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Jay Karolyi calls this concept SUV, pictured on his Web site, the Peterbuilt Crusader All-Sport Denali Outback Eddie Bauer 5.9 Limited. RELATED STORY: TRAFFIC: Monster Truck

Sunday, June 23, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Web site mocks those who rely on big vehicles to make a statement

Jay Karolyi's SUV satire Web site is only half joking.

The site entices gullible viewers with fictitious advertising for a super-duper-gigantic Kenworth Pilgrimage.

"Has your Suburban or Expedition gotten too small for you? Or have the Joneses just one-upped you once again, with a new Excursion?"

That's how Karolyi launches his hypothetical sales spiel for the Pilgrimage.

It's a modified Kenworth cab, with intriguing features: "Fits under most bridge underpasses" is one. "First SUV to be rated in gallons per mile by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)" is another, according to the site.

Other futuristic SUV concepts by Karolyi include the Peterbilt Crusader and the Peterbilt International Himalaya, "our first two-story SUV, elevator optional."

Karolyi, 27, is an auto enthusiast and the wit behind a Web site called "The Ultimate Poseur Sport Utility Page" (http://poseur.4X4.org).

He lives in Southern California, drives a 1988 BMW convertible, when he's not riding his Honda CBR 600 motorcycle. And he can't imagine why anyone who drives exclusively on paved or gravel roads would choose a vehicle whose original purpose was to drive off road.

"My philosophy is just using the best tool for the job," Karolyi says. He likens the trend of ever-larger SUVs to a dangerous arms race.

He built his humorous Web site on a lark, but admits it helped him get noticed when applying for his current job as a computer technology facilitator for teachers at Loma Linda University.

The term "poseur" refers to a person who likes to put on airs.

"Though few will admit it, many poseurs think that their SUV gives them a tough, independent image instead of the `soccer mom' or `married man' image of a minivan or wagon," Karolyi writes on his site, which has been discussed on "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw."

"You're trying to discredit me, aren't you?" Karolyi jokes when confronted in a telephone interview with statistics on the growing share of SUVs in U.S. new car sales. Like a prophet ignored in his own land, Karolyi confesses his own parents recently bought their first SUV.

In addition to the mock-ups of futuristic SUVs, the SUV Poseur site presents Karolyi's opinions on SUV engineering, handling in adverse weather conditions, towing capacity, interior space and typical driver behavior. It also posts reader feedback, categorized either as "love letters" or "hate mail."

According to Karolyi, some of the top signs of a true SUV poseur are he or she:

• Pays $30,000-plus for a station wagon on a 4-by-4 pickup-truck frame.

• Orders an SUV with leather interior (bonus points for white leather).

• Shifts into four-wheel drive whenever the potholes in the city get too big.

• Thinks off-roading is going up the driveway.