I LOVE my gigantic SUV.

Our family just got a Yukon XL (Suburban).  I know it's cool nowadays to look down on people with big SUV's, but man, they really serve the purpose. 

We have two kids and a dog, we frequently go camping in the summer, skiing in the winter and need to bring a lot of gear, and often our kids friends. 
We have a ski boat that weighs 4500 pounds. 
We live in a region that gets 200 to 300 inches of snow every winter.

So basically, our requirements in a vehicle are:

• 4wd
• 7 passenger seating
• 7500 pound towing capacity
• Good cargo space even with 7 passengers

This thing is perfect....   We just got from a long trip and we averaged 19 mpg.

We used to have a trailblazer that didn't get any better than that.....  We had a Grand Cherokee that was worse...  Mini vans only get like 24 or so (and can't tow).... 

Why all the hate?

Trolling a bit slow in the UP lately?

you need to add some weight to get the bait down a little into cooler waters when it's hot out...
Edited by Finndog - 6/25/2009 at 04:48 pm GMT

UP, you have the "Flex Fuel" model????   Most don't know how economical this big vehicle is.  I have the shorter Tahoe version; pull a 5,000 lbs fishing boat, plus tons of gear for the hunting camp.  30% better mileage than my older '96 model. 

Rename the thread Feeling Fatser isn't Fatser?

My wife had a Grand Cherokee w/ the 4.7L V8 until last last September and it was a gas guzzler.  We replaced it with a Cadialls SRX with V8 and AWD and by comparrison it sips gas.  I can get 21-22 MPG on the highway on troad trips where the Crand Cherokee struggled to get 18.  I even managed to get 22 MPG in my mother-in-laws Expedition last summer when I had it for a while.

I just replaced my Neon SRT4 with a Mazda CX9.  Of course it gets worse gas mileage but it costs me only a couple of bucks a week more to drive since it runs on regular instead of the premium the Neon required.  There was a short article in one of the car magazines this month comparing the observed MPG of smaller and larger SUV/Crossovers.  Despite smaller sizes with smaller engines the MPG were higher in the larger vehicles and the cost of operation was much lower since the smaller vehicles had usually had turbo charged engines requiring high octane fuel.

Now if you only diesel engines were so damn expensive.

I love my Yukon Denali....and this past winter had wished I had gotten the XL version. 

Fixed, yeah , that was really bad! :) 

Man, I just traded a V6 blazer for a Lesbaru Outback 4-banger...  I am NOT ballin'. 

I'm not even entirely sure what "Flex fuel" is....  I don't think I have that.




HA!  Ya caught me...   Yeah, I figured this topic should get some play.  Seriously, though....  for my purposes, I couldn't be more pleased.

We got a New 2008 Yukon XL at the end of the year for a  Screamin' Deal!
I spent 20 years trying to convince my husband to take a vacation so I was not about to argue with him when he said "lets get a road trip vehicle"

We took two trips to Colorado, with 4 adults a Yak Skybox pro on the top, 2 pr skis for each passenger and all other essential cargo for a ski trip.  We also use it to pull our boat and motorcycle trailer.
Love it!

*Ours is the flexfuel model(alternative fuel capable)
 

Sometimes they let the buses park closer

What's the fuel usage on that?

I want to get a Trailblazer SS AWD 3SS if the Lexus ever sells.

Most people in this country believe what is said on the news and do no research for themselves. My personal favorite is a Cherokee driver bad mouthing a H3 driver for not caring about the environment. Yet the H3 gets better mileage.

My boss has an Diesel Excursion for hauling the kids and all their ski gear around. I honestly do not see how they could do it in a smaller vehicle. Now he just needs to add the propane injection like he has on his F-250 to bump the Excursion up to 22mpg.

Unfortunately my Jeep does not get very good mileage(13mpg) but it does go places a lot of vehicles won't. I plan on using my Jeep as a chairlift this weekend for some nice summer skiing.

Suuuuure you do. 

Well....  maybe the skiing part I exaggerated about....  We don't really ski, but we would like to learn.  Who wants to teach us how to ski them "moguls?"...

Three kids.  Two dogs.  A nasty skiing habit.

On our second Suburban.

And our first Prius.

I want to get a license plate surround for the Prius that says "MY OTHER CAR IS A SUBURBAN."

Right on, there is zero harm in having a vehicle that provides all your needs. That's the average mileage I get from my subie around here, but no way could I haul the stuff you can. For people that actually use/need the space, nothing is better.

Also to the seemingly endless mindless OMG MPGSSSS!!!! ARE EVERYTHING crowd. My 15 mpg average subie is "greener" then a 200 mpg moped, it may burn a lot of fuel, but it does it just about at cleanly as possible.
"PZEV is an acronym for Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. PZEVs are modern vehicles with advanced engines equipped with cutting-edge emissions controls. PZEVs run on gasoline, yet offer extremely clean emissions with zero evaporative emissions. However some PZEVs don't concurrently offer outstanding fuel mileage, with the majority of them falling in line with current model year averages."

My car is cleaner running then a prius, bitches.

Flex fuel would me that it is able to run on E85, regular gas, or anything in between.  Personally I think E85 is a joke when it comes to fuel for a daily driver, but its great alternative for high performance vehicles that need higher octane than is normally available at the local gas station. I have several friend running it in their street/race cars with pretty good success.

It is pretty simple. Left. Right. Left. Right. Repeat as needed. 

My 4-cylinder Oldsmobile Alero gets 24mpg ... and had no working traction or stability. Anyone wanna trade?

UP Racer - to answer your original troll:

People who need a big powerful SUV < People who come up with ridiculous reasons to justify having a big powerful SUV but don't truly have any need for one < People who drive one for the image of an active and rugged lifestyle so they don't have to get up off their fat asses to actually do anything = Hate for owners of big powerful SUV's.

That's my own forumla, but I think it's pretty accurate. So even if you fall into the first group, you still get the hate because it's such a small group hard to distinguish except when in tow mode.

Troll on.

Hahah. 

Dont worry, I am worse then you are.
current car - 2006 subaru wrx sti
mpg?  range - 3mpg-25mpg
must run premium gas

at least yours has purpose to get bad mileage.

but at least mine isnt an american model car, and has a ski port :P

Now this is a flaming troll!!!   Good one!!!!

I have never had any issues concerning image...I have, and always will, drive a truck.  Never owned a car...ever.  As I get older, I appreciate a few more creature comforts such as auto transmission, air conditioning, Bose stereo, drink holders and comfortable seating.  I have worked hard all my life and feel  justified in what ever truck I feel like driving.  I would destroy a car in months the way I use a vehicle.  You wouldn't want my truck when I trade them in.  As many who live in the south a truck is a necessary tool in their daily lives.  Before you judge people by what they drive perhaps inquire into what they do for a living.  I have always considered the truck to be one of the great inventions of all time...up there with toilet paper..... 

What a person drives has less environmental impact than whether or not they air condition their house and workplace , ski on mountains that were cleared like the rain forest-wildlife eradicated, travel there for leisure, not out of necessity in anything and use machines to get to the top.
Edited by crgildart - 6/28/2009 at 05:18 pm GMT

You're really going to love it once Cap and Trade takes effect.

Cap and Trade will have no impact on personal emissions, only industrial.

I rented a big Suburban last summer for a long trip through mountains on Interstate and state highways. We had four family members, LOTS of luggage and also some furniture. I do not like road trips. I'm spoiled, I usually fly, but  the furniture required a truck. The Suburban was a pleasure all the way. It ran up and down hills at 80mph, it was quiet, it was not bothered by cross winds or big trucks and while not a sports car it did not handle as poorly as I expected. I don't need one, the kids are on their way out and it would be a foolish thing to do. I must admit that when they were so cheap a few months ago I considered trading in my Avalon for a big SUV or buying a low mileage one to leave at the condo out west. Now I understand why the soccer moms love'em.