Visibility, maybe? As interior comfort took priority in design, those beefier body columns resulted in larger blind spots. Also, some SUVs are just massive, and

Visibility, maybe? As interior comfort took priority in design, those beefier body columns resulted in larger blind spots. Also, some SUVs are just massive, and might suffer from similar forward-visibility limitations that modern pickup trucks (classified as "light trucks," oddly) are getting slammed for right now, namely the front end being so high that the driver can't see a 3 foot object 16 feet in front of them.