Monday 22 September 2003

Speaking of SUVs... (see below), at a recent gathering in suburban New Jersey I noticed that nearly everyone else had arrived in an SUV. The drivers were overwhelmingly middle-aged married suburbanites with children. When one encounters a young, good-looking, city-dweller the chances are very high that he or she will be driving an inexpensive compact car of some sort. If you see an SUV in the distance but can't see the occupants because the glass is too heavily tinted, chances are that it is 35-year-old mom and two kids. A Suburu sedan, by contrast, is often occupied by a young single urbanite. How much longer can the popularity of SUVs continue? Many of the drivers are getting so old that their fragile bones really can't handle the stiff suspension and harsh ride over bumps (my 40th birthday is in a week and whenever I'm picked up from the airport in a BMW X5 or similar I can't believe how little isolation is provided from potholes, etc.; it is actually more jarring than landing the DA40 at 67 knots). So how is it that SUVs remain in fashion when 99% of the owners of SUVs are unfashionable? [Philip Greenspun Weblog] 11:52:10 AM