If you're not driving aggressively, where you need minimal weight and a low CG, a modern SUV is generally more versatile than a car, and more stylish than a minivan, while still offering a ride and gas mileage that's on par with equivalent cars.
The Camry only weights 10% less though. 20% reduction in fuel economy for far more cargo space, AWD, and higher ground clearance seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me.
Even if gas were $6/gal, at the typical American 12k miles/year, that's still less than $300/year extra to run the CUV over the sedan. That's less than the cost of a rental for a weekend trip.
That sounds like you're saying we also need a significant amount more investment in infrastructure in America.
I believe Toyota is moving all their FF vehicles onto the TNGA-K platform.
TBH, I think a lot of people like the crossovers mostly because they feel like they're sitting higher off the ground. For whatever reason, that creates a feeling of safety.