SUV sales have gone up the roof in the last decade. The extra leg room, great trunk space, and giant body on frame structure makes it elegant and comfortable for drivers and passengers. They are the best option for a family. They provide better visibility than sedans. An SUV’s off road driving capability gives it much better traction on the road even under bad weather conditions.
A crossover is sometimes mistaken for an SUV. But these vehicles are a hybrid of an SUV and a hatchback. They are quite different from an SUV, particularly their unique body design that is a single piece. Let us look at some of the major differences between SUVs and crossovers.
Structural design
An SUV is built on a body on frame structure — this is why it resembles a truck. These models are mainly available as rear wheel drive, all wheel drive, or four wheel drive. The off roading capabilities of an SUV make it an attractive catch. Most SUVs come with a V6 engine but larger SUVs come with a 2.0L V8 engine. Crossovers have the body and frame together. They do not have much ground clearance compared to SUVs. They are mostly a front wheel drive. But some cars are customized to a four wheel drive, which is better for driving under bad weather.
Mileage
Crossovers have smaller engines and their hauling capabilities are lesser than SUVs. This is one reason crossover vehicles have much better fuel efficiency as opposed to an SUV. Whereas SUVs come with a massive engine that gives them lesser mileage compared to a crossover. Since a crossover is a combination of SUV and hatchback, they are not as sturdy as SUVs — this can make a significant difference in fuel efficiency.
Design
The body and the frame is one unit in a crossover, while an SUV has a body on frame structure. Because crossover’s blend the style of SUV and hatchback, it is tough to correct that corroded paint or fix the dent. An SUV has two separate pieces. This is why it is easier to fix a dent compared to a unibody structure.
Safety
SUVs are safer due to their heavy and sturdy structure. They withstand forward collisions and are less likely to topple. Crossovers are designed to survive forward collisions at top speeds. They withstand the impact on their unibody design and keep the passengers safe. SUVs can withstand only low speed collisions.
Cargo space
SUVs and crossovers have good legroom and can easily accommodate 5 passengers. A crossover’s cabin space is much more because the trunk space by itself has around 70 cubic feet. In an SUV, you get around 37.5 cubic feet. If you are using only the first and second rows in an SUV, the third row can be folded to give more trunk space. A crossover might not be able to provide more space here as most of them don’t have a third row.
