Sports Utility Vehicles, or SUV’s, are a bit like that old joke about a smart girl’s favourite animals — a mink in the cupboard, a jaguar in the garage, a tiger in the bedroom and a jackass for a husband. SUVs similarly offer the sexy styling of a sports car, the comfort and luxury of a limousine, the space of a van and the rough road capabilities
of a jeep. Though some elegant ladies may have qualms about displaying a fleeting glimpse of their pretty ankles while stepping into or out of a tall vehicle they relish the impact they make when they alight from such a big and captivating vehicle.
For men the car is an extension of his vision of his manhood. The model is a statement of his lifestyle aspirations and the driving is an extension of his ego. Of all his possessions, the car alone allows a man a few moments to dream that he is a James Bond, Rambo or the solitary hero of his dreams. For most women, a car is just a useful set of wheels.
All SUVs have big wheels, good ground clearance, suspension and the power to handle soggy jungle roads or rocky mountain trails. Though rather bulky they all offer good legroom, headroom and seat width as well as the comfortable moulded seats match most luxury saloons. They come with all the modern gadgets, tilt steering for comfort and safety.
There are SUVs like the Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio in the `10 lakh range and vehicles like the Chevrolet Captiva, Ford Endeavour, Honda CRV, Hyundai Santa Fe. Maruti Vitara, Nissan XTrail and Toyota Fortuner in the `20 lakh range. Then there is a large range of expensive SUV’s like the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Land Rover, Porsche Cayenne, Toyota Land Cruiser, Volvo XC90 and Volkswagen Taureg.
The latest entry is the Skoda Yeti that being a smaller SUV will greatly appeal to lady drivers. It is 33 cms shorter than the popular CRV, but it is very cute and spacious. Though it has permanent 4 wheel drive it is the most fuel efficient SUV in India today with a six speed gearbox and a bagful of electronic features. Its Delhi showroom price is `15.40 for the Ambiante model and `16.62 lakh for the deluxe Elegante version.
The writer is a car enthusiast based in Delhi