It seems no gas price or global warming can stand between some affluent Americans and their SUVs. Never mind the near-century of Americans with larger families who got by without them—they are a necessity according to this CNN story.

And really, who can’t feel for the suburban mother trying to fit three children under the age of 10 into Mazda 626, a four-door sedan designed to fit five adults. Thank heavens for the Ford Explorer. It provides her added protection in the event of a crash, but more importantly, it keeps her from suffering that gravest of injury: the stigma of being typecast a minivan-driving soccer mom.

Personally, I applaud her creativity, as I have never seen an SUV used for all but the most rugged off-road riding, and that beefy pedigree just so happens to add another benefit: sure handling in foul foul conditions due to its 4-wheel drive. It’s about time the American consumer had a vehicle to turn to for good handling in bad weather. It’s just a darn shame they only come in such huge sizes and burn so much gas.

One only hopes the price of gas falls soon, because over time, that 72-mile commute is going to be a real wallet-killer.