I love my minivan but it doesn’t entirely solve the size issue: a Toyota Sienna is 7 inches longer than a Kia Telliride (one of the largest crossovers) and only six inches shorter than a Ford Expedition (which is a solid example of a traditional truck frame SUV)
There's a good argument that a lot of people buying 3-row SUVs would probably be better off with a minivan--which is what many of my whitewater paddling friends drive. But, as you say, they're mostly not actually smaller vehicles for the most part.
You do miss the ground clearance for some applications. Even just comparing to the old CRV we had, we drove that places you wouldn’t be able to take a minivan.
But for internal capacity, so much better: one of the big things is that the much shorter hood makes it easier to maneuver and gives you more usable space from that extra length.
