What’s Wrong With Urban 4×4s?

Hummer wedged into a parking space in USA

An SUV the size of a Ford Excursion is so large that it no longer even qualifies as a light truck and is not subject to any kind of fuel economy standards.

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) have a much greater impact on the environment than other passenger cars. Current federal regulations in the USA actually allow SUVs to have far worse fuel economy than other vehicles. For a new passenger car this is set at 27.5 mpg, SUVs are not considered cars but characterized as light trucks and only have to achieve 20.7 mpg. An SUV the size of a Ford Excursion is so large that it no longer even qualifies as a light truck and is not subject to any kind of fuel economy standards.

Federal law in the USA also allows heavy sport utility vehicles to emit higher levels of toxic and noxious pollution.

In Washington, D.C. where the air pollution has become so bad, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering cutting off road building funds until the region can come up with a viable solution to the pollution problem.

According to the EPA, one of the most important things you can do to reduce global warming pollution is to buy a vehicle with higher fuel economy. They have teamed up with the US Department of Energy to create a website that lists the fuel economy of different vehicles and then compares them with each other www.fueleconomy.gov.