RoadWarriorFromLP

I think that much of the market research is proprietary, but as far as I can tell:

-Height provides a sense of security and safety (and it makes the aggressive drivers feel tougher.) This may be the most compelling psychological reason, even though the gut feeling isn't accurate.

-The seating position is more upright, which is to the liking of many people. This is particularly appealing to older drivers who have difficulty with the lower seating positions of regular passenger cars.

-Other tall vehicles on the road seem less intimidating from a taller vehicle. (Hence, selling more of these creates a feedback loop as more drivers find themselves with the feeling of being surrounded.)

-Boxy vehicles are practical. SUVs and CUVs offer utility without the uber-family stigma of a minivan (although there is research that suggest that committed minivan buyers want to tell the world that they are family-oriented, unlike SUV buyers.)

And at this point, so many people have become accustomed to them that they seem normal. Younger people have spent most of their lives in taller vehicles, so it's the passenger car that seems unusual to them.

All told, they are growing in popularity. I don't see that trend changing anytime soon.

yellowroom

the other reason they are popular with women is that they are a lot easier to manage with kids/car seats than a normal sedan.

I don't know if the OP is near a Mini dealership, but you could consider a Mini Countryman, which is the crossover version of a Mini. Length and width-wise it's about slightly bigger than a Fiesta, but because it's taller and bulkier it feels bigger. I've driven both a Mini and the Countryman - the Countryman handles nearly as well as the Mini, but you feel a lot less vulnerable due to the height. But by US standards its still a small and gas efficient car.

Nutmegger

My OH has driven one since 2009. It has been a workhorse, reliable, good in the snow, and when he was at the test-drive stage I much preferred it to the similar Hondas and Subarus of this world. If you like it, just get it -- who cares what anyone else thinks?

S Folinsky

BTW, car purchases have traditionally been a royal PIA. However, the internet now makes it a lot easier. See this article in the Los Angeles Times: A step-by-step guide to help you get the best deal on a new car - LA Times

I just used this in purchase of a Jetta Sportwagen TDI. It made things relatively painless. The only hiccup was that one dealer issued a certificate for purchase which had a mistaken price on it [it was out of the ball park low and everyone else said -- we can't meet that.] When we finally bought the car, it turned out that the dealer with the best inventory was 60 miles away [and it was on the ocean during a monster heat wave]. We went there with the price hammered down. We were asked if we wanted extras and we said "no." "No problem."

All the negotiation was via e-mail.

jaffy23

I bought a Subaru Forester recently and love it. Looked at the Ford Escape which I liked, but the safety reviews weren't that good. I would never have had an SUV in the UK with the cost of fuel and those pricey taxes, but with the winters on the East Coast AWD is good insurance.

I bought though the Costco Auto Program which saves some negotiation and then the dealership fought with Chase to get me a great finance rate (2.9%) despite my newish credit history which was amazing.

sir_eccles

I've had my Outback for just over a year now. Love it.

S Folinsky

BTW, two of the dealers I delt with were the Costco approved dealers and they both informed me that the price I had received was a tad better. That said, their deal with Costco is to honor the written price list.

jmood

You're absolutely right. I agree. I got to drive one for several weeks as a result of a complete fluke in a car rental agreement. It was not my choice. Then, the reason I ended up liking this particular one is specifically because of how the AC is designed. I really have a discomfort issue with almost all car ACs. This particular one, you can adjust 360 degrees, the angle which the air blows. And as icing on the cake, I discovered being "high" feels nice while driving, I am only 156 cm tall.

hungryhorace

That bullshit 'manager' stuff irritates me.

When I leased my car over here I said I'll come with the sales rep to talk to his manager directly. Turns out there actually WAS a manager and he got quite cross with me haggling so hard downward on my lease. He showed me the price they paid for the car, but honestly, that's not the real price. There are numerous kickbacks involved as we both knew. I got the deal I wanted anyway.

Anyway, keep with it - take someone else in to haggle on your behalf if you wish. I would always offer to do that for people I knew in England. ALWAYS easier to haggle for someone else rather than yourself.

jmood

Yeah - I though I had it all down to pat after e-mail and phone conversations. Then when I was in the store physically, I was told the guy I corresponded with was the "internet manager" and what he told did not stand AT ALL. So, it still is a PIA with internet sometimes.

The price they were asking is $1000 below others but still, because of this I walked out, ANNOYED. Principle is super important to me, but I do feel silly about it as well. 1000$ savings :-(

Sally Redux

Mr Mahina.

Pulaski

So after 93 days and 160 posts the OP still can't decide what sort of vehicle she wants to buy. This must be some sort of record for a "help me decide which car to buy" thread.

I wonder if she has decided yet in which state to buy it?

jmood

Pulaski, I know you're benign so I'm not annoyed!
Well, I STOPPED looking for about 5 weeks. That was because I had just started work (new job) and I was consumed with the huge commute and the newness etc. Like I wrote before, around the end of the prior hiatus in this thread, my friend convinced me i should not buy until I was more settled with the job. I just recently started looking again.


Edit: Plus it's so easy to just continue renting. Avoids making the decision, biting the bullet. It's non-committal, I could stop any time. Even though financially it's worse.

jmood

Points 1 and 3 which I copied above - spot on for what I felt. Like I wrote before, I hadn't driven an SUV before, for more than a few hours here and there. And this rental fluke, which ended up with me having this Nissan Rouge originally for 4 weeks and now into my 7th week, left me feeling exactly like points 1 and 3. Yes, I am really intimidated by the "taller" vehicles, i.e. the lorries and trailers. If I end up next to one, for some reason i always feel like it's going to topple onto me or close in on me. The height of the CUV/SUV compensates a little bit.

But again, for me, this isn't about some/any SUV. It's that this particular one has round AC vents, plus the seatbelt positioning is right.

Hotscot

I've been considering whether to go with the Original Mini or the Countryman. Not sure if I like the look of the Countryman as much but then again the height etc..

We'll probably do some test drives anyway.