It’s no secret that SUVs are all the rage now. At least, that’s what you think…
Crossovers are actually all the rage now, not SUVs. An SUV is a broad category, a general term that people use to describe a vehicle that isn’t a car, pickup, or minivan.
A crossover, or crossover SUV, is different from an actual SUV in that it has a unibody frame. A true SUV has a body-on-frame design much like a pickup truck. This makes the crossover more car-like than truck-like in more ways than one. And, people like that.
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
True body-on-frame SUVs include the Ford Expedition, Toyota 4Runner, and Jeep Wrangler. Besides just a few others, just about every other “SUV” you can think of is actually a crossover SUV.
So, why are there two kinds of SUV?
Traditionally, SUVs were built as rugged, go-anywhere types of vehicles that were an alternative to pickups. We all know that Jeeps and Hummers were and still are widely used as military operations vehicles. They needed to last. They needed to work. They didn’t need to be luxurious… at all.
Even as soon as 20 years ago, there weren’t very many luxury SUVs. Mercedes had their ML230, Jeep had their Grand Cherokee, Land Rover became a little more refined, and the Lincoln Navigator did pretty well in the luxury department.
Compared to today, a mere 20 years later, luxury can be found in just about every nook and cranny. Even the top trim level of the most inexpensive crossover today would far exceed the “luxury” of some of the past SUVs.
So we’ve arrived here. Everyone needs an SUV, but everyone doesn’t need their SUVs to be as rugged, as dependable, or as bare-bones as the SUVs of yesteryear. Consequently, there isn’t as much of a need to sell the more durable body-on-frame SUV.
Photo: Courtesy of Consumer Reports
A unibody design provides a more comfortable driving experience and more refinement.
But I’ve noticed something peculiar as of late…
The crossover is suffering a bit of an identity crisis. The crossover SUV is being forced out of itself. It isn’t being allowed to just be a crossover SUV anymore…
There is a happy medium that is terribly hard to hit with SUVs. Manufacturers are trying to make crossovers the new SUV, and family car, and sports car, and it’s just not working that well.
They are trying to make every car into one, but instead of making the Kia Stinger, everyone is making the Ford Edge ST.
The Edge ST looks good enough, as SUVs go. It has a strong enough engine. It has all-wheel drive. The problem comes with the SUV part of the equation.
Because of what a crossover actually is, it can’t really be anything more than a crossover.
It would be like a dinner plate trying to be both a dinner plate and a Frisbee at the same time. The shape is there, but even a paper plate doesn’t really fly like a frisbee. A real dinner plate certainly wouldn’t fly and if you actually used a frisbee as a plate, you would have a plastic “plate.”
Of course, that analogy sounds sill, but both a frisbee and a plate can’t really be each other. When they try to be, they are both really bad at doing each other’s job.
Everyone wants an SUV now. It’s all the rage. The crossover SUV has come about so that manufacturers can provide a vehicle with a good overall driving experience. Manufacturers are also trying to give the crossover a little piece of every other car to make it every other car.
That can and never will be accomplished.
It’s a shame that cars like the Kia Stinger GT isn’t more widely accepted by the public. Subaru could offer a great alternative to the Stinger, but they don’t. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are generally more pricey than your average crossover.
So, we are all left to soldier on with the crossovers that offer a differential lock to increase their off-road prowess. Or, you can choose something like the Porsche Cayenne or Alfa Romeo Stelvio, both of which provide the closest thing to a sports car without actually being a sports car. Maybe you don’t mind the new Ford Edge ST, because it’s so much sportier than your other SUV, even though it’s really not that sporty.
For those of you reading this, not appreciating what I have to say about the modern crossover, that’s ok. At the end of the day, you have to get what you like and decide on what you decide to buy. It’s not going to hurt my feelings if you disagree.
For me, I just don’t see the point in a lot of what’s out there. The reason there are so many different cars and trucks is because there isn’t just one that can do every single thing perfectly. There are a lot that can do everything well, but that’s different than perfect.
Whether it’s space, comfort, performance, or affordability, there is a crossover out there for everyone, including myself. Just don’t think that you’re going to get all of that in your next crossover.
