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The problem with station wagons is that they are too low. They can easily stuck in mud or snow and it’s easier to hit a rock or something. And about tires. I used the same set of tires for 11 years on my SUV. And modern cars are quite fuel efficient so there is no significant difference in fuel consumption anyways you don’t want an always fuel hungry monster and it’s better to consider mere efficient alternatives. Considering roads: well, in fact many roads are in quite bad condition so roads make damage to cars not vice versa :) And it’s always better to have bigger wheels and higher vehicle to avoid crushing into a big pothole. about safety: modern SUVs have safety measures like stabilization you are just supposed not to drive recklessly. SUVs have poorer visibility but it’s not that bad unless we are talking about american-style trucks. Of course I am saying all this thinking about average european SUV and they are abute the size of average sedan or hatchback or even smaller.
The key word here is “unnecessary” but in fact the circumstances make us use SUVs because of bad weather, bad roads (and even absence if roads), a lot of stuff to transfer (from furniture and fridges to bikes). For traveling SUVs and minivans are perfect. If I lived in a center of a city and/or I didn’t have to go to a countryside and I didn’t have relatives or friends (or I hated them) I’d considered buying a micro car! But in any other circumstances it would be a hatchback, SUV, minivan or even fully-fledged offroad truck. Considering what people around me are driving it’s mostly SUVs because it is an optimal car type. Even some carsharing cars and taxis are SUVs. That is why I’m surprised by these news about rising parking prices.