Today's popular off-road vehicles spend very little time off-road
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Navigating muddy back roads. Crossing barren deserts. Climbing steep hills. Hauling your mountain bike home from a high-adventure weekend.
You could do all that in a sport utility vehicle.
But you would be the exception.
Area dealers report the fast-selling SUV to be underused as far as its off-road capabilities are concerned.
"They're not using them like they are built to be used," said Bruce Pingleton, Petro Brothers Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep & Eagle.
Dave Edwards at Rice Ford has buyers coming from all over the board. But for the most part the vehicles aren't seeing the greener, or muddier, pastures the brochures depict.
Edwards estimated the off-road use at less than 20 percent. He said the SUV is used for daily transportation and family use.
"They don't want to be interrupted," said Doug Shidler, a salesman at Max Capel Mazda Nissan, of the buyers of SUVs. Shidler explained that families generally buy the SUV because they feel a tremendous amount of security.
Buyers don't want the weather to interrupt their routine, but the price of some SUVs could interrupt regular heartbeats.
The new Lincoln model of the Ford Expedition in an Eddie Bauer version will run somewhere around $39,000. A Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Chevy Surburban can all fall into the $30,000-$40,000 range.
Several salesmen acknowledged the high prices of the SUV. One even pointed out that the SUV has become a status symbol.
Why spend an extra $10,000 for four-wheel drive capabilities you won't need?
Because it's cool.
"People are buying them because it's fashionable. They like them," said Patrick Furlong, an Indiana University-South Bend history professor who has studied the automobile's impact on society.
"They like the feeling of power, they like the idea that they can go through the snow even though they don't have to do it," he said.
Furlong said the current economy lets more buyers afford a large vehicle that costs a lot to operate.
Chances are, if you were shopping for a BMW in the '80s, in the '90s you've traded it in on an SUV.
"We're selling them to mainly a lot of professional people and families," said Pingleton.
"It's one of our best-selling items, along with the pickup truck," said Bob Petro of Petro Olds-Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac-GMC.
Petro said the SUVs tend to stand out. "These are different, more bold," he said, adding that a lot of the buyers are younger, more affluent or less traditional.
Jeremy Krise of Lakeland Chevrolet reports that the vehicles are hard to keep on the lot.
"The Tahoes and Suburbans, once we get them in, they are sold," said Krise. He said many times the vehicles are sold before they arrive. [[In-content Ad]]
Navigating muddy back roads. Crossing barren deserts. Climbing steep hills. Hauling your mountain bike home from a high-adventure weekend.
You could do all that in a sport utility vehicle.
But you would be the exception.
Area dealers report the fast-selling SUV to be underused as far as its off-road capabilities are concerned.
"They're not using them like they are built to be used," said Bruce Pingleton, Petro Brothers Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep & Eagle.
Dave Edwards at Rice Ford has buyers coming from all over the board. But for the most part the vehicles aren't seeing the greener, or muddier, pastures the brochures depict.
Edwards estimated the off-road use at less than 20 percent. He said the SUV is used for daily transportation and family use.
"They don't want to be interrupted," said Doug Shidler, a salesman at Max Capel Mazda Nissan, of the buyers of SUVs. Shidler explained that families generally buy the SUV because they feel a tremendous amount of security.
Buyers don't want the weather to interrupt their routine, but the price of some SUVs could interrupt regular heartbeats.
The new Lincoln model of the Ford Expedition in an Eddie Bauer version will run somewhere around $39,000. A Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Chevy Surburban can all fall into the $30,000-$40,000 range.
Several salesmen acknowledged the high prices of the SUV. One even pointed out that the SUV has become a status symbol.
Why spend an extra $10,000 for four-wheel drive capabilities you won't need?
Because it's cool.
"People are buying them because it's fashionable. They like them," said Patrick Furlong, an Indiana University-South Bend history professor who has studied the automobile's impact on society.
"They like the feeling of power, they like the idea that they can go through the snow even though they don't have to do it," he said.
Furlong said the current economy lets more buyers afford a large vehicle that costs a lot to operate.
Chances are, if you were shopping for a BMW in the '80s, in the '90s you've traded it in on an SUV.
"We're selling them to mainly a lot of professional people and families," said Pingleton.
"It's one of our best-selling items, along with the pickup truck," said Bob Petro of Petro Olds-Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac-GMC.
Petro said the SUVs tend to stand out. "These are different, more bold," he said, adding that a lot of the buyers are younger, more affluent or less traditional.
Jeremy Krise of Lakeland Chevrolet reports that the vehicles are hard to keep on the lot.
"The Tahoes and Suburbans, once we get them in, they are sold," said Krise. He said many times the vehicles are sold before they arrive. [[In-content Ad]]