SUVs are very popular in Britain’s new car market but they’re not the sort of vehicle that suit everyone’s needs or tastes.
However, some motorists may dismiss the notion of buying an SUV based on criticisms and prejudices which nowadays are outdated and too generalised to hold up. Here we take a closer look at a few frequent comments made about SUVs which are really just myths.
All SUVs are thirsty on fuel
Because of their size, weight and typically large engines, SUVs inevitably won’t be as fuel efficient as smaller cars like family hatchbacks or superminis. But some may go as far as to dismiss SUVs as gas guzzlers that pollute a lot, which is harsh on the vast majority of SUVs available in today’s new car market.
Current SUVs like the BMW X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Volvo XC90 offer engines which can record an official combined fuel economy of between roughly 50 to 60mpg. That’s an estimate not too dissimilar to what you get from many hatchback specifications or even city cars.
This is thanks in large part to modern developments which manufacturers have achieved with engine performance and weight-saving. These developments are also leading to CO2 emission figures well below 150g/km for the most frugal of current large SUVs. Then of course there are hybrid derivatives available for certain SUVs, like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which can emit well below 100g/km of CO2.
SUVs are difficult to drive on the road
Certain crossovers aside, SUVs are still made with off-road driving in mind and that means adjustments to the ride height, suspension, steering and tyres to cater more for that type of driving.
This doesn’t mean though that modern SUVs are awkward to use on the road though. Certain, more dated examples may admittedly struggle somewhat when it comes to on-road dynamics, but there are plenty of big SUVs in the new car market now that are easy and even enjoyable to drive on tarmac.
Current SUVs like the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Range Rover Sport have all deservedly been praised for the quality of their drive on the road, and it’s not like any of these lack the grittiness to tackle off-road terrain.
SUVs are slow and sluggish
This is another myth that can be tied to the size and weight of your average SUV. Of course an SUV can never quite match the agility of the best hatchbacks or coupes. But anyone who fears that SUVs are difficult or slow to drive on the road would probably change their mind immediately the moment they tried some of the best current entries out there.
Even with their least powerful engine option under the bonnet, a lot of SUVs in today’s market are capable of covering the 0-62mph sprint in near or below ten seconds. A respectable level of performance next to the majority of hatchbacks in the new car market.
Then there’s the performance-focused SUVs found in today’s market, like the Audi SQ7, Volvo XC90 T8 or BMW X5 M, which can push the benchmark sprint time to around five seconds or less. These performance SUVs have their aerodynamics and ride set-ups honed so they can deliver the nimblest drive possible on the road from a car of this size.