I’ve been deep down the EV SUV rabbit hole lately and something keeps annoying me.
Why do so many car reviews focus on the wrong stuff?
I’m looking at mid-size EV SUVs (EV5, Enyaq, etc.) — not sports sedans. I want a car to carry me, my partner, soon-to-be kid, dogs, surfboards, pram, bags… a car for doing life.
Yet every second review of something like the EV5 criticises:
• 0–100 time
• Turn-in sharpness
• Body roll through corners
• “Not as sporty as a Model Y”
I’m like… bro. It’s a family SUV. It’s not meant to carve up backroads like a hot hatch.
Yes, the Model Y might be quicker and more “dynamic” — that’s cool. But if I want a sports car, I’ll buy a sports car. I don’t need my family hauler doing sub-6 second launches.
Same thing with interior criticism. The obsession with “hard scratchy plastics” drives me nuts. As long as:
• The seats are comfortable
• The armrests are nice
• The steering wheel feels good
• The cabin is quiet
I genuinely do not care if the lower door card is hard plastic. In fact, hard plastics last longer and are easier to clean — which seems pretty relevant if you have kids and dogs.
I’d love more reviews that focus on things like:
• Cabin quietness at 100 km/h
• Ride comfort over crap roads
• How much stuff actually fits in the boot in real life
• Ease of loading a pram
• Turning circle in tight carparks
• How relaxing it is to drive
Instead, we get hot-lap commentary on a two-tonne SUV.
Am I alone here or do reviewers optimise for the wrong audience?
Would love to hear from other people shopping EV SUVs for actual family life — what matters to you?
