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Five reasons why a saloon car is a better choice than an SUV

Thinking of buying an SUV? Here is why you should buy a saloon car instead....

3y ago
58.2K

Today in 2018 there is a new king of the hill in the car world, the very tall and wide SUV. Like never before Britain is buying them faster than essential supplies at the first sign of a light flutter of snowfall.

Literally, the roads of the UK are besieged with the things. If you take a quick glance at the top ten selling cars in the UK it makes for grim reading with five of the places going to SUVs. With the remainder being a mixture of small hatchbacks with one notable inclusion, a single glimmer of hope in the form of a saloon car.

A saloon car, or a sedan as America calls it....

A saloon car, or a sedan as America calls it....

Having spent a couple of thousand miles with the brilliant Mazda 6 Sport Nav saloon during my recent tour of most of Scotland, I found it properly good to drive covering every obstacle I threw at it with ease throughout my time with it.

Here are five reasons why you should be a bit alternative and buy a saloon car instead of an SUV.

Tall things are not meant to be sporty

Not sporty at all.....

Not sporty at all.....

On the list of things the world has no need for, an SUV racing is thankfully well up there. The reason for this is that usually, things that are very tall and wide are generally not very sporty at all.

I know this because I am freakishly tall myself and failed at every sport I’ve ever competed in.

This is why when driving certain SUVs, you are greeted with generous amounts of body roll and handling that is best described as ‘somewhat un-amusing.’ While a majority of saloon cars are not exactly setting the world on fire in the handling stakes, at least they drive like a proper car should. As after all, a lower centre of gravity is a substantial advantage when it comes to tackling the twisty stuff.

Saloon cars are better to look at than SUVs

A very pretty view, and some Scottish mountains....

A very pretty view, and some Scottish mountains....

The first and biggest gripe about the SUV is the way they look. Most carmakers have a habit of lopping the front off a perfectly good saloon or sports car before then grafting it onto a bodyshell with the dimensions of a small cottage in the Cotswolds.

Not their best work if I'm honest.....

Not their best work if I'm honest.....

Using the first generation Porsche Cayenne and 911 of the era as a yardstick, you get this look that reeks of merely hacksawing the face from one car onto a much more substantial body creating an abomination in the process.

You don’t need more space or that third row of seats, not now, not ever

No, you don't need them....

No, you don't need them....

Whenever I talk to people who are feeling slightly smug having bought an SUV, they always bleat on about the same reason for buying the thing like “we like the high up point of view” or “the load space is huge” or the most infuriating one of all “we need the third row of seats in case one of our offspring brings a friend on a road trip.”

Tackling the first point, sitting high up is not an advantage unless you’re not very at the business end of driving, for example, when was the last time you needed stilts to walk through a snug gap.

The load space point does carry some weight, but all saloon cars have pretty cavernous boots in which you can carry many things. Or alternatively, you could just carry less stuff around with you in the first place.

As for the ultimate cliché of needing the third row of seats, for the many decades before this became a thing the world survived just fine. I mean, some slightly upset children didn’t get to take a friend on a road trip, but they made it through just fine all the same.

Less weight equals more speed and cash

Using a UK best-selling carmaker as a yardstick to compare their top spec SUV against the direct saloon model, there is almost a 200kg difference in kerbweight, which is like driving around with your family in the car on a permanent basis.

All of this excess heft combines with the cottage style aerodynamics for another slight issue, speed, or the lack of it. Picking on the same pairing, the saloon manages the sprint to 62mph in around 8.0 seconds, with the SUV version taking some 10.3 seconds. Both use the same engine and drivetrain with the saloon winning by some margin.

Lastly, we get down to the final and most crucial point, the cost. Here the saloon wins hands down coming in at just over £26k, with the SUV weighing in at some £31k. Meaning that SUV buyers are paying more money to get less performance and worse fuel economy, which is ever so slightly insane.

Buying a saloon car in 2018 means, you’re in the minority, which is a good thing

A saloon car meaning you did good when making a choice......

A saloon car meaning you did good when making a choice......

The final and most depressing fact about 2018 car sales is that if you buy a saloon, you will be in the minority. Think of it like you will be driving something that’s a little bit different from the herd, a little bit quirky because you didn’t do the same as everyone else by buying a big tall, wobbly SUV which is a very good thing.

So, what are your thoughts on saloon versus SUV debate? Would you pick an SUV over a saloon? Or would you not be seen dead in an SUV? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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Comments (61)

  • In a world where estates (cargo space), saloons (handling), and minivans (people moving) are all things, an SUV is completely unnecessary. Any one of the above can do anything an SUV claims to do, and better. Plus they have worse fuel economy than...well, literally everything. And considering that most SUV-buyers hardly take it any further off-road than accidentally clipping a grass strip whilst trying to pull out of the supermarket, I for the life of me cannot begin to understand their appeal, and I don't think I ever will.

      3 years ago
  • Have never needed an SUV, and never will. When my kids were at home we had station wagons. Far better than fake 4 wheel drives.

      3 years ago
  • Short answer: insecurity.

    I'll spare everyone my long-winded thesis, but it involves the media, one-upmanship and marketing.

      3 years ago
  • What I really hate are the new "mini SUV " such as Mazda CX2/3. Totally pointless. Cost more, use more fuel but have less performance and less space.

      3 years ago
    • So do I look at a ford ecosport and laugh at it. If I was to buy a 4x4 off road thing it would be a proper 4x4 or a Audi All road or similar(fiat panda 4x4). I will say one thing though my dad has a Honda CRV and we go pheasant shooting over here in the uk...

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        3 years ago
    • I have to agree, not that great on road, useless off-road. Just a way of sitting up high while wasting more fuel while everybody hates you.....

        3 years ago
  • Most annoying excuses by school run mums when buying these things, “It’s safe for my children”, “I can get 2 weeks shopping in it” & “I can get my dog in it”. No! You do not need a 4x4 for any of these reasons! Buy a Volvo estate instead then!

      3 years ago
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