> People gets lots of use out of them in their daily lives - it’s not just about towing horses or doing farm work, but also just hauling a family and gear aroun

> People gets lots of use out of them in their daily lives - it’s not just about towing horses or doing farm work, but also just hauling a family and gear around. Like if you’re a family of four going for a day at the beach, you can easily exceed the capacity of mid-size SUVs or small trucks. Is it that much of an improvement, though? When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, we did just fine with a 4-door sedan, including lots of multi-hour car trips to amusement parks and beaches and nearby cities. My parents eventually bought a minivan, but I was puzzled by that choice since I was in high school (and would move away in a couple years), and my sister was only a few years younger. (To me one of the big draws of a minivan or SUV for families is when you have young children and need to get into the car with them to strap them in or otherwise deal with them.) To me, many SUVs are worse at these sorts of trips. You have a lot of extra unusable space because of their interior height, and the cargo space in the back is more vertical than horizontal, which can sometimes be a challenge depending on what you're bringing. Loading and unloading people inside is harder due to the passenger compartment being higher off the ground. Mid- and large-size sedans, station wagons (I know they've fallen out of favor, but so what), and minivans are way better for this. Also not sure what kind of beach gear families of four are lugging out these days. Towels, toys, fold-up strollers, snorkel gear, and even some folding chairs and a sun umbrella should fit just fine in a sedan's trunk, no? (Ok, you might have to strap the umbrella to the roof, but otherwise...) I won't comment on towing since I've never done it; you seem to know your stuff there. I think people just make excuses for why they "need" the larger vehicle.