Back in the 1970s, I used to haul a Great Pyrenees dog (as big as a Saint Bernard) and two German Shepherds (and a raccoon) around in a Datsun B210 fastback. For those who are not familiar with that kind of car, they are very, very small.

I traveled from the suburban Washington DC area to Quebec City and back with my 6' 2" boyfriend, the Great Pyreneese, and one of the German Shepherds (actually a collie/shepherd mix), and all of our camping gear and food for the whole trip in the same Datsun B210 fastback. The other vehicle we had to choose from at the time was my boyfriend's full sized van.

The small car just didn't seem to present any problems for us except when we tried to get some sleep at a rest stop. Then it was a bit cramped.

It's probably possible to get as many or maybe even more people into a minivan than the average SUV, and they do come in 4 wheel drive. And dogs can be hauled around in small SUVs. And most of the big SUVs I see these days are made too pretty for hauling anything as dirty as firewood. I can't help thinking that most of them are more vehicle than the owners need.