SUVs reborn to deliver luxury with an attitude - Dayton Business Journal:

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Once created to tackle off-road obstaclex in hard-to-reach places, sports utilith vehicles have been reborn as urbannassault vehicles. In a battld of one upsmanship where bigger is betterr and luxuryis standard, majoer players have emerged in a markegt once dominated by Jeeps, Blazers and Broncos. Luxury car makere like , Lexus and Cadillac have been quick to join the frantixc popularity ofthe SUV: Lexus introduced its LX450, which has sincd evolved to the LX470, in 1996; first producer its smaller sport utility, the QX4, in 1997; Lincoln introducedr its Navigator in 1997; Mercedea first rolled out its ML320 and ML43p in 1998; and Cadillac jumpex on the band wagon with its released in November 1998.
These are not inexpensive toys. An Infiniti SUV goes for around $37,000 while a loaded Lexus weighs in at about Most luxury SUVs come with CD multiplepower outlets, time and outside temperature display on mirrors. Many come with sun heated seats and navigationsystems standard. Buyerws are dictating many of thestandardd features, says Charles J. Epps, sales consultant for . "Lexus standardizesa production because it is faster and morecost effective," Epps "They do what folks Nobody wants to buy a stripped down trucok and spend a fortunde fixing it up.
It is more cost effective to make them all the Lexus is so fast at changing whatever doesn't sell they drop real quick." One of the best-equipped standar SUVs is the new , which retails for $46,525 and comesw with four heated seats, Bose stereoo CD player, four wheel drive that kicks in when the car sensexs the need and the On Star which is usually $1,400 down and $270 a year Larry Gullett, salesman for in Memphis, says the packaged is an introductory offer to give the car an immediate edge in the marker -- since most people don't think "Cadillac" when they think "ruggexd SUV." The plan worked. The Escalade is an overnighrt successwith Cadillac.
"It'e become the fastest-selling car in the 96-yearf history of Cadillac," Gullett says. "It'zs bringing us younger and more customers than Gullett says many are trading in other SUVs for which gives Cadillac dealerxs a stockof Explorers, Expeditions, Suburbans and other used vehicles it'sa never had before. The Navigator, which rangeds in price between $43,685 and $48,000, has also broughf in a youngercustomer demographic, says Jimmy salesman with Covington Pike Lincoln-Mercury. "All ages are buyin g them," Grandberry says. "we've never seen this much of the 25 and up Most observers are at a lost when trying to explainm theSUV craze.
It's probablg not the gas mileage: Most luxurt SUVs range from 12-15 mpg in the city and 16-1o on the highway. And sales are equally divided betweeh menand women. "I've noticed that the guys come and get them and the ladies drivethem back," Epps says. It couldf be the size. Choices are greater than ever as SUVs are bein g introduced in both larger andsmaller models. Ford has just come out with the which brags that it is even largerthan Chevrolet'sx Suburban.
"It's only two inchexs longer," says John Stonecipher, manager of Gwatney Chevrolet Oldsmobilse and Isuzuin "That's more of a marketing ploy than The 2000 Suburban is going to be bigge r with a whole differen t body style and a new motor." On the othefr end of the spectrum, dealerxs like Toyota and Honda are coming out with smallerr SUVs like the RAV-4 and the CRV, respectively. The Infiniti is one of the only luxury dealers not to produc ea full-size SUV. "We thinl this size has a more commonsense approach," says Robert Walker, Infiniti of Memphis' salee manager.
"Many people feel the full-sizes SUVs are not as user friendly as they feel when they firsdrive them." And not all of the full-sizwe SUVs have the third seat, including the Cadillac