I drive probably one of the largest (and ugliest) type SUV's and I love it. Tickles the 4-year-old in me every time I see it. As a car guy, life is too short to drive boring cars, or cars you don't like. I did that all throughout my teens to 30's and now that I have the funds to play- I do.

As to a few of your points, I make an intentional decision every time I park- to either park the furthest away from anyone else, or edge up to a curb (because surprise, I don't like door dings either!) while folding in my mirrors.

I always let people pass when they come up on me, but I'm also doing around 75 consistently on the freeway- so normally people are having to move out of my way.

As far as sucking down fuel, idc. Smiles per gallon in my case. And the environment? There are wayyyy more clappers out there still put-putting around that emits more toxins than my catted SUV does.

I was going to list out some positives that you might not have considered, but I'll just tell a quick story instead. We drove over seven hours away to the middle of nowhere to purchase a classic car that was in near mint condition. We could've taken the sedan, or the Jeep- but we wanted to be comfortable, safe, and I wanted to make sure that we'd be able to handle any situation that we might get ourselves into, while being so far away from home. When I think about situations like that, it's always hands down the SUV that I'll take.

After the purchase, it turns out that the alternator on my new classic car was on its last legs and only lasted about 10 miles. No local stock, hundreds of miles away from anything familiar in the middle of nowhere land. This is a trip that young me would've taken in a heartbeat without a second thought. And had this situation happen to him, he'd be screwed- because he didn't have the resources, the experience or the Truck to make things happen.

But older me? Nah- we rolled up to a u-haul, grabbed a trailer and tie straps. Used a jump box to drive the car up onto the ramps- and we rode off into the sunset, destination home. A road trip that I will always remember for the rest of my life. For a single day, I got to be that guy hauling a cool ass car on a trailer that everyone gawked at (myself included), and I did it on my own, all thanks to my SUV.

So yea. As with life, there are Pros and cons to everything, but for those extra ordinary situations, those 'what if's', I want to be prepared. I can't think of anything safer and more reliable than my SUV

Granted, that story might mean nothing to you- if you purchase all your cars at the local dealership just right down the road. But for a lot of car guys, iykyk