I would never be happy driving without my SUV. Carrying stuff to the children, all of whom live hours away, two dogs and what-have-you, the weekly trip to the mall for groceries, all with the comfort of a superior suspension, good heating in sub-zero weather and air-conditioned comfort when it gets warm.

If gasoline were $10 a gallon, I might cut back some on driving, but in a widely spread city which lacks decent public transportation, and people I want to visit many miles away, I find it indispensible. My next vehicle will also be an SUV.

I think attitudes in western Canada are different; distances travelled are large, and looking at gasoline price history, it is
just another item that has followed the upward curve of all prices.

However, $9.00 gasoline in Germany and elsewhere in western Europe has not stopped sales there of better Mercedes, BMWs and Porsches; large block European and Japanese SUVs, pick-up trucks and sports models also are doing well here in Canada.

Based on 15,000 miles driven per year, annual fuel costs-
Chevy Malibu about $2500 /year.
Chevy Equinox SUV about $3250/year
Chevy Silverado Pick-up, 4WD, about $3850/year
US government figures; this site has the estimates for nearly all vehicles sold in U. S. and Canada.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

That $1000/year more for a large, comfortable vehicle, in my view, is worth paying.