Crossover Vehicles
The mainstream SUV
by Steve Holder
The auto industry is in a tizzy over crossover vehicles.
Since the first Toyota RAV4 crossover in 1996, the breed has blossomed into 41 currently-available makes and models from almost every major manufacturer. And we're not yet close to the crest of the wave.
What are we talking about?
Many automobile purists detest the crossover label because it's imprecise. Almost anything can be called a crossover, they claim. For many in the industry, however, a crossover means taking the outline and functionality of an SUV and dropping it onto a car chassis instead of a pickup truck chassis. The result? A much more economical, car-based SUV.
If you're not familiar with the breed, think Acura MDX, Ford Escape, Honda Pilot, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester and Toyota Highlander. (Nobody's saying it, but what they're calling a crossover, we used to call a station wagon. Shhhh!)
The popularity of the crossover
The impending shift from the hugely popular SUVs to car-based SUVs had to be obvious to the manufacturers. People were drawn to the utility of an SUV, but turned off by the sticker price and gas-guzzling. Since almost no one actually used their SUV in anything other than city and highway driving, the off-road aspect of the oversized vehicles was wasted.
So to rev up sales, automakers married the utility, extra-seating and cargo options of an SUV to the greater economy of a lighter-weight automobile frame, then threw in prodigious safety features to compensate for the lighter weight and added more powerful engine options to provide towing capacity.
Four-wheel and all-wheel drive remain options for those who still value the extra traction for off-roading, country road conditions or snowy climates. And hybrid models are also making their way into the market for the environmentally conscious.
The term CUV, for Crossover Utility Vehicle, is beginning to crop up to describe these new multi-purpose, economical alternatives.
The future?
Some pundits believe the marriage of styles will continue, resulting in a sporty coupe with utility features. Others think the auto industry, similar to the computer industry, is heading toward mass customization, where customers can tailor their multipurpose vehicles to their specific purposes.
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