An old observation about which I once opined. Why do car manufacturers advertise their SUVs climbing the side of a mountain? Who, in their right mind, is taking their brand new CR-V offroading in the damn Rockies?

You want to sell me your SUV? Drive down a Midwest back road in springtime. Fresh off a snowy winter when the behemoth snowplows have dug to the earth's mantle with each pothole they leave behind. If your precious new Ford Escape can "escape" one of those, then will I invest in your mountain traversing vee-hickle.

Until then, I am unimpressed.