Car and Driver - USA (2020-04)

55

The SUV Black Hole

Sometimes disruption comes not as a single supernova explo-
sion of change but instead as a series of tangentially related
smaller disturbances, all succumbing to the same inexorable
pull. What seemed to be disparate societal, regulatory, and
product trends floating about were, in fact, all being sucked
simultaneously toward a single point: the SUV Black Hole. You
can’t argue with it; it’s science! –Daniel Pund

1996 Toyota RAV4

The blueprint for the

mainstream crossover.

1991 Ford Explorer

The Explorer defines and

dominates the market for

the modern family SUV.

1999 Lexus RX300

The blueprint for

the luxury crossover.

1987 Land Rover Range Rover

Rover officially brings stateside

its luxury ride for the country

gentleman.

1992 GMC Typhoon

SUVs can be performance vehicles?

They could after the Typhoon.

SUV Event Horizon

Non-crossover and

non-SUV options dwindle,

accelerating the shift

to non-cars.

1980 AMC Eagle

The harbinger.

1998 Mercedes-

Benz ML-Class

The Germans dip a

toe into America’s

SUV waters.

Unintended Regulatory

Consequences

• CAFE fuel-economy standards
  are lower for light-duty trucks
  than for passenger cars.


• Modifications to fuel-economy
  standards starting with the 2011
  model year encourage the
  creation of larger vehicles by
  setting target fuel economy
  based on a vehicle’s “footprint.”


• Light trucks are exempt from
  gas-guzzler taxes.

The Rise
of Patagonia
Persistent active-
lifestyle marketing
sells the concept
of family vehicles
free of the languor
typically associated
with the breed.

Audi

Quattro

Subaru

High Seating Position

The self-defeating feedback

loop of tallness.

Station Wagons

as Family Transport

All-Wheel Drive

SUV

Black Hole