Safe Speed Forums

Why? After all, a nice modern hatchback like an Astra/Focus/etc will seat 5 adults in reasonable comfort, and provide enough load-lugging capacity for most journeys, so why should anyone need something as big and ostentatious as a Vectra? Let's ban people from owning such huge roadspace and petrol guzzling vehicles unless they can prove a need for them.

In fact, let's ban everyone from owning any form of personal transport unless they can prove a need for it. And woe betide anyone who dares to use their government-approved vehicle for a journey that they could have performed without it.


First they came for the 4x4s...

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Chris

Well, yes, that's interesting I suppose. There is something rather basic and ugly about their appearance. They appear to lack the grace and style that certain other cars have. They look slightly pugnacious and aggressive, styled along agricultural or even military lines. They look as if they might be deliberately designed to provoke a reaction. Those stylists over in Munich know how to appeal to certain traits among Germanic types such as the English.

Now you've made me think about it, I think they are brutal looking box cars which appeal to downtrodden, powerless nobodies in dead end jobs, making the mortgage and getting by. A sort of Rottweiller of the roads, maybe - another German import!

Who knows, eh?

You're being silly now! A vecrtra, focus, A4, modeo etc are very different to fat dangerous (to all normal road users)4x4's. A familly saloon is practical and comfortable, 4x4's that potter around town all day and doing schoolr runs are a statement of wealth and stupidity (leaning heavily on stupidity here) and not necessary.

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

And here's me thinking they were a statement of the power of hire purchase agreements ...

Hmm, how would you define these "fat dangerous 4x4s"? Would they include one of these:



Or how about one of these:



Or is it just a gut-level prejudice without basis in objective fact?

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Yeah ... make 'em so fat and they're bound to crash into something - why not make "Blobby-cars" out of foam - that'd do the trick! They can drive however they like, then. In fact, they already do - look at those pictures of Peter's. All that's missing is the foam. You gotta laugh, eh?

Dunno? whats their braking distance, centre of gravity, handling characterisics? What happens to a hatch back they hit, or pedestrian? You know.....all the usual terrible characterisics that these things have.

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

I don't know - it was you who raised the objection, so it's up to you to define what it is you object to, and what you don't?

I don't think you can, I think it's just an obnoxious, pig-ignorant prejudice.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I simply must disagree. For a given driving style, a 4x4 gives the safest type of power transmission – for all road users, because it is more difficult to have an uncontrolled slide. My current car is a 4x4 for this very reason (I might add it's not a big heavy beast with bullbars).

Oh dear, I suppose I am probably the best qualified person to reply to all the implied "class warrior" green stuff about 4x4s above. I drive round in an X5 which is a truly excellent vehicle with better handing and economy than lots of older (worse?) cars. It is my third X5 and I have ordered a new one for next year. I live in the middle of nowhere, 8 miles from the nearest towns.

If you want wider car park spaces, go to Waitrose not Aldi. Yes, you have to be careful when parking - just like everyone else in any car.

So, why do I have this vehicle? I like it and can afford it. There are no other reasons.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Equal rights for cars! Come on PeterE. Let's have a little community spirit here. The English version (Land Rover) had the worst reliability record in the world (or something like that).

Let's get back to nice cars. If you like the Blobby look, the Austin A50 is right up your street. English, too. Forget those jeeps, Humvies (now there's a fat car) and military style thingies. Let's hope it's a just a fad.

Top Gear is starting so I will have to be brief, I can have a prejudice against big 4x4's if I like and the reasons against them I have given, the X5, range rovers land rovers etc are obviously the vehicles I mean, and ignorance is not part of my prejudice. I base my prejudice on knowledge, and experience. They are on the whole a danger to other road users including pedestrians and have no use outside a practical need to actually own one. I have not yet reached the level of obnoixiousness that you have, and frankly I am unlikely too Ciao for now

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

I can only offer you my commiserations - I could get 6 and half of them next week if I cashed in some shares. It would be a hell of a depreciation hit, but it might do better than the markets did last year! I don't know what I'd do with the half, though, as the drive is only long enough for about 6 vehicles. I suppose I could park it round the back.

I have an irrational hatred of small low cost cars with 2 wheel drive. I think they should be taxed off the road as their availability is encouraging increased car ownership and usage thus increasing congestion and ruining the environment.

This is meant to be a joke to point out silly prejudice against 4x4s. The body style and drive system of a car is irrelevant. I don't want to restrict your choice of vehicle using whatever criteria you want. You pay your money and take your choice. Leave me to mine.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Silly? No. It's the logical next step - if the anti-large-car brigade manage to get rid of the largest cars currently on the roads, do you really think they'll stop at that, or would they then turn their attention to the next largest, and the next largest after that, and so on...




also practical (high driving position for better visibility in the cluttered urban environment, plenty of easily accessible load space for shopping, school kit etc) and comfortable (lots of room, suspension/tyres ideally suited to soaking up potholes and speedhumps)... Do you also have an irrational hatred of people doing the school run in big saloons/sports cars?

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Chris

You sound smug enough to drink your own bath water. So I think car tax should be levied according the the levels of smugness exuded by the driver. This is meant to be a joke ...

Of course not. It is sufficient to let drivers pay according the the area their vehicle consumes. The Y5 guy reckons he's got plenty of dough, so he's fine with it. I'm fine with it because he gets to pay my taxes and put shoes on my kids' feet, while I tax shelter my shares and keep them for my old age! Everybody's happy, there's no downside, let's get on with it. Tax by area ... it's a great idea.

So as "4x4s" typically have a smaller road footprint than large saloon cars, their owners will do OK out of it

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

You are justifying something you like, and thats fine...really it is, I just dont like them Im afraid. Yes I can see how they make people feel safe and how comfortable they are. It really is down to choice, but given my way the choice to have such a monster would have to be justified for practical reasons. As for big saloons, I love them, I used to have an A6 before my mid life crisis and in a couple of years will probably be sniffing around the BMW 530 diesel which is a remarkable car and just as quick as my last car a clio 172. As for School runs.... a whole new topic, but no I don't like them either, one mum & one child in a car when they could be on busses (properly legislated and organised of course), or here's an idea....walk! (does not include rural areas)

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

Yes. Call it Schadenfreude if you like, but as long as he pays more than me, I'm more than happy.