Despite the optimistic forecasts for the near future that SUVs will remain the most popular and popular type of vehicle, many of their qualities, at first glance, seem to be very useful and interesting, when viewed in more detail are not so unambiguous. And there is a very significant distance between what the future buyer or owner of such a car is used to and wants to see, and the real picture of its operation.
Below 15 facts and factors that make you think: is everything okay in the "off-road kingdom"?
Many owners of SUVs are mistaken in thinking that their steel horses can handle the off-road. The magic formula "4x4" often turns out to be an insulting mistake. The best medicine for it is a rescue tugboat in the form of a tractor.
On the other hand, there is a fairly large group of owners, for whom the passability of their crossover is not a priority. In their eyes, it is just a large family car, with a higher landing than the minivan, and with a more relevant design. It is indispensable for shopping or the daily itineraries to and from school with the child. And also perfectly tuned.
The abbreviation SUV means Sport Utility Vehicle, i.e. "sports car". However, the majority of owners, as a rule, forget about "sport". For them, it is a family truck, and they buy it because it looks more attractive than a boring minivan, and gives an excessive feeling of confidence on the road. And much less frequently - off the road.
Probably, the first who has estimated a huge potential of this segment of the market became American Cadillac which one of the basic specialties - release of the big and magnificent "road ships". It is impossible to look without a smile, as this heavy Escalade sneaks through a speck of dirt. Nevertheless, now Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Lamborghini have similar models. It remains to see how the off-road Ferrari SUV will fight.
The functionality of the SUV is so blurred that it sometimes seems to be from a different weight class. The off-road is left in brackets, with quiet comfort and slippers. And Pontiac Aztek himself, looking at his master, as if also aged, lost his zeal and become.
Only having appeared at the end of 2017, Urus, the first crossover from Lamborghini, has made a lot of noise. But when the excitement was a bit asleep, it turned out that the car has only the nominal characteristics of an SUV. This dandy parquet truck can't stand off-road, on which it is afraid to get dirty.
Offering the buyer their cars, car manufacturers go to all sorts of tricks to ease the wallets of their customers. One of the reliable and proven means is selling packages of additional options: more "horses", massage seats, navigation, non-standard wheels.
Practically the majority of "допов" owners are not used.
As it is seen, the thin, sometimes almost imperceptible line between a crossover and a minivan can pass not only on parameters of functionality but also from outside. Take a look at this Ford Flex: than not a square Multivan.
It's been a long time since off-road vehicles were all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. Today, the total unification of the product range makes car manufacturers blur the boundaries between different types of vehicles. And now there are both front-drive crossovers and 4x4 sedans.
Hybrids are coming. And to keep up with the market, the main car manufacturers refuse from further development in the field of internal combustion engines to throw all the forces on the battery versions of existing models.
Despite all the speed ambitions at the level of advanced supercars, the Model X can be considered an SUV with a high degree of interference. At least because of the miserable ground clearance. There is a clear crisis of the "off-road" genre, which will have to be reckoned with shortly. And to be more precise and accurate in determining the type of vehicle.
One of the most controversial options. It is probably more appropriate for wagons or minivans. And in the back of the parquet flooring most often carry purchases after shopping.
Another anachronism designed to amuse the owner's ego. As a rule, they are not used: through them the dirt is brought in and the clothes dirty. Visibility, and only!
The popularity of SUVs was born before fuel prices began to rise critically in the early 21st century. And it seems eternal. While the same versatile can perform similar functions, although it is much more compact.
For the American mentality, an SUV is an embodiment of automotive beauty: the bigger the car, the more beautiful it is. In 2006, Ford launched its Excursion, its largest SUV and one of the largest, along with Chevrolet Suburban, in the global automotive industry.