>>What makes you say that?
>
>Two reasons:
>1) more steel means the occupant space will remain better intact

Actually, I've heard some overtones in the advertisements where the whole "tougher" game started sounding like armaments race. I've even heard an argument that one needs an SUV to defend oneself from other SUVs.

I'd like to add something I heard seven years ago: if all SUVs were replaced by regular cars, USA wouldn't need imported oil. I figure the math isn't too hard to do, but I don't have the data at hand. Can anyone check this, specially if fresher data are available?