The Motor Trend SUVOTY is....

[Raza]

I think the Volkswagen Tiguan is far more deserving of this award than the Subaru Forester.  Whilst I acknowlege the Forester is a good vehicle, the Tiguan is much nicer.  Yes, the Forester costs less, but comapare the two side-by-side and you will see why.

Motor Trend drops the ball yet again.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

When does the Venza come out?

[Eye of the Tiger]

When does the Venza come out?

WTF is that,  like a VW Sidekick?

[Raza]

WTF is that,  like a VW Sidekick?

[Eye of the Tiger]

[S204STi]

I think the Volkswagen Tiguan is far more deserving of this award than the Subaru Forester.  Whilst I acknowlege the Forester is a good vehicle, the Tiguan is much nicer.  Yes, the Forester costs less, but comapare the two side-by-side and you will see why.

Motor Trend drops the ball yet again.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

If you fold the rear seats down in the Tiguan it doesnt even create a flat loading surface.  Poor design for the lose, I don't care how much nicer it is.

[Rupert]

I can do the same sports with a Ford Taurus wagon that I can do with an Explorer, while enjoying better ride, handling and fuel economy. And in fact, it is easier to put the bike on the roof of a Taurus than it is an Exploder.

In reality, yes, but by the marketing, you need an SUV because of the OMG rough roadz and off roadz that happen when being hardcorez and outdoorz!

*cough*

[Rupert]

I always thought the idea behing the segment was it's a utility vehicle like a truck that is designed more for sport and leisure than work.

Yes.

[Eye of the Tiger]

In reality, yes, but by the marketing, you need an SUV because of the OMG rough roadz and off roadz that happen when being hardcorez and outdoorz!

*cough*

The Jetta farts in the general direction of SUV marketing.

[USA_Idol]

Not only is that ugly, they painted it ugly crap brown.  Nice.   

[Madman]

Not only is that ugly, they painted it ugly crap brown.  Nice.  

I agree.  That is the most horrific monstrosity I have seen in a month of sundays!  Did Toyota hire the guy who designed the Pontiac Aztek for GM?

Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Rupert]

The Jetta farts in the general direction of SUV marketing.

Well, so does the Ranger, but what can you do?

[Eye of the Tiger]

Well, so does the Ranger, but what can you do?

The Ranger is just an SUV with the back seats taken out and the rear half of the roof cut off 

[hotrodalex]

What's up with those stupid side mirrors? Are they trying to be retro or something? Because there's no other reason for them, it's not like you're getting a ton of use out of that tiny window.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

People will still buy it because it's a Toyota and they do no wrong. WTF,who designed that grill?

[USA_Idol]

Probably the same people who designed the Hyundai Portico's grille.

[Rupert]

The Ranger is just an SUV with the back seats taken out and the rear half of the roof cut off 

[Rupert]

What's up with those stupid side mirrors? Are they trying to be retro or something? Because there's no other reason for them, it's not like you're getting a ton of use out of that tiny window.

You mean wing windows? I assume the side mirrors kind of have to be there , and the tiny windows are probably there because nothing else would look good (I know, nothing looks good on this thing) there, and they're not part of the door, so they can't just roll down.

[the Teuton]

I will repeat:  The Forester is more abusable than 80% of the SUVs ever made.

[Rupert]

So is a 1985 Volvo 240. It's not an SUV, either.

[2o6]

I will repeat:  The Forester is more abusable than 80% of the SUVs ever made.

No. Especially not this generation. Much too delicate.

[Raza]

I will repeat:  The Forester is more abusable than 80% of the SUVs ever made.

80% of SUVs are just minivans with different bodies on them.

[Rupert]

80% of SUVs are mislabeled. Call them crossovers or something...

[Eye of the Tiger]

80% of SUVs are Huffy bicycles with four wheels.

[565]

I didn't even know they made a new one...

[USA_Idol]

80% of SUVs are mislabeled. Call them crossovers or something...

The Forester is an SUV.

A crossover...in my very humble opinion...is something more like the Ford Flex, which blends minivan + SUV + wagon + refrigerator.  As a bonus, the Flex looks like a MINI Clubman with a case of gigantism.  You can't beat that for visual appeal.   

[Rupert]

The Forester has some chops, but it's based on a car.

[USA_Idol]

The SUV class was effectively redefined in 1991 when Ford released the 5-door Explorer and people started realizing they had a new alternative to the traditional minivan and station wagon family vehicles.  Since '91, if you haven't noticed, SUV's have become more family oriented and less off road-centric...with a few exceptions.

It only makes sense that the majority of them would (or will) switch to car-based platforms to further their appeal to family car buyers.  It's just an evolution of the species, not a revolution, and they certainly don't need a new "crossover" designation (despite what marketers and media sources suggest).  So Forester is an SUV.   

Just my 2 cents.   

[Rupert]

The term "SUV" didn't even exist until the early '90s. All of the first generation of SUVs that were called SUVs (like the Explorer, but including the Cherokee, Suburban, etc.) were truck-like, in that they had a solid rear axle, were at least capable of off-road abuse, and most were actually based on a pickup truck. At one time there could be exceptions for rigs like the Forester (barely), but now there is this entire new segment that is somehow still called SUVs, where the Forester fits better. These are car-based, minivan-like, and, while they have AWD (not even 4WD, mostly), are not sturdy enough for significant off-road use (ironically, the newest Explorer fits best here-- low clearance, IRS). Call them crossovers, SUV-vans, cute-utes, etc., but they're not really SUVs.

[S204STi]

This is starting to sound like the debate over what constitutes a Sports Car.  In other works, fucking stupid.

[Tave]

I will repeat:  The Forester is more abusable than 80% of the SUVs ever made.

Bullshit. Ford sold millions of Explorers every year in the 90s.