2008 could see lower SUVs, trucks

USA TODAY ^ | Sep 9, 03 | Jayne O'Donnell

[SLB]

Most automakers have agreed to make big sport-utility vehicles and pickups less threatening to cars.

The changes, obtained by USA TODAY, include lowering many full-size sport-utility vehicles and pickups and putting head-protecting side air bags in most cars and trucks. They would be phased in by the 2008 model year under a voluntary plan, expected to be announced next month.

[SLB]

I guess my next Suburban will have to be a "pre-ban" model.

[SLB]

LDD - I guess you need to trade in your RAM for a Geo :-)

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Great! Trucks and SUV's with no ground clearance.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Going the route of tobacco already.

Next, their advertising will be limited, or taxes will be added.

[Jim Noble]

Trucks and SUV's with no ground clearanceThis is already a problem.

I drive the back (dirt) roads here in Central NH. My '91 and '95 Explorers were great.

The new Explorer (a/k/a "the Explorer for girls") won't make the trip over to the main road without getting stuck. My Suburban isn't much better.

If these vehicles get any lower, they will be pavement only. What's the point of that?

[Sam Cree]

Yeah, you got that right, lowering them is going to screw up off road capability.

People that really need 4x4 pickups, such as farmers, need them to run off the road.

[epluribus_2]

guess they have to change the Camp Jeep Rubicon course to lower the rocks a bit. SHEESH!

I would not be able to get up my driveway in the winter without high clearance - in fact, I'm looking at that as one of my main considerations in replacing my cherokee lease.

Driveway = /

[NTegraT]

WHY is there never a mention of 18-Wheelers? They are everywhere and they take out a bunch of cars and SUV's when they go. It's always the size thing that SUV-haters bring up but never an 18-wheeler complaint. Come to Texas, every other vehicle is a trucker. (I'm not against big trucks, I'm against the SUV-haters.)

[ARCADIA]

The auto makers want to sell station wagons at SUV prices.

[Miss Marple]

I am still driving a 91 Explorer (300,000 miles on the original engine and transmission). However, it is getting quite a bit of rust, and I need something newer.

I will be looking for a used pre-ban model, as I want the height. I am a short person, and I like the visibility the Explorer gives me, as well as the capacity to haul all sorts of things.

[banjo joe]

Chassis or body lift. LARGE tires.
Phrase you'll never hear in Ala: "the tires are too big on that truck".

[mbynack]

The plan also calls for making locomotives out of foam rubber and requiring tractor-trailer rigs to be inflatable . A spokesman for the Federal Highway Transportation Safety Administration applauded the measures saying "those trucks and trains are just too darn big."

[SLB]

My soccer mom neighbors must really hate us - the driveway has the following parked in it: 1987 Suburban I drive to work, 1999 Suburban that Mrs SLB uses, 1998 Explorer belonging to son.

Mrs SLB likes them for several reasons, visibility is the main one. She is 5'6" and likes to see what is happening around her. I am 6'4" and like the ease in getting in and out. The 1987 model has 280K miles on original engine and transmission, the 1999 has 110K. Son's Explorer is the baby with only 60K on it. He needs to get out more, but his job is in the 65 to 80 hour a week category so all he does is eat and sleep.

[banjo joe]

Good point re 18-wheelers. Not to be OT, but here we go anyway: I drive the interstates a lot in the course of business. Over the last 7 years I've noticed the truckers becoming reckless... no other way to put it.
I never worried about truckers before, you could count on 'em NOT to do anything stupid. Now I'm very wary of them.
Anyone else noticed this trend? Maybe the older, experienced drivers are retiring?

[TheBattman]

Let's see - what are the primary attractions to the "traditional" SUV?

1. Room for your stuff/kids/etc.

2. Perceived safety from the overall size of the vehicle

3. Ride hight - better vew of the road and the security of the higher view

4. Status symbol - the "big" vehicle has become a status symbol.

So....at least half of these reasons people are just going to be ignored? Anything smaller or lower to the ground is a glorified mini-van.

OK - if we are going to require SUV's to be lower for safety, then all Semi-trucks should also be built lower to the ground. I have never felt threatened with being run completely over by an SUV, but semi's made me feel worried all the time (when we had a small car).

Not only are the eco-nuts literally leading a campaign against SUV's, now our "Own" government is is leading a campaign against our SUV's and large trucks as well.

The Land of the Free???? Not any more.....

[CobraJet]

I agree, banjo joe. Truckers are much more agressive. They act like they are driving a sports car, but couldn't stop fast if they had to. There have been several wrecks involving big rigs in construction zones on I40 in TN and ARK in the last few years. The truck drivers don't slow down and just run over the top of slow or stopped cars.

[Vaduz]

Yes the trend is companies hire cheap help you get what you pay for that's how things work.

[Jim Noble]

Let's see - what are the primary attractions to the "traditional" SUV? 1. Room for your stuff/kids/etc. 2. Perceived safety from the overall size of the vehicle 3. Ride hight - better vew of the road and the security of the higher view 4. Status symbol - the "big" vehicle has become a status symbol.

Don't forget the heat wave in France...

[SW6906]

I just got in a discussion on this subject the other day with a liberal.

One could just as easily argue that we should ban small cars because they are the reason people are getting killed in accidents, not the fact that they hit an SUV. Most vehicles sold - by a wide margin - in this country are pickup trucks. You'll never get rid of them. Then, there are buses, 18-wheelers, dump trucks and large delivery vans - you'll never get rid of them. The majority of vehicles on the road are larger vehicles. The small cars are the problem.

The only way to save lives is to ban small cars.

[aruanan]

I guess my next Suburban will have to be a "pre-ban" model.

Yep. Of course, they could just ban excessively low and flimsy cars.