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Compare 4WD Sport Utility Vehicle SUV: Trailers
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Published: September 6, 2007
Sedans and coupes get by just fine, but for some extra storage – and extra playfulness – a lot of drivers opt for a sport utility vehicle. Sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, are bigger versions of four-door cars. With a raised platform, they give their drivers greater visibility as well as more storage than the usual sedans.
Sport utility vehicles don't come in one look or style, and the variations available prove satisfactory for many personalities.
Sport utility vehicles are sometimes built on the chassis used for trucks and, as a result, the two terms – trucks and SUVs – are often used interchangeably. The chassis for trucks is common, but some are built on the chassis for cars. Many SUVs are referred to as trucks regardless. Certain countries refer to SUVs as four wheel drives, or 4WDs, although this term originated from the two-differential drive train system that lets the engine give power to all four wheels at the same time. Not all SUVs have 4WD, however, so the terms aren't completely interchangeable. The Mazda Tribute sport utility vehicle, for example, uses front wheel drive as opposed to the common 4WD.
Like compact cars, sport utility vehicles vary wildly in price. There are luxury sport utility vehicles as well as more stripped down, economic models. However, the customer will likely end up paying more than they would for a sedan, no matter where they get their SUV. The Mazda Tribute sport edition has a starting MSRP of $19,495, while the grand touring edition is listed at $25,115. That is inexpensive for a sport utility vehicle; other types go higher. The most basic version of the 2008 Audi Q7 sport utility vehicle starts at $42,500. Their website insists on no compromises, and that goes for the price as well.
Sport utility vehicles have their drawbacks. As a rule, sport utility vehicles are as thirsty for gas as their drivers are for adventure. It's a simple rule about cars; the bigger the engine, the lower the fuel economy. An eight cylinder engine will burn up more gas than a four cylinder, and SUV's don't often come under six cylinders. They need the power to get moving on the roads, but that means their owners end up stopping at the gas pump more. The Mercedes-Benz GL 320 CDI comes with a rating of 20 city miles per gallon and 25 on the highway; compare that with the Honda Civic that gets 30 city miles and 38 per gallon on the highway.
The large size of sport utility vehicles sometimes prohibits where they can go – and owners may not even know it. On the streets of California, some of the bulkiest sport utility vehicles aren't allowed on residential streets; in famous west coast cities like Santa Monica and Pasadena, any vehicle exceeding three tons is banned from driving down every residential street with no exceptions. Vehicles over 6,000 pounds can't go down certain smaller streets, but due to the lack of a big announcement, some drivers aren't even aware of these laws. Many SUVs, like the Lincoln Navigator or Toyota Sequoia, meet or exceed this 6,000 pound mark.
If the storage of the average SUV isn't enough, the towing capacity of sport utility vehicles means they can easily haul trailers behind them. SUV owners can buy trailer hitches from stores like JC Whitney. JC's website sells pintle hooks, with 15,000 pounds of towing capacity, for pulling along trailers ($83.99).
For drivers that like to feel bigger on the roads, and want to take more with them, sport utility vehicles are out there to suit their needs. Whether they are going off-roading or want to ride luxuriously in a larger fashion, plenty of drivers find SUVs to be the answer to their needs.
Sources:
Bowers, Andy. “California's SUV Ban.” Slate.com. 11 Aug 2004. Newsweek Interactive Co., LLC. 29 Aug 2007. http://slate.com/id/2104755/
2007 Honda Civic Sedan, 8 Trims Available. Yahoo!Autos.com. 2007. Automotive Information Center. 29 Aug 2007. http://autos.yahoo.com/honda_civic_sedan/
Nice, Karim. How Four-Wheel Drive Works. HowStuffWorks.com. 1998-2007. How Stuff Works, Inc. 29 Aug 2007. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive2.ht m
2008 Tribute. MazdaUSA.com. 2007. Mazda USA. 29 Aug 2007.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/static/modelsMai nTRB.html
The 2008 Audi Q7: No Compromises. AudiUSA.com. 2007. Audi of America. 29 Aug 2007.
http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/new_cars/Audi _Q7.html
Pintle Hooks. JCWhitney.com. 2007. JC Whitney. 6 Sept. 2007.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/SUV-Pintle-Hook-Ball-Hi tch/600007238.jcw
Sport utility vehicles are sometimes built on the chassis used for trucks and, as a result, the two terms – trucks and SUVs – are often used interchangeably. The chassis for trucks is common, but some are built on the chassis for cars. Many SUVs are referred to as trucks regardless. Certain countries refer to SUVs as four wheel drives, or 4WDs, although this term originated from the two-differential drive train system that lets the engine give power to all four wheels at the same time. Not all SUVs have 4WD, however, so the terms aren't completely interchangeable. The Mazda Tribute sport utility vehicle, for example, uses front wheel drive as opposed to the common 4WD.
Like compact cars, sport utility vehicles vary wildly in price. There are luxury sport utility vehicles as well as more stripped down, economic models. However, the customer will likely end up paying more than they would for a sedan, no matter where they get their SUV. The Mazda Tribute sport edition has a starting MSRP of $19,495, while the grand touring edition is listed at $25,115. That is inexpensive for a sport utility vehicle; other types go higher. The most basic version of the 2008 Audi Q7 sport utility vehicle starts at $42,500. Their website insists on no compromises, and that goes for the price as well.
Sport utility vehicles have their drawbacks. As a rule, sport utility vehicles are as thirsty for gas as their drivers are for adventure. It's a simple rule about cars; the bigger the engine, the lower the fuel economy. An eight cylinder engine will burn up more gas than a four cylinder, and SUV's don't often come under six cylinders. They need the power to get moving on the roads, but that means their owners end up stopping at the gas pump more. The Mercedes-Benz GL 320 CDI comes with a rating of 20 city miles per gallon and 25 on the highway; compare that with the Honda Civic that gets 30 city miles and 38 per gallon on the highway.
The large size of sport utility vehicles sometimes prohibits where they can go – and owners may not even know it. On the streets of California, some of the bulkiest sport utility vehicles aren't allowed on residential streets; in famous west coast cities like Santa Monica and Pasadena, any vehicle exceeding three tons is banned from driving down every residential street with no exceptions. Vehicles over 6,000 pounds can't go down certain smaller streets, but due to the lack of a big announcement, some drivers aren't even aware of these laws. Many SUVs, like the Lincoln Navigator or Toyota Sequoia, meet or exceed this 6,000 pound mark.
If the storage of the average SUV isn't enough, the towing capacity of sport utility vehicles means they can easily haul trailers behind them. SUV owners can buy trailer hitches from stores like JC Whitney. JC's website sells pintle hooks, with 15,000 pounds of towing capacity, for pulling along trailers ($83.99).
For drivers that like to feel bigger on the roads, and want to take more with them, sport utility vehicles are out there to suit their needs. Whether they are going off-roading or want to ride luxuriously in a larger fashion, plenty of drivers find SUVs to be the answer to their needs.
Sources:
Bowers, Andy. “California's SUV Ban.” Slate.com. 11 Aug 2004. Newsweek Interactive Co., LLC. 29 Aug 2007. http://slate.com/id/2104755/
2007 Honda Civic Sedan, 8 Trims Available. Yahoo!Autos.com. 2007. Automotive Information Center. 29 Aug 2007. http://autos.yahoo.com/honda_civic_sedan/
Nice, Karim. How Four-Wheel Drive Works. HowStuffWorks.com. 1998-2007. How Stuff Works, Inc. 29 Aug 2007. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive2.ht m
2008 Tribute. MazdaUSA.com. 2007. Mazda USA. 29 Aug 2007.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/static/modelsMai nTRB.html
The 2008 Audi Q7: No Compromises. AudiUSA.com. 2007. Audi of America. 29 Aug 2007.
http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/new_cars/Audi _Q7.html
Pintle Hooks. JCWhitney.com. 2007. JC Whitney. 6 Sept. 2007.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/SUV-Pintle-Hook-Ball-Hi tch/600007238.jcw
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