Take THAT, anti-SUV geeks!!!

[AZhitman]

Rehabilitating the reputations of the drivers of sport utility vehicles was not what hospitals in Washington and other East Coast cities had in mind this week when they sent out a plea to owners of four-wheel-drive behemoths. They just wanted the S.U.V. drivers to transport doctors, nurses and patients through streets knee-deep in snow.

Nevertheless, for a few days drivers of gas-sucking Blazers and road-hogging Troopers sat a little higher in their high seats, riding to the rescue of medical professionals who had to get to work (or back home after pulling unexpected 16-hour shifts) and patients who needed critical treatments like chemotherapy or kidney dialysis.

After a long, trying spell of being pilloried by Hollywood celebrities, "What would Jesus drive" activists and even their own ecologically sensitive children, S.U.V. owners were thrilled to pick up people they had never met for rides over the drifts in the comfort of heated leather passenger seats.

Some 75 drivers of Hummers, Land Rovers and four-wheel-drive trucks kept Georgetown University Hospital staffed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, after Washington-area hospitals ran announcements on television soliciting drivers. An army of 60 forged choked back roads and unplowed cul-de-sacs for Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md. And hundreds more hit roadways unnavigable by ordinary cars in suburban Virginia and up the East Coast through Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Glen Cardelino, who manages a Hummer dealership in Greenbelt, Md., and drives a top-of-the-line Hummer H1, found sweet vindication along with the satisfaction of helping out. His vehicle may get 14 miles to a gallon of gasoline, but, he said, "We were there when you needed us." He has 30 inches of road clearance on his Hummer, and he drove all day Monday for Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, Md., delighted to exercise the rugged capabilities of his warrior wheels. "The Hummer was just like a snowmobile," he said. "I was driving back three-quarters of a mile off the main roads on streets that hadn't been touched" - in two feet of snow. And the Hummer performed. "I never even spun a tire," Mr.Cardelino said.

Certainly the S.U.V. volunteers were doing their bit for their communities. But many freely admitted there was a side benefit. With some communities restricting all road travel on Sunday and Monday to emergency trips, the only way to get out and do some four-wheeling in their snow-ready cars was to volunteer.

Tony Tannouse, who builds racecars, drove for Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington and incidentally had fun testing his Blazer's chops, the way drivers do in the commercials. His Blazer sprayed arcs of snow for three days, as he drove 470 miles. "I'm a thrill-seeker," he said. "And I had nothing better to do." He drives an S.U.V. without shame "because I like to know I can get from Point A to Point B regardless of the weather," he said. "And this time I was helping people."

As for the praise and gratitude raining down on his previously scorned vehicle, he said, "I found it rather amusing."

In Montgomery County, Md., according to Doug Duncan, thecounty executive, county workers were entirely occupied with clearing snow and answering emergency calls. It fell to citizens in their S.U.V.'s to drive residents to critical appointments and pick up prescription drugs. "We could not have come close to handling all that without those volunteers," he said.

He drove one himself, checking the progress of snow removalfor four days in a county-owned Ford Explorer. Along the way he did some impromptu volunteering of his own. He picked up people trying to walk down the main drags to work.

Gary Stephenson, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins Universitywho lives in a Baltimore suburb, saw similar informal volunteering in his own neighborhood - and also observed the resulting gratitude. "It's funny how a week ago everyone hated S.U.V.'s, and now they're all heroes," he said. "A guy in my neighborhood has a big old S.U.V., and he was picking up pizzas and toilet paper for everybody."

One samaritan, Dave Parker, a Democratic political consultant, mused on the policy implications of the lesson the public was getting on the value of cars like his Chevrolet TrailBlazer. "Should we blame S.U.V. owners when obviously these things have some merit - they are useful tools at times like this?" Mr. Parker asked. "Or should we be calling for better fuel-efficiency standards?"

He was new in town - he moved with his wife, Alice, fromMontana to Dupont Circle in Washington two weeks ago - buthe was quick to volunteer. He transported nurses for Georgetown and said it felt good to know that his car had aproud place on city streets.

Army Maj. Pedro Almeida landed at Andrews Air Force Base onSunday morning after a 16-hour flight from Kuwait, where hehad been, he said without elaboration, "on business." On Monday he was out in his Toyota 4Runner, and his best moment, he said, was driving one Nigerian and one Ethiopiannurse from Silver Spring, Md., to Georgetown: he's a sub-Saharan Africa specialist. As a bonus, he added, "four-wheeling in the snow is really fun, even in the city."

For some, however, even riding to the rescue in a storm didnot wash away the shame of driving a much-criticized car.Louis Wolf of Washington plied the Beltway in his ToyotaLand Cruiser in the thick of Sunday's snowfall, carrying acargo of doctors. But even as he did his lifesaving work,he remained acutely conscious of getting only 17 miles tothe gallon.

"I still feel guilty," he said.

[MasterMan]

kinda like "MR PLOW" ....

[BIONICQ45]

kinda like "MR PLOW" ....

Mr. Plow Jingle

Homer: Call Mr. Plow,That's my name,That name againIs Mr. Plow.

[Movingviolation240]

hmmm maybe if I move up there I can get a WRX, lift it with my coilover kit, put snow tires on it.... and become famous

Of course anybody that's ridden with me as I've driven a car in anger through the snow useually dosn't enjoy the ride... but you'd get there in a hurry

PaulOrlando, FL(but learned to drive in northern Indiana hehe)

[yashin]

don't really have a problem with suv's but c'mon what the hell does a soccer mom from california need an suv for? how much driving is she going to be doing in the snow

i'll bet less than 10% use suv's to off-road or climb mountains, like in the commercials

[AZhitman]

We've already been down that road, yashin.

Wait til you guys see the video of my 7,000 pound Suburban getting airborne... MWAHAHAHAHAA!

[VimyJ]

It has been proven that once per century SUV's are not a complete waste of resources. When not sitting upside down in ditches, a some of them gave rides to people during a snow event in 2003 for a day and a half.

[skydragoness]

LOL

yeah, i got a problem with suv's, and after the foot and a half we got over here weeks ago there were bulletins on the news asking for drivers of 4x4's to take doctors and nurses to their stations. at least the owners were putting their vehicles to some use!(i still don't want one. heheeh)

[MaineExport]

I love it!!

I used to make serious cash with my truck back in VT. I worked at a restaurant in Killington (Big a$$ ski resort mountain town), and after my shift I would drive down the access roads and pull flat-landers out of the snow banks. It snowed almost every night so the bad roads mixed with inexperienced foul-weather drivers and some booze.. they were more than willing to shell out $20 to get unstuck without police interference. (The good Samaritan that I am... I always called the cops anyway if they were wasted).

But anyway... I hope some of those SUV haters had to get a ride in one. I hope it saved the lives of SUV haters... they will forever be grateful for the greedy bastards that just HAD to have that 4X4.

[AZhitman]

I can't count the number of retarded drivers I've pushed out of flash-flood washes here in Phoenix. The water can rise one foot per minute, and cars can be swept off the road by just 6 inches of fast-moving water.

Broken-down vehicles? Same thing. Last one was a new Impala that i pushed four miles up the freeway at 45 mph to the next exit... Bet he NEVER accepts a "friendly push" again, HAHAHA

Note to Vim - Settle down and don't misconstrue this as an attack on your anti-SUV pulpit. We're just sharing stories of their usefulness. If you ever come to Phoenix when it rains, I'll take you mud boggin' in the Sub. Guarantee you'll have a blast. (Well, on second thought - maybe you won't. At which point we begin to question your manhood.)

[Stoneage_Turbo]

funny , everytime it snows here i see more SUVs in the ditches flipped over than i see cars in the ditch

35 crashes this winter , too bad i was the first

[lessthanjakejohn]

I saw a Land Rover out in the ice today(yes ice for today and tommorow in texas, yeah!) when no other cars where out.

The Land rover had 2 six yearold kids in the back...The freaking landrover was cruising around the neighborhood showing off his car. He past by me 6 times! No change in occupants and going way too fast..

[WDRacing]

I don't think we should allow SUV's to be manufactured anymore. They are far to wasteful. We should also remove any and all types of auto racing world wide, far to wasteful. No more engines larger then 1.6 liters should be installed in vehicles. That way we don't run out of resources in the up and coming years.

Hmm.....Nevermind, thats GAY. Most people who don't like SUVs can't afford one.

WD

[AZhitman]

Yep - The Russians/Italians/Chinese have it right. Let's all cram our s*** into unsafe, underpowered, poorly-constructed econoboxes with no personality, soul or individualism.

Because after all, we want to be more like them.

[lessthanjakejohn]

SUV's are cool. Its just how some people drive them that drives me crazy. like that guy yesterday...

[DenverQ]

The thing that sometimes bugs me is the one person driving the excursion or whatnot?!?

but in retrospect im probably using as much gas hotrodding in the Q

So I guess its all relative

BTW I used to drive a 99 grand cherokee

PS hitman ill go mudboggin with you if u come and do some rock crawling with me in the good ol rocky mtns!

[MaineExport]

PS hitman ill go mudboggin with you if u come and do some rock crawling with me in the good ol rocky mtns!

Can I join the party?!

My truck is in the shop as we speak.... getting the engine rebuilt and water-proof igntion installed. When it comes back the interior gets stripped and Rhino lined!!! I need to build a snorkel and it'll be deep water ready!

I might have issues trying to keep up in the rock crawling... my IFS can't flex too far. Long-travel torsion bars and removing the sway-bar helps.... but nothing like a solid axle up front. I might be able to compensate with the rear end though... I want to build 3/4 elliptic rear springs.

[PowerPuff]

As an SUV owner I most definitely hate being stereotyped, especially because I'm a younger girl driving an Infiniti. I get looked at as though my daddy bought me the Q and I probably have no clue how to drive it. If only they saw me tear it up in the Jetta......anyway I'm glad to say I'm of the small percentile that is still concious of the fact that although I can navigate through snowy conditions much easier than a passenger car, my SUV is not invincible and it is still possible to slide/spin/flip/get stuck. During our 2-ft snowstorm over the President's Day weekend, my boyfriend and I were out on both Sunday and Monday in the Q; unfortunately we were looking for places to eat, Blockbusters that were open, or even just a freakin open grocery store, but the entire Baltimore metro area was pretty much shut down. It was definitely a lot of fun being out in the snow and not having hardly anyone on the roads.

[MaineExport]

Mmmm... girls driving big trucks....!!!!:D

You totally had me hooked up until the boyfriend part... :pface