It sounds like you have good reasons for your choice of vehicle. After all, its your choice. When we were rasing 3 children, we made do with a 4-door sedan and, later, a station wagon. We had 3 kids, but no dogs, so it worked for us.

As for comparison shopping, I'd encourage you to do that, at least a little. The decisions we make as consumers are about the only, very slight, leverage we have to control prices.

I don't 'dislike' SUVs and trucks, they have their uses. However, I do think that a lot of people choose them more to show off their ability to afford conspicious consumption, than for their untility. (Why else would the Hummer even exist as a consumer vehicle.)

As for moving, I can't imagine an SUV or truck that will hold my household. The next time I move, I'll probably need to rent a truck or hire a van. When I need something from Home Depot, that won't fit in our MINI or Saturn, I have it delivered. Actually, you'd be surprised what can be fit into a Saturn SL2 with the rear seats down.

Its a valid point that track days are not a wise use of resouces, but I don't think that 50-70 people at a track day, or 20 NASCAR drivers racing, really equate to 100's of thousands of people on the freeway every day. If we get everyone into efficient vehicles, and still have gas price and supply problems, then I think we can start closing race tracks. But closing race tracks, by itself, isn't really going to dent that problem.

'Motoring' is part of MINI's slogan, but everyone drives for pleasure (pic-nics, days at the park, vacations, etc.). Again, if everyone is driving effiicient vehicles, it will be less of a problem.

I think its good this is all being discussed and thought about. If we're thinking about these issues, we're more likely to make good thoughtful choices.

 

Two weeks ago or so NPR reported that full size SUVs were the ONLY profitable product coming out of GM or Ford. As long as profit is there that's what they're going to sell and that's what people will buy. On Coronado gas has already hit 3.99 (full service high test mind you) and you can't throw a rock out there without hitting a new Porsche Cayenne, that company's biggest selling product in years.

 

This product here makes it legit to have an urban SUV
http://www.sprayonmud.com./

"If you’ve got a 4X4 or off-roader, Sprayonmud will send a message to anyone who disapproves or is just plain envious – you use your off-roader, off the road as well as on it."

 

All I have to say is this: Americans have a very short memory. I'm sure nobody remembers when gas was $4.10 a gallon and every SUV owner in town was acting like it was the end of the world. In my town, people's gas tanks were being drilled for the fuel! Even at work, my boss's car got broken into and they siphoned out most of the fuel. Just to save the precious fuel, they'd even steal the car, tear out the gas tank and drain it into a can and then repeat until it was full. So car theft skyrocketed. Theft of prepaid gift cards was a problem in my town for a short period of time too since it could be used to buy fuel anonymously. (not all the gas stations had that feature requiring a zip code to activate the credit card reader at the pump). Also, the local news station reported that robbers were attacking gas stations for the fuel, not the $100 in the cash register! One truck stop was robbed of all its fuel.

Oh, and the car dealerships were overflowing with traded-in Suburbans, Escalades, Land Cruisers, etc. And in my state, the SMART car had a waiting list booked for three months solid even though the gas mileage was nothing to shout about really. (And yes, my town's MINI dealer had cars flying off the lot! One couple FLEW in from Denver to buy a Clubman. ) I know for a fact that this will happen next time gas prices rise. And if they drop back to "normal" levels, everyone will go back to their mega-block V-8 SUVs again... The cycle repeats itself.

 

elguapodh, why the concern about the engine? Australia and Britain have done just fine with Land Rover Defenders for over 30 years and they all have a turbodiesel 4 or 5 cylinder engine. (The Defender is the size of a Chevy Suburban.) And if you buy a Suburban in those countries, you get a small-block V-6 but then, they seem to do fine with those too. And they haul way more than you on a regular basis. Some even hitch and tow a pop up camper trailer all over the outback! If they felt a massive V-8 was worth it, they'd probably be stomping over to the prime minister's place, threatening mass riots if the gas guzzler tax wasn't removed. My dad once tossed out an old copy of a off-road magazine he bought on a business trip in Australia. ALL the vehicles they tested had a 4-cylinder or V-6, NO V-8s at all.