What should be a real SUV. SUVs and crossovers - what are their differences? What is an SUV - a new term in the world of SUVs

Desiring to acquire a large and roomy car, the buyer needs to decide on the specific type of machines. So, in addition to trucks and minivans, SUVs, SUVs and crossovers are considered quite popular overall vehicles, which, by the way, are very similar to each other. But how do you know exactly what you need? To answer this question, you first need to understand the terminology.

We define what an SUV, crossover and SUV are

The term "SUV" is commonly understood as a certain type of four-wheel drive vehicles, which have a frame structure and are designed for operation in difficult conditions off-road. According to many motorists, it is these cars that have a high level of cross-country ability and large dimensions. However, the last statement is not entirely true, since the size is not always the most important criterion(Suffice it to recall the Suzuki Jimny).

It should be noted that epithets are often added to the term "SUV": "classic", "real" or "professional". All these words only emphasize the truth of the concept, since this car indeed, it can be considered an off-road conqueror with a sufficient margin of safety.

Crossover is often considered synonymous with "SUV", and although these cars are really very similar, there are still differences. Like the previous view, the crossover is characterized by high cross-country ability, and also has some differences in technological and design aspects aimed at increasing the comfort of movement and reducing noise. Typical features crossover is four-wheel drive, fairly high seating position, economical and large ground clearance. Under the hood can be installed both gasoline and diesel engine high power.

In any case, if the differences between an SUV and a crossover are more noticeable, and many motorists already know about the existence of such cars, then the concept of “SUV” is not so common, which means that few have managed to find out what kind of car it is. It can be considered a full-fledged urban vehicle with a hatchback body and a crossover-like design.

The SUV is more like a car designed for comfortable family trips, which is facilitated by a spacious interior. It has much in common with representatives of crossovers, but at the same time significant differences forced to separate these two types.

Often "SUVs" are called inexpensive front-wheel drive Japanese cars which are able to cope well with all the irregularities ordinary roads public use. Simply put, if an SUV is a conqueror of mountains and forests, then an SUV is more a child of the “stone jungle” of the city.

Do you know?The term "crossover" was first used by Chrysler specialists when, in 1987, their company bought American Motor Corporation(AMC), and with it the notorious Jeep brand.

Looking for differences

Finding differences, in all three cases, is not difficult, but it may seem to an unprepared motorist that in front of him is practically identical cars. Let's see what is the difference between SUVs, crossovers and SUVs.

Wheels and patency

SUV. The front and rear overhang of such a machine is minimal, which ensures high angle exit and uphill. Along with the wheelbase and track, geometry also plays an important role in this:high ground clearance is a mandatory feature, thanks to which the car can overcome all the bumps by hanging one of the wheels. By the way, the wheels have a large diameter (at least 30 inches), which is a clear sign of SUVs.

In terms of cross-country ability, these machines are slightly inferior to crossovers with low ascent and descent angles. Of course, in this case the clearance is somewhat less, but the loss to SUVs is not very noticeable, especially since appearance crossovers are more attractive. The wheels of this type of car have enough great height profile, but their tread is purely road and designed for quick moisture removal, and not for grip on slippery surfaces.

It’s not without reason that SUVs are in last place here, because, compared to the previous types, they have much lower cross-country performance and are more likely to overcome urban bumps, although outwardly it’s enough solid car with great potential. SUV wheels are no different from road wheels low profile tires ordinary cars. Considering all of the above, to answer the question “what are crossovers, SUVs or SUVs?”, The level of patency of each type will help you.

car body

SUV. The classic representative of this type of car has a rigid frame structure. However, in our time, the body on the frame is rare, and required level rigidity is achieved by using other elements.

Crossover. It is presented in the form of a passenger car with a wide range of applications. In particular, the difference from the previous version of the vehicles is also manifested in the body, which is never mounted on the frame, but has a high torsional rigidity (among the isolated exceptions that still have a frame, one can recall SsangYong Actyon first generation). The load-bearing body makes the car easy to drive when driving on the highway and does not need maintenance, although in terms of cross-country ability vehicle slightly inferior.

In addition, the specified type of body can be given almost any shape, resulting in " sport coupe With increased level patency" and others exclusive cars. If you are interested in how a crossover differs from a SUV, then you should pay attention to the interior of both cars, and you will see that in the latter case (in almost all options), the level of comfort will be slightly higher.

So, SUV was created on the basis of a conventional car (station wagon or hatchback) with load-bearing body, and no fundamental differences does not have. However, in comparison with standard vehicles, the clearance of such a vehicle is increased by 10-30 mm, which only slightly increases the geometric cross-country ability. That is, the driver does not have to be afraid of curbs, open sewer manholes and other unpleasant attributes of city streets, but for conditions real off-road such a machine is not suitable.

To emphasize the resemblance to SUVs, plastic lining is used in the design of SUVs. Due to the fact that the body of such machines is smaller than that of overall SUVs, parking a car is much easier.

The main difference between all SUVs is the presence of a reduced range of gears. Besides, real SUV must have a permanently functioning four-wheel drive. As alternative a plug-in all-wheel drive can be installed, but only if we are not talking about a classic all-terrain vehicle. An almost obligatory element is center differential with the possibility of mechanical or interwheel blocking.

If there is no downshift in the design of the car, then it can hardly be called an SUV, since this element is the main tool in the fight against off-road. Ideally, the transfer case should have a reduction gear and a direct gear.

Modern automakers have learned to skillfully use all the possibilities of all-wheel drive, which is also noticeable when operating crossovers. If you were already interested in how a crossover differs from an SUV, then you probably noticed some differences in terms of the capabilities of the transmission elements. In particular, in this case, the all-wheel drive is connected only when necessary, and the distribution of torque can be performed both electronically (indicates slippage) and mechanical devices.

Differences of SUVs begin already with the main components of the transmission, since in most cases all-wheel drive is completely absent. Only on some models can still be found the simplest system, based on a viscous coupling or unit, electronically controlled. It is completely identical to the systems installed on passenger sedans and station wagons. In severe off-road conditions, the SUV will get stuck in the same place as a regular passenger car, since it does not have a downshift.

If you are thoroughly interested in the question “crossover or SUV: how to choose and what is the difference?”, Then you should pay attention to such a component as the suspension. For an SUV, it should be either partially or completely dependent, and although the ride comfort will be much lower than that of the same SUV, it fully pays off with high reliability. However, even in this case, the suspension must have an additional margin of safety. In addition, its course in an SUV is significantly greater, which is primarily due to the need to keep the wheel on the ground in any position of the body.

If we consider a crossover, then the priority here will be precisely controllability, with a bias towards ensuring comfortable overcoming of broken roads. In such cars, both the front and rear suspension, But long service life not recommended outside paved roads.

The crossover suspension can be built in the same way as a similar SUV element (with a rear dependent and front independent axle), but the amount of travel will be less, and the components used have a somewhat simplified design. Sometimes there are modifications with independent suspension on all wheels, which makes it much easier to handle the car on the road.

Comparing SUV and crossover in terms of suspension functionality, the question "what's the difference?" is also very relevant, especially if you need a car for operation in a particular area. The fact is that the suspension components of SUVs are not much stronger than the basic structures of passenger cars, but in all other respects they are almost identical. So, in such vehicles are often used technical solutions intended only for movement good roads (adaptive suspension, variable ground clearance and damper control).

The best of the species

Each of the described species has its own, the most "bright" representatives. So, the SUV family is represented by such cars as Land Rover Discovery, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Patrol, Toyota Land cruiser, Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz ML / G-Class, VW Touareg. Among the crossovers, the most notable are Honda CR-V, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, BMW X1, BMW X5, BMW X6, Infiniti EX, Lexus RX, etc.

If, looking at the representatives of the two types described above, it is not so difficult to determine how a crossover differs from an SUV, then the SUV is a little puzzling for many motorists. We can say that this is a more comfortable and simplified (meaning the all-wheel drive system) version of the crossover, so they are sometimes confused. Representatives of this segment include the Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai ix35, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Sportage.

Interesting fact! The name "Jeep" appeared during the Second World War and denoted light multi-purpose military vehicles "Willis-MV" (Willys) and similar vehicles "Ford GPW" (Ford).

Summing up

When choosing a car for yourself, you need to understand what a crossover, SUV or SUV means. If you need to constantly move in difficult off-road conditions, and fuel consumption and appearance do not play any role, then it is better to buy a classic SUV. However, do not forget that even the most modern technologies will not be able to allow precise control of such vehicles on asphalt.

In the case when the usual daily route only occasionally provides for bad roads, and you mainly need to drive on asphalt surfaces, your option is a crossover. It is ideal for residents of big cities who often get out into nature. The SUV is practically the same passenger car, which means that it will not be much better than them to cope with off-road.

It should be noted that based on technical parameters, all vehicle segments with cross-country ability approximately the same and have certain intersections. Because of this, it can be difficult to attribute a certain car to a specific class, but for buyers this is not as important as the real capabilities and functionality of the car.

Most future car owners are confused about the difference between a crossover and an SUV. The reason for this is some external and constructive similarities. In practice, these are two completely different types vehicles designed for different driving conditions. Let's look at the differences between a crossover and an SUV, as well as for which roads both types of cars are suitable.

What is an SUV?

SUVs are vehicles with powerful engines, robust construction and high ground clearance. This transport is often used public services, law enforcement and military.

This category has gained its popularity due to the high cross-country ability not only on a dirt road, but also on actual off-road. That is, SUVs quite easily cope with mud, snow, ice, steep slopes and other features of the area.

The main features that characterize the SUV are:

• permanent or hard-wired all-wheel drive;
• gasoline or diesel engine;
• one-piece frame at the base of the body, made of durable materials;
• Gearbox with a number of low gears;
• the possibility of blocking differentials;
• wheel diameter from 30 inches;
• high ground clearance (from 20 cm and above).

Also, the features include the geometric forms of transport, which allow SUVs to move in almost all driving conditions.

Reference. During the collapse of the USSR, when the first foreign passenger SUVs began to appear in the country, this category was called jeeps. This is a common name. Jeep is one of the brands of cars produced by Chrysler.

Most popular cars this classification:

Crossovers and their features

Crossovers quickly gained their popularity, as they have high rates comfort and convenience while traveling. This type cars are designed to move mainly on the roads, and occasionally - on the dirt road. In fact, a crossover is a passenger car with more features. This category is often confused with SUVs due to their large size.

Distinctive features of crossovers:

• Gearbox without low gears;
• all-wheel drive is connected automatically when the drive axle slips or is absent altogether;
• clearance is less than that of SUVs, but more than that of passenger cars;
• almost any type of engine can be installed - gasoline, diesel, hybrid, etc.;
• low profile wheels designed for driving on paved roads.

Although in advertising campaigns, most auto manufacturers claim that crossovers can easily move over rough terrain, in fact, they will lose even to the simplest SUV, since time spent even on a dirt road can greatly affect the car's serviceability. Crossover is the first city ​​car, on which you can sometimes go beyond the asphalt road or move along the highways of our country.

I hope now the difference between a crossover and an SUV is obvious.

Reference. Crossovers are often called SUVs - there are no differences between these terms. When the first crossovers only appeared on the roads, the creators of these cars themselves called them parquet SUVs, that is, a simplified version powerful machines, but for urban conditions.

The most popular SUVs:

Nissan Juke is an aggressive and controversial crossover. On the one hand, it has all the necessary technical specifications, on the other hand, some users complain about the small interior space.

What to choose: crossover or SUV?

The answer to this question is quite simple and depends on how often you have to leave a normal road. If you live outside the city or have to conquer off-road spaces several times a month, then the choice should be stopped on SUVs. At the same time, it is worth remembering about fuel consumption - jeeps have more of it.

For urban conditions, especially in metropolitan areas, crossovers are ideal. The reason for this is lower fuel consumption, a sufficiently high clearance to overcome potholes on the roads, as well as more high level comfort. And it’s nice to make rare trips out of town to nature on such cars.

Off-road vehicles are large and impressive vehicles with high cross-country ability. To date this species car is popular as well as Toyota Corolla- the best selling car in the world. What is special about these bulky machines, you ask.

It's simple:

1. Comfortable salon;
2. Plenty of space;
3. Increased permeability;
4. Thrift.

There are several types and subspecies of SUVs, each of which has its own significant differences. Before buying this (for a specific purpose) car, get acquainted with all its characteristics and types. You can buy an SUV.

It is somewhat difficult to answer this question. First of all, it is a car with high ground clearance, stable, plug-in all-wheel drive, as well as unusually large wheels (tires). All the features mentioned above make the SUV a cross-country vehicle.

A separate model, which today is considered an SUV, is a crossover, although there are significant differences between them, both in characteristics and in the fuel used, design secrets, and most importantly, areas of application. A feature of crossovers is the ability to move on city roads. This is a more modern and technological option " big cars". The most popular crossover SUVs are represented by the following models: Volkswagen Tiguan 2016, Mitsubishi Outlander 2016, Hyundai Santa-Fe 2016.

Let's return to the originally original SUVs. All cars drive on roads, of course, the described car is no exception, although it should be clarified which roads it drives on. Difficult roads with an unusual coating, for example, sand, fields, hills, tundra - they are designed specifically for this type of car. It should be noted that not all cars are capable of overcoming this type of coverage, so SUVs have special characteristics significantly different from ordinary passenger cars.

Features characteristics of SUVs

Engine and torque. The two main parts that form the heart and soul of the car. The engine is distinguished by its unusual power and stability. Torque, in turn, has a lot more positive changes. The part was designed in such a way that it began to convert low speeds at its maximum values. This made it possible to use the full power of the car without heavy load and stress. crankshaft, which is very important for an SUV. Such a torque is often represented on diesel engines, allowing to reach (at maximum values) no more than 1500-2500 revolutions of the crankshaft. Another feature is the filling of the engine. The design does not use complex devices, such as electronic, turbines, etc.

Transmission. Gearbox is a topic that requires a separate article. Its features are divided into several important points:

• The box is mechanical;
• Enhanced grip;
• Transfer case with additional reduction gear;
• Differential including locking system.

Chassis. Large volume wheels with lugs;

The peculiarity of the body. The load-bearing body is unacceptable for off-road vehicles, since they have a frame that is its basis. This design reduces the effects of all loads. As a result, it becomes possible to easily, without the slightest damage, overcome all, both natural and non-natural obstacles. For example, if it happens that the car drives into a swamp, then it will not be so difficult to pull it out: the body will not spread at the seams, and the likelihood of its bending or twisting will be eliminated. An improved shock absorption system, unlike other cars, will allow you not to feel every hole or pothole that comes across.

No need to rely only on the appearance of the car, because all the features are hidden inside. Seeing a real SUV on city roads is a rarity. Most popular brands such SUVs are: Jeep Wrangler, VAZ 2121, UAZ Hunter, etc. What is an SUV? It is strength, power and practicality.

SUV types

SUVs differ in their design, fuel used, manufacturer and type of terrain.

Let's start with the design features. Exist:

1. Previously mentioned, frame SUVs. They have high wear resistance and productivity. Four-wheel drive is distinguished by its impressive weight and the amount of fuel consumed. Perfectly adapts to all kinds of road conditions, surprises with its durability.
2. Body SUVs are known for their ease of operation with guaranteed high security cars, which makes most buyers make a choice in their favor, since frame cars cannot boast of an effective deformation zone, but it all depends on what kind of trips certain types of SUVs will be used for.

According to the fuel used, cars are divided into diesel and gasoline. Most drivers prefer diesel fuel. Consider the main pros and cons of the two filling agents.

Petrol

Positive characteristics:

1. Maintenance is not expensive;
2. Good dynamism: fast acceleration and increased speed;
3. There are no noticeable noises.

Negative characteristics:

1. High fuel consumption;
2. Little traction;
3. Reduced performance of the motor and other parts.

Diesel

Positive qualities:

1. Low product prices;
2. Increased productivity, safety;
3. Big traction.

Negative qualities:

1. A rather large mass;
2. Necessary use of only high-quality fuel;
3. Expensive maintenance;
4. High speed with opposite acceleration.

Which of the presented options to choose, the driver himself must decide, because it is impossible to say with accuracy what will be better, diesel or gasoline. The only thing worth considering: a diesel engine is more suitable for conquering difficult roads, cars where only great traction abilities are important and high permeability, gasoline, in turn, is suitable for lovers fast driving on more or less even surfaces.

It is rather difficult to give a clear definition of what an SUV is. Here is the classic definition:

“An SUV is a medium-duty vehicle that has a high, permanent or plug-in all-wheel drive, wide tires. That is why it has increased cross-country ability.”

But not only SUVs fall under this definition, but also. On the pages of our autoportal site, we have already written a lot about crossovers, their differences from SUVs. It is also worth noting that an SUV is primarily a car, and all cars are designed to travel on roads.

Here we come to important issue- what is a road? Autobahn, city overpass, expressway - these are all paved roads. Although there are roads somewhere in the outback, without a hard surface, on which not any tractor can drive. Obviously, SUVs are designed just for driving on very bad roads, as well as in areas where there are no roads at all - fields, tundra, hills, and so on.

In order for an SUV to perform its functions normally, it must differ from its characteristics.

Features of the SUV device

The heart of any car engine. SUV engine is different big power. However, more important parameter is .

It is highly desirable that the maximum torque is provided at low speeds, it is in this case that all engine power can be used at any time without accelerating the crankshaft speed to huge values.

That is, about the SUV engine, we can say that it "pulls well on the bottoms." These characteristics are primarily diesel units, in which the maximum torque is achieved at relatively low speeds - 1500-2500. Although used and gasoline engines. However, if we were given a choice - diesel or petrol SUV, then we would give preference to the first, based on its economy.

Also, regarding the engine, it should be noted that relatively simple units are used for SUVs without electronic stuffing and turbines. great attention given to protection engine compartment, and both above and below - powerful crankcase protection, protection against dirt, battery, generator, starter are installed high enough from the ground, gearbox breathers are placed at the highest point and transfer box. Instead of a belt drive, chain or gear drives are used. All this is done for the sake of reliability and ease of maintenance.

SUV transmission

The gearbox is a separate topic that deserves special attention. Here are a few basic requirements:

• Manual Transmission;
• enhanced grip;
• transfer case with reduction gear;
• interaxal or interwheel differential with a locking system.

A mechanic instead of an automatic is understandable, the driver himself must decide in which gear to overcome this or that obstacle. There are, of course, off-road vehicles with a machine gun and even a CVT, but their repair will cost so much that you don’t even want to talk about it, especially if the breakdown happens somewhere in the wilderness.

Reinforced traction is designed to withstand all the loads that the car experiences. Cohesion is known to provide maximum gear torque to the transmission, and when the engine is running at its limit, a reinforced clutch basket is installed that can withstand huge loads.

Transfer case with reduction gear - even distribution of torque to all wheels. When switching from one type of coverage to another - for example, if you drive off a well-maintained autobahn onto sand or dirt road- it is enough to set a downshift so that the difference is not particularly noticeable, the moment of force will be evenly transmitted to all axles.

Well, a differential lock is needed in case your SUV drives into a swamp or diagonal hanging occurs. For example, one axle or one wheel will be completely blocked, but the other will spin at full speed, but its power will not be enough. By turning on the differential lock, you will equally distribute the load between all wheels and axles, thereby providing yourself with a way out of any difficult situation. The lock will help when driving on snowy roads, when driving in and out of bumps at a large angle, and so on.

Chassis of SUV

First of all it's enough big wheels, off-road tread with lugs. Long-stroke suspension that provides movement of wheels and axles relative to the body. Ideally there should be dependent suspension on springs, both front and rear. The drive system and transmission elements are protected by a steel axle housing.

The steering is reinforced, there must be a power steering.

Important parameters are the exit-departure angle and the ramp angle. These characteristics depend on the clearance height. The greater the ground clearance, the steeper bumps you can drive into without fear of hitting the ground with the bottom. Also, the ramp angle depends on the wheelbase - the farther the wheel axles are located from each other, the smaller the ramp angle, the more chances that your car will not “sit on its belly” when driving up the hill.

It is also worth noting that too high clearance leads to a shift in the center of gravity, and the risk of overturning on difficult sections of the route increases accordingly.

Body

SUVs, by definition, cannot be with a load-bearing body. They have a frame on which the body is mounted. Thanks to this design, all loads are extinguished as much as possible. For example, if a car with a load-bearing body will drive through difficult rough terrain, then all those loads that fall on the suspension and undercarriage can cause dents in the roof or cracks in the windshield.

A frame car with significantly less damage will overcome all troubles. In addition, it is much easier to pull it out of the swamp with a tractor - the likelihood of the body sprawling at the seams, its twisting and bending is almost completely eliminated. Yes, and the depreciation system in frame SUV better, you won't feel every hole and slide as much.

Based on all these features, we can see that appearance is not an indicator. You will meet very few real SUVs on our streets: VAZ 2121, UAZ Hunter, UAZ Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender, Nissan Patrol, Toyota Hilux Surf, Mitsubishi Pajero, Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen, especially the 6×6 version and some other models.

A video from a popular TV program that makes it clear what a car must be capable of in order to have the proud name of an SUV.

Crossovers combine the comfort of a traditional city car, as well as some features. But, unfortunately, many crossover models do not have full off-road qualities. A study was conducted in the USA. A lot of car models were studied to find out if there are any automotive market crossovers that are closer in some way.

An American company has selected 15 for you, having studied their characteristics and parameters in order to find out where these cars can be operated. To do this, auto experts compared them, fuel consumption, carrying capacity, clearance, pulling force. Look at the infographic to find out where your car can be driven.

Don't forget to click on the infographic to enlarge it for a closer view.

* Translation of values ​​in infographics:

engine - Engine

horse power - Power

MPG - Fuel consumption

Towing Capacity - Traction force

Payloud Capacity - load capacity

ground clearance - Clearance

! Please note that pulling force and lifting capacity are in pounds. Ground clearance (clearance) is in inches. To convert values ​​to Russian measures of length and weight, use online converters. Fuel consumption is in miles per gallon (city/highway).

What is a passenger car?

Before comparing, we must find out the difference between cars and. As a rule, a passenger car is considered a small vehicle designed to operate on asphalt and light off-road. Passenger cars, as a rule, have a small ground clearance, a small load capacity and tractive effort. Also, most of the so-called crossovers are designed to travel in urban and suburban conditions on asphalt. The maximum where you can operate this class of vehicles is light off-road. And that is not always the case. It all depends on what clearance the car has.

How was it determined for what operating conditions this or that crossover model is suitable? To do this, cars were compared with conventional car models, which in their characteristics are similar to crossovers. So, as a comparison, the following cars: , Nissan and . All these car models are mid-size sedans, have a similar power of about 180 hp, front-wheel drive, And average consumption fuel about 8l/100km.

In other words, as a comparison, foreign auto experts chose Cars which are ideal for city trips. If the crossover was similar in its specification to a passenger car, then the experts determined that this car was intended for trips in the city. The fewer similarities with traditional passenger sedans were recorded, the further foreign experts placed the crossover from the city on the infographics, which means that the model can be operated not only on ideal asphalt.

What is an SUV?

But before we could define exactly if a crossover is like an SUV, we had to define what exactly is an SUV? When SUVs first entered the global car market, they were designed for the same purposes as pickups - including off-road. The only difference from a pickup truck is a slightly lower tractive effort and a much larger passenger capacity.

The first SUVs were very technically complex, unreliable and heavy. Their handling left much to be desired. Despite its purpose, it was difficult to move on the first generations of off-road vehicles even in non-heavy off-road conditions.

However, this class of vehicles has many advantages and possibilities over traditional vehicles. So pulling force real SUV practically the same as pickup trucks. Plus drive to all four wheels with the ability to turn off the transmission of torque to the front or rear axle.

But, unfortunately, for last years popularity full-fledged SUVs fell heavily. It's all about fuel consumption due to powerful power units and vehicle weights. So in the early and mid-2000s, the popularity of full-fledged SUVs began to fall around the world. In our country, the popularity of SUVs lasted much longer (due to the fact that this type of car has become a symbol of wealth and status). But, nevertheless, the global trend of falling popularity has come to Russia. At the moment, the popularity of full-fledged SUVs is almost on par with station wagon cars, which are not in demand in our country.

Crossovers

After consumers around the world recognized in the early 2000s that SUVs were not efficient cars, they had only to sell their voracious cars and minibuses and minivans, since there was practically no other alternative to spacious SUVs in the global car market (not counting some other car models).

Majority automotive companies understood that something had to be done to meet the needs of customers. Therefore, many companies began to develop cars that would combine some of the qualities of SUVs, but would be much more efficient. Taking into account all the complaints that came in the direction of SUVs, the market appeared new class cars - crossovers.

Actually it's not really new type cars. It would be more accurate to say that these are the combined two types of machines that existed at that time. So instead of heavy frame structure crossovers received a one-piece body. Many crossover models, despite a different design, retained the appearance of SUVs. But unlike heavy pickups and SUVs, crossovers weigh a lot less. This allowed manufacturers to use less powerful six-cylinder and even four-cylinder power units instead of heavy powerful ones.

It allowed .

What else distinguishes crossovers from SUVs? In addition to power, clearance and fuel consumption, the main difference between the crossover is the type of wheel drive used. As a rule, an SUV uses a full-fledged 4x4 all-wheel drive (some models were also found only with rear wheel drive, and the full one was only available as an option). But most crossovers have either conditional all-wheel drive (AWD - about that) or front-wheel drive.

In recent years, advances in technology in the automotive industry have allowed automakers to create crossovers, many of which are almost similar in performance to SUVs. Therefore, today the line between these two classes of machines is blurred.

At the moment, the popularity of crossovers is growing all over the world. Especially in our country. We believe that within a few years the lion's share of all global car sales will come from this class of vehicles.

But how long the popularity of crossovers will last will depend on the cost of fuel on the global stage. After all, despite their own, these cars have more than traditional cars. Blame the weight, the size of the crossovers.

If fuel becomes more expensive, then in any case, people will be forced to direct their demand to another class of vehicles.