper tires.
My Hilux has leaf-springs at the back. And no weight at all on the rear wheels if there's nothing in the load bay... especially since its a single cab. The only traction control I have is the idiot operating the clutch and accelerator (Usually me). I also only have a 2.7 liter petrol engine while the LC's engine has enough torque to push start Saturn.
LC's, Prados, and RR's are not performance SUV's, they all still have Low-Range and they all are still built with going off road in mind... and they're brilliant!
My Hilux does have ONE THING that the other cars don't have... THE HILUX FACTOR!
I know I can wade through a river 1 meter high and stop in the middle so my mates on the back can throw things at the other cars! I know I can turn off the road and drive through the bushes to avoid the 5 car jam because someone's Ford Territory is stuck. I know I can put 6 stinky Divers on the back with wet gear and drive through the river to their parked X5s. I know I can help the dive operators launch their boats when their Defenders are acting up...
THAT ONE THING the Hilux has that other off-Roaders don't have, is +20 points to all stats. It's cheap and indestructible... It has what I like to call, "Personality"
Which is why I drive my Hilux to Ponta and Sodwana all the time and I leave the Prado.
1. You said they can't go off road at all.... they can. They can't go as off road as say a Range Rover but they can do quite interesting things. Go look for a video by Top Gear on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, they take it on a 4x4 course with normal road tyres.
2. Have you ever been in a Q7?
3. Ever owned a high performance sedan? It's very very close to the consumption of the SUV's specially if you have a heavy right foot
4. So you changed from "They can't go around corners....." to "They can't go around corners as fast performance sedans" ? Well at least the revised one is true. The C63 does not have the same engine as the ML/E63, it's a detuned version of the same engine making 336kw and 600Nm vs 378kw and 630Nm for the E63. Watch the video, Cayenne Turbo Drifting is pretty crazy.
6. Never had any issues parking. In fact I found them easier to park than the S-Class Merc. "and its only valid for 100 000kms, when your 4x4 passes that barrier... oh boy." so why would you keep a car past the Motorplan??
7.![]()
It's like a 3rd testicle, sure it would be great to play with... BUT WOULD YOU REALLY WANT ONE?
so why would you keep a car past the Motorplan??
Fastest SUV on a dirt road, would be a Forester.