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Motor Trend SUV of the Year - a trend?

1397 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Sean Nelson, 5 mo ago

Packard V8

Discussion Starter · 6 mo ago

The Bolt has been perfect for our daily local needs.

However, one of us believes we also need an SUV with AWD, possibly a PHEV. To that end, I've followed the Motor Trend SUV of the Year for 2022 and 2023.

In 2022, they chose the Genesis GV70 and for 2023 the Hyundai Ioniq 5. In my limited experience, both are highly styled excellent daily drivers, but neither has any pretensions toward sport-utility-off-road use.

Truth is, this is what the majority of buyers will actually use, but many SUVs have been forced to carry several thousand dollars and hundreds of pounds of off-road capability few really need.

In reading discussions with engineers of the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover, Jeep, et al, they all say they could make a better, more practical, less expensive vehicle if it were not for the marketing department insisting it have serious off-road chops.

Now, agree, Motor Trend, as with Consumer Reports, is not an unbiased source. However, just as the Honda Ridgeline/Ford Maverick is the pickup most really will use, isn't MT telling us the tall two-box is all the SUV most of us need?

jack vines, who's prepared to say an AWD Bolt would be the answer to northern tier needs.

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EV Trek 37604

· #20 · 5 mo ago

finch4ever said:
I always had small cars or sport cars with FWD in the winters of Quebec and never had a problem. Friends and folks around me shopping for a vehicle are all asking for a AWD SUV like if it is now a must. They are talking like if it is impossible to go through winter without it. Then you see people drive like crazy with their AWD SUV like if the thing will never slip or will always brake on time and first thing you see when there is snowfalls, SUV's in the ditch. I wonder how my parents and grand parents did without a SUV especially when winter tires were not mandatory. IMO this SUV thing is a trend and will fade out while gas price and car price will go higher and higher.

My dad never bought snow tires in the winter and also didn’t get his first FWD car until 1988. We were living in Louisville Ky, where we got plenty of snow while I was growing up.
I even took my drivers test in snowy conditions in 1969 in a car with regular tires. And I did not have a FWD car until 1984 and only put snow tires on the rear of my 1989 Chevy full sized pickup.
One thing I have noticed about AWD cars and SUVs is that people take too many chances while driving them, they will still exceed the speed limit many times on snow covered roads, they seem to not realize that AWD will not stop faster in snow and ice. Overconfidence is a killer when driving in snow.

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