Around the office, and for as long as CUVs have been on the car scene, a debate has been raging on in the attempt to determine what makes a given vehicle fit into one of these categories and not the other.
SUVs officially made an entrance in the early '90s even though “trucks” with extended passenger quarters have existed for many a decade. Many will identify the first generation of the Ford Explorer as being the one that started it all. As you might remember, the Explorer's reputation took a tumble in the late '90s and early 2000s, quite literally. As far as I'm concerned, that signified the beginning of the end of the SUV.
As the clouds of dust settled, CUVs (or Crossover Utility Vehicles) began to emerge from the woodwork. The earliest renditions of this category are difficult to pinpoint, but sometime between the 1997 Honda CR-V and 2003 Nissan Murano, the segment officially came to life.
As manufacturers slowly but surely move away from the nasty, evil SUV nomenclature, the crossover lines become even more skewed. You see, some “trucks” used to fall under the SUV suffix and now, in their new form, are referred to as CUVs. It's all a big old mess nowadays.
I'm here to settle the issue once and for all.
It's simple, really: If the vehicle is built around a monocoque chassis, it's a CUV. If the “truck” uses a good ol' ladder frame, it's an SUV. Period.
Nah! I don't care if your SUV has electronic AWD and your CUV's got a switch-on-the-fly AWD, it don't make no difference. If you prefer, look at it this way: If your truck is based on a car or a minivan, it ain't no SUV.
If you're still confused, check this list out. If your truck is not here, it's a CUV:
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Suburban
Chevrolet Tahoe
Dodge Nitro (soon to be discontinued)
Ford Expedition
GMC Yukon
Infiniti QX56
Jeep Liberty
Jeep Wrangler
Kia Borrego
Land Rover LR4
Lexus GX 470
Lexus LX 570
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes G-Class
Nissan Armada
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Xterra
Range Rover
Range Rover Sport
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Sequoia
Any questions?
SUVs officially made an entrance in the early '90s even though “trucks” with extended passenger quarters have existed for many a decade. Many will identify the first generation of the Ford Explorer as being the one that started it all. As you might remember, the Explorer's reputation took a tumble in the late '90s and early 2000s, quite literally. As far as I'm concerned, that signified the beginning of the end of the SUV.
As the clouds of dust settled, CUVs (or Crossover Utility Vehicles) began to emerge from the woodwork. The earliest renditions of this category are difficult to pinpoint, but sometime between the 1997 Honda CR-V and 2003 Nissan Murano, the segment officially came to life.
As manufacturers slowly but surely move away from the nasty, evil SUV nomenclature, the crossover lines become even more skewed. You see, some “trucks” used to fall under the SUV suffix and now, in their new form, are referred to as CUVs. It's all a big old mess nowadays.
I'm here to settle the issue once and for all.
It's simple, really: If the vehicle is built around a monocoque chassis, it's a CUV. If the “truck” uses a good ol' ladder frame, it's an SUV. Period.
Nah! I don't care if your SUV has electronic AWD and your CUV's got a switch-on-the-fly AWD, it don't make no difference. If you prefer, look at it this way: If your truck is based on a car or a minivan, it ain't no SUV.
If you're still confused, check this list out. If your truck is not here, it's a CUV:
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Suburban
Chevrolet Tahoe
Dodge Nitro (soon to be discontinued)
Ford Expedition
GMC Yukon
Infiniti QX56
Jeep Liberty
Jeep Wrangler
Kia Borrego
Land Rover LR4
Lexus GX 470
Lexus LX 570
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes G-Class
Nissan Armada
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Xterra
Range Rover
Range Rover Sport
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Sequoia
Any questions?