Other things you don't need an SUV for....

Off-road driving across Africa (the guys did it in 25 year old used RWD cars): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adkgoa1Eeug

Driving around work (in the smallest car in the world): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo

Top Gear = Best TV Show Ever

:har:

My 17 year old Mazda 323F gets about 30 miles/gallon. The Mini should be even better.
Welcome to European/Asian standards.

This is what my parents did:

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5034/70ewct7.jpg

9 passenger Porshe.

Our SUV is two wheel drive. :03:

You are right Schroeder, standards are different. The 78 Chevy Chevette 4 cylinder got worse gas mileage than todays SUV.


Maybe not as well loaded with people. The SUV I drive gets 21 mpg with everyone aboard.

Then don't buy one. And respect the fact that others do like them and will purchase them accordingly.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/268/talibanthumb.jpg

God I want a Mini so badly I hear Ak-47s fit inside them nicely.
Whatever I want a Mountianeer with rear seat DVD so my goats can watch movies and
I will be able to fit more AK-47s and all of you guys and tie my wife to the roof.
I want a Prius so I can be one with nature.
Who said that I am going to shoot whoever said that about the Prius!
Driver:Shut up and respect that I am choosing to drive this Toyo.:rotfl:

Gas mileage depends mostly on how and where you drive it, not really on how much is in it.

If I drive it like a madman and in a city with a lot of traffic, I could probably get it down to 20 mpg. But with pure highway driving I was comfortably above 40 mpg.

The nice thing about a stick shift car is that you have a lot more control over the mileage. If you want to have a bit of fun and burn a bit more fuel you can run up the revs (the Mini is a blast on highway onramps, especially if they have a few curves), but if you want to be economical you can save a lot of gas by short shifting and coasting in neutral down hills.

But like some others have said, it's mostly down to personal taste. My point was that people tend to exaggerate the flaws of small cars while overlooking a lot of their capabilities.

My beef with SUVs isn't really environmental. I just like cars, and I think driving should be enjoyable. I judge a car based on how it handles and how fast it can take a corner, and SUVs suck for both of those.

My last car was a '94 Ford Escort wagon. It got 32 mpg in town, and 44 on the freeway. With a whopping 88 horsepower (new - probably only 85 or less when I lost it), it could go from 0-to-60 in something less than a week. But it could haul band equipment, boxes of books and just about anything else I needed to carry. For speed and fun I'll stick with my Kawasaki (if I can ever afford to get the poor thing running again). My next car will probably be a van, as the Old Sailor's band is back together once again.

The Toyota Hilux pickup has its virtues as well, namely being completely indestructible.

Top Gear once tried to destroy one, and the results were pretty impressive.....

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uc4Ksz3nHM
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfZDtC9kjVk

Personally, I do not think about the planet, or my pocket, particularly, when I am buying a car. The main issue for me is whether I fit in it. I am 6' 4", and have been accustomed to living in a world designed for stunted midgets of 5' 11" and less. This means that about 80% of cars on the European market are quite simply too small for me to drive comfortably.

I have owned a SAAB for the past three years, and loved it. However as the new models are re-badged vauxhalls with really tacky interior trim I cannot go there.

So I am going for a Golf - plenty of room for the driver. So this time it is VW for me.

I have no issues with small cars. Hell, drove a Geo Storm for 5 years. I do hate stick shifts. Man, stop and go during rush hour. Talk about a worn out left leg from pumping that darn clutch pedal :-?


Storm:http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/...990419-480.jpg



Not a family car for sure.

I have never really understood the fascination folks have with large SUV/Hummer/large trucks. I often pose the question of inverse purportion, but seldom get anything more than a dirty look. :O:

I have owned a 32 mpg vehicle since 2000 and it runs just fine. I won't be replacing it anytime soon.

Does you Mini still have a carburettor? If not then you should leave the highest gear in while coasting. The injection system won't eject any fuel above a certain RPM level. If you go to neutral the RPMs will drop and the system will inject idle fuel to keep the engine alive.
BTW you can use your engine to support braking with that. Just shift one or two gears down (you should keep it within reasonable revs though;)). Saves plenty of brakes.:yeah:

You need to read the thread! Practicality for me and an SUV.