Julia Tell/Business Insider The author's Honda CR-V XE at Whole Foods.
- Small cars have advantages in cities, but in the suburbs, I've found that they aren't quite as common or useful as larger vehicles - SUVs, in particular.
- An ugly-colored SUV is now my suburban camouflage, allowing me to see eye-to-eye with other drivers while disappearing into the background.
- Here's why I finally decided to buy an SUV after 12 years of resisting it.
I like small cars. There's a huge advantage to a small car in a city with tight parking. After living in San Francisco for years, and then in Brooklyn, I could squeeze my little hatchback into the tiniest of spaces.
I was used to driving a car with a short nose and a compact derrière, and I hated it when I rented a car and got a big sedan or SUV. I was always afraid of hitting things because I wasn't used to the length and width of the vehicle. I was a small-car gal.
But after moving to suburban New Jersey and spending years navigating the area with smaller cars, I decided I needed to move up to an SUV - the Honda CR-V XE - and I'm glad that I did. Here's why.