domfjbrown said:
What size is it? Same size as a car, or the size of a minibus? If Transit sized, I feel Lhatkins' comments are fair game. If not, fair play
Strangely and somewhat surprisingly it is only a couple of mm longer and a couple of mm wider than the Audi A4 cabriolet that it is replacing! And the Honda is a biggest of the so called soft-roaders.
Another interesting comparison is that the Audi (2.4) is atrocious on fuel, averaging mid 20s mpg (despite not being particularly quick) and has high >200 g/km CO2 emissions. On top of this, with the hood up it is bordering on dangerous to reverse (and Audi don't see fit to put parking sensors on it as standard) – you can see absolutely bugger all – if there was a child behind you well, it doesn't bear thinking about.
So, the A4 is being replaced by a more environmentally friendly, safer vehicle and yet I'm sure you'd be more likely to get stick driving the CRV around London than the A4.
And when you think about it, with our weather, is there really a need for the number of cabriolets/convertibles on the roads – aren't they as much of an unnecessary display of wealth as 4x4s are? Don't they generally burn more fuel and are heavier than is really necessary? Aren't they unsafe for other road users and pedestrians when they are being reversed?
In fact, one could argue that in a country with our weather, a 'sensible' 4x4 might be more of a logical choice than a cabriolet!
The thing is though, we so say live in a country of free choice so if you want to spend your dosh on a sports car, a cabriolet or a 4x4 you can do it as long as you are happy to pay the extra cost in purchase price, fuel and road tax.
lhatkins said:
My problem with 4x4's isn't their environment impact, its their safety, or rather lack of, even if the vehicle is safe, it gives the driver a false sense of security and they pay less attention to the world around them, than if they would in a normal car.
They are also wider than a car, so when stuck in traffic its impossible to pass them if your on a bike (motor or otherwise).
Sorry but I just don't buy that. I can't imagine that I will be less attentive to the road driving the CRV than I am be when driving my car – in fact I would have thought I will be more attentive if anything as I may be able to see a bit further ahead – I'll report back on that one though. To me, an inattentive driver will be just that regardless of what they are driving.
It's also worth pointing out on the safety front that some 4x4 manufacturers (and I think Honda are one of them) are now building their vehicles with a lower strength point (or whatever it's called) so that they don't 'ride over' the lower vehicle (i.e. the car). Having said that riding over can happen with two cars with different heights and even if you take two identical cars and load them differently one can ride over the other!
On the width issue, you are falling into the trap I mentioned of lumping all 4x4s into the same category. A RAV4 is no doubt has a much smaller footprint than most executive saloons. A Nissan Patrol however is a monster an pretty inappropriate for urban motoring. Putting a Patrol and a RAV4 in the same category is a bit like doing the same with a Fiesta and a 7 Series!
Matt.