Mentioned a few attributes of SUVs that are exceptionally convenient—for example, the narrow swing of their doors in crowded parking slots and the way their high-riding seats lift the driver above most headlight glare. From the scolding tone of letters from readers, you’d think I passed out how-to instructions for barbecued dog. ‘What is it about SUVs that turns otherwise amiable neighbors into scolding Mrs. Grundy’s?
One complainant, proselytizing in cramped longhand for his own preferences, had me nodding yes as he explained the joys of light weight and low center of gravity and the importance of keeping everything in proportion— too much power demands humongous brakes which leads to exaggerated tires and’ pretty soon you’ve concocted a Viper. Yes, yes! Then he said all his research turned up nothing on the market that approached the superb balance achieved by his own 1991 Ford Probe.
Whew. People know what they like, and they know that everybody else is wrong. This old magazine game still works the crowd as reliably as it did when I first put fingers to keyboard in, well; Honda wasn’t selling four- wheelers here yet. Car and Driver is about self-expression with cars. Once you get beyond trusty transportation—what’s a Corolla showing six figures on the odo cost, a few large?—your choice of what to drive really comes down to, “What shall I wear?”
