I have been away from the United States for a number of years and when
I returned I found many more utility type vehicles on the road.  This
includes SUV, station wagons and minivans. Sport Utility Vehicles as
the most popular of these utility vehicles.  It looks to me that the
SUV has become the family car of choice these days in the US.  By sales
numbers and the general view on the streets.  I want to get some
opinions on why people are choosing these as a family car, especially
SUV.  I am vary curious about the vastly increased market share of
SUVs, in the US so please tell me something if you bought one.  I am a
34 year old male and I would not be caught dead in one and would never
buy one.  Long ago when I was in the US and in high school during the
late 1980's most of us drove older used cars. However when someone
got to buy something new they often got Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds
etc,..or imports like the Honda CRX , Nissan 240, or small pickup
trucks. . No one would get an SUV if they had a choice in the matter.
Now it seems that SUVs are fashionable even in the eyes of younger
people.    Considering that most families are 2 children or less in the
developed world, all that is needed is a 4 door sedan. In places like
Asia and Europe, a small 4 door sedan like Honda Civic is what is used
for a family of 4. A soccer mom would have to pop out many more babies
to need a bigger car. Even a 2 door car would work well if it has 4
seats.  It is strange to see people with only 2 children driving a
minivan or SUV with seating for a dozen people.  My Honda civic 4 door
can comfortably transport 4 full size adults and their scuba diving
gear vary well.  Also an SUV would not work for the farm.  Lots of
things and equipment need to be hauled that would damage the interior
of an SUV.  Farmers and ranchers need full size trucks, not SUVs.  The
average car can turn faster on a twisty road and can avoid accidents
when compared to an SUV.  You don't need a Corvette for good
handling, as even my Honda Civic can handle quite well on roads that
make SUVs wobble around or tip over.  About efficiency, the 300+ hp v8
in a Ford Mustang can actually be put to use for acceleration instead
of pulling the big jacked-up station wagon body of an SUV.  This
concept also applies to gas mileage. I noticed that SUVs I have driven
always got low gas mileage even on the highway.  Cars like Corvette
will get close to 28 miles per gallon on the highway, and these have 6
liter engines with lighter overall car weight.  So big engine size is
not the most important factor in miles per gallon.   If you want to
haul cargo then you can always rent a truck or van for a few days and
this would be cheaper than driving an SUV all the time.  About space, a
mobile DJ said to me that his cargo van holds over double the amount of
equipment than the SUV he drove earlier.  And finally about driving.
SUVs to me are work to park in the city and no fun to drive on paved
roads. They are not a pleasure to drive as I have noticed.  So why do
people buy them?