Obvious to anyone with functioning eyes, the SUV body style is the vehicle of choice for most Americans. The commanding view outwards, the ease of ingress and egress, plus plenty of cargo space. I’d drive an SUV too if ferrying others and stuff is a common occurrence. I wouldn’t subject anyone to try to get into the passenger side of my Mazda MX-5. The UN Human Rights Council would classify that as torture.
Because I seldom carry people and things, I don’t own an SUV. Compared to vehicles types that are lower to the ground - sedans, coupes, convertibles, etc, high-riding SUVs do not handle as well nor are as fun to drive. They are as NPC of a car as it gets, which is just fine for non car enthusiasts. Again, I’d happily drive an SUV if a use case existed.
But sometimes I do need to play the UBER driver. That’s why I have the best compromise in vehicle-dom: the hatchback/wagon body style. It combines the fun driving dynamics of a sedan with the practicality of an SUV. My Volkswagen Golf GTI is the quintessential hot hatchback. With the backseats folded down, it can swallow a 65-inch television-sized box. IKEA runs, Costco runs, the GTI can do them all with ease. All the while offering enough performance and agility that many motoring journalists have declared that a hot Golf is all the car one will ever need, should one car is all you can afford.
The other day my friend arrived back from an overseas trip. I was on airport pickup duty. His family had seven pieces of luggage with them, all of which my GTI swallowed easily with the rear seats folded. Who needs an SUV? While I dream of an Audi RS6 wagon, my Golf GTI is indeed a lovely confluence of speed and practicality.
One car solution.
