If a man could choose any car, guess what it would be?
A Ferrari? Nope, not even close.
A Rolls-Royce? Try again.
A Porsche? Close, but no cigar.
How about a vehicle that’s ubiquitous and within the economic reach of many?
How about a sport-utility vehicle?
According to a survey conducted for Playboy magazine, the sport-utility ranked as the fantasy car of most men in three age categories (20 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 to 49), said Frank Luntz, president of the Luntz Research Co., an Arlington, Va.-based public opinion and communications research firm that conducted the poll for Playboy.
“We asked what vehicles would you choose to own if there were no boundaries or limits,” says Luntz, who surveyed 1,000 men from across different economic levels over the telephone for the Mantrack survey. “And the SUV just won out among everything else.”
Though he was surprised by the choice, Luntz speculated that the men in the survey chose sport-utilities because they connote fantasy for many men.
“I say this not tongue-in-cheek but I think that size has something to do with it,” he says. “It’s an issue of bigger and higher and an issue of control. Plus, an SUV is both an urban vehicle for the family and an off-the-road vehicle for guys who want to have fun.
“It has more sex appeal and oomph than a mini-van,” Luntz adds. “When you think of a mini-van, you think of going to and from the store. When you think of an SUV, you think of climbing Mt. McKinley.”
Bernard Beck, a Northwestern University sociology professor, also was surprised by the results but says they make sense.
“The sport-utility vehicle is the centerpiece of the fantasy of being rugged, macho, an individual and roughing it,” he says. “Many men would prefer to fantasize about being a rugged wilderness type versus James Bond. And the sport-utility vehicle allows them to make that fantasy come true.”
The SUV also conveys a sense of invulnerability and toughness. “It’s a sense of security in a symbolic way in that (an SUV is) high up, and it looks like it’s made of tough, resistant armor,” says Beck.
The other fantasy-car choices were much more exotic, says Luntz.
Among the men age 20 to 29, the Lamborghini ranked No. 2 in Fantasyland.
“I don’t know why the Lamborghini versus other exotic sports cars though it does look different from the Porches and Jaguars and Rolls-Royces and Bentleys,” says Luntz. “It’s a fancy car, and it’s out of the ordinary and it breaks with tradition. It sets the tone for life. Any kid driving a Lamborghini is screaming `Look at me, I’m special, I’m unique, I’m the kind of guy you want to know.’
“It is likely, however, that none of (the men polled) have driven a Lamborghini–or been driven in one,” he adds.
The third most popular car for 20- to 29-year-olds was the Porsche. “It makes sense because it’s the standard exotic car,” says Luntz.
Thirty- to 39-year-olds and 40- to 49-year-olds chose the Mercedes-Benz as their second fantasy car.
“That choice is easy to explain,” says Luntz. “When you’re 30 to 39 years old, you’re married and you’re probably about to have your first kid or you’ve already had one. So at that point, the fantasy car becomes an economic statement of success. And that continues through age 49.”
Thirty- to 39-year-olds chose the Jaguar as their third most popular fantasy car. “The Jaguar is a bit of an older car,” says Luntz. “People feel that this is the car that they’re going to go to when they go through their midlife crises. It’s not the car they want to have at age 30.”
The third most popular fantasy car with 40- to 49-year-olds was the Chevrolet Corvette, says Luntz.
“That I find interesting, and I think it’s because the Corvette was the star car from 20 years ago–and the people in that age category were turned on to the Corvette 20 years ago,” he says. “The car’s appeal is getting old, and it’s skewed toward an older audience.
“If the members of this age category want to shave off 20 years of their life, they’re not going to do what the twentysomethings are doing now,” he says.
Luntz says the sport-ute was the only universal answer given in the survey by men across all three age categories.
For example, given the chance to spend an evening with any female actress, men 20 to 29 said they would choose Pamela Anderson Lee, men 30 to 39 said they would choose Sandra Bullock and men 40 to 49 said they would choose Demi Moore.
“Taste in women will vary but a car like an SUV is something that is timeless,” says Luntz.
“So if we’re searching for something that will bridge the gap between a 21-year-old and a 49-year-old, we have found the answer–the SUV. It’s one thing that father and son can share together.”
