SUVs usually hold 4 or 5 people. You know, just like a sedan or hatchback does. How are you justifying the need for one again?

Last thing I want to see at Millenium is some dude with a camera who does not have a kid playing soccer or a dog at the end of a leash.

There are plenty of reasons for a dude with a camera who does not have a kid playing soccer or a dog at the end of a leash to be at Millennium Park. You might want to go up there some day and see why. At sunset, say.

there are other reasons to be up on Millenuim

does the guy have a kid who wants to play on the park?
Kiting?
Adamg almost always brings his camera up there and he doesn't have a kid playing soccer or a dog at the end of a leash!!

Minivan 7, CRV 4

Adults and/or large children, that is. You can squeeze 5 in a CRV if one is a child, but you cannot have much else along for the ride.

I got $2500 worth of IKEA cabinets for my kitchen in a single load with my two young helpers. My husband stuffed a loveseat, two chairs, and two kids in it once. One 55 mile round trip at 20 mpg is more efficient than two 55 mile trips at 29 mpg.

My neighbor has two CRVs, but he still occasionally asks to borrow our van or uses his brother's when stuff/people don't fit. The key factor isn't the actual mileage of a vehicle - it is the the number of person-miles per gallon. We trade off the lower efficiency for fewer than average annual miles and more total people transported.

You're right that SUV doesn't equal gas hog, yes. There are non-SUVs (like bigass Cadillacs, for instance) that waste just as much gas.

But, at least for me, the problem with SUVs is that most of them are heavier and use more gas than other vehicles that hold the same number of passengers. Unless your vehicle holds more people than mine (and is routinely used for carpooling so as to get additional cars off the road), it shouldn't use more gas than mine. (And admittedly, my car doesn't get the best mileage, but does get better than pretty much every SUV that also holds four people.)

I do appreciate the fact that you're someone who needs the SUV for frequent hauling of your work/personal stuff. Most of the people I know who have vehicles like the Element (and larger, much much larger!) are usually driving them around alone with a briefcase and a bag of groceries in the back. Sure, they might need a bigger car once a month or so for hauling something large, but why not use Zipcar or a weekend rental when this happens, instead of driving around a large empty car on days you don't need it? Also, even most of the people I know who use SUVs or vans for hauling work stuff are usually driving them around alone with all the back seats in seating position. A hatchback with the seat folded down gets better mileage and has as much cargo room.

[OK, but, if a Camry and Highlander are the same car with a different body, why does the Highlander get 18/23 mpg and the Camry get 21/31? Oh, I know, it's because the Highlander has a bigger and heavier body, even though it doesn't hold any more passengers. So you actually just helped make the point that SUVs are usually pointlessly wasting gas.]