You're Wrong. Crossover SUVs Are Great

Strap in. I'm going to explain why people actually buy crossover SUV's.

3y ago
5.2K

Here's the thing: In the real world that vast, vast, vastest, majority of car sales are to normal people. Normal people are, of course, normal. Their car isn't a particular source of delight and they couldn't give a monkeys about a manual gearbox, 0-60 time, handling or anything else that you think is important. They want their vehicle to start every time they turn the key or press the button, not have to worry about changing gear themselves, have comfortable seats and some cup holders, play some music, and maybe have a badge on the front that conveys some status to their neighbours and work colleagues.

Normal people have normal people issues to solve and, unlike enthusiasts, aren't interested in compromising for performance. For normal people, the crossover SUV is perfect. There are some realities to explain, as well as common myths people repeat ad-nauseam about crossovers to dispel.

They're heavy and therefore dangerous.

We are talking a couple of hundreds of pounds more than a saloon car, not thousands. If a couple of passengers of extra weight was that much of a problem, you could avoid driving your in-laws around when they come to visit by citing their extra weight being a safety issue.

Case in point. That CRV in the main picture up there? It's a couple of hundred pounds heavier than a 2009 Honda Accord Coupe. I actually know this because I weighed them. Strange, but true. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, and nobody complained my Accord was dangerously heavy with a couple of passengers.

Normal people have normal people issues to solve and, unlike enthusiasts, aren't interested in compromising for performance.

Center of gravity/Roll center

Your average crossover may not be as snappy to turn in as an equivalent model year car, but modern suspension design and technology has mitigated a lot of the issues from a high centre of gravity, or roll centre, to make them turn as well as cars just a few years old. A 2018 CRV will outperform a base last generation Civic no problem (It has disc brakes all-round for start). And like my Accord and its weight with a couple of passengers inside, nobody is complaining they're unsafe.

But they are terrible off-roading.

How many people even off-road full-size SUV's actually designed for off-roading? You know as well as everyone else that the answer is a statistical negligence. However, It's a subject that comes up when we talk about the benefits of a crossover SUV so let's get into those with some more subheadings:

Ride height for daily life:

Not everywhere in the world has great roads, driveways, or ramps into parts of town you want to visit. If you've never scuffed a bumper, it's not because you are a Boy Scout or Girl guide when it comes to driving, it's because you're fortunate in where you live.

Even if you rarely go anywhere like that, you might have kids. If you've ever fought with getting young children into car seats and then buckled up, you know the score already. If you have back or knee problems, and many, many, people do, then not having to stoop down into a car is a godsend. Whether age is catching up with you, or have physical issues like back or knee pain, then having the seat height closer to your hip makes ingress and egress much easier.

Ride height for soft-roading:

Having that ride height is useful for when you want to go somewhere that isn't paved. You don't need four-wheel-drive and diff-lockers to follow a bumpy track to a picnic spot, or follow a trail up to the place you want to start your hike or bike ride from, but having a car that bumps and scrapes is potentially damaging and can get stuck. Just a few inches can make all the difference. Even then, all-wheel-drive gets over-rated, and the fuss about snow is a great example. Most people that buy an all-wheel-drive vehicle because it snows once a year would be better off saving their money and keeping a set of snow tires in the garage for winter instead.

For driving in a bit of rough dirt off the beaten track, two-wheel-drive will get you a lot further than the off-road crowd will have you believe. There is only so far you can go though, but if you need to go there then you'll get the right tool for the job.

The bottom line:

The best car in the world is the one you like and works for you and your lifestyle. That's why we have so much choice. Car enthusiasts are a tiny demographic of car buyers, but tend to only look at cars through only their own lens. Automotive journalists are also often guilty of that.

As a community, we should be thinking about our snobbishness and appreciate that these vehicles allow car companies to make enough money to build the fun cars we buy after the depreciation curve has flattened out a bit. And when I say car enthusiasts are a tiny demographic, it's not a joke or hyperbole. Of the small percentage of car enthusiasts on the roads, very few of us buy new cars anyway. That's not a powerful position to bitch about what car makers build.

Think about that the next time you see someone hating on crossovers or any other car we wouldn't choose to drive ourselves. Just because something doesn't have a value to them doesn't mean it doesn't have a value to others. In this case, it actually filters down to us.

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Comments (33)

  • Crossovers are not great. They are average. They are unoffensive to people who can't think past what is marketed to them and therefore sell by the billions. Yes, they have some positives: ease of ingress/egress, ease of depositing babies into their car seats, etc.. basically everything you listed. But salad has some benefits as well. Crossovers are the salad of the car industry. And there's no way I'm eating one of those.

    All that said, this is a very good article. Honestly the best argument for sala...Crossovers I've ever read.

      3 years ago
  • An SUV will always be less fuel efficient than an equivalent car. They also tend to be a lot more expensive than an equivalent car. If you have a genuine need for an SUV, that's fine, but when half the new car buying population is buying them, a large number of people aren't getting the best car they could for the price.

      3 years ago
  • Crossovers are basically bigger cars that work well on tarmac and gravel. Sure, they aren't going to be Dakar champions anytime soon, but then again, that's not really their point. They're meant to be XL hatchbacks and pull caravans, not for going through a 4 right into 5 left over crest and 4 right.

      3 years ago
    • You don't need an SUV to tow. My Falcon has a bigger towing capacity than my dad's Santa Fe. Ladder frame 4WDs tow more than cars, but SUVs generally don't because structurally, they're the same as the cars they're based on. Ground clearance...

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        3 years ago
    • Well yes, but even so, you don't see any saloons or coupes towing caravans, they're big crossover hatchbacks and SUVs.

        3 years ago
  • Well done Ian! I don't know why people would drive anything but crossovers unless they were headed for the track or car show scene. Even my ram gets to 60 in 6 seconds. The class of SUV's has delivered all a families requirements nicely for a nice price and that's reflected in sales. Cheers Ian.

      3 years ago
  • Sure the drawbacks are not as prominent as some people want you to believe but let’s face it you are getting a jacked up sedan for the price of the sedan a tier higher. The BMW X3 is practically the same price as an 5 series. But the 5 series offers a way more comfortable ride for your daily use. And all of the advantages of SUV you mentioned above is for most people is about as useful as the 420kph top speed of the Bugatti Chiron.

      3 years ago
    • Funny enough, my next door neighbour drives an X5. She wanted another 5 Series but has developed arthritis in her knees and had some extra cash to splurge. It’s what reminded me I wanted to write this.

        3 years ago
    • That wouldn’t be what I call normal people. People like your neighbour couldn’t possibly make up the majority of the car buyer base to be considered normal case. Especially having some extra cash bit. I don’t know how you choose cars but most...

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        3 years ago
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