Ever have one of those days when you feel like the whole world is against you? Well I had that every day I was in our 2009 Suzuki SX4 this weekend. Every day I had someone go out of their way to cut me off. From Ford Explorers to Kia Spectras to even Toyota Priuses. It was uncanny. Every time, whether there was a merge lane when it was my turn to merge FYI or I was just driving in rush hour traffic, the other driver would duck in front of me, nearly slicing off the SX4's nose. And of course when I honked at them "Hey, I'm driving here," I'd get flipped off. Every. Time.
Now before you say that that's just how L.A. drivers drive and I shouldn't take it personally, there was this one BMW 135i convertible with a "WRKMGC" vanity plate.
I was driving on Walgrove Avenue toward Santa Monica. A road I usually take to work. But since it was a Sunday and there wasn't much traffic on the road, I was just enjoying it and leisurely left about three car lengths between me and the BMW. But when we got to Ocean Park Boulevard where the road splits into two lanes only to merge again after the stoplight on the other side of Ocean Park, I signaled that I was going to turn right.
The BMW saw this and at the last second he straddled the two lanes and sat there at the redlight so I couldn't get around him. Huh?
When the light turned green, he creeped his way slooowly forward. So I honked at him to get going. Well, naturally he honked back at me. What a nimrod. What was his problem? I'll never know. But all the jerky driver encounters made me hate piloting this car around L.A. Not only because of that but also for its lack of power and its loud engine that revs to 4,000 rpm when you're going 65.
I think the Suzuki SX4 would be fine for the docile driver, someone who is tolerant and patient. OK, yeah, that's not me. But I've driven many different cars, cars you'd think people would dislike more, and have never consistently been hated on like I was in this car. It has a friendly blue-green color and is very innocuous-looking, why get in its face?
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 7,358 miles
7driver says:
11:31 AM, 06/22/09
"What a nimrod."
Um, my amateur recollection of ancient literature says Nimrod was a mighty hunter. Are you trying to be sarcastic here?
subaru123 says:
11:34 AM, 06/22/09
"Priuses"? is that the proper plural, or is it Priora, Prii, or pieces of sh*t.
carguy622 says:
11:37 AM, 06/22/09
Maybe they've been reading on the blog how slow the Suzuki is.
caroscuro says:
12:13 PM, 06/22/09
7driver,
Yeah, "nimrod" also means "hunter" in addition to "silly person" but the former isn't used as much anymore. And it was my ode to Bugs Bunny.
machwon23 says:
12:13 PM, 06/22/09
About the Prius drivers - why do they all drive crazy? I'll get in the lane next to one at a stoplight thinking they will be going slow but on no! Mrs. Prius Driver floors it when it goes green and blasts through traffic. Does she realize that thing has low rolling resistance tires while she is swerving in and out of traffic? And why the hell do you buy a damn ugly-ass Prius and then drive it like a bat out of hell? Doesn't that defeat the entire purpose of the car?
/rant
huyracing says:
12:30 PM, 06/22/09
cuz the torque makes it feel fast. you can chirp the tires, ya know...
huyracing says:
12:32 PM, 06/22/09
Caroline: Perhaps they just think you're attractive and they're trying to get your attention. Or they think you're driving a slow POS and you're gonna prevent them from getting to the stoplight early so they can sit and wait for it to turn green.
uncanny_man says:
12:43 PM, 06/22/09
I was NOT driving those kia spectras, explorers and priuses! I'm offended that you would accuse me!
:)
stovt001 says:
12:49 PM, 06/22/09
machwon23 - I could never understand that. I know that a lot of Prii are sold to people who want the image of being green but don't actually care about the environment (obvious, given the environmental damage produced by its manufacture and transport) but you would think they'd want to match that eco-facade with driving that looks economical. Perhaps they think that since it is a "green" car their driving style doesn't matter like it does in a conventional car? If so, I would refer them to the Top Gear episode where the Prius was driven as quickly as possible around the track and the M3 was driven to simply keep pace. The M3 posted better fuel economy, proving that driving style is key regardless of vehicle.
Caroline: Are you sure one of your coworkers didn't sneak some offensive bumper sticker or something like that on as a practical joke?
fuhteng says:
12:50 PM, 06/22/09
That is awful Caroline. What a city ):
mikeolan says:
12:56 PM, 06/22/09
Never understood why BMW drivers are such dbags. My guess is maybe he caught a glimpse of the Suzuki's interior and realized "wow, a $15k Suzuki is nicer inside than this thing I wasted three times as much money on" . Or maybe still fuming that a 370z clobbered his behind at a prior intersection.
desmolicious says:
02:08 PM, 06/22/09
The 135i driver was mad that he missed his Kogi fix.
greenpony says:
05:10 PM, 06/22/09
Just when you think you've seen it all. Straddling the lanes so you couldn't turn...!
festiboi1 says:
07:20 PM, 06/22/09
It's very true that people treat you differently in each car you drive. Try driving a Subaru Justy in LA traffic like I do; talk about not getting any respect!
It's totally different in my Focus. Although big trucks may still try to intimdate me, people are not as pushy when I'm in it.
In the SX4's case, it's a cute car that doesn't look the least bit threatening. Driver's will glance up and down it's tall body and large windows, and decide that you aren't menacing and can be pushed to the back of the pack. Or they may be just jealous they are missing one of the best kept secrets on the market today
johnnyr3 says:
03:37 AM, 06/23/09
Yeah, since Bugs started to use Nimrod to sarcastically refer to Elmer's hunting skills the word has become more pejorative than complimentary.
bimmerjay says:
12:32 PM, 06/23/09
My apologies, Caroline... I didn't realize that was you.
sealclubb3r says:
07:14 PM, 06/23/09
"Never understood why BMW drivers are such dbags."
Maybe they're venting their iDrive induced rage at the rest of the world.
dareshiranu says:
08:37 PM, 08/27/09
I have a 2009 SX4 automatic, I can't get it over 3k rpm unless i crack 85 mph. Nobody cuts me off unless I allow them to or they just plain drive like they have an appointment to suicide by auto later in the day. It wasn't you particularly or even LA, it was that people just don't know or care to know how to drive. That is why my operational philosophy while driving can be summed up like this: "He who hesitates is behind me.". If they are behind me their decisions cannot effect me. It is like many people have to recall how to drive at every intersection they hesitate so much. I often feel like I'm driving amongst people on the verge of hypothermia they react so much more slowly to everything, or they do not realize the purpose of being on the road is to drive between two points expediently, not sightsee. Sorry for the diatribe, you hit a nerve.