SUVs and Big Cities Are Really Not a Happy Formula

If ever there was a marriage made in Detroit it was the marriage between the Sports Utility Vehicle and the city. Indeed, after having driven our share of SUVs in Boston, known for its narrow streets, as we reviewed them for a weekly column, we can state with authority that if you are living in the Big City and are thinking of an SUV, think small or smaller, not big, not even medium.

Perfect Example

Here's a perfect example! A while back we were test driving a Lincoln Navigator -- about the size of a small aircraft carrier -- and we had to park in one of Boston's public garages. Well, just getting the vehicle under the height clearance signs as the entrance was quite a chore and required some very slow driving. And, driving up a circular ramp that was built for cars and not trucks, was a tire-squealing, almost curb rubbing experience.

Then, finding a parking space that we could fit was nearly impossible and when we did finally find the magic space, we could just about open the doors to get out. And, we found that the tail of the rather large SUV stuck out about two feet into the travel lane but there was little we could do about it, except pray no one would take off the rear end.

Fortunately for us and the manufacturer, no one did take the rear end off and we were able to very gradually and carefully ease our way out of the parking garage and into traffic, which was a chore in itself because you just can't see where all those tiny little cars are around you. True, the Navigator did have oversized truck outside mirror, but, there were still some blind spots that were the size of a small yacht (that problem has been taken care of today with sonar warning systems that tell you someone is in the blind spot and then keep you from making the move).

Then, once we were able to enter the traffic flow, it was like trying to fly a fighter in combat, you have to have eyes in the back of your head and on the side, too, as cars can easily hide from you below the beltline of the truck and out of the mirror's view (no they are not doing it on purpose I am sure because their drivers don't want accidents either) so you have to learn to scan and anticipate and figure that someone will be just where you cannot see them.

Changing lanes in the city is another rather easy because there are few cars that really want to tangle with a full-sized SUV so they will make way for you most of the time. You will, of course, find the odd road-rager or two who won't move (source: author' experience) and the only way to handle them is to slow down and wait for them to pass you. Eventually, you will change lanes.

Turning Corners

Turning corners is another joy, especially in a city like Boston with its narrow downtown streets and a parking policy that was perfected with horses were still drawing vehicles and they could park all over the place. People double- or even triple-park in Boston and they always manage to do it at corners where you have to turn so sometimes just getting into a side street can require a maneuver worthy of the driver of an 18-wheeler. Then, just maneuvering down the street around other double-parked cars is a real challenge that can leave even an experienced driving sweating bullets.

Let's face it, SUVs are not for cities, they are for the suburbs where the lawns are green, the houses are oversized and the driveways are huge. There you have an excuse for an SUV -- you have to take the kids to school at the other side of town; you have to take the kids to soccer practice; you have to go shopping, you have to plow some snow (you can do that with the Navigator, but you will need a snowplow kit, plus heavy duty alternator, skid plate, heavy duty transmission cooler and the like, but we'll assume you're not using the Navigator, which has lots of fancy amenities, for just around-town cruising. Truly, most SUVs are never really used for their intended purpose, bashing around the woods and trails in search of adventure).

What A Hummer

Here's another example to show you that SUVs and cities don't mix. Some years ago, when Hummer was still a brand-new model, I had an extended test drive in one that took me all over New England. Now if there ever was a real SUV it was the civilianized version of the Army's Hummer. Now, that was an SUV.

The test version I was using at the time actually was little more than a repainted military version of the Hummer. It only had four places with a huge hump in between that served as the armored fuel-tank area, as well as the transmission and transfer case. The Hummer was a vehicle that came with dual 60-gallon diesel tanks; run-flat tires; power doors, locks and windows, automatic transmission, and four seating positions that all appeared to be armored.

In reality, it was little more than a black-painted version of the military vehicle and it even had the tire air-pressure monitoring/refill system. All it really lacked was the olive paint and a huge antenna.

At the time, I was working in field service for a major financial news service and I was working the desktop division so I was all over New England fixing things so this vehicle went from big cities to small towns and back again with regularlity.

When I had to part in Boston, it was on the bottom floor of a five-story underground garage because it was the only place large enough to park the five-ton behemoth. Just getting to the parking spot was an adventure in itself because the driving lane was just about large enough for the Hummer and this was a two-way lane. It was a good thing that when people saw me either coming or going they tended to wait until I passed. Every time I took the Hummer down the ramp and up again my heart was in my mouth as there was absolutely no visibility and when it was on the road, it was certainly surefooted, even when an 18-wheeler swept by at speeds that would have other SUVs swerving sideways, but it handled like a beached whale (it wasn't very responsive, but it eventually did move and when it did it was surprisingly maneuverable, once it decided to leave beached whale mode).

Garages A Tight Squeeze

Because it was so big, very few drivers ever challenged it on the road, although finding a parking space in a public lot was a chore (they don't make things big enough for land yachts like this one) and finding a space a the curb was nearly impossible. This type of SUV and a city are really not suited for a good marriage.

Even the mid-sized SUVs such as the Ford Explorer or the Chevy Blazer had their issues, although they were much more traffic and parking friendly and therefore could survive in the city. The only problem is that because city driving tends to be short-haul, the mileage was poor and since Boston has one of the best rapid transit systems around you really don't need an SUV because if you live in the city, the chances are you're going to take rapid transit or a taxi to get around and the SUV is going to do nothing for you, but it will cost you money in insurance, payments and garaging rent (at the time we worked consistently in the city monthly garaging rents were in the $325 range, who knows what it is now).

If you really need an SUV in the city now, you might try a crossover like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, which are both based on auto chassis and are actually front-drive cars until the intelligent drive systems tells them otherwise as the traction changes as each wheel and the sensor system tells it to move power around, thus lighting off the all-wheel-drive (source: manufacturer's brochures and author's experience).

Conclusions

So there you have it, the city and the SUV are not a great match because of:

• Parking issues
• Size issues
• Cost issues -- payments, higher insurance, high mileage
• Usage issues -- very little

  There's really no way you can justify these issues, unless, of course, you make a living that let's you afford them, then you can buy any vehicle you want. If you are living in a city today and need a vehicle, consider one of the new micros like Ford's upcoming Fiesta, or maybe even the Smart.

  (Source: author's experience as an automotive writer/reviewer for more than 30 years)