At a noisy barbecue recently I heard, not for the first time in my career as a motoring journalist, the question, “Why don’t they ban 4WDs from the suburbs?” The angry lady brought up the usual arguments that 4WDs ‘block the vision of others’, ‘are hazardous to pedestrians’, and even complained about ‘threatening driving’ by those behind the wheels of 4WDs and SUVs.

Yet registrations of 4WDs, often called SUVs these days, continue to rise at ever increasing rates, sending the blood pressure readings of the anti-4WD brigade upwards at the same time.

               

But let's get some logic into the argument. To start with, it’s not the big 4WDs that are selling in ever increasing numbers. Small and mid-sized vehicles make up the bulk of the new registrations.

Sales of large truck-type 4WDs are either stagnating or rising very slowly. And many of the sales of the big ones are in the bush, where they are all but essential to people living there.

Big 4WDs that do sell in the city, or to be more accurate, in the suburbs, are generally being used as people movers. Their owners appreciate the ability of the 4WDs to carry up to eight people. So are much appreciated by families with lots of children, or split-by-divorce families doing the weekend-kid-swapping bit. Or simply by people whose children have plenty of friends.

It can certainly be argued that those who want a people mover should buy one, not a large 4WD. Many who do buy a 4WD have a dream of venturing off-road one day, but they seldom do. Perhaps these people should think again about their choice of vehicle next time around. But who are we to kill their dreams?

Some of the bigger 4WDs are becoming quite sophisticated in their makeup, being almost car-like in the way they drive. However their increased height means they are less safe, particularly when cornering or swerving, than cars. Driven correctly this isn’t usually a problem, but bad driving can cause serious injury or death.

Why have 4WD in the first place if a vehicle isn’t going to be used on unsealed roads? Many vehicles that look like 4WDs are also built in 2WD format overseas. They are therefore lighter and create less pollution. In the past these haven’t been imported into Australia because a loophole in our legislation let 4WDs come into our country as commercial vehicles, not cars, at a lower price.

The recent reduction in import tariffs on cars brings cars and commercial vehicles closer together in price and the number of 2WDs that look like 4WDs has greatly increased as a result.

           

Having said all that, there's a responsibility on car makers to produce 4WD vehicle that are as safe as possible and to reduce the amount of pollution created by them. This has happened in recent years, with many 4WDs and SUVs now selling primarily with turbo-diesel engines instead of thirsty petrol powerplants. Indeed, some of the mid-sized SUVs actually have lower consumption and emissions than small cars.

There's also a responsibility on the owners to drive their SUVs and 4WDs in an appropriate manner, either on road or off.

ewan@marque.com.au