Cart versus Car
First a little mythbusting, trucks and SUV's are not safer than cars. However, the accidents with cars often happen due to higher, unsafe speed, creating false impression about their safety relative to trucks. On the contrary, situations which result in accidents with trucks often can be avoided or safely overcome with cars, not even making it to the statistics.
| Property | Truck/SUV | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Chance to roll over (Moose Test, swerving to avoid an obstacle) | High | Low |
| Road-holding, unsprung weight | Worse | Better |
| Injuries in case of head-on accident or hitting a solid object * | Worse | Lighter |
* The front of a car is designed to absorb the hit, while the front of vehicles on full frame does not deform much. As a result the deceleration during a hit is much softer for a person in a car, while in a truck people can have cracked ribs from seat belt, not to mention other damage from abrupt stopping, including higher probability of spinal injury.
| Property | Truck/SUV | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics | Unrefined | Noble |
| Overall ride comfort | Worse | Better |
| Maneuverability, turning radius | Worse | Better |
| Parking lot maneuvering, space needed | Worse | Better |
| Fuel economy | Worse | Better |
| Cost of mile (without fuel) | Worse | Better |
To conclude, many buy trucks and SUV's not because they need them, but because they want them. While they really do not know why they want them, they just do ... When asked then the responses are not convincing, they sound made up to justify a [silly?] wish. For most households light trailers made for cars serve the purpose no worse than driving a truck full time because "I need to haul stuff sometimes". When you drop the trailer you pulled with your car you will have your steed back, you are not left with a workhorse.
Me? Yeah, you guessed it, I'm no fan of heavy clumsy vehicles. Also my ego is very light, I do not need an SUV or truck to haul it. LOL
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