I need an SUV. Looking for recommendations.

Hey, put down those pitchforks, I'm serious here!

About two years ago my wife and I made a decision, primarily for social reasons, but also for economic ones, to trade in our gas guzzling Durango for a far more efficient and cleaner burning minivan (we have 3 kids and a large extended family, so a roomy vehicle was a must). We no longer owned our vacation home in the Sierra's (the money for that evaporated when B**h nuked the Clinton Economy), and we determined that our small single horse trailer could easily be pulled behind a minivan, so it seemed that there was really no reason to keep the SUV any longer.

That all changed yesterday. We were taking our horse to the boarders yesterday evening when the weight of our trailer broke the backend of the minivan loose on a curve. The trailer went sideways and tipped, and as it skidded into oncoming traffic a car with three people in it had to swerve off the roadway and into an orchard to avoid it. All told, we got lucky...the trailer is a wreck and the van took some damage to the backend where the hitch tore loose, but the oncoming car missed the trees (by only inches apparently) and the horse escaped with just a little roadrash...and a new fear of horse trailers (she had to be tranquilized to get her into the new trailer to haul her away). The CHP officers were very clear on one thing though: I cannot haul my horse trailer behind my minivan any longer. Unlike SUV's, minivans have "car" suspensions that are too soft and aren't built for real work. When the trailer started to lean, the suspension was simply too loose to keep it under control. He laid it out to me quite clearly...if I want to tow, I need an SUV or a truck.

Since a truck isn't an option, I need an SUV (you may jeer and throw tomatoes here)(are you done yet?)(ok, lets move on). I still have the same environmental and social concerns as before, however, so I am NOT interested in some massive compensatory vehicle like a Hummer or an expedition. What I am looking for is recommendations on GOOD, FUEL EFFICIENT (relatively, I realize), DURABLE SUV's that can pull a light trailer (2500lbs loaded) on occasion. I can go out onto the web and read the technical specs of the various smaller SUV's, but I'm curious to know whether there are any favorites, especially from an environmentalists standpoint.

You have a legit need for an SUV, yet are feeling guilty about getting one. Here's the perfect solution for you, get an SUV that has a diesel engine in it, and power it with biodiesel, either made by yourself or purchased at a local retailer. Not only will biodiesel be easier on your wallet, and much easier on the envirmoment, but it is a lot better for your engine too.

I'm not sure what model SUVs have diesel engines, but I'm sure you could find out with a little research.

Sorry about your bad scare, but glad to hear everybody, including the horse, is OK.

We're talking Suburbans and Expeditions.

Small SUVs don't have diesel options available. I don't know why.

To the OP: Forget compact SUVs like Escapes and CR-Vs. They aren't built for the kind of work you're going to do with them. You've got to have a rig AT LEAST as big as a Ford Explorer.

The first two rigs I'd look at are the Honda Ridgeline and the Nissan Titan four-door. Both will carry your kids. They'll tow your trailer, and they're big enough to move sheet goods from the lumberyard.

The next rig is what I'd actually buy: Chevy Tahoe. What you need is great weight on the ground without great size, and that's Tahoe in a nutshell. Yup, even with OnStar I'd get a Tahoe--I know how to pull fuses.

I'd also look real hard at the Dodge Durango. You already had one, so you know what they're like.

In the Japanese SUV category, the Toyota FJ Cruiser might be big enough; otherwise, you're looking at trucks like Honda Pilots and Toyota Land Cruisers.

If you want size, get the Highlander Hybrid. It gets 28 mpg, which isn't great, until you factor in that it's a mid-sized SUV that can do anything it's gas guzzling sister can do. It seats 8 comfortably and has next to 0 emissions.

Also, if you go straight gas, the Honda CRV isn't bad either. It's a small SUV, and also gets about 28 mpg.. It only seats 5 comfortably, but it does have 4wd.

The CRV gets high gas mileage because Honda ingeniously crafted a large, powerful 4 cylinder engine. It runs well and the car has decent storage capacity, but I don't know how much torque the engine produces.

28 mpg seems a bit high for me. I have an '03 Honda CRV and I say it gets between 22 and 26 mpg, depending on whether I've been driving on the highway.

But if you can spring for a hybrid, I'd go with that Highlander hybrid. :D

And I would argue that the CRV gets high milage because IIRC it is essentially a high up civic, that is built on the same platform as the civic. So for about 10 mpg worse mileage you get a higher car and a wagon-style rear hatch

Which gives it more stability... but it sure takes the utility out of "sport utility vehicle." It's an SUV for city drivers and casual outdoorists... like Mr. Writer and myself. :)

Best of both worlds, car milage with SUV-style cargo space

Cute-Utes tend to be built more like minvans and not trucks.

Go to www.consumerreports.org and buy a one month online membership for $5. Then you can research their reviews and performance ratings of new and used vehicle makes and models. (Don't forget to cancel your membership when the month is up, or I believe it will automatically renew for the next month.)

I signed up for 2-3 months when we were buying our appliance-less house. It made all the difference - I felt like I knew what I was looking for when we finally went appliance hunting.

maybe you can look into that.

Although I know people are doing it.

The dual electric engine gives you wayyyy enough torque to tow things.

Being as its part electric, you get much more torque than the gas version.

I know people who've traded in Escalades and Suburbans because they didn't have enough tow capacity or they had a trailer accident due to lack of tow vehicle stability. They bought full size, heavy duty American trucks.

Unless you purchase a Brenderup (or similar European trailer) you must have an adequate and safe tow vehicle with a complete equine tow package (usually requires electric brakes).

The OP MUST contact the trailer manufacturer for a recommendation for a SAFE tow vehicle and a tow package.

Horses can be very dangerous to tow and one must exercise extreme caution in both choice of tow vehicle and trailer and maintenance of both, not to mention training the horse to safely load and travel.

Link to book on trailering: https://store.primediamags.com/shop/equine/viewProduct/pm_id/7560

:thumbsup:

The weight is dispersed differently. A full size truck would be perfect for the job.

I'm getting a Diesel powered Chevrolet Silverado, 3/4 ton, extended cab.

I understand what you're saying, but I never had any kind of problem until we switched to the minivan. I used to tow my single horse trailer, and on occasion a borrowed two horse trailer, behind my Durango without any issues whatsoever. Before that, I pulled them behind my Bronco without any issues either.

I should point out here that I RARELY tow my horses at highway speeds, and never take them on the freeway. Where I live, I can take my horses all the way up to Yosemite without ever seeing anything wider than two lanes. If I were pulling my horses down the interstate I'd tend to agree with you, but for the towing I do it really isn't an issue.

Oh, and we did have electric brakes on the trailer. I'm already planning on having most of the system removed from the old trailer and reinstalled into the new one.

and interstates at highway speeds. Georgai Dept. of Trqansporation is the most powerful agency in the stae. We have freaking high speed, highwyas within 20 minutes of almost everywhere. People here drive like they're at a NASCAR event and there is more and more traffic in our area of NE GA.
Your experiences sound much more relaxing than ours!

Ah! Riding in Yoemite sounds wonderful! Happy trails to you! :)

mileage.

I know it's hard to believe, but I've gotten as much as 21 mpg with a dodge 3500 series diesel. I get 18-20 regularly.

Buy one with high mileage, say 150K or so, to save money, and you still have a vehicle that can easily go 200K miles more.

And you can burn bio-diesel, if you can find it.

No matter how fat Trigger gets, you can still pull him with ease.

Or, is it an American made one-horse trailer?

A Brenderup is not inexpensive, however, it is made to be pulled by sedans and small SUVS like those sold in Europe.

Is your equine a warmblood or very tall horse who requires the taller trailer (7.5')? A Brenderup is made for large warmbloods. The trailers come in two-horse and one horse models.

I'm so glad your horse is OK. I know someone who had a trailer accident. They were hauling two warmbloods with a Tahoe. The trailer fishtailed and flipped on its side after being caught in the wind/draft of an oncoming tractor tailer rig which passed by them at high speed. These folks traded up to a Dually.

Can you possibly lease or borrow a Ford F150 or a Chevy 2500HD when you need to trailer the animal? Or do you need to trailer more often?

You need to check out both the towing capacity of the vehicle and the trailer requirments. You need a tow package. Please check out equisearch.com for more information on trailering.

I'm glad y'all are OK.

edit: IMHO, trucks are safer than SUVs for hauling equines or livestock. Another poster suggested a used, higher mileage diesel, full size truck. Make sure it has a towing packing and determine the rating and compare the rating to the trailer requirements. You need elctric brakes too. You can have that wiring installed if the vehicle doesn't already have it. Practical Horseman magazine had an excellent article on safe trailering recently. Equisearch.com may have the article archived.

edit: Links: http://special.equisearch.com/buyers_guides/trailers/

www.brenderuprealtrailers.com (They sent me a free DVD about the tralers!)

The old one was actually a WW, but the fire department conveniently cut it into recyclable scrap to get the horse out (seriously, hats off to them, they did a wonderful job ). She's at the vet's right now, and while I was there he offered me a Featherlite he doesn't use anymore. He pulled it behind his Suburban for almost ten years without any problems, and it's really hard to beat the price ($1500, and it just needs new tires and a repack on the bearings).

I do have two horses, and I'm probably trailering them three or four times a month this time of year, so borrowing or leasing really isn't an option. I've already considered buying a truck just for use with the horses, but honestly three or four uses a month really isn't often enough to justify having a vehicle dedicated for that.

My friends and their very large TB-Percheron cross and Holsteiner mares survived an awful accident while hauling a two horse, straight load, bumper pull trailer with a Suburban. It began to sway and flipped over after being buffeted by a passsing tractor traialer truck (spitting the horses out the top and onto the road.) They had road rash and bumps and scrapes, but, by some miracle were NOT serioulsy injured. They sold the Suburbana and got a Dually.

:scared:

See this excellent article on tow vehicle - trailer capacity and also contact Featherlite to find out the exact tow requirements for your trailer and tow vehicle. http://www.floridahorse.com/trailertowing.html#QA

Good luck and be safe!

edit: Another good article: http://www.floridahorse.com/towingtrailer.html

Your story makes me glad I've always owned closed-top trailers. I've always done so because of the weather here (very hot in the direct sunlight), but the decision may have saved her life.

It's probably not a bad idea to contact the trailer manufacturer anyway. This particular trailer is a former show trailer, and it's almost all aluminum and very lightweight, but I have no clue what it was actually intended to be towed by.

under pressure from the horses being thrown against the roof when the trailer flipped on its side! The owners saw their horse slide across US 441!
:scared: It was a miracle they were all OK (people and horses.)

It would be a good idea to do a maintenance check on the trailer too so that any repairs can be made.
Used trailer info links:
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/trailering/usedtrailer_090204/index.html

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/trailering/eqchecklis448/index.html

Ugh. The fact that she was in the trailer for the whole slide was probably the only thing that saved her from serious injury. She only had road rash in the spots where her back was pressed against the vents. I may have to rethink that trailer if they fall apart so easily.

Oh, I did a search and did find a picture of the same style of trailer so you'd know what it is I'll be pulling. Mine is a couple of years newer than this one (has squarer windows), and isn't quite as pretty, but it's the same type.



I couldn't find a pic of the old one, but it was a smaller version of this:

Hope the mare is able to get over being spooked by the trailer. Must have been very tough on her.

It's a great vehicle and tows great as well. The mileage in town is around 18 and about 24 on the freeway, without a trailer. We have about 50K miles on it now and haven't had a single problem. It's pricey but we lucked out with the SUV tax incentive in 02'... I think? I've seen used ones going for decent prices though.

I've also driven a Lincoln Navigator, good SUV, horrible gas mileage. I'd stay away from Fords, I've heard of lots of problems with Explorers. Jeep Cherokees are death traps IMHO. I know two people that have had them roll when they shouldn't have. My insurance agent tells me the same thing. I'd love to reccomend the new Subaru B9 but I've owned two fairly new Subarus and the transmissions have both gone bad and Subaru hasn't done a thing about it. My 1995 Subaru though went 120K miles without any problems. I don't know much about the latest GMC/Chevy SUVs.

It sounds as if you were told by the cops that you need a truck or truck-based SUV. As such, I'm not sure that any of the small SUVs will be able to fill your need as they are basically tall cars, not trucks.

must have been a heart-stopping few seconds/minutes as you watched everything careen out of control.

I don't have any suggestions but am going to follow this thread b/c I'm going to be in the market for an efficient SUV soon, too.

I have a friend who has a Hyundai Santa Fe - not sure about the gas mileage, but I know she's very happy with it. Not sure about towing capacity, either. I think Hyundai just came out with a smaller version, the Tucson - but if you need roominess, that might not work for you. The suggestion to sign on to the consumer reports site is a good one, too, probably what I'll do once we get more serious about buying.

consider renting the type of truck you need for the occasion when you need to move the horses.

You will save a LOT of money in the long run if you only need to move the animals a few times a year.

You could get that Scion and just rent the big truck when you need to.

You will save yourself thousands of dollars.

Because there are people, for whatever reason, NEED to use an SUV or some other oversized vehicle. Who are we to judge them.

Perhaps you could do what my parents do (who need a Durango for use on my grandfather's home which we kept after he passed away) which is to have the SUV but make the second car in the family an economy one which can be used about town for everyday errands.

I'm not going to jeer the OP, because I really don't feel like it. Besides, I would like to own a small fishing boat someday, and wouldn't want to be jeered for it and its towing needs/ gas consumption. However, I don't think that the argument that people shouldn't be jeered because they need it is fulfilled in either circumstance. Neither a boat not a horse are necessary and neither are those things required to facilitate owning them.

that should be met simply for your own well being. I love to camp and spend most of the summer in the woods. I've always either backpacked into a lake or thrown the tent in the back of the car and hit the road. I've also gotten older and I'm plain tired of breaking camp in the wind and rain. With much reluctance I started shopping for a camper trailer. I didn't want to waste the fuel and I didn't want to tow something with a high profile as we have a lot of wind around here. I ended up buying a 20 year old HiLo that's only 14'long and sits 5' off the road when it's collapsed. My mileage is nearly the same and I don't even notice it when I'm driving. I love the thing and use it more than I anticipated. My point being is that you can fill your desires and still balance your lifestyle with your social beliefs.

a necessity is dishonest at best

Do we know what purpose is used for the horse? My Uncle has a pair of Plowhorses that he uses for farming instead of tractors. Although he is not Amish, he appreciates the throwback to the days when Horses were used for plowing & harvesting. Some of the land where he farms can be several miles away from where he lives PLUS horsee do require an occasional visit to the local vet as needed.

So thus there is not only a need for a larger, gas consuming vehicle PLUS a need for the horse.

:P

ridiculous

Any horse lover can tell you that we do indeed "need" them :)

Besides, I would argue that humans owe a social debt to horses. We built our civilizations on their backs, fought countless wars with them beneath us, and used them as poorly treated tools and transportation for countless thousands of years. Oh, and we destroyed their natural habitat while doing so. I believe that humanity owes a debt to the horse, and giving these two the use of my pasture and a good life is how I do my part to repay it.

That's how I'd justify it anyway :)

for my happiness and mental well being. I had to wait until I was 40 to get my own horse. I've never wanted anything more in my life than to have a horse. I can't explain the bond between horse and human. They don't have to let us ride them or pull carts yet they do! They served us for centuries in agriculture, sport, commerce and war. Now, they are companion and sport animals for the most part. We owe the horse so much! Without the horse, mankind would not have advanced and prospered.

I love my Cotton filly! :)

She's a beautiful horse, but I'm afraid that I'm not good enough to recognize breeds by sight. I have a Dun mare and an Appie gelding (not gelded by me, he was a rescue animal) and some days they ARE my sanity. That forced break every day, when I brush them down and feed them, gives me a chance to let the days stresses melt away. I couldn't imagine NOT having them at home, and I can't quite describe the hole I felt as I was running back to the trailer not knowing if she was alive or dead. That's not something I want to ever experience again.

Oh, and one truly amazing thing did happen during the accident that affirmed my faith and love in the horse. When I got to the trailer, it was tipped so far over that she was essentially on her back, and the rear of the trailer was so crumpled that there was no chance of getting her out. As you'd expect, she was panicking and kicking wildly trying to get out...until I stuck my head in through the vent and touched her head. Once she recognized me, she just relaxed and laid there staring at me. It was like she knew she would be OK once she saw me. In my opinion, few other animals have the intelligence to make realizations like that.

Horses know when you are trying to help them. They definitely read your body language. You told her it would be OK by touching her and she told you so by her look. It was a miracle! The emergency workers did a great job getting her out!

:hug: Hugs and pets to you and your mare from me and Cotton filly!

Cotton's sire in in the sig pic. She looks like him. They are Oldenburgs which is a German warmblood breed. Cotton just turned three years old in May. I can start riding her a little bit when she's four. (They grow slowly and longer than, for instance, paints or QHs.)

edit: Link to pics of Cotton. Do you have a picture of your horses?

I'm kind of old fashioned, and pretty much only shoot film :) I'll see about scanning and posting a few later.

BTW, is there an equestrian group here on DU? There should be!

Sorry, you could live without your horse. It's a luxury.

She is also a good source of organic fertilizer for my garden. She can pull a plow as well.

Nobody needs pets. Or art. Or books--beyond technical, job-related ones. Or more than two changes of clothes. Or TV's. Or music.

But you'll complain about someone else's interests.

If a horse is involved in your livelihood in some way, it becomes a need, no? Otherwise the same could be said about nearly everything. Nobody *needs* more than the most basic shelter, clothing appropriated to their enviroment, food and water. But the vast majority of Americans have far more than that.

(something like a Chevy Astro.) Unfortunately for towing you're generally not going to do any better with a car-based SUV thank with your minivan (the distinctions are largely cosmetic) and the truck-based models are the real losers when it comes to safety and milage (the ride is usuallp pretty shitty, too.)

Can you pick up a reasonably priced used SUV or pickup and use that for towing and something else for day to day or are you stuck getting one vehicle for all of it?

A friend of mine has an Expedition because like you she needed both towing capacity and passenger room (in her case for a couple, two kids and sometimes a few spares, plus three large canines) and it rides better than most and is surprisingly reliable for a Ford. If you're stuck with something in that size range (and it sounds like you may be) that's a decent choice but I'd look into the Suburban because the safety ratings are a little better and it's available in diesel. If it turns out you can go with a smaller car-based SUV I've heard nothing but good things about the Honda Pilot.

is critical. You must determine the towing requirements and then find a vehicle to pull it safely.

Have you contacted a horse trailer sales center or the manufacturer? They can recommend a tow vehicle with an appropriate tow package (special hitch, electric brakes and so on...)

More links:
http://equisearch.com/searchresults/?sitename=horses&scope=-&cs=&pg=1&terms=safe+trailering



edit: Excellent article on tow vehicles. Just because a vehicle may be capable of towing X capacity doesn't mean it's equipped to do so.
http://www.floridahorse.com/towvehicle.html

edit: Towing Tutorial form FLorida Horse.com: http://www.floridahorse.com/trailertowing.html

Great links!

Lighter, cheaper and more versatile than a passenger truck.

$3/gallon and the sky is the limit.

which are quite expensive.

Do you tow the horse trailer everyday?? You can find like a 10 year old SUV or fullsize van for just town maybe??

I'd not buy brand new, but maybe a year old (thereby recycling). You also might want to look into those smaller SUVs and find out which ones are also built on a (modified) car chassis.

Innovation? From GM? Whodathunkit! That's a cool idea though, since it provides full V8 power when towing, but falls back into electric mode for lighter duty and around town work. I'll be interested to see what the real world mileage is when those come out.

and we towed our boat for several years with it. Does your van have a factory equipped package like that? That could be the issue. I wonder if you could have it installed and thereby solve your problem.

Whatever you select, drive carefully! That must have been very scary.

The towing capacity is rated at 3800lbs, which on paper is more than sufficient to pull our horse trailer. The only thing we added was the electric trailer brake system and an auxiliary transmission cooler.

The problem with towing with the minivan is twofold. First, the back springs are very soft (to provide a nice ride). This works well for normal towing, but when something DOES go wrong, like a trailer starting to roll, the soft springs will offer little resistance and the van will tend to roll along with it (the guy behind us told me that he thought our van was going to roll too, until the trailer tore loose). The second problem, and the reason our trailer DID tear loose, is that minivans don't have a real frame like SUV's and trucks. The towing assembly usually attaches to the sheet metal in the floor, which isn't the strongest of bonds. Half of the assembly on the high side actually tore loose when the trailer broke free, and we're not sure at this point if it's even fixable. It's at the body shop right now, but I've already been told that when these break free they really can't be trusted again...there's not enough metal under there to safely weld them back into place.

Between the two, the van will never pull another horse again. I honestly don't even know if I want to trust my canoe trailer to it at this point (and it's only about 750lbs).

We don't tow the boat any longer, but I had no idea it was so unstable.

Hopefully you won't go through this again.

Not because it's your patriotic duty, but because the Japanese brands haven't figured out how to make trucks that do the things trucks sometimes need to do. AFAIK, most of the American trucks are available with diesels.

I have no make or model recommendations, but the Kelly Blue Book website lists specifications for all vehicles, new and older, including MPG and probably towing capacity. It's KBB.com.

Good luck!

I can;t speak to it's environmental impact (mostly because I'm busy here at work so I can only post short posts :-) ) but I do know that I've been impressed over the years with the ratio of capability-to-price.

You cannot go wrong for comfort, power, and reliability.

Also, before you rule them out completely, some of the big-assed domestic SUVs come in a diesel variant (Suburban, Excusrsion), and you can run them quite comfortably on BioDiesel. In fact, if you have a bit of land (and it sounds as if you do), you can MAKE your own biodiesel and get off the grid.

But personally if I were you I would look at some of the "crew-cab" pickups on the amrket. They're the ones with four doors and a full-sized back seat. The new ones are very comfortable, and, once again, (bio)diesel friendly.

They have the Diesel model so they run it on bio diesel and they love it. It is basically a Ford 250 with passenger room, but it is a little spendy.

Small enough to be a normal car, good wheel base, strong, 4x4, excellent in weather, good gas mileage, and they don't break down.

He needs a heavy duty, diesel truck or a heavy duty, 4x4 gas truck or maybe an extra heavy duty, full size Suburban with an equine tow package.

Towing horses is completely different than towing a non-live load. Horse are a live load. Their center of gravity is high off the ground and they shift and move around in the trailer. It's not like towing a boat or an equipment trailer.

My cousin owns a body shop. He gets people in all the time who've suffered damage to their cars because of improperly mounted hitches on frameless cars. Some aftermarket installers don't install the supporting metal plate that's usually recommended with such vehicles.

They're just not designed to handle it. Not only can the trailer stress the hitch (and the unibody), but the unibody is designed to flex within engineered tolerances during regular driving conditions (and in the event of a collision). Added weight and/or a tow-point can inhibit the flex in the unibody, resulting in tiny stress-fractures which reduce the lifespan of the vehicle, and can even cause the unibody's engineered crash protection to fail in he event of a collision or rollover.

From what I hear it's built with Toyota's technology.

The OP needs a truck because he (or is it she? I forgot, sorry...) is hauling an unusual load, namely horses.

For most of us the Escape Hybrid would be fine. My sister has one and says it's fine.

But what the OP REALLY needs is a Ford F650 or GMC TopKick 5500 with a crew cab, a diesel engine, a fifth-wheel horse trailer, and three more horses. :evilgrin:

It's in great condition, low miles, and we are (at least temporarily) becoming a 1-car family now that Mr. D has "seen the light". We no longer need it for its intended purpose, anyway, and Mr. D will do some time on public transportation to revive his car karma.

The 4-Runner has been completely reliable, and we recently got new brakes and tires. Only problem is some scratches on the driver's side where we park next to a stone wall. The interior is almost completely pristine, with one or two scratches on the interior wheel wells from a big heavy umbrella base. (long story)

It's a V-8, and has a trailer hitch. We're looking to sell it any time in the next two months.

PM me if you're interested.

...here's my $0.02: don't try for an all-in-one solution, because it will not be a good one. Keep your minivan for carrying the kids and buy a beater pickup with at least a V6 for hauling the horses. Otherwise you'll end up driving the massively overkill vehicle everytime you make solitary grocery store runs-- I mean, look at your REAL driving patterns. What proportion of the miles that you drive are with a solitary driver? With one passenger? With the whole family? Pulling a trailer? If you're trying to buy a single vehicle capable of dealing with the 1% of the time most extreme demands then you'll have to deal with it's economies-- or lack of them-- the other 99% of the time. For most folks, a better solution is an economical family vehicle for most driving, and a truck that stays in the driveway unless you need to haul.

on edit: if you're objection is that you want to carry the whole family along when you haul the horses, it's probably STILL more economical (and environmentally/socially responsible) to simply take both vehicles on those trips unless that's a really substantial proportion of your vehicle use-- one driver hauling the horses, and another carrying the kids in the family vehicle. The alternative-- a big SUV that can do everything at once-- will saddle you with it's costs of operation all the time. Even if you can afford it, the rest of us pay too.

I've got one and love it.

This is the first I've ever heard of a car suspension being softer than an SUV's. You can't go rock traversing with stiff springs.