There are a lot of reasons why you might want to buy a large vehicle. Maybe you need to haul a lot of material around for work, you have a large family, or you're a weekend warrior with tons of outdoor gear to bring on your trips to the mountains.
An obvious question when you are thinking about getting a large vehicle is: truck vs. SUV, which is better?
Both trucks and SUVs have their pros and cons. Depending on what you're looking for out of a vehicle, one might make a lot more sense for you than the other.
Let's take a look at our SUV vs. truck guide to get a sense of which option would work best for your needs.
Should I Get an SUV? The Pros and Cons
SUVs can be awesome for moving smaller objects or as the ultimate passenger vehicle. SUVs are great for people who love outdoor sports, giving you enough room for all your gear and your whole family.
Pros
There are a lot of reasons why an SUV might make sense for you. Let's take a look at some of the pros of getting an SUV.
More Passenger Seats
One of the most obvious benefits of SUVs is how much room they offer for passengers. An SUV, you can easily set between five and seven people comfortably. Depending on the type of truck you might be looking at, to fit five people in the truck you would have to sacrifice the amount of truck bed space.
Better Maneuvering
Compared to a truck, an SUV is a much easier vehicle to drive. It is typically easier to move in and out of parking spots and driving lanes in an SUV than in a truck. However, it's worth noting that it is still slightly more difficult to maneuver an SUV than a regular-sized car.
Better Gas Mileage
Depending on the size of your SUV and the size of the truck you're considering getting, the gas mileage can be more favorable with the SUV. Actually, some smaller SUVs can get even better gas mileage than a lot of regular-sized cars.
Whether or not the gas mileage is better for an SUV or truck would depend on the size of each. For example, a small truck might have pretty similar gas mileage to a number of large SUVs.
Cons
There are also a number of downsides to SUVs when you compare them to trucks. Let's take a look.
More Expensive
Do SUVs cost more than trucks? Typically, yes.
How much you spend on an SUV or a truck is going to depend a lot on the specific vehicle and its size, age, and features. However, overall it's fair to say that SUVs are a bit more expensive.
The average cost of a full-size truck is roughly $46,500. At the same time, the average cost of a large SUV is about $60,000.
Flipping Danger
Because of the nature of SUVs, they have a slightly higher risk of flipping over than other vehicles. Taller and further from the ground, it's worth considering this when you are thinking about buying an SUV. To be fair, though, many SUVs include features that are designed to prevent this from occurring.
Higher Insurance Rates
Because of the slightly increased risk of flipping and having a higher risk of accidents, SUV owners tend to pay more for car insurance. On average, SUV owners pay between 10 and 20% more for auto insurance than people with regular-sized cars.
Should I Get a Truck? The Pros and Cons
Depending on what you're looking for in a vehicle, a truck might be just the ticket. Let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of getting a truck rather than an SUV.
Pros
Trucks are powerful and useful tools. If you're looking for a work vehicle, trucks are often the go-to choice.
Powerful Engines
Truck engines are just about as powerful as engines can get in consumer vehicles. Since truck models typically have diesel engine options that are upgradeable, they can end up being more powerful even when truck and SUV models are coming from the same manufacturer.
Storage Bed
If you have a lot of materials to move around, a truck is the perfect tool. Large objects like furniture, lumber, and power tools can easily be hauled around in the bed of your truck.
Towing Capabilities
Are you looking for a vehicle that can tow your camper, boat, trailer, or other vehicles? It's hard to beat a truck when it comes to towing capabilities. If this is one of your main goals in purchasing a new vehicle, you'll probably want to consider getting a truck rather than a different type of vehicle.
Cons
While trucks are unparalleled in their ability to haul stuff around and tow whatever you need to tow, those benefits come with some downsides too. Let's take a look.
Harder to Maneuver
If you end up getting a super-large pick-up truck, it's going to be harder to maneuver than SUVs and other vehicles. If you're planning on driving your truck to places with crowded parking lots and narrow streets, you might consider a different option.
Deciding Between Seating and Bed Space
While having the bed space of a truck is awesome, you won't be able to take nearly as many passengers as you could in an SUV. If you do get a truck that has more seating, you'll be doing so at the expense of truck bed space.
Low Gas Mileage
Trucks don't have quite as good gas mileage as SUVs do, typically. If gas mileage is one of your main concerns but you are looking for a large vehicle, you might consider getting an SUV over a truck.
Truck Vs. SUV: Whatever You Decide, We've Got What You're Looking For!
Have you come to a conclusion on the age-old truck vs. SUV debate? Or are you still oscillating between the two options, unsure of which way to go?
Either way, come on down to Steve Marsh Ford. We have a large inventory of both new and used vehicles and can help you find the perfect vehicle for your needs.
Head on over to our inventory page to look at our new vehicle inventory. Start shopping for your next vehicle, whether it be an SUV, a truck, or something else, today!