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iTrader: (1)

"Interesting" article taken from bbc news website:

Londoners 'biggest fans of 4x4s'

The 4x4 is often spotted on London's roads
Londoners are the Britons most likely to buy 4x4 vehicles, a survey suggests.
About 16% of London motorists plan to buy an off-road vehicle in the next year, twice as many as Scottish drivers who face tougher terrain and weather.

The AA, which conducted the survey of 2,000 drivers, said it seemed strange that Londoners chose cars which were "impractical" for city life.

Mayor Ken Livingstone has branded 4x4 drivers "idiots" and has said he would like them banned from the school run.

'Chelsea tractors'

"When you see someone trying to manoeuvre it round the school gates, you have to think, you are a complete idiot," he said in a GMTV interview.

The vehicles have been dubbed "Chelsea tractors" because of their popularity in certain quarters of London, with supporters citing their safety and space for carrying children and animals.

But Lloyd East, general manager of AA Financial Services, said: "When you consider the volume of traffic in London it is almost counter-intuitive that drivers in the capital opt for large vehicles traditionally associated with rougher terrain.

"Perhaps it's just the dream of cruising in open country and along rough tracks, dreams unlikely to ever be fulfilled, that drives Londoners to go for cars that are impractical for life in the city?"

The survey found that the over-50s were most likely to own a large 4x4.

Richard

TopBanana

Don't even go there

RESSE

iTrader: (1)

Too late matey - all ready on my way

Richard

Spec'c'57

iTrader: (1)

<<<<<

londoner with a 4x4...

but then again its work supplied to collect 6 ppl every day....

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Scooby-Doo

Yep I'm a Londoner with an X5 Can't see how manovering it is any worse than a 5 series.

KiwiGTI

I'm deliberately buying a Landcruiser Amazon to annoy Ken Livingstone.

I can't believe people complain about 4wd's when there are so many white vans in London.

Dracoro

My only real gripe with these cars is their height. You can't see 'through' them to see traffic ahead like a normal car. (i.e. looking through their windows to see what's happening ahead). Yes there are vans/buses etc. but these are owned by people who NEED them. In fairness, the above gripe doesn't bother me that much, it's a minor annoyance.

Let people buy whatever they want. To argue against 4x4's is hypocritical if you drive any car that you don't NEED. Performance vehicles are NOT a necessity so maybe they should be banned as well as they are just as anti-social with their noise, popping, revving, speeding etc.

Petem95

You cant even make the comparison mate! White vans are used for business use, carrying stuff around that couldnt be done using a car.

If there is only one person driving the vehicle, then why drive a 4x4 when a smaller more economical car would do the same job...

Scooby-Doo

I take it you are against impreza's then as they are hardly economical or small.

KiwiGTI

It depends on the argument being used, the environmental argument is rubbish, but many people say they want them banned because they are big and they can't see etc. I'm saying that compared to the number of vans and trucks in London 4x4s are a tiny minority and vans are generally bigger and block out more views.

It's just the green-eyed monster.

Petem95

Point Im making is that vans are business tools, and ok they are big and block out views, but if you need to carry a large amount of equipment into London you need to use a van. Its not like people are taking vans instead of cars in because the image is better....

With 4x4's its different because the drivers dont 'need' to be a 4x4.

Im not especially anti-4x4 and do enjoy travelling in friends Range Rovers due to the comfort and high-up driving position.

I am anti-Ken Livingston however (******* tos$er ) so I guess if hes against 4x4's then its a pretty strong case to use one

JCScooby

Ive yet to come across a 4x4 that i actualy like and after they were shown on 5th gear as to just how unsafe they are in an accident i figuerd there only point of existince had been squashed, unless u live 10 miles up a dirt track or u are a farmer right enough. Lets face it, its normaly 5ft tall woman that are doing the "school run" and blabbing to there friends "oh there are just so safe, its great for the kids".................if only they knew.

Scooby-Doo

Please can you point me to a review of the X5 being an unsafe car. If you are narrow minded enough to base your opinion on a TV show that has been manufactured to produce a selected result then thats fair enough but don't bring everyone else down to your blinkered view.

SimonD

Spot on. I don't like them myself for purely practical reasons (less space / more cost / poor drive) but people I know who own them can't understand why I drive a noisy, ugly and uncomfortable jap car with a hideous array of spoilers and scoops (...and to be fair they have a point!).
Live and let live - I think they are idiots but we can't all be enlightened Impreza drivers can we?

JCScooby

The test they showed was that a high sided vehicle such as a 4x4 was insanely unstable when asked to perform a swerve, i myself was alarmed with the ease in which it toppled. It was proof right in front of my eyes, what more reason would i need other than the fact i dont like them full stop.
Its just my opinion and i'm sharing amongst others.

Dracoro

It was an OLD 4x4. Things have moved on since then. I assume you don't like RWD cars as they go off into hedges. Yes all of them, I saw an old 911 in a hedge once so that must surely mean all RWD cars are death traps. Same for FWD as I saw one understeer into a hedge too. and so on and on.