The popularity of SUVs is at an all time high, and they’re becoming a more and more common sight on the roads which may lead you to wonder if now’s the time to make the switch. SUVs have lots of advantages, but also some disadvantages that you may not think of. This article will walk you through both and help you decide if an SUV is right for you.
SUV Advantages
The most obvious advantage of an SUV over other types of car is size, they’re big, and being big has several benefits. The first is space, SUVs have space for much more stuff and for more people which depending on how you plan to use the car can be very beneficial, especially to parents.
Their size also gives them a taller ride height meaning you can see more of the road while you’re driving, which some drivers prefer, and their size gives them a much greater capacity for towing, if you’re planning any vacations that include a caravan, or a boat.
Most SUV’s come with all terrain drive modes or even full off-road capabilities, which may not be useful to you if you’re not planning to go off-roading any time soon. But that all terrain capability can mean that SUVs can better deal with harsh weather conditions, which is especially useful here in Canada.
SUV Disadvantages
The most obvious disadvantage of an SUV over other types of car is size, unfortunately size is both a positive and negative. The bigger size of SUVs compared to other cars means that they consume much more fuel than regular cars which will cost you more to run, and their bigger size means they’ll cost you more to begin with as well.
Their larger size also means that SUVs don’t handle as well as their smaller counterparts, which can make your regular driving if not more difficult, at the very least more irritating, especially if you’re used to driving smaller cars.
Verdict
Like most big decisions, whether or not you should buy an SUV is determined by your personal situation. You need to determine what you’ll actually be using the car for in order to decide if it’s right for you. If you know for a fact that you’ll use all of the extra space that the SUV provides for sports equipment, or building materials, or children or whatever possible thing could be filling the space, then it might be worth the extra investment.
If on the other hand you live alone and don’t drive much then an SUV probably isn’t right for you, and a smaller cheaper car will probably serve you better.