Do you really need an SUV? The FULL Challenge | Fifth Gear

SUVs are the cars of the moment. The combination of decent passenger and luggage space, plus an elevated view, is hard to beat. But maybe a minivan is an even better family solution? For just under £50,000, which many larger SUVs cost these days, you sit just as high, can seat at least seven people, and won’t sacrifice boot space in the process. More and more manufacturers are producing them, so time to put the Plug in Hybrid VW T7 Transporter up against a 7 seat PHEV SUV costing the same cash - the Hyundai Santa Fe. Test 1 - which is the nicest to drive, and be driven in? The crew pack in as both vehicles go for a spin.
Part One - Best Drive (0:00)
Sponsor (5.51)
Part Two - Storage (6:33 )
Part Three - Slalom (12:02)
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[@fifthgearuk]

To charge your EV smarter and faster, head over to our sponsor Hypervolt, where you can find the latest in EV charging tech from only £630. bit.ly/48RSmz1

[@FluffyBlueCow]

Who buys a family car for nearly 50k!? Did the average household find lavish riches somewhere?

[@Truthbomb918]

Not every family lives in proverty. If u can afford it buy one if not but something cheaper

[@LafemmebearMusic]

@@CaptainHoratioPugwashshutuppppoooo high horse 🐎

[@happysporran]

Poverty? ​@@Truthbomb918

[@DennosManCave]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@posiub]

no one’s shelling out 50k, financing is the way most people go now

[@roberthart9886]

I bought my 2004 Saab 9-5 turbo wagon/estate in 2008. Its attractive to this day, comfortable, handles well, plenty of pep and extremely practical. WHY DID THE INDUSTRY EVER STOP MAKING WAGONS. I also owned a Mercury Villager and a Ford Aerostar. both of which were quite practical, but lacked the peppiness and handling of my beloved Saab

[@scurwen]

No. In my experience, no one does. Most manufacturers build a more suitable alternative with bigger load space, greater economy, or better handling! 🤣 But you can only buy what they make, and most make SUVs so that's what you have to buy. ...and absolutely nothing to do with SUVs being the most advertised (by cost) type of vehicle in the history of motoring advertising. 😅

[@ohyesitsme]

If you can't afford these monsters then what about the Dacia Jogger 🙂

[@goinghomesomeday1]

Nice jalopies - for me there are way too many buttons/distractions when driving. I have bought a Dacia Stepway Journey CVT. For me its perfect, less buttons and distractions, a pleasure to drive, it gets me from A>B in comfort and being a CVT its a pleasure to drive. For family use these jalopies cost an arm-n-leg.

[@robbiew8614]

"The Santa Fake....", she says 🤣 13:15

[@rabidsminions2079]

There is nothing sporty about SUV'S.

[@jonathonedwards6741]

Do you need an SUV? No. What you need is an MPV or if you really need the space a van

[@DennosManCave]

Should have compared the VW with the Hyun Staria. Was pleasant surprised how well they drive when I hired one recently. Perfect fit for a family like this

[@geetee4037]

The boot should always, easily be big enough on a SUV. It should be the first thing they tick when designing these efforts.

[@janrdoh]

I hope to never see these on the road, it's already bad enough with huge SUV's taking up all the space.

[@vitovitale169]

50000 pounds is almost what my house cost me in Canada while my supercharged 1996 Toyota Previa will drive me 3 times the distance a junky Volkswagen VR6 Eurovan from 2000 would ever reach and it costs less!

[@paulchipperfield492]

I'll keep my top spec Seat Alhambra, 8 years old. Cost 28 grand. Nothing compares.

[@markbennett9787]

What a shame the grand daddy of them all the Renault Espace doesn’t seem to be available in the UK or is it? But it does appear to be have lost its originality so perhaps you’re better off without it.

[@sandymackenzie5736]

Its not really the question is it? Should be do you want an SUV or not ? Do i need an RS6 no but do i want one on yes

[@richuk4086]

VW van. What they've done is invent something that existed in the 90's and early 00's from Japan and also France.

[@CanariesExplorer]

The VW is based on a car chassis, not a van, and so handles well. It is far more practical for large families and for those who lug large items around like bikes. This petrol hybrid version will retain its value very well, unlike the high depreciating Hyundai and all equivalent EVs.

[@karij9592]

Sad that they run 2… almost 3 years old episodes,…

[@dogmadogma5398]

The prices are insane !

[@DaveDVideoMaker]

If I were to own an SUV, I would only get it with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, whether I need it or not.

[@mgsmiffy]

Reinvented espace. Could import a estima or elgrand for way less money

[@naumanzakir8005]

Toyota estima hybrid efour 4WD 7/8 seater hybrid!

[@markwilliams5654]

For a panel van lol😮

[@tetchuma]

I wish the U.S. got that VW van. We only get the EV van that looks like a toddlers tennis shoe… 😒

[@pl1068]

Great we go from massive cars to humongous 🙄

[@seinsmeld13]

Not for me. I prefer cars. I'll have a convertible which gets parked every winter and a sports car for year round. Therefore I have an M2 and a 718 Spyder.

[@byrondot]

SUV are designed to do all fine, but at the end, they don't do something really fine, except generate great incomings to the brands.

[@mikadavies660]

£53,000 is already enough but the iD Buzz version is a fortune

[@saddoncarrs6963]

Do you really need an SUV? Unless you're a farmer or a forestry worker, the answer is obviously NO. An estate car is more than adequate. The question is really "Do you really WANT an SUV?".

[@TheTryingDutchman]

'the van is surprisingly comfortable', she says several times. I guess its her first time in a van, they've been comfortable since atleast the early 2000's.

[@LafemmebearMusic]

I deeply disagree… I hate how they ride and drive. Just wallowing truck like orrrrr front wheel drive unstable and noisy.

[@TheTryingDutchman]

@@LafemmebearMusic what kind of vans did you drive? There is a massive difference between some Vauxhall/Opel garbage and a Mercedes Sprinter 3.2 liter biturbo 7speed automatic with 4 wheel drive. (Just to give an example lol)

[@alexbrady8893]

50,000 what, Rand?

[@wolfgangezeh2221]

Where is Vicki?

[@Maxmulham]

That's already the old Santa Fe

[@cameraprepper7938]

Japanese Kei Cars in Europe will be nice !

[@LafemmebearMusic]

Buy a van give up on enjoyment, great advice 😅

[@froggy0162]

More enjoyable to drive than a bloody suv… those stupid things suck to drive!

[@martinwood9014]

I want something better looking and handling than these vehicles. Oh yeah, an elegant estate car.

[@bodrulm1]

Estates are the ugliest imbalanced shape. That is why the SUV was born. There's no getting away from it

[@spider_hoss]

Good lord these are expensive.

[@legambaz]

Fifth Gear, why all your uploads ore of such low quality. Even at 1080, picture quality sucks

[@nathanfurnival8724]

Fifth gear sponsored by ev companies , they’ll tell you the truth 😂

[@zizou97]

A Hyundai for £49k, the world has gone made.

[@SilverfoxJB]

I mean an SUV or a Van? Whats the point of this video? And 50K, Well that's probably 90% of purchasers out of the equation. This is the most ridiculous we have two wildly different vehicles this week, how can we squeeze a click bait title and a pointless comparison out of it, videos ever.

[@stephenodonohue9876]

You guys seem to be waaay behind the curve if your pretending to be "Recharged". Lots of Hybrids on your latest relaunch. Ok 3-5 years ago, but look at Europe, EV's are the go, Hybrids are so 2010's.

[@bearbear807]

50 grand for a van fml lol

[@karlInSanDiego]

It's 2024. and the planet is burning. Debating if an SUV is great for your big family is infuriating. Where is the discussion about the danger to the Rushby's 4 children of bing killed on their scooters in a front-over from an SUV with bad sightlines and dangerous pedestrian crash outcomes. Where's the explanation that gas cars are having to be legislated out of existence because fuel economy standards aren't coming close to meeting the Climate Action we need. Of course the EV was better, but in trying to prove that an oversized family with 4 kids needs these big beasts, you've normalized SUVs and one of the least efficient and least us sustainable EVs sold in the UK, the Buzz. Maybe Fifth gear needs a contributor with an eye to the future. SUVs were just penalized yesterday in vote in Paris because they're more dangerous to people. SUVs are awful. Please don't consider them normal. Big heavy vans aren't much better. Most families have fit it normal cars for decades before the minivan and SUV were created. We can't afford these massive vehicles in our Climate Crisis.

[@jono.pom-downunder]

Fold the scooters down back the blue bags vertically if you learn to pack it would easily fit in the Hyundai. "real world test" 😅😅my arse. 30 miles EV RANGE is useless

[@Goldeye157]

second

[@rtfazeberdee3519]

Just how many 7 people families are there buying these ugly polluting things?