Large SUVs are overkill. 'Right-size' into a smaller car, you'll feel the benefit
Auto Express’s deputy editor gives his expert insight on why small cars are the market’s best-kept secret
It’s easy to lose sight of just how convenient our cars have become. Features that were once the preserve of high-end luxury limos are now standard-fit even on the cheapest city cars. So, does that mean it’s now time to reset our buying expectations and choose something that better suits our needs?
Previously, if you desperately wanted sports seats or fancy features such as traction control, parking cameras or adaptive cruise control, you’d have to be looking at the top-spec trim, or step up a rung or two in the range if nothing else.
But given how much kit is now standard, the need to spend more seems frivolous. Sure, if you’ve got a big dog or regularly carry six kids to swimming practice, then only a large estate or SUV will do, and if you’re constantly hammering between Ipswich and Inverness in one hit, a long-legged petrol or diesel car with a large fuel tank is near-enough non-negotiable.
Yet if most of your motoring is pottering to and from the office – remember, most of us drive less than 20 miles a day – then one of the latest (brilliant) city cars or superminis, complete with touchscreen infotainment and wireless smartphone connectivity, heated seats, cruise control and a suite of safety-enhancing ADAS systems, is surely all you need?
You’ll save a fortune on the purchase price, or slash hundreds from your monthly payments. There are savings to be made on fuel, insurance and maintenance costs, too; even tyres will be cheaper. Plus, choose wisely and you won’t be sacrificing creature comforts – these days, even a Dacia Spring comes with all-electric everything.
My advice, therefore, is to ditch the gas-guzzling or electron-eating – yes, EVs can be inefficient and costly to run, too – large SUV and opt for something appropriate, something right-sized, and a car that suits the kind of driving you do.
Mr and Mrs Jones next door might wonder what went wrong, but you’ll be the one sitting smug in your leather-lined tin can, planning your next trip to the Maldives with all the money you’ve saved.
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