An SUV, which stands for sports utility vehicle, is a vehicle which can carry passengers, tow things like a pickup truck, and has all road or off road capabilities, allowing these vehicles to go places cars can not. SUVs are also commonly called four by fours or four wheelers, but not all SUVs have four wheel drive capability. It also holds true that not all four by fours are SUVs, either. The number of seats available in these vehicles can be as few as four or as many as eight or nine, and all sports utility vehicles have a cargo area, but usually no trunk. There have been some safety concerns about SUVs, including the roll over risk if sudden driving movements are made, and while going around curves and corners.
This is a valid concern, as many of the SUVs on the market today can be top heavy, which slightly increases the risk for this type of accident. These vehicles can also be considered safer at the same time, however, because they are bigger, giving more protection in a crash than smaller cars and other vehicles. Considering all the factors, including the roll over risk, the safety features available, the ability of the vehicle to handle all weather and road conditions, and the other advantages that an SUV has over other types of passenger vehicles, an SUV is one of the safest automobiles on the roads currently. A big part of the popularity of owning an SUV is their capability to handle driving no matter how bad road conditions may become. Snow and icy conditions can be handled easily in an SUV, but ice can cause any automobile, even an SUV, to slide and cause you to lose control. Caution should be used whenever conditions are bad, no matter what you are driving.
Even a four wheel drive SUV will slide off the road due to ice, but it will be much simpler to get the vehicle back on the road using the 4 x 4 option. The fuel efficiency of SUVs will vary according to the make and model, as well as the year, but these autos usually get between fifteen and twenty five miles per gallon if they are highway miles. This makes SUVs somewhat expensive to drive, unless it is a hybrid, and then electrical power can be used instead of gasoline or in addition to it, and this can greatly increase gas mileage for the vehicle.
