Suv Versus Car Choice
SUVs burn more gas than cars because they are bigger and weigh more. Resulting from the equation stating that Force equals Mass times Acceleration; it takes more force to move a larger mass than a smaller mass. This basically answers the technical question of why SUV's burn more gas than cars. More mass to move is a factor in the use of larger engines (turning more fuel into force to move the vehicle), lower gearing, and so on. Larger frontal area would normally be driven by ground clearance, although there is normally a relationship between size and vehicle mass.
Selecting a vehicle, and a non-judgmentally evaluation of matching a vehicle to the needs in a particular situation, is not an emotional situation requiring the application of personally aggressive words like stupid, runt or defiance. Four wheel drive is safety equipment in many parts of our country, whether off-roading is a pastime you enjoy or not.
In snowy Michigan, with family located from California to Georgia to New York, the ability to drive through bad weather carrying seven people in relative safety and comfort is met by a 4x4 Chevrolet Suburban and other similar SUV's. Probably an analysis of fuel per passenger-mile would show that taking that trip in one SUV versus several cars would be an economical choice, even discounting the safety factors.
Another factor in selecting an SUV relates to accident survival as represented by the same equation previously presented. When impacted by a given vehicle, the protection afforded by a larger vehicle with more crush distance and height above bumper interface zones is inherently safer. Semi Trucks and Cement Mixers will always be in traffic with you, and given a collision the SUV will offer superior survivability. Additionally, for people whose driving takes them into areas of our great nation where there are occasionally those who would threaten harm to others, both the height and size of an SUV can offer enhanced survivability in relation to the average smaller and lower car.
All that having been said, I will agree that if the question posed had been "Do most SUV Drivers Really Need One?" ; or "Are Cars More Economical Than SUV's"; my participation in the discussion would have taken a different turn (although I still would have avoided name-calling). Few 4x4 and SUV drivers really need or utilize the capabilities of those vehicles.
However, moderate driving; avoiding racing from light to light, driving close to speed limits instead of at high speeds; these things would save a great deal of oil. And, they are things drivers have complete control of, regardless of what type of vehicle you are currently driving.
