Everything about Sports Utility Vehicles totally explained
A sport utility vehicle, or
SUV is a
passenger vehicle which combines the
towing capacity of a
pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a
minivan or
station wagon together with on or off road ability. Most SUVs are designed with a roughly square
cross-section, an engine compartment, a combined passenger and cargo compartment, and no dedicated trunk. Most mid-size and full-size SUVs have three rows of seats with a cargo area directly behind the last row of seats.
Compact SUVs and
mini SUVs may have five or fewer seats.
It is known in some countries as an "
off-road vehicle" or "
four-wheel drive", often abbreviated to "4WD" or "
4x4", pronounced "four-by-four". However, not all SUVs have four-wheel drive capabilities. Conversely, not all 4WD passenger vehicles are SUVs.
Off-road vehicles are a very different class of vehicles, being vehicles primarily built for off-road use. Although some SUVs have off-road capabilities, this is often a secondary role and they often don't have the ability to switch between 2WD, 4WD high gearing and 4WD low gearing.
More recently, manufacturers have responded to buyers' complaints that SUVs "drive like trucks" and demands for "carlike ride" with a new type of SUV. A new category, the
crossover SUV uses
car design and components for lighter weight and better
fuel efficiency, but is no longer designed or recommended by the manufacturer for off-road usage or towing.
Design characteristics
Although designs vary, the SUVs have historically been mid-sized passenger vehicles constructed using a
body-on-frame chassis similar to that found on
light truck. They can be either
gasoline or
diesel, and often employ similar engines as pickup trucks.
A few of the most known design characteristics of SUVs are their high ground clearance, upright, boxy body, and high
H-point. As awareness of
fuel economy has been increased, their bodies have become more aerodynamic to improve overall fuel economy.
History
Origins
The first Sport utility vehicles were descendants from commercial and
military vehicles such as the
Jeep and
Land Rover. SUVs have been popular for many years with rural buyers due to their off-road capabilities.
The earliest examples of longer-wheelbase wagon-type SUVs were the
Willys Jeep Wagon (1948),
Land Rover Series II 109 (1958), and the
International Harvester Scout 80 (1961). These were followed by the more 'modern'
Jeep Wagoneer (1963),
Ford Bronco (1966), Toyota
Land Cruiser FJ-55 (1968), the
Chevrolet Blazer / GMC Jimmy (1969), and the Land Rover
Range Rover (1970).
GMC used the sport utility vehicle reference in sales literature for its car-based GMC Sprint pickup truck; it was the only time a car/truck hybrid was referred as a sport utility vehicle (from Team Chevelle).
In the last 25 years, and even more in the last decade, the popularity of SUVs has increased among urban drivers. Consequently, more modern SUVs often come with
luxury features and some
crossover SUVs have adopted lower ride heights and utilize unibody construction to better accommodate on-road driving.
Popularity
It was the 1984
Jeep Cherokee (XJ) with its innovative appearance and sales popularity that really started the SUV boom because it spawned important imitators as the other automakers began to notice that the Jeeps were replacing regular cars.
SUVs became popular in the United States, Canada, and Australia in the 1990s and early 2000s for a variety of reasons. Vehicle buyers were drawn to their large cabins, higher
ride height, and perceived
safety. Additionally, some full-size SUVs have far greater towing capacities than conventional cars, allowing owners to tow
travel trailers (caravans),
trailers, and
boats. This coincided with very low oil prices of the 1990s which made the running costs of SUVs affordable to the masses.
Some of the SUV's popularity can be attributed to its "utilitarian" image, which could explain the large growth in SUV popularity and among some women. Women constitute more than half of SUV drivers, and SUVs are one of the most popular vehicle choice of women in the United States.
In Australia, a unique situation resulted in the growth in popularity of SUVs. There, SUVs have a much lower
import duty than cars. This means a typical SUV has a price advantage over a similarly-equipped, imported sedan. However, in recent years, the import duty has been lowered for cars as well, and is currently at 10% (compared with 5% for SUVs).
Current model SUVs (crossovers) take into account that most SUV owners never go
off-road. As such, some SUVs now have
lower ground clearance and suspension designed primarily for paved road usage. Increased ground clearance is useful in climates with heavy snow.
In addition, full-sized SUVs have replaced the full-size
station wagons and bear similar features such as 3-row seating.
Use in remote areas
SUVs are often used in places such as the Australian
Outback,
Africa, the
Middle East,
Alaska, Northern
Canada, the Western
United States,
Iceland,
South America and most of
Asia, which have limited paved roads and require the vehicle to have all-terrain handling, increased range, and storage capacity. The low availability of spare parts and the need to carry out repairs quickly allow model vehicles with the bare minimum of electric and hydraulic systems to predominate. Typical examples are the Land Rover and the
Toyota Land Cruiser. SUVs intended for use in urbanised areas have traditionally been developed from their more rugged all-terrain counterparts. For example the
Hummer H2 is derived from the
HMMWV, originally developed for the US Armed Forces.
Use in recreation and motorsport
SUVs are also used to explore places otherwise unreachable by other vehicles. In Australia,
China,
Europe,
South Africa,
South America and the
United States at least, many 4WD clubs have been formed for this purpose. Modified SUVs also take part in races, most famously in the
Paris-Dakar Rally, and the
Australian Outback.
Luxury SUV
Numerous
luxury vehicles in the form of SUVs and pickup trucks are being produced. This is principally a
marketing term to sell vehicles that may have higher performance, comfort, technology, or brand image. The category was created in 1966 with
Kaiser Jeep's luxurious
Super Wagoneer. It was the first to offer a V8 engine, automatic transmission, and luxury car trim and equipment in a serious off-road model. It came with
bucket seating,
air conditioning,
sun roof, and even a
vinyl roof. Land Rover followed suit in 1970 by releasing the
Range Rover in Britain. The trend continued with other competitors adding comfort appointments to their mostly rudimentary and truck-based models until this market segment rapidly expanded in the 1990s.
Etymology
Other names
Outside of
North America and
India, these vehicles are known simply as "
four-wheel-drives", often abbreviated to "4WD" or "4x4".
In countries such as the
UK, where the U.S. distinction between cars and "light trucks" isn't used, they're classified as cars. The term SUV is becoming increasingly widespread. Popular names in general use are "
Land Rover" or "
Jeep", used to describe the vehicle class and not just a single manufacturer's product. This practice was actively discouraged by every owner of the
Jeep trademark, but this terminology is still in widespread use - even in Germany for example - due to the pioneering and defining influence of these first products.
In
Australia and
New Zealand, parts of the automotive industry and press are promoting the term "SUV" in place of "
four-wheel drive" in an attempt to disassociate this type of vehicle from its increasingly negative public image; despite this, the term "four wheel drive" is still widely used. The motor industry in that country uses the term "AWD" for vehicles that are driven by all four wheels, but not designed for harsh off-road conditions, while the motoring press prefers the term "soft roader" for this type of vehicle.
The Australian "utility" or "ute" (an abbreviation of
"coupe utility", a body style created in Australia in 1934) traditionally refers to a car-based commercial vehicle with an integral, "styled", open load area at the rear. However, it now also applies to dedicated commercial vehicles with separate tray type ("table top") load areas, such as the Toyota Hilux, including 4wd versions.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sports Utility Vehicles'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://sport_utility_vehicle.totallyexplained.com">Sport utility vehicle Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
