R I C H

So, by your reasoning, bigger roads and parking spaces persuade you to fill them with bigger vehicles? Lower gas prices and longer journeys don't really equate to much saving at the pump, especially if you choose a bigger vehicle, do they?

You have strange logic.

dbd33

<completely fails to understand this line of thought>

Presumably the 4WD is to help you out of ditches, why then not go all the way and have a manual, perhaps also a winch on the front bumper?

cheers

President Obama in a speech recently mention Kia and Hyundai as foreign cars even though they are made in the East Coast of the US. He also said he wanted to see Americans and the world drive cars that say Made in the USA.

So I go around checking and see nearly all Buicks are made in Mexico as also are Fords???????

iaink

When I first arrived here I got a big Jeep for the reasons outlined (higher up, felt "safer"). I was mistaken. Once was enough!

The counter argument to the SUV is that an SUV has a lot more weight/ momentum to have to steer and stop when the roads have poor traction. Unfortunately the laws of physics still apply here...

AWD is great at getting you going, but the flip side is if you find a bit of road with ice then you will just be going faster when you crash into the tree. AWD, 4x4 etc is for getting going, but does bugger all for stopping and safety Im afraid, it maybe instils a false sense of security if anything by finding traction to get going where there is very little to steer and stop by.

el_richo

Same in our new AWD/4x4 but i've not spent lots of time in the snow with it. The Mercedes back in the UK was a bitch in the snow with the TC so would have to switch it off and put it in "manual" mode to help it out.

soontobecanadianresident

Strange logic??

Tbh I think you're missing my point.

Obviously if you drive a compact hybrid then it's going to cost you much less than driving an suv or bigger more juicier car but I'm talking about the comparison in cost from the UK. For example I may have a budget that I am prepared to pay on fuel per month which means having to drive a smaller more fuel efficient car in the UK, whereas that same budget would allow me to drive a bigger more convenient but less fuel efficient car in Canada.

And what's wrong with driving a bigger car if the roads are more suited to driving bigger cars? I don't understand where you fail to understand the logic in that? If a hole is designed for a square peg you put a square peg in, not a smaller circle peg!

Obviously if you're talking about the environmental impact (which I suspect) then fair enough but controversially, that's not really one of my main concerns (apologies to all environmentalists)

cheers

The car market is changing rapidly.

Drivers in the UK are buying more and more automatic transmission cars. I think that they are getting tired of changing gears in stop and go traffic on the motorways.

Another change is the manufacturers are coming out with a range of low end cars. I am glad to see them designing cars for one or two passengers because 99% of the time there is only one person in a car.

Prices of cars have always edged up in price and for a cheap new car to be $20,000 new the sales have just about stopped and if it wasn't for the rent a car industry the factories would close. So now there is a rush to build cars for $14,000 or less and the last one to do so looses. It's a whole new ball game out there.

R I C H

If you manage with a compact car in the UK, why wouldn't you here? What would motivate you to buy a bigger vehicle than you need - additional road space doesn't justify it. I have 1000 sq/ft of garage space but it's not a justification for having to fill it with bigger vehicles than I owned in the UK.

By your own admission, driving distances are greater here, so your budget for gas will be blown if you've traded up to something bigger.

The environmentalist issues don't concern me either. My truck only gets 12mpg when towing.

soontobecanadianresident

This is more insightful.

If the advantages of driving a bigger SUV or crossover type car are actually more psychological rather than physical then I may have to reconsider which cars to look at.
I can't say that I've driven a bigger car in Canada but my assumption (whether rightly or wrongly) has been that due to the roads and weather in Canada, a bigger car would be more suitable.
I have however owned and driven a Nissan Pathfinder in the UK and really enjoyed the experience and that is what has driven my belief to get a bigger car in Canada.

dbd33

Because the roads are bigger, the car should be bigger? I don't get that. People are bigger in Canada, maybe it makes sense for cars to be bigger and have tilt steering because of that.

soontobecanadianresident

My preconception is that a smaller car wouldn't cope with the weather conditions in Canada. Correct me if I'm wrong but is a smart fortwo a viable option for the roads there?

Also I like the idea of having a bigger car for transporting friends and family and transporting items which would come into use when we move into our own place. Plus I like the comfort and features of a bigger car as opposed to the smaller compact!

soontobecanadianresident

Again missing the point

I'm not saying that because the roads are bigger the cars should be bigger, that's like saying if the roads are blue the cars should be blue

My point is that if the roads are more suited for driving bigger cars then driving a bigger car makes sense. If a car shaped like an egg was more suited to driving on bigger roads with winter weather then I would be saying it makes sense to drive an egg shaped car. Simples.

dbd33

I've put 150,000 miles on a new Beetle convertible in the worst weather conditions Ontario offers. I suppose that's a smaller car. I don't think more vehicle would be better. The small wheels on the Smart would be a concern to me in deep snow but people do use them so they must be viable, in towns at least.

iaink

I would be concerned about the low ground clearance and short wheelbase of a 2-4 here, but Ive seen them out in the winter with snow tires on, so presumably they are servicable here up to a point.

I see no point owning a large vehicle for the odd time I have to move 5 or more people around, if that necessity arrises Ill rent a minivan for the occasion with the money Ive saved on gas and insurance and buying it in the first place.

I can count the number of times I wish I had had more ground clearance to clear the snowfall here in 13 years in rural Ontario on the fingers of one hand, one finger in fact!. I recall that I cleared some snow to get out of the parking lot in the subaru with the everpresent shovel once in that time, (years ago) and with hindsite it probably wasnt necessary.

Bigger, taller vehicles to be "safer" in the canadian winter is just a marketing thing.

In terms of crash protection there is an argument to be made that a larger vehicle will come of best in any crash, but you can make the counterargument that its easier to stop and steer around trouble in a smaller lighter more nimble vehicle, and with a modern vehicle with a plethora of airbags and suplemental safety systems its certainly not as clear cut as it once was that bigger is better.

Ultimately it comes down to traction. Whatever you chose to drive, if you are in the snowy bit of Canada, pay for proper winter tires, they make the biggest difference, beyond anything AWD, 4x4, SUV etc has to offer.

dbd33

But how can the roads be more suited? I suppose they have less bends and corners so one can get away with having worse handling and steering but, really, assuming that you'll never have to go around a corner is a bit of a stretch. It hardly justifies getting an SUV.