No matter how many social climbers clamber into SUVs, the saloon is a better car - and it could be making a comeback

For at least five years now we’ve seen a seemingly unending stream of new and reinvented SUVs and crossovers. Buyers clearly love the body style, be it for the raised seating position or, more likely, the perceived higher social status.

After all, at the lower end of the market, a small crossover offers less comfort and space than a similarly-priced regular hatch from the class above, while further up the scale SUVs tend ...