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Barbadians Love Affair With SUVs Under Threat

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In the aftermath of a significant gas hike in Barbados effective mid-night last night, which has seen gas at the pump fixed at $2.67 per litre, the BU household was provoked to wonder how Barbadians who currently own the popular SUV type vehicles are making out. We have listed the top SUV type vehicles based on our observation, and as a guide have indicated in red the cost to top-up the tanks supported by our assumption that the owners of the vehicles would need to top-up at least four times per month to fulfill personal commitments, listed in brackets.

However you cut it many Barbadians will now have to spend a significant percentage of their disposal income at the gas station. The bigger issue to be asked centres around whether the government should impose a ‘luxury tax’ of some kind to encourage energy saving behaviour by those who own or wish to own the gas guzzlers.

honda crv

Honda CR-V requires 57.91 litres to top-up which translates to $154.61($618.44)

ford f150

Ford F150 requires 135.13 litres to top-up which translates to $360.82 ($1,443.29)

suzuki vitara

Suzuki Vitara requires 65.85 litres to top-up which translates to $175.86 (703.44)

kia sorento

Kia Sorento requires 80 litres to top-up which translates to $213,60 ($854.44)

toyota rav4

Toyota Rav 4 requires 58 litres to top-up which translates to $154.86 ($619.44)

land rover freelander

Land Rover Freelander requires 64 litres to top-up which translates to $170.88 ($683.52)

nissan pathfinder

Nissan Pathfinder requires 79.75 litres to top-up which translates to $212.95 (851.81)

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42 responses to “Barbadians Love Affair With SUVs Under Threat”

  1. Confused 888 Avatar
    Confused 888

    That’s some very interesting figures, but they don’t mean much unless we also know some measure of efficiency, like kilometres per litre or miles per gallon

  2. David Avatar
    David

    That was not the purpose of this blog. Why do Barbadians always harp on the trivial points and forget the taller issue?

  3. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    Required reading for all Bajans (not just SUV drivers) from http://www.theoildrum.com:

    Peak Oil Overview – March 2008 (Pdf and Powerpoint available)

    Posted by Gail the Actuary on March 13, 2008 – 10:57am
    Topic: Supply/Production

    Preliminary data regarding oil production through December 2007 is now available from the US Energy Information Administration, so it is a good time to put together an updated summary of where we are now with respect to peak oil. The major themes of this presentation are

    • The US oil story
    • The world oil story
    • Five myths

    I have put this summary together in the format of a PowerPoint presentation plus notes. In this format, it is a multi-purpose document.

    Continued here:
    http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3726#more

  4. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    I drive a SUV because:-
    1. roads are in a terrible condition in many parts of the island where I have to travel.
    2. I meet too many big trucks and buses, which no one seems to point out are too large for our roads when they are griping about SUV’s, and feel safer in an SUV.
    3. I pay for my gas without complaining, I drive so as not to waste gas, and I reserve the right to continue to do so.
    4. Both of the last cars I drove guzzled as much gas as my SUV and they were Corolla and Skoda.

  5. Sam Gamgee Avatar
    Sam Gamgee

    Thanks Green Monkey for the link. Read the article. Seems like it is only a matter of time. The true level of reserves seem to be a great secret, also nothing lasts forever.

  6. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Fed Up // April 16, 2008 at 8:25 am

    I drive a SUV because:-
    1. roads are in a terrible condition in many parts of the island where I have to travel.
    2. I meet too many big trucks and buses, which no one seems to point out are too large for our roads when they are griping about SUV’s, and feel safer in an SUV.
    3. I pay for my gas without complaining, I drive so as not to waste gas, and I reserve the right to continue to do so.
    4. Both of the last cars I drove guzzled as much gas as my SUV and they were Corolla and Skoda.
    =================================

    You loved the Skoda? really 😀 are they still available in Bimshire? I share your take on this however. Also they are hybrid SUV’s that can get very good gas mileage.

  7. cooligan Avatar
    cooligan

    There is no way a 1600 cc Toyota can guzzle as much gas as an SUV unless you are talking about a Terios or Matrix or some other vehicle which although marketed as such is not an SUV. It is a simple matter of power and engine size, the larger the engine, the bigger and heavier the vehicle the more gas it uses unless its a hybrid like Hants says. Dont fool the Public.

  8. Eastern Son Avatar
    Eastern Son

    Here are some facts:
    1. I own an Escape 2006 model.
    2. It weighs 1520 kg.
    3. It is powered by a 3000cc., 200 b.h.p. V6 fuel injected gasoline engine with the modern computer controlled engine management.
    4. I work in the St. Michael area on the outskirts of B’town.
    5. I have a child that attends school in B’town.
    6. I live on the East Coast.
    I do all of this five days a week and use less than $125.00 a week at the new prices – and I had smaller cars that could do only a little better, and on which I had to spend so much more in suspension, tyres, and steering repairs because of deploreable road conditions. You want to know where large quantities of valuable energy are lost?? – In the traffic gridlock that exists because of pathetic planning of the highway improvement!!

  9. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Eastern Son // April 16, 2008 at 12:11 pm

    Here are some facts:
    1. I own an Escape 2006 model.
    2. It weighs 1520 kg.
    3. It is powered by a 3000cc., 200 b.h.p. V6 fuel injected gasoline engine with the modern computer controlled engine management.
    4. I work in the St. Michael area on the outskirts of B’town.
    5. I have a child that attends school in B’town.
    6. I live on the East Coast.
    I do all of this five days a week and use less than $125.00 a week at the new prices – and I had smaller cars that could do only a little better, and on which I had to spend so much more in suspension, tyres, and steering repairs because of deploreable road conditions. You want to know where large quantities of valuable energy are lost?? – In the traffic gridlock that exists because of pathetic planning of the highway improvement!!
    =================================

    wow 125bds a week? that is 500 a month. Last month i spent 247.81 USD on gas or 495.62BDS. Oh well the joy of somewhat effective mass transit make this possible since i live 50 miles from my work place.
    ….. I am amaze by the need for all the cars in Little 21X14 Barbados.

  10. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    I am amazed by the need for all the guns in the USA! I quess every man to his own disorder.

  11. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    FED UP

    The roads are in terrible shape because they are so many SUV’s.

  12. Tony Hall Avatar
    Tony Hall

    That’s a lot of money in gas. Persons in Barbados will have to look for ways of conserving. I have two vehicles here in New York, a Toyota Camry V6 and a Corolla. It costs me about $260.00 US per month in gas to use the Camry and the cost is climbing because everyday the price of gas is going up. I have decided to exercise another option by using the Corolla and hopefully that will save me some money. Bajans might have to start carpooling and the Gov’t should also contemplate using ferry services.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    Some of the comments even under this blog demonstrate why it is important to shock Barbadians into a different behaviour. We believe that even if a decent mass transit service was in position Barbadians who are very class conscious and prone to be ostentatious in outlook would sell their silver to ensure they have ‘wheels’ on the road.

  14. David Avatar
    David

    Some of the comments even under this blog demonstrate why it is important to shock Barbadians into a different behaviour. We believe that even if a decent mass transit service was in position Barbadians who are very class conscious and prone to be ostentatious in outlook would sell their silver to ensure they have ‘wheels’ on the road.

  15. gOAT mEAT sWEET Avatar
    gOAT mEAT sWEET

    Nonsense.

    Gas gone up.

    BU shut up.

    Next!

  16. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Fed Up // April 16, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    I am amazed by the need for all the guns in the USA! I quess every man to his own disorder.
    =================================

    I am not one to argue for or against the ownership of guns in America where i will voice an opinion is the easy availability of purchasing one in some areas. Fortunately for me i happen to live in an area that is much bigger than Barbados and that is govern by local strict gun laws and where i might add the number of deaths by guns is no higher than in Bimshire. The point i am making is that if you wish to use a high concentration of guns as a negative that is equal to my observation of a high number of cars in Bim as a negative, take time to consider the size of the US as compared to the size of Barbados and who of the two of us is more likely to be affected by their negative.

  17. gn Avatar
    gn

    this biog is very poor now there is a new government

  18. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    According to the Central Bank publication, Economic and Financial Statistics for February 2008, and under the heading RETAINED IMPORTS BY BROAD ECONOMIC CATEGORIES – Table H6 – Barbados imported BDS $ 371 Million in fuels – classified as intermediate goods in the document – for the year 2006, and BDS $ 405 Million in fuels for 11 straight months in 2007, except the month of December.

    While the PDC accept that the so-called price of oil on the international market increased tremendously over that two year period, what we are saying is that if PDC were the government during that time it would NOT have cost Barbadians such a huge amount of money to see energy products/fuel reach their final consumers, since we would have long implemented the following policies and more: Making sure that Goods and Services into Barbados would have been Zero-“priced” at ALL points of entry; Abolishing ALL Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados Dollar; Establishing a National Price Setting Mechanism; and the removal of so-called Direct Taxation – as one stage out of TWO stages in the process of Abolishing of All Taxation in Barbados.

    PDC

  19. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    According to the same Central Bank publication, Economics and Financial Statistics for February 2008, and under the same heading RETAINED IMPORTS BY BROAD ECONOMIC CATEGORIES – Table H6 – Barbados imported BDS $ 92 Million in motor cars – classified as Durables in the same document – for the year 2006, and BDS $ 110 Million in motor cars for 11 straight months in 2007, except for December.

    Given that much fuel – diesel and gasolene – and that motor cars together form interrelated goods that carry an interrelated demand, but NOT an interrelated supply, and given therefore that it has been costing Barbados an extraordinarily large amount of money to just use up a couple million litres of fuel on motor vehicles yearly, albeit that the amount of use of fuel has been tremendously increasing in recent times, and to ensure that Barbadians are able to own sufficient numbers of new brand or reconditioned motor vehicles on a yearly basis – albeit that these numbers have been fairly strongly increasing in recent times, but still mere hundreds, not thousands, each year, must really mean that Barbadians ought really and truly start seriously looking at ways and means of NOT ONLY securing viable alternative sources of energy, BUT ALSO seriously seperating the interrelationship between motor vehicles and particlar fuels (diesel and gasoline), and the interrelated demand for motor vehicles and these particular fuels – thus creating other better and more efficient interrelationships and interrelated demands between the two goods – as some ways of properly reducing national money expenditures on these two categories of goods – motor vehicles and fuels.

    Hence, as a result of the success of developing solar energy to its fullest potential in Barbados, there must therefore be a connection between that and an industry created in Barbados for the manufacture of very efficient solar powered vehicles. Surely, a future PDC Government shall see to it that these types of industrial advances come about in Barbados, and which obviously must involve, too, as part of that thrust such a government leading the way in the country’s allocation of great amounts of human beings, money and resources to the development of such industrial advances, while at the same time saving us the cost of spending too much in Barbados on imported fossil fuels and imported vehicles.

    PDC

  20. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    Yes, the same way Americans reserve the right to guns Bajans feel that having a car gives them some type of security. But I agree that car pooling would be very helpful, that was what many people here did in the 70’s oil crises.
    And there are many many other vehicles on the road here much larger than SUV’s!!!

  21. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    Yes, the same way Americans reserve the right to guns Bajans feel that having a car gives them some type of security. But I agree that car pooling would be very helpful, that was what many people here did in the 70’s oil crises.
    And there are many many other vehicles on the road here much larger than SUV’s!!!

  22. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    P.S.
    I think also that politicians have encouraged the mind set that every home should have a couple of cars, like it shows that you are independant!

  23. Fed Up Avatar
    Fed Up

    P.S.
    I think also that politicians have encouraged the mind set that every home should have a couple of cars, like it shows that you are independant!

  24. The Truth Avatar
    The Truth

    We should have raised the price of gas to BDS $3.50 per litre 10 years ago. Part of that would be a tax for high ways. And today we would have build the new ABC cash, with not loans.
    What would the true cost of the ABC if Owen did not steal so much ???

  25. Sandie Rowe Avatar
    Sandie Rowe

    I drive a Land Rover Disco,cost me about $100 per week,and many of those miles are unnecessary. But tooping up at the petrol station,is nowhere as expensive as topping up at my favourite watering hole.
    Brandy……..$120 +per litre
    Red Bull……$ 6-7 per litre.
    Coca Cola/7-Up etc…..$5.00 per litre.
    Coconut water????
    Bottled water???
    Get my drift?

  26. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Fed Up // April 17, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Yes, the same way Americans reserve the right to guns Bajans feel that having a car gives them some type of security. But I agree that car pooling would be very helpful, that was what many people here did in the 70’s oil crises.
    And there are many many other vehicles on the road here much larger than SUV’s!!!
    =================================
    Fed up you are not making much sense. There is no context within which you can make the right to guns in America the same or similar to the number of Cars (conservately estimated to be about 80,000) on the road in a 21X14 mile space.

  27. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Sandie Rowe // April 17, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    I drive a Land Rover Disco,cost me about $100 per week,and many of those miles are unnecessary. But tooping up at the petrol station,is nowhere as expensive as topping up at my favourite watering hole.
    Brandy……..$120 +per litre
    Red Bull……$ 6-7 per litre.
    Coca Cola/7-Up etc…..$5.00 per litre.
    Coconut water????
    Bottled water???
    Get my drift?
    =================================
    Sandy , my Brother use to make dounce wine, guava wine, rice wine, cherry wine etc. Maybe there is a market for some Bajan moonshine. 😀 But um is true wuh Thompy said, retail prices in other caribbean Island are much cheaper than in Barbados. When i use to live in Bimshire i use to get my Red label from St. Vincent at 21.00 EC dollars for a 26 0z bottle.

  28. Stuggling Avatar
    Stuggling

    Well I still struggling with public service vehicles and i honestly can’t wait to finally get my license to drive.
    Anyways, there are a number of SUV’s on the road, but if these people don’t mind paying the extravagant prices to fill up these gas guzzlers well who am I to say otherwise?
    ButI do think that we should be more energy savvy and instead of focusing on who owns the biggest suv, focus on buying the most fuel efficient car.
    On another note, the only reason why solar energy is going to be a last resort, even though it is renewable and non-polluting, is because those energy companies haven’t found a way to make money off of it. It aint like if you have to pay for sun or you get disconnect or something like that. Once you have the means to get your car or house workin off of solar energy the only costs you have to pay is to have the system maintained every few months.

  29. anotherview Avatar
    anotherview

    The rising gas price has pushed Americans to buy more fuel efficient cars which includes hybrids. Will Barbadians do same?

  30. Macca Avatar
    Macca

    Price of petrol. I don’t know what you are moaning about, multiply your cost by 4 and that is what I am paying here in the U.K. and I am a pensioner.

  31. pajeroman Avatar
    pajeroman

    i drive a pajero io(GDI),this is the japenese model,it is very good on fuel,if i drive over 60km,the GDI light come on indicating a fuel effiency mode.with the recent fuel increase in barbados it takes $95.00 for a full tank ,and this is with the fuel light on,this last for 9days,so if you want a hybrid fuel saving vehicle buy a mitsubishi pajero io GDI(Gasoline-Direct-Injection)dont take my word for it research itGDIengines.com.

  32. USED CAR DEALER Avatar
    USED CAR DEALER

    heard that new car dealers pull advertising from nation immediately over stories carried by the newspaper on used cars a few days back.

  33. Meg Avatar
    Meg

    Related to cars, guns, etc. – it’s the person’s money. I don’t see how it is our business what they spend their money on unless they are doing something illegal.

    It would be nice to bring back carpooling but let’s face it; they only just started doing that again in big countries (along with Share-A-Car!).
    It’ll take a while, Barbados is notoriously slow.
    (Yes we are slow, you can get upset, you can write down your grievances, frankly, I don’t care, we are slow, accept it, deal with it)

    St(r?)uggling – What are your problems with public service vehicles?
    (Speaking as a person who has never used one in her life, except for school outings.)

  34. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Finally, the penny is dropping, as are their sales.

    GM to cease production of trucks, SUVs and, wait for it, even that icon of profligacy-the Hummer.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24947044/

  35. David Avatar
    David

    It is interesting that Americans who have always been in love with their SUVs are shedding them like leaves in Autumn but Barbadians still hooked on them.

    What does this say?

  36. The Rev O Glenville Butler Avatar
    The Rev O Glenville Butler

    Voice of the people ….

    1. Is the voice of the people the voice of God? Insofar as what happened in USA on 4 Nov 08.

    2.That piece of philosophy may have originated when the Israelites asked Yaweh (God) through prophet Samuel for “a king like the other nations.”

    3. They chose Tishbite Saul who was “head and shoulders above other contenders” – but he was an abject failure!

    That is where monarchial government began. Politics (democracy) came much later with the Greeks.

    4. God even changed the name of the other Saul of Tarsus, to Paul – apostle to the Gentiles.

    5. That is where we are at today in USA and the world.

    6. Scholars would see this in: “And God fulfils Himself in many ways – lest one good [now reads BAD] custom should corrupt the world.” (Lord Alfred Tennyson]

    7. B U please acknowledge, and let B.C “know his place” – not our Sovereign State Barbados, as he alluded.

  37. Tyrone Payne Avatar
    Tyrone Payne

    testing

  38. Wright B. Astard Avatar
    Wright B. Astard

    Have you seen that all black Hummer Taxi cab now on the road in Barbados. One wonders if the operator of that gas guzzler levels a fuel charge on the passenger,given that the fuel consumption is some 10 miles per gallon.

  39. Iso Brek Avatar
    Iso Brek

    I saw an empty SUV parked in the supermarket car park with all the windows up and the engine running.

    Seems like people can no longer bear to get into a hot vehicle anymore, no matter how much it costs to keep the ac running.

    I am still puzzled as to why this person would need to shop at a very popular discount supermarket.

  40. Bradley432 Avatar
    Bradley432

    @Iso Brek,there is a popular English saying,
    “Curtains at ya window,no food in ya larder.”
    But probably worse than that is the ability to start your vehicle by remote from your nearby office or workplace and have it cool by the time you get there.
    Think especially of elderly persons or young children walking near a parked vehicle , and suddenly it starts up.

  41. Glockenspiel Avatar
    Glockenspiel

    More fuel efficient i.e. hybrid cars mean higher technology, which may be badly affected by our excessive heat and humidity. Then, we need technicians properly trained to service these vehicles and replace parts.

    So fuel efficient may not mean savings in the long run, not if parts are expensive and we do not have the properly trained persons to work on the cars.

    A simple car is best here, simple gas engine or diesel engine.

    You want improvement then fix the badly run and dangerous public transport system to run on time and to be safe from harassment and dangerous driving.

    There is no other way.

  42. CHURCH MOUSE Avatar
    CHURCH MOUSE

    The root of it all is that we have turned the automobile into a god. We virtually worship this man-made machine. Let anyone make a hairline mark on our car and a volcano erupts. The divine says he is the only true God. All others are false.
    The second part of the problem is the chronic back-up on our roads. How can we progress if half the country is spending valuable time twice daily sitting in a vehicle on the street waiting for the one in front to move forward six inches. It is total madness and the direct result of a lack of political vision. That problem could easily have been solved by the installation of over-passes and an efficient public transport service. But instead of addressing our minds to these important matters we prefer to be embroiled in Vibes and Mavada.

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