There's a big difference between OpenMike, who drives an SUV for all the right reasons -- and humanitarian ones at that -- and the suburbanite who uses the biggest thing s/he can find for status purposes. I was facing one of those behemoths at my gas station the other day and realized that the bumper was on a level with my windshield. Frightening thought.

On the other hand, I confess to being fond of four wheel drive. I live in a hilly rural area, and there have been times when it has been a godsend. However, you don't need a gas-guzzling Suburban Assault Vehicle to get a 4x4. My last three cars have all been small 4WD station wagons getting around 30 mpg: a Honda Civic (no longer made), a Toyota Tercel (no longer made) and a Subaru Impreza. Plenty of space for me, my groceries and my rottweiler.

Several years ago I rented an Explorer to go on a winter business trip -- the company was paying and my Toyota was on its last legs. My companion for the journey owned an old Volvo wagon. We pulled up in our respective cars next to the Explorer and opened the hatch. We couldn't believe it. There was less room behind the back seat in that monster than in either of our little wagons. Two wheelie suitcases (the kind that fit under airline seats), two briefcases and two overcoats filled it. And since neither of us are overtall, we had to have the seat so close to the wheel we could practically steer with our tits. The handling was also quite scary. I'm used to going between 40 and 50 mph on our wiggly, hilly roads...but this thing felt like it was going to go into orbit if I went over 35 on the same roads. A scary beast, thank heaven someone else was footing the bill.