Working Women's Wheels
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday August 8, 1997
The wagons that tow the boats also tote the tots.
By PETER McKAY.
Just when half the nation is convinced that the recreational four-wheel-drive boom has been powered along by males with, er, small willies, along comes someone who should know, suggesting blokes are innocent.
"It's not the men, it's the women," insists Bettina Arndt, social commentator, mother, and - whoa, there - owner of a Mitsubishi Pajero.
"The women like to feel big and strong," she says. "Mums driving the kids around love the feeling of power and security they get from being able crush anything in sight.
"They know they're not going to come out second best if another vehicle assaults theirs."
A reader's letter on this page last week triggered a fiery debate on the worth of 4WDs, and the social failings of their owners. The correspondent slammed 4WDs on safety and environmental grounds, for the road damage they cause and for the "mine's bigger than yours" attitude of inconsiderate drivers.
Certainly recreational 4WDs have become a fashion and lifestyle item across urban Australia despite making little sense from the point of view of running costs and dynamic safety.
No-one needs a big off-roader to pick up the kids from choir practice; nor do they need a small 4WD to drive to Bondi Beach.
Families have 4WDs for a variety of reasons: towing boats, floats and vans, pose value, perceived indestructability and their seven- and eight-seat capacity. And ordinary Australians dream of one day crossing the Simpson. Adherents point out that 4WDs tend to be well-constructed vehicles designed to endure long after the warranty period.
It's obvious too that many non-4WD owners don't like the idea that urbanites in Range Rovers and Cherokees are getting generous discounts by way of reduced sales tax and tariff.
This criticism, most agree, doesn't extend to primary producers, who should get their work implements at a lower price.
There is also a fear that the proliferation of big, aggressive 4WDs at a time when mini cars are also booming will lead to more crashes between vehicles of disparate size and weight, causing more deaths and injuries.
Arndt agrees 4WDs are not always appropriate - particularly as runabouts in suburbia - but suggests there is no sensible alternative for many families.
"What other vehicle is going to fit in my [three] children, their friends, a huge dog, and bicycles and stuff?" she says.
"I didn't particularly want a 4WD - I'm conscious of the petrol it chews up. It's a purely practical decision on my part to choose a vehicle to suit the needs of a family."
She has no need for the Pajero's off-road capability and generous ground clearance, and doesn't like being reminded she has paid for features she doesn't need.
"I'd happily give up the four-wheel-drive aspect of my Pajero, but the manufacturers don't offer a solid vehicle with the load capacity; the only alternatives are those horrible vans."
Come on manufacturers, she urges, why don't you provide a vehicle closer to a practical suburban troop carrier than an urban assault weapon?
YOUR VIEWS
"Give farmers a rebate, and charge the rest a vanity tax." - Mark Johnson, Abbotsford
"4WDs last longer, so the eco-impact of making them could well be less than a car." - Brian Woodward, Vaucluse
"Why is carting hay, tools, fenceposts and other farm jobs any more legitimate than a parent in Turramurra collecting five children from school, or towing a boat?" - Michael Hanks, via e-mail
"The two-tonne vehicle I drive (a 2.5-litre turbo diesel Defender 110 wagon) has better fuel economy than a Commodore V6." - Graeme Perkes, via e-mail
"My [4WD] vehicle may even be in better condition that a car of the same vintage simply because I look after it well, so that it will look after me if I am in a remote area." - Alan Logue, Adelaide
© 1997 Sydney Morning Herald