Maybe for some people a bigger car means safer. While there are some studies that say they are, the smaller EU SUVs are more likely to tip over in case of an accident, don't all have 4WD and are not as heavily reinforced as the big SUVs that are popular in the US. The main selling points seem to be the higher seat (especially popular with elderly people who don't like climbing into a sedan/hatchback) and just having a bigger car than the neighbors.