The Excursion seems to have ended the race for the biggest ute. General Motors will keep its Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans the same size for 2000. You don't drive off-road. And, yes, most SUV owners never drive in such places. What a shock.
People buy vehicles because they like the image.
Sports-car ads evoke race cars, but nobody carps at BMW Z3 owners who don't enter auto races on the weekend. I bought my Explorer because I leave the city on weekends and load my SUV with everything from antiques to camping gear. I chose four-wheel drive so that I could better handle the road in ice, snow and heavy rain. In a survey by the Dohring Co., the top reasons owners gave for buying an SUV were the safety of four-wheel drive, the commanding view of the road from the high driver's seat and the chances that the heavier vehicle will fare well in a collision. SUVs flip over.