You mean like all the people on Slashdot that are saying those that do like Snowden are old, out of touch, brainwashed, and clueless?

"That's because the elderly suffered much more stringent brainwashing as children that leads them to say that they "support those who fight for our freedom" while also promoting a police state worse than Orwells worst nightmare."
It is not just the elderly it is everyone that is not really young.

What it could be is older people tend to see more potential unintended results of actions. I have to say that your post is an almost prototypical propaganda tactic of making villains out of those that disagree with you.

The person I was responding to did not mention off-road activity, and the root of the discussion was about space, not off-roading. If you are off-roading, you need an off-road vehicle, whether it's an SUV or something else.

This is because, speaking as a Vermonter, I see so many SUVs coming up with New York City plates and no mud, and then heading south again on Sunday with the same New York City plates and the same no mud. Of course there are people for whom full-time SUV ownership is a requirement, but a lot of people just do it because why not?

Focus is smaller than the Mazda 6 the 3 is closer and when you add in diesel that is not close to an apples to apples comparison. The Cruze diesel is closer and matches your Focus in MPG

In my experience the main difference between a minivan and an SUV is that the minivan has more room for stuff, on the positive side, and a less rugged chassis (which is sometimes a negative). If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the minivan because you can haul plywood in it, which you can't do in a typical SUV.

The point isn't to punish people for wanting what they want. It's fine for people to want what they want. The point is to avoid the tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the commons is simply the fact that if everybody gets everything they want, you wind up with a mud patch in the center of town instead of a nice green lawn the kids can play on during town meetings. Nobody is willing to be the one who pulls back first, because that gives everyone else the advantage. Setting standards creates a level playing field, so that everybody gets some of what they want, but nobody gets so much that you wind up with a mud pit. It's not the only way to do it, but it's definitely a valid way.

For the weekend? Rent an SUV. The problem isn't that you go on a weekend trip with it: it's that you drive it to the store every day.

my commute is all freeway with almost no stop and go.
Again this is for me personally.

Your Imperial gallon is larger than a US Gallon.
So he Mazda 6 gets 46 mpg on gas in UK terms.
The Chevy Cruze Diesel gets over 55 mpg.
Also the US uses a different testing method than the EU so often the same car with the same engine will get better ratings in the EU.

Because paying $540 dollars a month is better than paying $580 a month.
The other fact is that pure gas cars are getting really good milage. The Mazda 6 is rated at 40mpg on the highway. The new CX-5 CUV is over 30mpg hwy.
My Chevy Cruze is averaging over 33 mpg for me.
 

This is single track right of way so I do not think that is a real option and really would add to the cost of the system.

They are not just complaining about no stops. They are also upset about those noise, and the "danger", and the risk of first responders being stuck waiting for a train.
I could also complain about the mass transit system as well. It takes 30 minutes to take a bus from my office to the mall but only 15 minutes to walk it. BTW before anyone says just walk this is south FL so think lots of heat and rain time of year.