Actually, my biggest complaint about my explorer is the lack of cargo space. It is 6'6" by 3'9" or so. If it was about 3 inches wider, it would make a heck of a lot more sense. Ditto if it was longer. I can still fit 4' x 8' plywood in there, but it isn't a lot of fun. My next vehicle will be at least 4' wide in the back.

And I really, really, can't fit myself inside most small cars (and even some SUVs) without discomfort. I'm 6'3" and 165 lbs. Most small vehiclesdon't have anywhere near enough headroom and have seats designed for shorter people, which causes lower back pain over time. Another problem is in the legroom. A lot of them do decently in the amount of horizontal space, but your feet are still up high, barely below your waist and it is impossible to stretch, causing your knees to stick way up in the air. After about 15 minutes, this causes extreme pain, whereas in most SUVs, I can ride for several hours without discomfort.

My reasons for owning an SUV:
1. Comfort
2. Interior Storage ability (about every 2 weeks)
3. Being up high above the crowd
4. Towing ability (about every 2 weeks)
5. Knowing that if I get in an accident, it is the other guy's car that gets crumpled.
6. Offroading ability. I go totally off-roading about once a year, although it is nice to be able to jump curbs and other obstacles much more often.

And, yes, I have been in a couple accidents with smaller vehicles. A "lady" in a brand-new mustang rear-ended me once. Her car crumpled like an accordian, which wasn't helped by the student driver in a pickup who rear-ended her in turn. My bumper was slightly dented.

I have read several of the "studies" that claim that large vehicles are unsafe for their occupants. The ones I have perused failed to use even one statistic in an appropriate place. They sounded like middle-school essays. I imagine that large/large car accidents have roughly the same surviveability as small/small car accidents. It is when you get into the large/small car accidents that things get out of whack.

-Biscuits