When SUVs surged onto American roadways in the 1990s, no one, it seemed, cared to call them by their given name. But people of all ages staked their claim, convinced the SUV was made specifically for them. City dwellers regarded them as “sweet urban vehicles.” People who lived in the suburbs preferred the clumsy but heartfelt “suburbanites’ ultimate vehicle.” Everyone, it seemed, appeared eager to dispense with the word in the middle that confused matters: “utility.” Was this identifier the best the auto industry could come up with to describe a vehicle that offered far more room than a car but did not require a commercial license to maneuver? By now, most people have dispensed with the word “utility” and