Wow, finally someone who knows (or sounds like they know) what they are talking about. Your points are valid, but I am wondering: why do manufacturers use this "unibox" construction for vehicles that are ostensibly designed for rough-road driving (eg subaru)?. Can't you use truck technology to build a subaru-type vehicle with enough clearance to do everything a SUV can do with less gas-guzzling, a lower center of mass, etc, etc?