BUT SUV's can also carry a lot more people and tow a lot more than small economy cars.

And my Honda Odyssey has more cargo capacity than ANY SUV ON THE MARKET. It's also far lower to the ground, gets much better gas mileage, and is easier to handle. It also has just as good an engine as most SUVs (V6 200hp VTech).

I can carry a larger bulk item than almost any SUV with a lot more ease. Need to carry an EIGHT FOOT couch? I've done that. Simply fold the third row down, quickly remove the middle seats, and in 30 seconds you've freed up an 8 foot long, 4 foot wide, 4 foot tall cargo space.

I drove a Land Rover Discovery for a while. It was a very nice car, and very well built (it was made by BMW at the time). However, it lacks in every category I've mentioned in this post. That thing scared the sh*t out of me on entrance/exit ramps. Those turns at 40mph felt like I'd tip over, and I know someone who did in a Discovery. As a previous SUV driver, I have to say that they are useless.

If you don't drive your SUV off-road, or tow a lot, there is no point to your vehicle. I'm not saying you shouldn't drive it, I'm just saying it is useless, and you are driving it for the image. An image that doesn't even really exist anymore.

ps-I also agree with Bitt about the height. I got sick of climbing into my Discovery. We had to get runners on the car so my mom could hoist herself in. My Odyssey is right at a**-height, so it's easy to just slide in