Some people only need a car, but we have 2 big dogs (160 pounds total!) plus 4 people (2 teens but they're adult sized). So families like ours definitely need more space than a sedan.

I also want to point out that plenty of people like Hondas and Toyotas--very lightweight cars that feel like tin cans to me. I much prefer a solid German car. It's more fun to drive and "feels" safer to me, too.