Big Rollers 超级大车

　　Sport Utility Vehicles: love ‘em or love to hate ‘em

　　运动多功能车：爱它还是恨它

　　“It’s like putting a submarine in a swimming pool,” says one Brisbane driver as she’s hemmed in on both sides by gigantic sport utility vehicles. “These things are just too big for the road.”

　　How big are they? The largest SUVs weigh more than five times as much as a compact car, and are nearly half as long as a city bus. That kind of size makes them a favorite of nervous drivers – if an SUV hits another car, the SUV driver is much more likely to survive. However, the other driver is also much more likely to be seriously hurt, which explains why most drivers give these cars a wide berth.

　　SUVs are also a favorite target for environmentalists. On average, they create 47 percent more pollution than standard-sized cars, and they suck up gasoline like it’s going out of style. According to the Sierra Club, switching from a normal car to an SUV for one year would waste more energy than leaving your refrigerator door open for six years.

　　So, what’s the attraction? Why do people buy cars that are bigger and more expensive than many people’s apartments? SUVs are sold on their ability to go anywhere – they can roll over mountains, up rivers and through deserts that the average car could simply never handle. Many SUV buyers apparently picture themselves leading an adventurous lifestyle at the wheel of their cars but, in fact, few SUVs ever leave the road. A senior marketing executive at Ford admitted, “The only time most SUVs are going to be off road is when they miss the driveway and crush a flowerbed at 3 am.”

　　But with oil prices at record highs, some SUV owners are thinking about downsizing to something a little smaller. “You know you’re in trouble when your monthly gas bill is nearly as much as your car payment,” said one driver. “Driving this monster makes me feel safe, but I just can’t afford to do it anymore.”

　　“就像把一艘潜艇放进游泳池一样。”一位布里斯班市的驾驶者在她被两辆巨大的SUV包围时这样说，“这东西就是太大，不适合开上路。”

　　它们有多大？最大的SUV的重量是小型车的5倍以上，而且几乎跟市区的巴士一样长。对于害怕驾驶的人而言，那种大小是他们的最爱，如果SUV撞上别的车，SUV的驾驶者生还的可能性高很多。但是其他的驾驶者受重伤的可能性也高出许多，这就是大多数驾驶者对这些车子敬而远之的原因。

　　SUV也是环保主义者最爱攻击的目标。这些车比标准尺寸的车平均多产生47%的污染，它们耗油的速度很快。据山岳协会﹙国际性生态保护团体﹚表示，把一般车子换成SUV一年，比让你的冰箱门打开六年浪费更多的能源。

　　那么，它的吸引力在哪里？为什么人们要买比大多数人的公寓更大更贵的车？SUV以其无所不达的能力销售出去，它们可以登山、溯流而上、横越沙漠，做这些一般车子无法应付的事。很多SUV的买主显然想像自己开着他们的车过冒险生活，但事实上，少有SUV离开过马路。福特公司的一位资深营销主管承认：“多数SUV惟一离开路面的时候，是它在清晨三点错过车道压坏花坛的时候。”

　　但随着油价创新高，有些SUV的车主正考虑把大车换成小一点的车。“当你每个月的油钱账单几乎和你的车款一样多时，你就知道自己有麻烦了。”一位驾驶这样说，“开这种超级大车让我觉得很安全，但我实在没办法继续养车。”