I recently bought my first SUV - a humble (by the standard of the 'what do drive?' thread') Honda CRV hybrid. I like Hondas - I've owned eight Civics over the years - because they are reliable usually just a little bit different.
I have never been a fan of SUVs, viewing them as unnecessarily large, thirsty and with a high centre of gravity which isn't great as far as handling/body roll is concerned. But my wife was keen to replace my 2 year old 1 litre turbo CVT Civic with an SUV for our regular 110 mile journeys to and from the coast - around 2/3 on motorway or dual carriage way and 1/3 twisty Suffolk back roads. I was considering a relatively small Mazda CX30 but my neighbour, who drives an X5M, said I would find the visibility due to the additional height of a bigger car much better in the Suffolk back roads.
Despite my scepticism, I am very pleasantly surprised with the CRV. It is more comfortable/refined than the Civic - smooth over most surfaces and quieter as far as engine/transmission noise, wind noise and road noise are concerned. It's considerably more responsive than the Civic - the hybrid's instant and greater torque sees to that. It picks up speed with little fuss or noise - no shove in the back, but sufficient acceleration for everyday driving and overtaking (though not in the same league as my neighbour's!). One review put the 0-60 figure around 8.2 secs whereas the Civic is over 10 secs. It's not a car to drive round bends quickly, but with our dog on board for our trips, that's not an option anyway.
But the biggest surprise is its economy - the Civic typically managed around 44.5mpg but this large, heavy (but more responsive) SUV is currently running at 46.8mpg and the cumulative figure is climbing slowly every time I drive it - I think that's pretty amazing.
Honda's approach to hybrid power is a little different to most manufacturers - if interested, this video explains how it works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P_VChtMGK8
So despite my reservations, this has been a surprisingly good transition from hatchback to SUV. I don't know whether any other hybrid SUV owners have had similarly pleasant experiences?