Sport utility vehicles are too big, according to Mercedes-Benz director of design, Karl-Heinz Bauer. Bauer says it is the duty of designers to reduce the impact of the SUV by reducing its size, aggression and fuel consumption. "The SUV is still possible," he says, "but in a 'street' version, with reduced size and form and using modern advances like an engine stop-and-go to get the fuel economy to acceptable levels. We need to shrink the SUV down to the size of a station wagon with as high a ride." He uses Mercedes-Benz's forthcoming R-class Grand Sport Tourer as an example, but goes further by suggesting that such a car would not even need four-wheel drive. "It's not necessary to have 4x4," he says, "it just makes a car use a lot of gasoline."


So what he is describing is a Doblo - size of a station wagon, with as high a ride, 2 wheel drive, fuel economy at acceptable levele. Hey we got there first.

7 years on and the Doblo is still going strong

There is more space in my Doblo than any SUV I have been in apart from a Ford Expedition in The USA. There is a lot of volume in all that headroom.

I took old doors to the dump in the doblo

3 old washing machines (laying on their side) to the dump with mine and there was room for a 4th.........just