In the past few years, the number of cars on the roads of the country has increased tens or even hundreds of times. Every day, an increasing number of them are represented by SUVs, SUVs and crossovers. Large, roomy, with an interesting design, glossy and shiny, everyone likes them, but not everyone can answer the question, SUV - what is it, and name the differences between crossover and SUV or crossover and SUV. And you need to know them, because often because of the ignorance of the townsfolk, manufacturers mislead them, calling SUVs crossovers, which are not only through mud, on a normal dirt road, not always able to drive.
Definitions
So, SUV - what is it? It is impossible to give an answer to this question in three words, since attention should be paid to many criteria. The SUV is a family car of one of the Japanese brands with an expanded interior space, outwardly similar to a crossover, but not possessing its mechanical characteristics. There is a misconception that SUVs, like crossovers, have increased cross-country ability. However, this is only a fallacy. They are designed to ride on ordinary asphalt or, in extreme cases, on a dry packed road.
Crossover is a hybrid of an SUV and a premium car. He, like an SUV, has a powerful engine and increased cross-country ability, and as a premium car - glossy appearance. Accordingly, cross-country cross-country ability is significantly higher than SUV. It is equipped with all-wheel drive and is able to successfully cope with light trails. However, it is rather a sports car than an off-road car. A crossover to an SUV is like walking to Moscow, so it’s possible to drive it along a badly broken, deformed track or wet, muddy country road, strewn with potholes, puddles and ditches, but not for a long time. Much more characteristic of the crossover is “walking” along the asphalt road with infrequent trips out of town, due to the relatively small margin of safety of its independent suspension.
An SUV is the king of all routes, even those that are completely unworthy of the name “road”. Unlike a crossover, an SUV is designed specifically for off-road driving, its components have a huge margin of safety. All-terrain vehicles do not always have colossal dimensions, but they are necessarily characterized by high traction and cross-country ability.
Differences in terms of mechanics
Judging only by the appearance, then all three categories of cars can be defined as SUVs, but due to how big the difference in their technical equipment is, doing so will be wrong. In order to give the most complete answers to the questions: SUV - what is it and how does a SUV differ from a crossover, you should consider in more detail the differences between their bodies, transmissions and suspensions.
A few words about the body
While crossovers and SUVs have only a bearing body unit, SUVs are equipped with a frame structure with all units and assemblies. And, of course, the torsional rigidity of the crossover body is much higher than that of the SUV.
About Transmission
A distinctive feature of the transmission of an SUV is the equipment with a reduced number of gears, allowing to overcome the conditions of bad roads. In addition, machines of this type have axles that are connected by force, or all-wheel drive, a feature of which is the center differential.
Transmission of crossovers is characterized by greater simplicity: they do not have a number of downshifts and permanent all-wheel drive, it is connected only by force during the slip process.
The design of the SUV gearbox can be of two types: similar to that installed in the crossover or front-wheel drive, typical of an ordinary passenger car.
Suspension Features
The SUV has a dependent suspension, which provides an increase in the degree of patency of the car. Its advantage - reliability, disadvantage - the comfort of riding an SUV is significantly inferior to the "walk" on a crossover or SUV.
SUVs and crossovers usually have independent rear and front suspension . The only difference is that the suspension of the latter is aimed at a balance of successful use both on the road and on a regular asphalt road. Get the most complete answer to the question, SUV - what is it, you can, making an attempt to drive a car on the road. If the crossover suspension has a sufficient margin of safety only for traveling on good asphalt or trampled sand roads, then the SUV will not always go along the asphalt track, if it is broken.
About wheels and cross
The most dramatic differences between SUVs, SUVs and crossovers are expressed in the features of their wheels and geometric cross-country ability.
The SUV is equipped with large wheels (from thirty inches in diameter and above) with a high sidewall. And crossovers and SUVs can have the usual low-profile, designed to drive traffic on asphalt.
The wheels of an SUV must be large in diameter (from 30 inches) with a high sidewall. While crossovers and auto-SUVs can be installed low-profile tires for movement on asphalt. The cross-country ability of SUVs is significantly increased by reducing the overhang of the stern and the front of the car. This allows you to increase the angles of exit and entry during sharp or unexpected descents and ascents. Crossovers crossovers and SUVs are lower, since they are equipped with sufficiently large overhangs. The reason for this is that in the design of cars such as SUV or crossover, the main indicator is an aesthetic moment, not a physical one.
Mentioning geometric cross, it is important to note that its main definition is the ability to overcome obstacles of varying difficulty.
Key representatives
So that the information provided was not unfounded, and the answer to the question of what a SUV is, it became obvious, we will consider the brightest representatives of these types of cars.
The most prominent representatives of SUVs are Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Discovery, Chevrolet Niva, VW Touareg, Range Rover, Niva, Mercedes-Benz ML / G-Class, Nissan Patrol and all models of the domestic UAZ.
The crossover family is proud to present the Cadillac SRX, Jeep Grand, Infinity EX, Audi Q7 and Lexus RX.
The following cars are called SUVs: the new Toyota RAV4 SUV, VW Tiguan, KIA Sportage, Nissan Qashqai (Murano, X-Trail) and Honda Pilot. We hope you now see a clear difference.
Thinking about what SUV and crossover are, one cannot but mention the cars that are at the junction of the above classes: Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes M-Class. They combine certain features of a crossover and an SUV, that is, although crossovers usually do not have a number of downshifts, these vehicles have one.