30 MPG SUV by GMC coming out this year

[cfg83]

elhigh -

Originally Posted by elhigh

I'm a regular commenter on Jalopnik - or was until our IT guy figured out how to add filters to the new server, fortunately it hasn't latched onto this site yet - and one thing I've come to realize, everyone seems to revile the SUV but that hasn't stopped people buying them.

So if it gets 30mpg, good. At least then the fools who buy SUVs that don't need them may do somewhat less harm than otherwise.

I'll agree to that, but I thought there was more under the hood :

The base model engine is also the fuel economy leader, a direct injection 2.4L four-cylinder engine with 182 HP mated to a six speed auto delivering 30 MPG in front-wheel-drive only trim.

I was hoping for a more techy hybrid design. Sounds like a tuned 6-speed. I wonder what the 6th gear ratio is? I think I'll call this a "GMC Terrain XFE".

CarloSW2

[theunchosen]

I think they are trying to make sure they own the future. The need to sink their teeth into our children, who if practice continues will think that MPG is some magic number about cars that doesn't mean anything.

Car dealers and manufacturers are like that Native American in Joe Dirt. The guy is selling snakes and sparklers. What 10 yr old boy wants a sparkler. We all wanted those mortars. . . and we wanted to shoot it AT something.

What non-daddy's boy brat doesn't want a car with equal space, comfort and far superior gas mileage and HP/tonne. I have to exclude daddy's boys because he probably pays for the gas(they think MPG is some mysterious quantity about cars). If it weren't for parents buying these monstrosities for their kids they would have died off. period.

Go to a college campus and count the percentage you see. Any campus. Now go to an office and count. pretty big difference.

[MadisonMPG]

Once again the US car makers have failed.

What 3 things are most important with gas mileage? (other than the driver?)
Weight, aerodynamics, engine efficiency.


If you are going to try to make an "SUV" make it shorter, but with the same ground clearance and blocked radiator vents delete the roof rack and put some 50PSI tires on it. Better yet, stop selling SUV's. No one needs them, no one. Even the best "SUV" makes for a shoddy truck. Half of everyone that owns them drives 80+mph and are by themselves. (amirite?) Not to mention the danger that 5'3" over privileged kids get when they're behind mom's 09 Suburban.

Done with my rant.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by elhigh

...everyone seems to revile the SUV but that hasn't stopped people buying them.

Oh? Looked at SUV sales figures lately?

[theunchosen]

Originally Posted by MadisonMPG

Half of everyone that owns them drives 80+mph and are by themselves. (amirite?) Not to mention the danger that 5'3" over privileged kids get when they're behind mom's 09 Suburban.

Done with my rant.

Some. . .uhm I'll be nice this time. . .female in a sorority in the Escalade her daddy bought almost smashed me as she cleared three lanes headed East on I-40. She was exiting to Sevierville/Pidgeon Forge and didn't even look.

I was keeping an eye on her because she almost clipped me as she left-"passed"(pushed) me.

It's days like that that make me consider driving my grand fathers dump truck and seeing if they like it. . .

. . .Load of sand at red light as she/he(brats come in both flavors) pulls right up on the rear plate. . .

Not all kids that are over-privleged are jerks. . .but if you can tell by driving near them, they are just under-responsible. Unfortunately none of them grow out of it. and they never grow out of the SUV thing either. . .It helps console them that all their friends are superficial and just as dumb as they are

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by theunchosen

Some. . .uhm I'll be nice this time. . .female in a sorority in the Escalade her daddy bought almost smashed me as she cleared three lanes headed East on I-40. She was exiting to Sevierville/Pidgeon Forge and didn't even look.

That sucks. :P

Why do we need cars that size?

[theunchosen]

There are uses for cars this size. I grew up in BFE and driving to pick up groceries is kind of a PITA. Our neighbors and I would carpool to school back and forth(three of them two of us one parent) and so very obviously mini-vans and SUVs are the only options.

There are three hills well over 100 meters long at very steep grades and serious drops on one or both sides. We also lived in the mountains and saw snow and ice way more often than most people. It was necessary to have a vehicle that could haul several people(six) lots of junk in rain or shine and be able to handle icy mountainous roads.

It made sense for us to have one. We used to also travel alot, my dad switched jobs frequently and we skipped around the east coast maintaining our house in Jonesborough. We would visit from NY/NJ and its 24 hours driving over the weekend. its nice to have plenty of space to spread out and do homework or whatever.

Thats what the engineers planned for it. Apparently they are meant to be glitterized and shatter people's windows when they roll by. I call the cops on that too. In TN if your speakers are audible more than 2 car lengths away it is considered disruption of the peace and its a 65 dollar ticket. No one does it on campus anymore ^_^ and they don't have competitions downtown either so. . .

[igo]

Hey 30mpg for a big brick isn't bad. Everyone bashed SUVs but, if you frequently need to move large objects a suv/ minivan/ van/ truck/ wagon is the way to do it.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by igo

Hey 30mpg for a big brick isn't bad. Everyone bashed SUVs but, if you frequently need to move large objects a suv/ minivan/ van/ truck/ wagon is the way to do it.

I don't think the cost would ever offset the benefits.

I mean you can get a 18mpg truck off of local CS for 3k all day.

Oh, if you're hauling human cargo, (not like that) you would be better off with a wagon.
Like a Volvo or something. Subaru might make a 6 passenger car too.

[theunchosen]

SUV= Sport Utility Vehicle. . . Dualsport= dirtbike. . .sport=dirt/mountainous in this context.

SUV are designed for handling really bad terrain(no PA roads don't count but in about 2 years they will). Minivans almost always get better FE than SUVs because they have a sloped frontal glacis instead of the Abrams A1 block.

If you need to haul stuff and you don't live where there is lots of snow or downed trees in your roads(frequently) SUV is a waste of your funds. If you do have those issues and you have several people and cargo(people and picking up groceries(family of four)) a Subaru is not really going to cut it. Yeah it can hold plenty of stuff and people, but when it takes you 30-45 minutes one way to pick it up you wanna haul more like 3 weeks of food stuffs.