Automobile

The Difference Between a Crossover and an SUV

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There used to be a time when cars’ body styles were clearly defined and there was a proper distinction between a sedan&comma; hatchback&comma; station wagon&comma; minivan&comma; and SUV&period; So if you read a <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;carbuzz&period;com&sol;cars&sol;cadillac&sol;xt6" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">Cadillac XT6 review<&sol;a> and the vehicle is referred to as a mid-size crossover SUV&comma; what does that even mean&quest; Crossovers are those vehicles that don’t fit into a specific classification and have properties of two different body types&period; A crossover SUV is not as rugged and high-riding as a traditional <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;5-benefits-install-new-suv-tyre&sol;">SUV<&sol;a>&comma; but higher than a normal sedan&period; It aims to provide some of the advantages of both&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In the case of the XT6&comma; it cannot traverse tough off-road trails like a proper off-roader&comma; but it has far better ground clearance and all-road ability than a low-riding sedan&period; While several hundred thousand Americans still prefer to buy sedans each year&comma; the market segment is shrinking and crossovers and SUVs are taking over because they are so much more versatile than normal cars that can take a maximum of five people and run out of ability when the road deteriorates or a few inches of snow appears&period; It has become the most popular vehicle type in the USA&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Crossovers defined<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Of course&comma; the line between a crossover and SUV can be poorly defined and it is not always easy to pigeonhole a specific vehicle&period; Generally&comma; crossovers lack serious off-road hardware like proper 4WD systems&comma; lots of wheel articulation&comma; locking differentials&comma; and&comma; importantly&comma; plenty of ground clearance&period; They might have part-time AWD systems and be higher off the ground than a car&comma; but they cannot do serious off-road work&period; Their AWD systems are more there for traction on poor roads than for driving up the side of a mountain&period; And that’s more than most people need&period; Here are a few examples&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Toyota RAV4<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Nissan Rogue<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Tesla Model Y and Model X<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Honda CR-V<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Audi Q5<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Porsche Macan<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Range Rover Velar<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Lexus UX and NX<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Ford Escape and EcoSport<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Hyundai Tucson<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Advantages and disadvantages of a Crossover<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Pros<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Lighter weight and better fuel economy than an off-roader<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Better handling and performance on tarmac than a heavy-duty 4&&num;215&semi;4<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Better ground clearance and all-weather ability than a car<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Increased height over a sedan means a better view over traffic<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Three-row models available with more seats<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>AWD and 2WD configurations available<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Lower MSRP than hardcore 4&&num;215&semi;4 SUVs<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>More frugal in terms of fuel economy over a full-sized SUV<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Cons<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Gas mileage is worse than a normal sedan’s<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Handling not as good as that of a car<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Off-road ability not as good as that of a serious 4WD SUV<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Not as spacious as a full-size&comma; three-row SUV<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">SUVs defined<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">For the purpose of this article&comma; we are going to refer to SUVs as the more traditional type that is slightly more off-road focused&comma; and while they are still luxurious&comma; have a focus equally shared between space&comma; versatility&comma; and capability off the beaten track&period; It’s worth noting that some SUVs that can go well off the beaten track are also offered in a base model that might lack serious off-road hardware&period; But the real deal has the necessary underpinnings to tackle rougher terrain while still being plush on road&comma; and can venture well beyond the places where a normal crossover will call it quits&period; Here are a few examples&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Cadillac Escalade<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Lincoln Navigator<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Ford Explorer and Expedition<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>GMC Yukon<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Land Rover Discovery&comma; Defender&comma; and Range Rover<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Lexus GX and LX<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Toyota Sequoia&comma; 4Runner&comma; and Land Cruiser<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Nissan Armada and Pathfinder<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Advantages and disadvantages of SUVs<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Pros<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Endless drivetrain and seating configurations available<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Very powerful models with high-horsepower engine options are offered<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Can tow heavy loads<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Can go off-road<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>A range of very large&comma; full-size options available with up to nine seats<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Lots of space for people and cargo<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Cons<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Can be very large and heavy&comma; and be cumbersome to drive and park<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Poor miles per gallon compared to other vehicles<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Top models can be very expensive<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Worst for on-road handling in comparison with crossover and sedans<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Making the right choice<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There is a reason why crossover SUVs like the new Cadillac XT6 are so popular and that is because they offer all the rough-road ability and ground clearance the average buyer will ever need&period; This class of car might be a compromise&comma; but it’s a happy compromise and offers just enough attributes of both sedans and SUVs to keep most people happy&period; Think long and hard before paying a high price for a heavy-duty SUV with 4WD if you are hardly ever going to use it&period; The poor MPG figures and stodgy handling on-road might not be worth it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Read every review you can find on the models you are considering and compile a shortlist of the ones that will most likely suit you&comma; considering how much you are willing to pay&period; Then go for a test drive in the models on your shortlist and note each one’s good and bad points&comma; so you can get a clearer picture of which one will be best for you&period; Do your research and make sure you know which features are standard and which cost extra&comma; what the vehicles’ safety ratings are&comma; and how they fare on J&period;D&period; Power in terms of their reliability ratings&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Future-proofing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Consider getting on the electric-vehicle &lpar;EV&rpar; bandwagon&comma; as there are now so many great electric SUVs and crossover available out there&period; If you have level 2 home charging installed and the public charging infrastructure is good&comma; you can benefit from silent running&comma; punchy performance&comma; and zero tailpipe emissions&period; Great crossover in this class include&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>Tesla Model Y and Model X<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Ford Mustang Mach-E<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Volkswagen ID&period;4<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Mercedes-Benz EQC<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Jaguar I-Pace<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>BMW iX3<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Hyundai Kona Electric<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Kia Niro EV<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Conclusion<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There is not another vehicle class in which there is such a vast choice of models available as the crossover and SUV class&period; These are the cars that Americans now prefer because of their unmatched versatility and the sheer number of features&comma; configurations&comma; and sizes offered&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Hardik Patel

Hardik Patel is a Digital Marketing Consultant and professional Blogger. He has 16+ years experience in SEO, SMO, SEM, Online reputation management, Affiliated Marketing and Content Marketing.

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