Andy Ewing bought the Ford Ranger pick-up because it, for him, was perfect for mixing work and normal life.
"I work in the event industry and I drive across fields a lot and have to tow a lot too. I work in the event safety end and carry a lot of protective equipment, so it is usually full of about 12 plastic boxes full of equipment. But because it is a crew cab it is perfect for my kids and it is comfortable enough to use as a family car. By owning this type of vehicle it means that I can drive one type of car rather than having two."
FINTAN SULLIVAN IS Managing Director of Sullivan Property Consultants and has been the owner of five Range Rovers. He acknowledges that there are many who would criticise his choice of transport, but for him it is an essential tool of his job.
"I have had normal cars before. Back when I was getting started I owned a Mazda 626 and as part of my work I visited development sites and damaged the underside of my car quite badly, so it became clear that I would need something a little bit more robust. I have had Nissan Patrols and Mitsubishi Pajeros over the years but I have been in Range Rovers for many years now."
So what is it that makes the Range Rover the obvious choice for Sullivan?
"The versatility of the Range Rover is what is so appealing. I can turn up to a function in it and it looks respectable yet the next day I can drive around a farm with a farmer to look at land or I can survey a building site with a builder. It is out in the fields at least once a week.
"There really isn't another type of vehicle that would suit my line of work. And as a family vehicle it is perfect and we use it at the weekend to tow a horsebox through a mucky field. I understand the argument that these are hard on the environment but mine has a 3-litre diesel engine which is not as bad as it might be on fuel."
Karl Strong, Managing Director of Karl Strong Construction, drives a Toyota Land Cruiser, because it is an essential tool of his trade.
"I have brought regular cars on to a site before and wrecked them. I carry equipment, tow and go off-road in the Land Cruiser and it never lets me down. They are very reliable and the resale value and fuel consumption is good. There really isn't anything else I would drive."
Pat McHugh elected to buy the Lexus RX400h Hybrid when choosing his dream car. "I had never owned an SUV before, but conservation of petrol was important. I wanted that type of vehicle but wanted to buy the cleanest one I could find so that is why I chose the Hybrid. The petrol consumption is marvellous and I feel that little bit better about driving it compared to other SUVs it compares to."
Accountant Paul Russell echoes the sentiments of many people that we spoke to. For him, comfort, space and above all the feeling of safety were hugely important when choosing his Volkswagen Touareg.
"You just feel that little bit safer putting your family into that type of vehicle. It is no harder on fuel than my previous executive saloon and having owned one now it would be hard to justify going back to any other type of car.
"It is the same price as a large executive saloon with similar emissions so even if there is a change in VRT, it will all be relative, with equivalent standard cars probably taxed in the same way."
Yvonne McGrane chose the latest model Honda CR-V for a number of reasons. "I love the SUV for the space and comfort. I am just after buying a ten-foot set of football goals and they fit into the car perfectly. The children prefer it and it is great for them and all their space and I feel a lot safer in it. It is diesel so I get great fuel economy. The issue of CO2 emissions was a concern for me - that is why we went for the CR-V diesel because it was one of the better performing models.
"I think the crossover vehicle is not as daunting on the road. I don't consider this as in the same league as the likes of a Range Rover. It is more suitable for urban driving but being high up gives me that sense of security."
For interior designer Orla Thompson the Santa Fe is as much about necessity as style.
"I have always driven Hyundai and found them very reliable and in my line of work and with three children I need something that can hold lots of curtain poles and rolls of fabric but still has enough space for the kids and all their gear.
"I use my car for work and do a lot of mileage so the fact that it is diesel is a bonus, too. There really isn't another type of car that would do what I need. I am conscious of CO2 emissions but that is why I would have chosen the diesel."
For Eleanor Downey, the choice of her Kia Sportage was not so much a conscious decision to choose an SUV.
"So many people had SUVs and we liked the styling of it and the height of it. There is an element of feeling safer in this type of car because it feels so chunky and with kids that is always important."
Eleanor does find that it is a little more difficult to get daughter Clara and son Tadhg into and out of the Sportage than their previous car and that the gear change is a little harder than before but that it is no more difficult to park and manoeuvre.
"I would be aware of the complaints against SUVs but to be honest this didn't really come into it when we were deciding on the car. Like most people, cost is a factor and if they (SUVs) were to become more costly to buy we would not buy another one."
Joanne Hamilton has driven an SUV for many years now and has recently bought a Kia Sorento. "I am an agricultural consultant and spend a lot of time driving through fields so I constantly use the off-road ability of my SUV - quite simply, a regular car would not cope with what I put it through. I wouldn't drive this if I didn't need it for work and I don't agree with people buying them as fashion accessories."
From our sample of owners, for many the choice of an SUV is an obvious one and for others it is as much about feeling safe and secure as it is making a statement.
Either way it seems that these owners would be unwilling to be bullied out of their SUVs and looking at the types of SUVs they drive, they are not causing much more environmental damage than anyone else. For now, it seems, the SUV and their owners will live to fight another day.