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Yes, Mark Benjamin is a hypocrite. In this case, that's a good thing. A hypocrite, by definition, must be doing something right -- though of course, the trick is figuring out what that something is.
In this case, what Benjamin is doing right ought to be fairly clear: He and his family are participating in a free-market economy by assessing their needs as individuals, and making choices. They determined that they needed a vehicle with more space. Several vehicles were available on the open market to meet their needs, and they weighed their needs, desires and beliefs in the final decision. What's more, they purchased their new vehicle at a substantial discount, which is also the sort of behavior one would expect from thoughtful, responsible consumers. (Like a good capitalist, Benjamin partially offsets the cost of his new SUV by writing -- and selling -- a humorous essay about his experience.)
Where Benjamin falls short is in his belief that SUVs are bad for other drivers and worse for the planet. Obviously they're not. They're ideal for carpooling (half a dozen co-workers can fit comfortably inside an average-sized SUV), and they make it possible for families to consolidate trips away from home. Lest we forget, for most families (that is to say, families with more than one child) the alternatives to a minivan or SUV would involve either driving more than one vehicle simultaneously, or making multiple trips with a smaller vehicle. Each of these scenarios (multiple vehicles, multiple trips) would incur a substantially greater cost in time, money and fossil fuel than simply driving an SUV would.
Although Benjamin's environmentalist doctrine may be misguided, his instincts as a consumer are fundamentally sound. Certainly by just about any standard, the triumph of personal liberty (not to mention old-fashioned "horse sense") over puritanical proscriptions ought to be seen as cause for celebration.
