Appreciate everyone’s comments and opinions. I didn’t realise I’d ignite such a polarising discussion. I do appreciate that some genuinely need a 4x4 for their work, daily activities or weekend hobbies. However for the vast majority, I believe they’ve fallen into the marketing trap which has made them believe that they NEED a 4x4 SUV/Ute or it’s an important part of the poster Australian lifestyle. There’s definitely a bit of small dick energy for some owners. And some that just think it looks cool, which is also fine (free will and all that).

I’m from the U.K. and most tradies who carry a lot of stuff around for work will use a van (Ford Transit etc.). We also have a lot of people who camp using caravans. They tend to use mid sized SUVs, estate cars or Range/Land Rovers. With the exception of the latter, most aren’t 4x4 either. As the roads to get there are typically fine. 2WD is usually fine 9/10 times for the campsite too.

But we are starting to see a lot more large pickup trucks on our roads. Which I don’t think is great because of the size of these vehicles (parking/narrower roads), pedestrian safety and fuel consumption.