Nissan Qashqais and their drivers are symbolic of everything that's wrong with motoring

Car_54

Stoke wrote: »

My point is that 70% of people don't need them, but they seem to adopt a mentality of bigger is better/stronger/safer. The school run should be full of Ford Focus', Golf's etc. They're the ultimate family car..... so why the hell do I have to fit past dozens of double parked massive Kia's and Hyundai's and Nissan Qashqai's?



No, let's keep buying HUGE vehicles for the sake of it eh?

Are you serious?
A Quashqai is only 17mm longer, and 60 mm wider, than a Focus.

DoaM

Stoke wrote: »

I can give you a reason NOT to have a high driving position, because when a small child walks in front of your vehicle, you may struggle to see him. Yes, the same is true for all cars but you have a much better chance in a Golf than a Land Rover.

You see, I don't agree with that reasoning ... unless the SUV has an unreasonably-long bonnet (which could be said of many non-SUV vehicles). A higher seating position (relative to the road) may actually allow you to see a shorter distance in front of you, therefore a greater chance of seeing a small child not less. I certainly can't see why it would be worse.

Yes, the bonnet of an SUV is higher than that on a saloon (or other non-SUV car), so a small child may be more prone to be hidden if it's there whilst the vehicle is stationary ... but you should be checking you vehicle for obstructions prior to moving off anyway. A small child doesn't just materialise in front of you - you should have been able to see the child well before it could disappear from view because of the bonnet height.

Ergates

Arklight wrote: »

1. If you choose a car to say something about you the Nissan Qashqai says, "Nanna died and I spent the inheritance on this and a down-payment on a UPVC conservatory. I wanted to go on a holiday to Canada too but the wife put her foot down so we got an ISA."
   
2. The newest one looks like it was designed by a 14 year old boy in the 80s who had been told to draw what he thought a car would look like in the year 2000.
   
3. It's actually a Renault.
   
4. There are too many of them in supermarket car parks.

1. Anyone who chooses a car to "car to say something about you" is a total moron whose opinions on all matters can be safely ignored
2. Say someone who clearly wasn't alive in the 80's
3. and...?
4. Too many for what?

Ergates

Stoke wrote: »

Supercars fit in parking bays..... or perhaps the people driving them are able to fit them in.

(awaits the bite)

Not the ones I've seen. Unless by "fit in parking bays" you mean literally fit in *multiple* parking bays.

I don't think I've ever seen a super car on the road that wasn't being driving in a totally idiotic manner.

Ergates

Stoke wrote: »

I can give you a reason NOT to have a high driving position, because when a small child walks in front of your vehicle, you may struggle to see him. Yes, the same is true for all cars but you have a much better chance in a Golf than a Land Rover.

This is patently false. With a higher seating position you are looking down on the road ahead at a steeper angle - meaning you can see closer to the front if your car. Either way, by the time a "small child" would be obscured by the raised bumper, you've already hit them!.

Stoke wrote: »

If every SUV on the school run was replaced by a Focus, the roads wouldn't be so congested. There wouldn't be so many bumps and minor accidents. Traffic queues would be shorter..... and I suspect when children do get hit, the injuries would be less severe.

Nonsense - congestion is caused by the number of vehicles on the road, not by the slight difference in size between a hatchback and an SUV/Crossover. Those extra 17mm in length between a golf and a Quashqui aren't going to make much of a difference. In a 1000 car queue you'd save a whopping 17 metres...

Also, getting hit by a 1.2 - 126 tonne golf vs getting hit by a 1.3 - 1.5 tonne Quashqai. Please explain how the former will give less severe injuries than the latter. Preferably backed up by some kind of evidence.

facade

If every car on the school run had the driver replaced by one who didn't think they had a car the width of a humvee the roads would be less congested..........

Geodark

How about....

facade wrote: »

If every car on the school run

wasnt?

I have a school next to me and number idiots parking all the way up the road is unreal. Had one yesterday stop on a crossing to let her kid out, with an island in the middle of the road, stopping all the traffic coming up behind her.

As for the numpty saying that the higher driving position is a bad idea, what rubbish - I have an astra estate and a freeland and I have a much better view of the road, and at the end of my bonnet, in the freelander. And no the freelander doesnt only get used on tarmac! :rotfl:

molerat

Stoke wrote: »

So, let me take you to ask over a few of your points:
Exactly what advantage does a high driving position give you? Please give me 3 decent reasons? I can give you a reason NOT to have a high driving position, because when a small child walks in front of your vehicle, you may struggle to see him. Yes, the same is true for all cars but you have a much better chance in a Golf than a Land Rover.

Good interior space can be had in any car.... just buy the right car. The boot space on a Passat Estate is more than enough for most people. You can't seriously be saying that some mum who does the shopping after dropping her kids off at school needs a huge SUV to get the job done? Actually, most SUV's have poorer MPG than small cars.... and let's not forget their inability to handle, hence why they still are a risk of toppling.

Totally agree on people carriers. They're crap, but no chance.... A Focus Estate is a practical car for most families. An SUV is not.

X5's are beautiful vehicles, but they're impractical for the majority of people that own them, as are Land Rover's and Range Rovers. Even the short wheel base Shogun's are unnecessary, but I can just about live with them.

The problem is when talking about size you are confusing the full blown Chelsea Tractors with the smaller SUVs / crossovers. The C Max is only 70 mm longer and 6mm wider than a Focus. My point of vision of the ground is closer in my C Max than in my daughter's same age focus and the actual nose height is not that high. There is more leg room and headroom both front and rear as well as more luggage space. I find the C Max much easier to get in and out of, both front and rear with no head banging, along with a much more comfortable seating position and less bother from headlights behind. The only minor irritation I have is that I need a small step to wash the roof.

reeac

The higher bodywork does, of course, reduce the visibility for anyone alongside in a conventional car so it's a win/lose situation. Causes particular difficulties in crowded supermarket car parks. Maybe a height/visibility race will develop in car design ...that would be fun.

Crabman

Nissan's poor customer service is a good enough reason to stay away from the brand.