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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lupe" data-source="post: 2636287" data-attributes="member: 245914">I'm sorry but this is not an answer it is just an opinion.You are probably right about not handling 80 MPH. I had an 84 Corolla and it started to feel like it was lifting off the ground at 80 MPH. But I am convinced that SUV's are not all that they are hyped up to be and should be avoided for use in high speed situations. Think about this:Small front wheel drive cars have their weight low, close to the ground. This causes them to handle the road better. Every time you accelerate or decelerate or turn a corner the weight of the vehicle goes to one side causing it to increase traction while the other side loses traction. With a high profile vehicle like and SUV or truck this effect is amplified by the high center of gravity.The high center of gravity also can induce roll overs more easily.Also a front wheel drive vehicle has the more of the weight on the front wheels, which in a low profile vehicle prevents the tail from swinging around when turning more than traction will allow. The front wheels may start to slide in extreme conditions but the front wheel drive is built for dummies like you and me, taking the foot off the accelerator can correct the sliding. I my studies of vehicles a high profile vehicle may need a certain degree of acceleration in order to maintain traction during extreme or emergency cornering. For an example, we are trained as bus drivers to accelerate slightly through all corners.Some kinds of 4 wheel drive (that lock both front and rear axles at the same speed), while great at low speeds, can also cause dangerous skidding at higher speeds.Also SUV's tend to take longer to stop. The bigger the vehicle the further it takes to stop it so slamming into the back of the guy in front of you is more of a probabilityUsually you see race cars, not race SUV's. I know an old lady that was traveling on a snowy road at only 30MPH. The rear started to slip sideways and so she let off the accelerator (big mistake!). Her rear end spun around and she slid sideways off the road rolling the SUV and was trapped in it upside down for hours. If she had been in a Corolla things would have been different, letting off the accelerator would have given her more traction and it would have been harder to roll. I have seen this same story over and over again with many different individuals as well as roll overs, slamming into other cars and other disasters from try to make these big ships on wheels drive like a Ferrari.Besides safety, also think of the price$$$ in gasoline. The Corolla is lighter and more aerodynamic and so uses less fuel. Actually the lighter the vehicle the less power it needs to accelerate quickly and therefore less fuel to drive around like an idiot. (Why do you think that the old air-cooled VW Beetles can hit 7 seconds in a 1/4 mile with a suped up 4 cylinder VW air cooled motor?) I have had many small front wheel drive cars, including a Corolla, and have tuned them up to get as much as 47 miles per gallon! Try that in an SUV!For these reasons I would recommend a car, not an SUV.</blockquote>

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