What is the Point of a 4x4 ?

I've recently noticed the wealth of massive 4x4s around Surrey and I thought to myself, "why do people need a 4x4?" Well in the half term holiday I went and did a Mercedes off-road driving experience where I got to drive a Mercedes GL (below)

on Mercedes's off-road course. The course had insanely steep slopes, a 75cm deep river , uneven rocky surfaces and axle twisting obstacles. Whilst doing that I thought if this is what a normal GL can do why bother buying one if you are never going to encounter this sort of terrain on a British country lane eg. you aren't going to find a 45 degree slope on the M25. I understand that fitting 4wd to a normal car eg. Mini Countryman can be useful when it snows or there are steep winding roads near where you live or the roads are icy/muddy . People where I live think because their driveway has leaves on it they need a great hulking 4x4 that costs half a million quid. I get the fact that if you are a farmer named Bill you might want a Land Rover Defender for towing things around your farm or your name is Olson and you live in a remote part of Scandinavia where there are icy roads and snow is everywhere, but you don't need one if your names is Nathaniel/Cheryl and you live in Surrey where the roads are clear and there are stones on your driveway. Plus, most modern 4x4 drivers never take there pride and joy off--road ever, all they do is take up the whole road and crash into things in a parking lot.

It's like buying a snow-blower when one day out of the whole year a light bit of snow settles on your driveway. So why do people buy them? Is it to feel superior to all supermini drivers around them or is it that they think of a 4x4 as a status symbol showing you are well off.

Well what do you think? Are 4x4s unnecessary or are they brilliant, tell us what you think in the comments box below.