The SUV conundrum: America's most popular and most protested vehicle

"The reason sales figures are unaffected is that Americans don't like to be preached to by lifestyle police," said Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

The popularity of SUVs has increased steadily over the past decade. They now comprise up to 25 percent of total U.S. vehicle sales, depending on whether so-called crossover models are included. Yet in recent months, SUVs have been the target of attacks notable for their variety and fervor:

l As part of a campaign launched by syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington, TV ads aired this month suggesting that owners of gas-guzzling SUVs are indirectly assisting terrorists, who obtain financing in oil-exporting Middle East nations.

l A group of evangelical Christian ministers launched a "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign, urging SUV owners to consider whether they could switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles to better preserve the planet.

l Vandals, perhaps motivated by ecological concerns, damaged SUVs in several communities. They smashed windshields in King County, Wash., set fires at a car lot in Erie County, Pa., and spray-painted "No Blood For Oil" on SUVs in Newton, Mass. Some Internet-based groups offer hostile bumper stickers to be pasted on SUVs-- "As a matter of fact, I do own the road," says one.

l Long-running concern about the safety of SUVs was underscored this month by Jeffrey Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He said SUVs' rollover fatality rate is triple that for passenger cars, and-- referring to SUVs with poor safety ratings-- said, "I wouldn't buy my kid a two-star rollover vehicle if it was the last one on Earth."

Manufacturers say SUVs are safer than passenger cars in most types of accidents, and insist they are working hard to reduce the two most commonly cited hazards-- rollovers and "incompatibility" that endangers people in smaller cars colliding with SUVs.

More so than safety, however, it is the SUVs' low gas mileage that has aroused widespread disdain.

One of the TV ads released this month by Huffington's campaign, the Detroit Project, showed a man filling his SUV gas tank juxtaposed with footage of terrorist training. "Oil money supports some terrible things," the ad said. "What kind of mileage does your SUV get?"

Several TV stations refused to air the ads, which have kindled a backlash among some SUV owners.

"It is not gargantuan, nor is it a bauble; it fits our needs," wrote Tampa Tribune columnist Tom Jackson of his family's SUV.

According to federal figures, four-wheel-drive SUVs average 17.3 miles per gallon, and several large models-- such as Chevrolet's Suburban and GMC's Yukon-- get about 12 mpg. By contrast, the gas-electric sedans touted by environmentalists-- the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid-- get 48 mpg.

U.S. automakers have pledged to improve fuel economy and develop their own hybrid vehicles, including SUVs. Shosteck said manufacturers would move even faster if consumers demanded it.

"Right now," Shosteck added, "consumers don't value fuel efficiency as highly as other attributes. Anytime gasoline is cheaper than designer bottled water, it's not a big deal."

It is a big deal-- a moral question-- to the pastors allied in the Evangelical Environmental Network, which started the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign.

"Jesus cares about what we drive," says the group, which acknowledges that reaction to its campaign is mixed.

"Many people offered words of encouragement for starting this discussion," the group said on its Web site. "Many also asked us to check our sanity."

The so-called WWJDrive campaign is part of a broader effort by church leaders to lobby auto executives for greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

"It's about far more than SUVs-- it's about the future of the planet," said Paul Gorman, executive director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. "We seek to open a new conversation about cars and their effect on God's creation."

Gorman said he was unsettled by the SUV/terrorism TV ads; he worries that the SUV debate has become too polarized.

"We're not telling people not to drive SUVs," he said. "We're telling people to think about the choices they make and drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets their needs."

Jason Mark, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' clean vehicles program, said SUVs have deservedly become the "poster child" in the debate over gas-guzzling. "They represent the worst," he said.

But Mark also said that environmentalists, rather than exhorting SUV owners to drive smaller cars, should pressure automakers to produce roomy, versatile vehicles that get far better gas mileage than today's SUVs do.

"Consumers aren't in a position to express their choice." Mark said. "The average SUV could go from 20 mpg to 40 mpg using available technologies, but the industry needs a nudge-- Congress needs to act."<