Do us Brits on here agree that the Freelander2 is a 4x4? Yes? Good. SO IT'S NOT AN SUV! Yes, it's an SUV if you take "vacations" and get your money from "ATMs", but apart from a few sad individuals who think they're being cool and trendy, I think most Brits go on holidays and use cash machines... likewise we drive 4x4s, not SUVs.

Petty? Yes I know, but does this bug anyone else as well?

Yes, but what bugs me even more is when any Land Rover is to called a TRUCK!

These are trucks http://www.volvo.com/trucks/uk-market/en-gb/ or these http://www.foden.com/
but Land Rovers are land Rovers or 4x4's How can carbon have a footprint, it has no feet?
Now driving - RRE Coupe Dynamic Lux Auto with Plus pack, Fuji White, Ebony, SD4 with tow pack
Gone - 2010MY FFRR TDv8 Stornoway and Ivory, Privacy - the pace of a TDv8 RRS, the incomparable grace of a Range Rover
Gone but will be missed- RRS Tdv8 HSE Stornoway Grey with Ebony Leather
Gone (only a little missed) RRS Tdv6 2.7SE Giverny Green/Aspen
Defender 90 County HT in Epsom Green

Nighfox,

I do understand where you are coming from, but, having recently lived in the USA for three years I can see where the other phrases are coming from ....

Fair enough Nightfox, I personally enjoy all our different dialects, accents, etc. and think it's a shame that as the world gets smaller we all start sounding more and more alike.

Just for some Yank perspective, "4x4" would generally (although not exclusively) be used to describe a big American 4-wheel drive pick-up truck, or maybe a Jeep, on this side of the pond.

Viva la difference. Greg East
Loveland, Colorado
USA
'08 LR2 Hers
'93 740i Mine
'87 944 turbo Mistress

I agree NightFox!!

Other things that bug me:

When people refer to Land Rovers (Freelander, D3, Defender...) as a "Range Rover".

When people call them Landrovers without a space in the middle!

"Truck"

Until recently the term SUV wasn't used. It is an American term. In the UK it is most definitely a 4x4.

Tim in Scotland wrote:

Yes, but what bugs me even more is when any Land Rover is to called a TRUCK!

Better that than the that call it J**p  

Once my Defender 110 CSW was called a van?! A van???!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to inform you guys that here in Italy a lot of people call the 4x4.... as "JEEP" , before to call them "SUV".
Like all mp3 reader are called IPOD.

oh i just love good reading .. .and opinions.. and the LR2

Hmmm... just re-reading my original post I hope no-one misinterpretted it as being anti-US, it's meant to refer to Brits who use American words for items that we already have a perfectly well established word for.

If our friends across the water choose to call it a SUV, then I've no problem with that at all. Although it does sound like a rather blatent marketing invention, suggesting that it's an instant way of buying into a healthy lifestyle (e.g. the more things I own, eat or drink with "sport" in their name, the healthier I am). I know language is meant to evolve, but there's a difference between naturally evolving and being rammed into the language by some guy who works in advertising.

Indeed, vive la difference!

Well I was always wondering why BMW call it's X5 and X3 "SAV - SPORT ACTIVITY VEHICLE"

Sport: an athletic ACTIVITY requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

So Isn't SPORT = ACTIVITY??? REDUNDANT??? I think so!

unless Marketing Officials of BMW have a different definition of SPORT then truly there is vive la difference

I guess SUV was named/termed in America due usage of this kinda "BIG" vehicles to put/place their "Sport Utilities" say like 12 pieces of baseball bats, 12 pieces bowling balls of which i think won't fit on a family sedan  Do Not Follow Me...You Can't Go Where I Go!!!

.....up in the tree!!!

Nightfox, I am probably one of those "Brits" that you refer to, as I think my vocab has changed since moving to Holland 5 years ago, in order for everyone to understand me rather than just a few, but at the same time I started working daily with people across the world...so guess I adapted.

I am trying to get back to being more British I promise

matteo wrote:

Sorry to inform you guys that here in Italy a lot of people call the 4x4.... as "JEEP" , before to call them "SUV".
Like all mp3 reader are called IPOD.

Belgium's the same as Italy then...

DLDisco3 wrote:

Belgium's the same as Italy then...

Backwards?