speaking of unavailable vehicles....

An irony is that most SUVs are too nice to really be used as a UTILITY vehicle. I was offered a cherry MDX a few years ago at a very reasonable price, but didn't take it. Why? It was too damn nice. I'm in construction and manufacturing. There's junk in my trunk more often than not. That's why I think that Honda f-----d up by billing the Ridgeline as a Truck and not a SUV. It's practically the only true SUV out there IMO. Honda also offers the Element, which can legitimately claim to be a SUV because of the way that its made and configured, but they never offered that with the larger motor that I'd prefer.

Which leads me to the dearth of real kickaround SUVs or wagons. Older Broncos, Suburbans, Troopers, 4-runners and such all were clearly converted trucks, whereas the current crop of SUVs all pose as some sort of luxury military vehicle that supposedly handles like a sports car.

So why no honest SUVs!

Get a Ridgeline and call it an SUV.

Slippery wrote: Get a Ridgeline and call it an SUV.

Good idea but I live in a congested urban area and am tired of large vehicles. My company has half-a-dozen trucks and vans, so I'd rather drive something more nimble as a DD. Thus am considering an Element, Sportcross or one of the Subaru XTs (although I really don't need AWD)

A number of my friends seem to be crazy about Avalanches for the reasons you stated. SUV/pickup hybrid with converting elements and a good tow capacity.

Apexcarver wrote: A number of my friends seem to be crazy about Avalanches for the reasons you stated. SUV/pickup hybrid with converting elements and a good tow capacity.

I'd forgotten about Avalanches, and I do like Chevy trucks, but the Avalanche is even bigger than my Dodge or the Ridgeline.

Because that's what people buy. Most guys in construction buy a truck, which is why you can get knockaround trucks. And you can put toppers on them if you need to cover the bed.

The only thing stopping you from using that MDX was the fact that you didn't want to. The interior was too nice. Well, I doubt you're going to find a single auto manufacturer that will apologize for that. Put a big Weather Tech mat in it and have at it.

Are you trying to tell me that the Cayanne isn't a real SUV?

There are still work truck editions of most large pick ups out there, but the reason the SUV has turned into a mall cruiser is simple. Manufacturers follow the money. They became popular with the mommy crowd who couldn't dare be seen in the vehicle the really need...i.e. a minivan...and started demanding their SUV have shiny wheels, 16 cupholders and power everything. That spells cha-ching for the manufacturer.

What about those Ford Transit Connect vans? They seem pretty roomy on the inside while not having too big of a footprint. I don't know much more about them though...

Can you bullet-point a short list of what kind of configuration you're looking for? Size, engine, # of doors and all that...

Klayfish wrote: There are still work truck editions of most large pick ups out there, but the reason the SUV has turned into a mall cruiser is simple. Manufacturers follow the money. They became popular with the mommy crowd who couldn't dare be seen in the vehicle the really need...i.e. a minivan...and started demanding their SUV have shiny wheels, 16 cupholders and power everything. That spells cha-ching for the manufacturer.

You are right, as is everyone in this thread. My post was more of a rant than a question. The fact is that the luxury add-ons have a higher profit margin than does the stuff that you actually need. Periodically we have a similar thread about decontented sports cars and sedans, so I was just extending that to SUVs as well. I would hope that a marginal manufacturer like Isuzu or what Kia used to be would see the gap in the market and try to exploit it, but manufacturers are nothing if not conservative. Witness Mazdas refusal to bring over their wagon version of the 6, or put a V6 in the RX8.

procker wrote: What about those Ford Transit Connect vans? They seem pretty roomy on the inside while not having too big of a footprint.

That's what I got when I was looking for the same thing that kreb seems to be. I got the wagon version so I can handle 5 adults fairly comfortably. But I can also use my ramps and ride my 30" Zero Turn mower up in to the back when needed.

First time I loaded it up was 3 adults and a washer and dryer. Next load was 40 3cu/ft bags of mulch.

Slippery wrote: Get a Ridgeline and call it an SUV.

Add a cap to the Ridgeline and you can have a SUV that can hold wet items in the bed-lined bed.

Same with Sport Trac:

Want more engine (V8)? Sport Trac Adrenaline

threads like this confuse me..

someone will say that they want a truck to do truck stuff- throw junk in the back and not worry about it, etc.. then later on they will clarify that they need something small- which means less junk will fit in the back.

if you are looking for new, then check out what GM has in their fleet section:

http://www.gmfleet.com/

they have an Equinox fleet crossover SUV that starts at $24k...

Ford, Chrysler, and every other manufacturer also sell fleet versions of most of their lineup, too.

It's too expensive for what it is, but the FJ Cruiser is very much a knock around SUV with it's rubber floor and very simple interior on the base model. Six speed manual and manual transfer case with full time 4wd.

while it has some wood and lots of leather.. if you peek behind the curtain on a Disco, you will find a very capable vehicle.

Heck, even the leather on the seats comes off for cleaning.. and as I have found, leather may be luxurious, but it holds up better than vinyl and feels cooler in summer and warmer in winter

Transit Connect gets my vote. Ford gets a minus one from me for not offering a manual transmission with it. If they made a manual version, i'd probably buy one without a doubt.