Top 10 reasons not to drive an urban 4x4
1. You're not a farmer
Or a tree surgeon, country vet, wind turbine repairer, dry stone wall engineer or mountain rescue specialist. Unless you are (or in a handful of other occupations) there's really no need for you to get a big 4x4, particularly if you live in an urban area. Four wheel drive gives you better traction in snow or deep mud, and that's about it. It does not make your car safer, more manoeuvrable, or enable you to stop any quicker.
2. Your family fits into a saloon car or people carrier
Most families and their luggage can in fact fit comfortably into a small hatchback. Even if you have lots of kids (and a big dog), an estate car or MPV often has more space than a 4x4 and can fulfil all your daily needs. What did your dad drive you around in when you were small?
3. You will breathe cleaner air
Pollution studies have demonstrated that, in slow traffic, the dirtiest air isn't being breathed by the cyclists in the gutter or the people waiting for the bus on the pavement, but by those inside the cars in the middle of the road. If you find this implausible, check where your car's air intake is, and compare it with the exhaust pipe of the 4x4 in front of you.
4. You will save money
Data at www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk show that it costs around