Crossover (automobile)

A crossover SUV (also called CUV: crossover utility vehicle) is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.

Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover combines SUV design features such as tall interior packaging, high H-point seating, high ground-clearance or all-wheel-drive capability — with design features from an automobile such as a passenger vehicle's platform, independent rear suspension, car-like handling and fuel economy.

A crossover may borrow features from a station wagon or hatchback such as the two-box design of a shared passenger/cargo volume with rear access via a third or fifth door, a liftgate — and flexibility to allow configurations that favor either passenger or cargo volume, e.g., fold-down rear seats. The crossover may include an A, B & C-pillar, as well as a D pillar.

Crossovers are typically designed for only light off-road capability, if any at all.[1]

Contents

Origin

The term crossover began as a marketing term,[2] and a 2008 CNNMoney article indicated that "many consumers cannot tell the difference between an SUV and a crossover."[1] A January 2008 Wall Street Journal blog article called crossovers "wagons that look like sport utility vehicles but ride like cars."[3]

The market segment spans a wide range of vehicles. In some cases, manufacturers have marketed vehicles as crossovers simply to avoid calling them station wagons.[4] And while some crossover vehicles released in the early 2000s resembled traditional SUVs or wagons, others have prioritized sportiness over utility—such as the Infiniti FX and BMW X6.[5][6]

Crossover antecedents include the AMC Eagle, a vehicle that "pioneered the crossover SUV"[7] By 2006, the segment came into strong visibility in the U.S., when crossover sales "made up more than 50% of the overall SUV market."[8] Sales increased in 2007 by 16%.[3] In the U.S., domestic manufacturers were slow to switch from their emphasis on light truck-based SUVs, and foreign automakers developed crossovers targeting the U.S. market, as an alternative to station wagons that are unpopular there. But by the 2010 model year, domestic automakers had quickly caught up.[1] The segment has strong appeal to aging baby boomers.[1]

Crossover examples

The broad spectrum of CUVs or crossovers includes:

The European MPV or large MPV may broadly resemble the crossover, including vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, VW Golf Plus, Ford Kuga, Opel/Vauxhall Antara and Ford S-Max. Notably, during the development of the Dodge Journey CUV, Dodge benchmarked the S-Max.[10]

A short list of current crossovers with their platform genealogy (similar vehicles are grouped together):

Model(s) Platform
Acura MDX Honda mid-size "CD" platform[11] (Honda Accord)
Acura RDX Honda compact "C" platform[11] (Honda Civic)
Acura ZDX Honda mid-size "CD" platform[11] (Honda Accord)
Audi allroad Volkswagen Group C5 platform (Audi A6)
Audi Q5 Volkswagen Group B8 platform (Audi A4))
Audi Q7 Volkswagen Group PL71 platform
BMW X1 BMW 3 Series
BMW X3 BMW 3 Series
BMW X5 BMW 5 series
BMW X6 BMW 5 Series
Buick Enclave/Chevrolet Traverse/GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook GM Lambda platform
Buick Rendezvous GM U platform
Cadillac SRX GM Theta Premium platform
Chevrolet Captiva/Saturn Vue GM Theta platform
Chevrolet Equinox GM Theta platform
Chrysler Pacifica Chrysler CS platform (Chrysler Town and Country/Dodge Caravan)
Dacia Duster Nissan B / Dacia B0 platform (Dacia Logan)
Dodge Journey Mitsubishi GS platform (Dodge Avenger)
Fiat Idea Fiat Idea Adventure Locker
Fiat Palio Fiat Palio Weekend Adventure Locker
Fiat Strada Fiat Strada Adventure Locker
Ford Edge Ford CD3 platform
Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute/Mercury Mariner Ford CD2 platform
Ford EcoSport Ford B3 platform (Ford Fiesta)
Ford Explorer (fifth generation) Ford D3 platform
Ford Flex Ford D4 platform
Ford Taurus X / Ford Freestyle Ford D3 platform (Ford Five Hundred/Taurus)
Ford Territory Ford Falcon
Holden Adventra/HSV Avalanche Holden Commodore
Holden Crewman/HSV Avalanche XUV Holden Commodore
Honda CR-V/Honda HR-V Honda compact "C" platform[11] (Honda Civic)
Honda Element Honda compact "C" platform[11] (Honda Civic)
Honda Pilot Honda mid-size "CD" platform[11] (Honda Accord)
Honda Crosstour Honda mid-size "CD" platform[11] (Honda Accord)
Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage (2nd Generation) Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Santa Fe/Hyundai Veracruz/Kia Sorento (2nd Generation) Hyundai Sonata
Infiniti EX Nissan FM platform
Infiniti FX Nissan FM platform (Infiniti G35)
Jeep Compass/Jeep Patriot Mitsubishi GS platform
Lexus RX Toyota Camry
Lincoln MKX/Ford Edge Ford CD3 platform (Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ, Ford Fusion)
Mahindra XUV 5OO M&M 'W' Platform
Mazda CX-7 Mazda 6
Mazda CX-9 Ford CD3 platform (Mazda MPV)
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class Mercedes-Benz W204
Mercedes-Benz M-Class (second and third generation)
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Mini Countryman
Mitsubishi Endeavor Mitsubishi Galant
Mitsubishi Outlander Mitsubishi Lancer
Nissan Murano Nissan D platform (Nissan Altima)
Nissan Rogue/Nissan Qashqai/Renault Koleos Nissan C platform (Nissan Sentra)
Nissan X-Trail Nissan C platform (Nissan Sentra)
Peugeot 3008 Peugeot 308
Porsche Cayenne Volkswagen Group PL71 platform
Saab 9-3X GM Epsilon platform
Saab 9-4X GM Theta Premium platform
Škoda Octavia Scout Volkswagen Group A platform
Subaru Forester Subaru Impreza
Subaru Outback Subaru Legacy
Subaru Tribeca Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Grand Vitara (Second generation) Suzuki SX4
Suzuki XL7 (Second generation) Chevrolet Equinox
Tata Aria Tata Indigo Manza
Toyota Matrix Toyota Corolla
Toyota RAV4 Toyota Corolla
Toyota Venza Toyota Camry
Toyota Highlander/Kluger Toyota Camry
Volkswagen Tiguan Volkswagen Group B platform (PQ46) (Volkswagen Golf)
Volkswagen Touareg Volkswagen Group PL71 platform
Volvo XC60 Ford EUCD platform
Volvo XC70 Ford EUCD platform
Volvo XC90 Ford D3 platform (Volvo S80)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Isidore, Chris (9 January 2006). "GM and Ford's New Cross to Bear". CNN Money.com. http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/09/Autos/detroit_crossovers/index.htm. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  2. ^ "Smart Buying Essentials What is a Crossover Vehicle?". Intellichoice.com. http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/what-is-a-crossover. 
  3. ^ a b White, Joseph B. (14 January 2008). "Crossover Market Is Thinly Sliced". The Wall Street Journal Blogs. http://blogs.wsj.com/autoshow/2008/01/14/crossover-market-is-thinly-sliced/. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  4. ^ "Definition of Crossover Utility Vehicle". Usedcars.about.com. 2009-09-17. http://usedcars.about.com/od/glossaryatoe/g/Crossovers.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  5. ^ "Inifiti FX35 Review (MY 2010)". Edmunds.com. 2009. http://www.edmunds.com/infiniti/fx35/review.html. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  6. ^ Thomas, David (2008-09-15). "2009 Infiniti FX35". cars.com. http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?makeid=20&modelid=7091&year=2009&section=reviews. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  7. ^ Sherman, Don (February 2001). "All-Wheel-Drive Revisited: AMC's 1980 Eagle pioneered the cross-over SUV". Automotive Industries. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3012/is_2_181/ai_70935228/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  8. ^ Carty, Sharon Silke (3 May 2006). "Crossover vehicles pass up SUVs on road to growing sales". USAtoday. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2006-05-03-crossover-usat_x.htm. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  9. ^ Huffman, John. "A sleek “CUV” with youthful imagination - 2003 Toyota Matrix". The Car Connection. http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehicle_Reviews/SUVs_Wagons/2003_Toyota_Matrix.S181.A4435.html. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  10. ^ "2009 Dodge Journey Road Test". Car Reviews.com, Feb 3, 2008, Justin Couture. http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Dodge/review/2009-dodge-journey-road-test/5449/. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Haines, Steven (2008). The Product Manager's Desk Reference. McGraw-Hill. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9780071591348. http://books.google.com/books?id=xTMWzXuPqgwC&pg=PA13&dq=Honda+platforms&ei=DlBjS-OEJZryygSt-dEW&client=safari&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Honda%20platforms&f=false. Retrieved 2010–01–29.