SUVs have been around for awhile. However, their use was mostly limited to foresters, military folks, or any other people who had a need to venture out into treacherous terrain. But for the past 15 or so years, SUVs have been making their way into the lives of us regular folk. And now, seeing these big, monstrous vehicles driving along side us on the highway is a normal occurrence. There are probably just as many cars on the road as there are SUVs.

People love their SUVs. And often I have wondered why. I think it might be a power thing. Gigantic SUVs tower over teensy cars. Some maybe this gives the driver a feeling of supremacy… you know, a King of the Road fixation.

I don’t know… I’m just supposing here. But, I am sure there is a good reason why people love SUVs. I just don’t get it though. I personally don’t like them.

One time, I used my boss’s Expedition to run some errands. Driving that big ole thing felt so weird. I am no acrophobe but I do feel a greater sense of security the closer my feet are to the ground. I lost my spatial sense because I was so high up in the air. Everything seemed to be farther or closer away than they actually were. I was scared I was going to hit something… or even worse someone.

Anyway, there are other reasons I would never consider getting a SUV.

You see, here on Earth, we have this little phenomenon called gravity. Gravity works best we are close to the ground. SUVs are not close to the ground, so in a way… these vehicles attempt to work against the laws of gravity. But gravity is a mighty force.

Gravity, inertia, centripetal force, velocity…? I don’t know… I am no physicist. But I am sure one of these things play a factor into why there are so many horror stories about SUV rollovers.

Aside from the rollovers, SUVs cost a lot more money to provide the same service that smaller vehicles provide… transportation.

The 09 Escalade costs $59,000… and that is just for the base model! If you want to throw in a few bells and whistles… the price can jump upwards of $80,000. That’s quite a few pennies. But a decent alternative mode of transportation can be found in the CTS, which is still a Cadillac. The CTS is $34,000… $40,000 if you want to get fancy. There is a huge difference between 80 and 40 thousand dollars!

Plus SUVs are less fuel efficient. The Escalade… has a 26 gallon gas tank and each gallon will take you 19 highway miles. The CTS, with its 18 gallon tank, gets you 25 highway miles per gallon.

So at $4 dollars per gallon of gas, it takes $104 to fill up the Escalade you’ll get 494 miles. $104 dollars worth of gas in a CTS takes you a further… 156 miles further. Again, big difference.

Okkkkay, I understand that some people need more room to accommodate their large families…but there are other roomy vehicle options that are less prone to rollover, less pricey and easier on the gas bill.

However, automakers are trying the make SUVs more attractive by offering huge incentives.

Call me crazy, incentives or not… I just can’t make a case for SUVs.