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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Unless we all go Theodore Kaczynski, some will never be happy, so don't fret. The best thing for the planet is for us not to exist, so what do you do? You needed a bigger vehicle and you could have done much worse than the Outlander. Life is full of compromises, deal with it people. If were to examine the lives and consumption habits of those who criticize, I'm sure we could find things that you all do that are not "earth friendly."
Generally speaking, all the "needs" people cite for buying SUVs would be better served by a Minivan. For all their imposing stance, SUVs rarely offer the capacious interior they should for their size. And the minivan's sliding doors should be a dream come true for anyone schlepping several kids or passengers with limited mobility. You cannot beat the flexibility of the seat arrangements, or the max cargo space. Many minivans have the muscle to tow. They get better gas mileage than SUVs and are just as safe and well-appointed these days. In fact, I can't figure why manufacturers haven't been offering hybrid minivans. It's a perfect fit: a new level of efficiency for a vehicle that's all about economy and utility.
Perhaps it's because people like yourself aren't buying enough of them to make it worthwhile. The minivan screams "settled down breeder" in a way people just can't bring themselves to confess. Not with the SUV's shiny appeal as an urban reconnaissance tank. A tank you "need." You fell for it. You made one of the biggest purchases of all without using your head. You protest. You're not a chubby American breeder, willing to slash the rain forest to make yourself feel a little younger and look a little cooler. Oh no. It's ridiculous to take two cars on those once-a-week occasions you need to shuttle 5 children. You really need that SUV. You go mountain biking 3 times a year! Well, not this year, things have been busy with the kids and all... and a roof rack is too much hassle. Your bad back, and all...
Crossovers, like Minivans, are built like cars. The strength is in the cage frame, not two long I-beams spanning the wheelbase. For all the world, a crossover is a minivan. It just lacks the sliding doors. And the interior space. And the fuel economy (after all, they just have to be a little better than SUVs to get their buyers to feel warm and fuzzy). So congratulations. You bought a lie. If you weren't so concerned about your receding hairline and the spare tire around your waist, you might have had the wits to choose the wheels that were right for you. But hey! Give yourself a pat on the back. At least it gets better mileage than your ancient, hulking Volvo. Good job! Progress... and that's all any reasonable person could be asked, right?
That's all we've got so far. We're still working on it.
Here's another one that might help — with all the money you saved on your purchase, you were able to afford a nice fat investment in your favorite carbon-offset project, which you tallied up as part of your cost of ownership and then went right out and made happen, right?
... right?
The author says that he really only had two choices, a SUV or a minivan. However, a third choice for someone with a family is a mid-size sedan, like a Camry, Accord, or Impala. They seat the same number of people as the smaller SUVs, have an enormous trunk, and get better gas mileage. Better yet, wouldn't a small wagon do even better. How about a Matrix, Fit, Mazda 3, Impreza, or a Vibe? How often do you really need to haul around more than 4 people and a trunk full of stuff?
Also, who ever said that a Volvo was green? While they are probably some of the safest cars around, they don't typically get very good gas mileage.
Being green isn't easy. Consuming less sometimes means sacrifices. Too many people will only be green when it doesn't actually involve giving anything up. I was impressed by your "SUB" bike story. Now I think you are just another formerly liberal middle-aged sell out.
Aren't there other options? Like a hybrid SUV? We can't seriously feel remotely good about any vehicle that gets 22 mpg as opposed to 17 or 18 mpg. We need to move light years ahead. 50-60 mpg needs to be the norm now.
And to all of you saying what's the big deal? That attitude for the past 25 years has gotten us exactly where we are now. Way past time for apathy to go the way of the SUV. Obsolescence. And not a minute too soon.
Yes, Mark Benjamin is a hypocrite. In this case, that's a good thing. A hypocrite, by definition, must be doing something right -- though of course, the trick is figuring out what that something is.
In this case, what Benjamin is doing right ought to be fairly clear: He and his family are participating in a free-market economy by assessing their needs as individuals, and making choices. They determined that they needed a vehicle with more space. Several vehicles were available on the open market to meet their needs, and they weighed their needs, desires and beliefs in the final decision. What's more, they purchased their new vehicle at a substantial discount, which is also the sort of behavior one would expect from thoughtful, responsible consumers. (Like a good capitalist, Benjamin partially offsets the cost of his new SUV by writing -- and selling -- a humorous essay about his experience.)
Where Benjamin falls short is in his belief that SUVs are bad for other drivers and worse for the planet. Obviously they're not. They're ideal for carpooling (half a dozen co-workers can fit comfortably inside an average-sized SUV), and they make it possible for families to consolidate trips away from home. Lest we forget, for most families (that is to say, families with more than one child) the alternatives to a minivan or SUV would involve either driving more than one vehicle simultaneously, or making multiple trips with a smaller vehicle. Each of these scenarios (multiple vehicles, multiple trips) would incur a substantially greater cost in time, money and fossil fuel than simply driving an SUV would.
Although Benjamin's environmentalist doctrine may be misguided, his instincts as a consumer are fundamentally sound. Certainly by just about any standard, the triumph of personal liberty (not to mention old-fashioned "horse sense") over puritanical proscriptions ought to be seen as cause for celebration.
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