I've had 3 SUV's of types over the years: a '73 Blazer, a '77 Wagoneer, and an '86 Suburban. All were good vehicles, but none served as well as a pickup with a shell. Hauling smelly, dirty stuff in the back of an SUV isn't pleasant and it's sometimes impossible unless you sacrifice your nice carpet.
A shell can be rigged to come off in minutes if you need to. Plant 4 posts in the ground with big hooks on them and 2 pipes to reach between pairs of posts. Back the pickup between them, remove the tie down clamps on the shell, and just lift it, 1 end at a time, and slide a pipe under it an onto the hooks. Then just drive away. Have a way to tie down the shell to the posts to prevent a hard wind from moving it to the neighbor's back yard.
