SUVs, are they a disease?

[sigurdi]

SUV = Sport Utility Vehicle, everybody agree the Model X will be sporty, and it is still a Vehicle when powered by electricity.
The only part that can be discused is the Utility in the name, it will be posible to have a towing hitch that should be able to pull the same as other cars in the same category. I asked Jerome if the X will match the pull of the EV category or the SUV, he replied we make cars and comparing with cars.

It have more luggage space than most cars in the same group, have AWD that looks like it is superbe to other convensional systems so yes I say it will be mine Utility Vehicle and a sporty one.
One thing I put a Question mark on, driving when it is water on the road, higher than a average rainy day.
It was a test of modern SUVs in Norway, X5, Q7, Landrover....., done in a ski slope, all of them got stuck before they even starter to drive up the slope, had to be pulled up by a old MB Gelender Wagen. ;-)
So the category as it has turned out the last years, Model X fits just fine, and will be a useful tool in the daily life, easy to get in/out from, space for all our gear, dog and kids and can even be used to pull a trailer with junk to the junkjard.
Model S is a Nice car, but not the car our houshold needs.
As Taxi Model S is a bit low, pøser people have problem to get in/out. X you just slide in and out, and what is better than a Taxi pulling up, the back door opens, you slide in and it takes of white the door closes. ;-)
I guess X will be the most popular all electric for Taxies in Norway. (Its already quite some Model S driving as Taxi)

 

[Earlian]

The Model X plays in its own league.

A category has to be found.
It isn't a van and it isn't a SUV.

Suvan? No. There should be a better cat-name.

WPE Wing Powered EV

XEV Crossover EV

.....

 

[mknox]

SUVs are really just today's station wagons. I think it's funny how station wagons have fallen out of fashion in North America, but "tall" station wagons have become immensely popular. I think as the population ages, taller vehicles are becoming more popular. Both my wife and a good friend don't really like my Model S because they find it hard to get in and out of. Same complaint about my Cadillac CTS as well, and it's because they find "cars", which sit lower, awkward so really isn't a complaint about my Tesla specifically. And I'll even confess that stepping in to and out of my buddy's Buick Enclave is a lot easier than getting in to and out of my own car. So it isn't always about the once-in-a-blue-moon trailer towing or off-roading that is often cited. There are folks who just find them more comfortable to drive.

 

[tga]

- be careful of the almost-non existent distinction between x-over and wagon. bmw is selling the x1 wagon by simply calling it a x-over. basically, "change the name, but sell the same body style."

Don't forget that BMW said for several years that they would never build an SUV, as it was antithetical to "The Ultimate Driving Machine".

Of course, they could not avoid the siren song of the almighty $, so they released the X5, but let marketing come up with the inane "SAV" designation ("sports activity vehicle") in some uber-lame attempt to save face.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Isn't it a lightboat of space and wonder? or something...

What it's like to own a Tesla Model S - A cartoonist's review of his magical space car - The Oatmeal

And no. cars are the disease. People are tall and (mostly) thin. I don't walk around laying down. I stand UP right.

Old cars from the 30s had it right. tall and skinny.... an old version of an SUV

modern cars, for whatever reason want us to lay back.

I'm not old, but damn do I hate getting in/out of cars.

I've waited this long for the X, I'll wait a bit longer...

I like cars, but I'll never own one. Have 3 "SUVs" in my driveway now.

ohh, and they all tow. You find me a "car" that can haul my 25' 6,000 lb boat lol.

 

[jerry33]

Before the mid-1970s, no one drove a truck (SUV although they weren't called that back then) unless they needed it for work or had a wilderness hobby. In the mid-1970s pollution controls and additional safety requirements came in for cars only. The earliest attempts weren't very good, so cars had less power, used more fuel, and were more expensive. I recall either an R&T or C&D cover that showed a pickup beating a Corvette. A lot of people then purchased what's now called an SUV because it was cheaper, more reliable, and had better performance. They discovered they liked being above the traffic (better visibility) and the cargo space was easier to access than the cargo space in a station wagon. (If you've ever tried to actually load a station wagon, you'll understand because most station wagon loading is pretty hard on your back.)

 

[tga]

Before the mid-1970s, no one drove a truck (SUV although they weren't called that back then) unless they needed it for work or had a wilderness hobby.

Also, remember that cars back then had a lot more "utility" then they do now, eliminating a lot of peoples' need for a truck/SUV.

When I was a kid, my parents had a full-sized Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (moon roof and all). It would seat 9, swallow multiple sheets of plywood at the lumber yard, and tow a 20+ foot boat.

Today, you need a truck or SUV for any of that.

 

[sigurdi]

Cant speek for others, here in Norway we have around 2.5 million cars total, and 1.1 million trailers.
When most housholds have two cars in average it will also include one trailer in average.
Model S will not get a tow hitch, because modify the back bumper area will alter the structure and give less protection of passager sitting in the back.
The Model X will be designed for the towing capability, and I belive it will be a even better Vehicle than Model S for long drives.
Not as fast and aerodynamic but sitting position, overview maks up for this.

 

[BerTX]

Model S will not get a tow hitch, because modify the back bumper area will alter the structure and give less protection of passager sitting in the back.

That is the first time I have heard this statement. The Model S hitch is added on to the rear of the car -- nothing is removed. I doubt there is any testing of a rear collision with the hitch installed, but I don't see how adding a piece of steel to the back of the car would decrease the protection significantly.

Maybe this was stated elsewhere and I missed it.

 

[chickensevil]

That is the first time I have heard this statement. The Model S hitch is added on to the rear of the car -- nothing is removed. I doubt there is any testing of a rear collision with the hitch installed, but I don't see how adding a piece of steel to the back of the car would decrease the protection significantly.

Maybe this was stated elsewhere and I missed it.

It is probably more likely that the suspension and maybe even the support frame wasn't designed to handle a load.

 

[sigurdi]

Jerome explained this on a closed session in Norway 7.01.15. (01.07.15 when month is first)
The initial question was about towing hitch capability on Model X. (If it would be best in the EV class og SUV - He did not give any numbers just clearified that Tesla made cars and compared itself with cars)
The follow up was if Model S can get towing hitch as a retrofit.
He did not say anything if they have tested it, just that it will not arive on Model S, because safety conserns of the passengers in the back.
He then explained about how altering on the design can give unknown consequenses.

 

[BerTX]

Jerome explained this on a closed session in Norway 7.01.15. (01.07.15 when month is first)
The initial question was about towing hitch capability on Model X. (If it would be best in the EV class og SUV - He did not give any numbers just clearified that Tesla made cars and compared itself with cars)
The follow up was if Model S can get towing hitch as a retrofit.
He did not say anything if they have tested it, just that it will not arive on Model S, because safety conserns of the passengers in the back.
He then explained about how altering on the design can give unknown consequenses.

Ha, I see.

This is perhaps a cultural misunderstanding. In this country, if he said he thought there would be no problem with adding the trailer hitch, then Tesla would potentially be responsible for ANY injuries resulting from a rear-end collision. All he is saying is that the testing has not been done to verify that there is not a safety issue, not that there IS a safety issue.

 

[sigurdi]

He told us a lot about structure strenght, and that it would be a safety issue, it is quite possible this is to have his and Tesla back but it did not sound like that.
He also explained that the same reason that other cars (not remember Model and type he mentioned) was not possible to get with tow hitch.
And clerified that Model S is not getting one.
In Norway you can Mount a tow hitch, but not legal to use it for anything else than cary a bicycle.

 

[Kofi]

While visiting Chicago it was interesting to see the number of brand new Escalades and Navigators in comparison to PHEVs. The big 3 still have a strong presence in the MidWest and South.

 

[mknox]

While visiting Chicago it was interesting to see the number of brand new Escalades and Navigators in comparison to PHEVs. The big 3 still have a strong presence in the MidWest and South.

At one point, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid got better City mileage than a Mini. Just checked the Canadian Fuel Efficiency listings and don't see anything for the hybrid Caddy for the current year, so perhaps it's been discontinued.

 

[BerTX]

At one point, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid got better City mileage than a Mini. Just checked the Canadian Fuel Efficiency listings and don't see anything for the hybrid Caddy for the current year, so perhaps it's been discontinued.

Discontinued in 2013.