Ford having trouble selling Explorers

MicroHydro · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Apr 10, 2005 Posts: 1286

Ha Ha!
_________________
"The world is changed... I feel it in the water... I feel it in the earth... I smell it in the air... Much that once was, is lost..." - Galadriel

cammo2004 · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 09, 2004 Posts: 104

I've been making an effort to keep an eye out on the number of 4WDs (pretty much the equivalent of your SUV's - just a different name) and I swear, they're starting to take over the road! It's good to hear that they're declining in sales. About bl00dy time.

I'm in Australia by the way. Apparently 1 in 5 new sales is a 4WD vehicle.

Just as much of a problem here, mind, is the "Aussie V8". Even my mate, who loves his car, admits that's just a tad too much power.

cube · Fusion Joined: Mar 12, 2005 Posts: 3796

giving a rebate on a new car? ouch! That's gotta hurt. Funny how the news section of this website mentions there's a waiting list for hybrids. For all those who think that hybrids are nothing more then a passing fad for greenies think again.

I never cared for SUV's and the "soccer moms" who drive them so they can all just get scrapped at the junk yard. The world will be a better place without them. Very Happy

RonMN · Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:35 am Post subject:

I'm hesitant to give up my '95 ford bronco simply because of the safety issue. People are driving worse each year...it's like drivers ed' classes ain't teaching them what they need to know (like stop and yield).

If it wasn't for the safety factor i would have no problem driving a geo metro or even a motor cycle for that matter. But when you get into a "close call" almost every time you get behind the wheel...i'll keep my bronco thank you!

FoxV · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:24 am Post subject:

ubercrap · Heavy Crude Joined: Apr 27, 2005 Posts: 344

MD · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:14 am Post subject:

The safest vehicles on the road are mid-size sedans, not SUV's which have real accident avoidance problems.

I will take my 13 yr old Camry for safety over most vehicles on the raod.
_________________
"It's still all about energy!"

Schultz: I see NOTHING! I know NOTHING!

md@peakoil.com

Leanan · News Editor Joined: May 20, 2004 Posts: 4575

Yup. SUVs/minivans are notoriously unsafe. Not only are they too high to be stable, they are considered trucks, not passenger vehicles, and therefore do not have to meet the same safety standards as cars. Especially the older ones. IOW, not only is an SUV more likely to roll over, the passenger compartment is more likely to crumple if it does.

Also keep in mind that most of our infrastruture was built to accommodate cars, not SUVs. While there is some effort being made to upgrade our roads and bridges, funding is limited. An SUV will vault right over guard rail designed to protect cars.

jmacdaddio · Heavy Crude Joined: May 14, 2005 Posts: 213

I understand why someone would feel "safe" in an SUV, and the laws of physics do favor an SUV over a Corolla in a collision. From what I'm able to gather if you compare fatalities in car vs. suv crashes to car vs. car crashes, the car occupants in a car vs. suv crash are much more likely to die than the occupants of either car in a car vs. car collision. SUV occupants in SUV-on-car collisions have a fatality rate similar to car occupants in a car-on-car incident.

What the dealer won't tell you as he sweet talks you into getting the Leviathan XXXLT is that most accidents are single vehicle incidents rather than collisions and in a single vehicle crash you're at a much greater risk of death in an SUV because the odds of rollovers go up. Since we all think we're great drivers and that we have to protect ourselves from the other idiots on the road, the salesmen can use our egos and insecurites against us.

uNkNowN ElEmEnt · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:23 pm Post subject:

I recently rented a mini-van to scout out places to move to. I can't believe that thing... I was going around average sized corners and it felt like it was going to tip right over. I was seriously scared at least three times (I was going through twisting mountain passes though).