They’re comparable. Minivans are a bit better with kids, SUVs are often better for recreation (e.g., pulling a camper). Lots of people also depend on pickup trucks, contra the parent’s viewpoint that they’re rarely legitimate.
Pulling a camper is something that most people do rarely - no reason to drive that pickup to work every day when you could just rent it for trips.
Yes there are certain areas where most people will need a bunch of hauling capacity due to their professions. But most people who drive a pickup in the USA are doing it for stupid (prestige related reasons)! I don’t mean to sound too extreme here, I’m just tired of hearing people (who I know IRL) with expensive gas guzzlers complain about the cost of diesel when a compact sedan would suite their needs!
Firstly, if you have a camper you probably want to take it out many times a year, and even if you just have a tent, an SUV is pretty nice for all of your other supplies. Moreover, it’s not any one use case that justifies an SUV as much as a combination. If you have kids and you camp and you bring bikes and you have jet-skis, ATVs, dirt bikes, snow mobiles, or other toys then it quickly becomes worthwhile.
My wife and I upgraded to a small (electric) SUV and it’s absolutely been worthwhile just for extended roadtrips and camping with our dog and maybe a friend or two.
I’m sure plenty of people get big vehicles for prestige/whatever, but I was refuting a specific claim that use cases for pickups are rare and SUVs should be banned altogether.
