i GET the CUV thing.
higher seating position. (it is nice. )
fairly good looking outside (subjective of course, but they are usually inoffensive)
easy to just plop in and plop out of the cabin if you are of moderate height. (sedans, you tend to DROP into seats, and have to stand up when you get out.)
usually competitively priced.
but most significantly,
cargo bay is easy to access, as small as they may be. no bending required. i LOVE hatchbacks. i think they rule, and they are the best thing since sliced bread, BUT with occasional back pains, i do consciously be careful when lifting stuff out of hatchbacks because i have to bend my back.
CUVs, with their heights, don't require me to bend my back. just grab things out of the hatch standing up. (same with, i assume, child seats in the back seat.)