Visibility and perceived personal safety I think are a big factor on why people are driven to prefer purchasing suv & truck models. American anecdote: when I am driving my sedan, I don't feel safe. I can not see through the windows of vehicles ahead of me due to the volume of large vehicles on the road, and a big part of driving safely is predicting traffic - I am at a large disadvantage due to only being able to be reactive to the back end of a vehicle in front of me instead of being able to predict what they are going to do by being able to see ahead.
Larger trucks & suvs also seem to have higher safety features these days in strength and crumple zone coverage. If so many other vehicles are so much bigger than my car, how do I fare in an accident in my ford fusion vs "everybody else's" f250. Someone else here called it an arms race and I absolutely see why.
I would rather drive my 4runner than my car even though my car is absolutely the better choice for practicality - I feel better and safer in my 4 runner.
This is in addition to edge case buying. Large vehicle purchases are also popular due to what those vehicles bring to the buyer, including: cargo capacity, towing capabilities, ground clearance for rural needs, and in the case of large vans&suv's extra passenger space.
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