A car which returns 35mpg is NOT a suitable car for round-town commuting. For that kind of economy, you might as well get a 2-litre car which actually performs properly. Or for a proper commuting car, try any of the very good superminis available which will easily top 50mph and will cost a damn sight less than this one. I can dig out my latests Which? review of superminis if you like.

I'm fine with ppl who say they need SUVs for actually going over rough ground and stuff. I'm even fine with ppl who'll honestly admit they've bought it for the looks. But I really, really dislike ppl who pretend they've bought it for any other reason (eg. it's safe/rugged/reliable/economic/the only way to transport lots of ppl/the only car that'll fit taller drivers) because all of those reasons are provably false. I suggest your wife owns up and says "Look, I want one of these bcos I really like it" - much better all round.

Graham.