Toenail

With shades of Aston DBX. I like it. Certainly more than the Stelvio.

That's a decent looking thing.

My point about it looking like an F Pace is that it looks largely like every other pretend off roader in its class. Take the badges and grille off and it could be anything.

It looks ok, if you like that kind of thing. I'd prefer a Giulia estate instead.

I've long held the opinion that the majority of the buying public buy what they're told to, or whatever is de rigeur, or whichever micro-niche has been squeezed in this week.

My father had a succession of Range Rovers all through the 1990s as company cars, and as kids we loved them. So I've always understood the benefits and am no knee-jerk SUV hater. But having lived in central London for most of my adult life, I've never needed one.

If I lived in the countryside and could afford one, I'd absolutely love to own a classic Range Rover CSK.

Your position on the subject is clear!    But why do you hate not understanding why others find them desirable?  So what / why does it matter what others like or dislike?   

Not all of them are inefficient when it comes to carrying people.  My only reason for getting a truck was the need to carry the whole family and luggage.  There isn’t a saloon/estate which would do the job, even the 7 series wasn’t wide enough in the back to fit all 3 in.  I do an awful lot of motorway driving and I can’t think of a car I’d rather be in when the weather is bad and I’ve got a long drive ahead of me.  But the only time I’ve taken it out for a drive for the fun of it was when it snowed last January!

I get the appeal of SUVs (although I wouldn’t buy one). My wife likes the higher driving position, and it’s much easier to get the baby in and out compared to say an estate
, And the majority offer more interior space . No wonder they sell like hot cakes

I don’t see Cars like a Tiguan , Kuga , Macan, Stelvio ,Q3 as pretend off roaders either . 20 years ago you might’ve used that phrase but now they have their own place in the market and do a good job of it .

Like I said though, if it was my car and my car only of course I’d rather an estate than
One , but they can
Be a good compromise , and something like a Macan gts or Stelvio QF, a very good compromise

My parents got themselves a Mitsubishi Space Star (you'll probably have to look it up!) back in 1999 simply because my mum was struggling to get in and out of the Rover 400 they had. The Space Star was a little higher than a normal saloon.
They tried a Mk1 Scenic but we all agreed it'd made us feel slightly sick on the test drive. The salesman admitted that at least 50% of sales were to older folk wanting easy access rather than the lifestyle families seen in ads.

I dislike SUVs because they're rarely any bigger than the equivalent estate (e.g. 5 series vs X5) and manage to weigh significantly more to the detriment of handling, performance and economy.

However I do like the height and having had a Shogun for 3 years (justifiable because I lived out in the sticks) would happily have another 'agricultural' one, i.e. NOT an X5, etc.
Having said that we had the Shogun at the same time as the Stilo estate and despite the latter having a smaller footprint it was significantly larger inside.

The 3 series ISN'T a large estate.
I don't think most people need 7 seats....
So I'd suggest for the majority of people like us a 5 Series would be a much better solution than an X5.

I forgot to mention in my original post my other dislike of modern SUVs which is actually getting in them.
At 5 feet 7 the inevitable side steps are just a complete pain in the arse - you either have to stretch over them, guaranteeing getting dirt on the back of your trousers, or try to use them. Howver since there's only about 2 inches actually available with the rest being tucked under the sill that's a difficult balancing act on your toes made even worse when they're wet because they all seem to be slippery as fuck whether they've got those rubber studs on or not

+1

The 3er estate is as much a lifestyle vehicle as any SUV and they’ve never been large in any iteration. I’m also unsure whether there’s any merit in comparing one with a 7 seater which is so many different types of car away from a 3 series it needs a govt department to examine the gap.

Regarding a 5 touring vs an X5, here I am: your live example. I really considered an X5 instead of Eva but principally for the Sky Lounge roof which isn’t available on the 5er. When I mentioned it to W2.1 I got short shrift for even considering having a giant lorry parked outside the house and when looking at interior space what was the gain? Yes, a bigger boot - so for the 2-3 journeys a year we’d have to suffer looking like the local scaffold company manager for the other 10 months or so. No thanks. As to having 7 seats: yes with 5 kids it would help if they were all together more than a few times but where does their stuff go? Only one of those Merc or VW vans will suffice and that’s a huge no.

I can see the appeal of SUVs but they are a compromise. A cheaper MPV plus one small car would be a better bet. 

I was thinking of people who prefer driving.
A 5 series is better to drive than an X5 and does exactly the same stuff apart from sitting higher up and sending out a 'get out of my way' message to other road users.
Unless you need a couple of inches extra ground clearance of course.

Would you really pick an mpv over a modern suv? Off the top of my head a Skoda kodiaq or Tiguan all space has all the benefits of an suv with 7 (just about occasional use) seats

Mpvs are dated and have an old giffer reputation . Do they still even make
Mpvs ?

I am not sure the 'average' driver is aware of differing vehicle dynamic, or even cares about it. The trend seems to be the drive and I dare say that the everyday abilities are well up to the task of road and traffic demands. Sadly, with interest in driving going downhill, I see little chance for the so called drivers car being in much demand outside of the exotics. In other news we will be riding hoverboards and cruising at a height of about 6' through central London so who needs a car?

Simple enough to answer that - since she's a short arse she'd take the 5 Series
Anyway, my point was that given a free choice of the two WE would choose an estate over an SUV - it wasn't about what our wives would want.