Her actual drive to/from work is 45 miles each way. It's pretty much all highway though. I just added the info about the couple miles on normal(non highway) roads so folks could see just how much was actually on the highway. Her commute sounds exactly the same as yours as far as the amount of city vs highway.

As far as her "needing" such a large vehicle she doesn't. Its a "want" plain and simple. She simply likes big trucks. The most she ever carries is a couple bags of groceries or the baby stroller.

I should mention we live in Maricopa Az, a small city south of Phoenix. It's pretty darn flat if you ask me.

Sorry for the confusion,
Brad