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SUV

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A fourth-generation (2006-) Ford Explorer, the best-selling mid-size SUV in the United States.

A sport utility vehicle, or SUV, is a passenger vehicle which combines the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan or station wagon together with all or off road ability. Most SUVs are designed with a roughly square cross-section, an engine compartment, a combined passenger and cargo compartment, and no dedicated trunk. Most mid-size and full-size SUVs have three rows of seats with a cargo area directly behind the last row of seats. Compact SUVs and mini SUVs, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Suzuki Vitara, may have five or fewer seats.

It is known in some countries as an "off-road vehicle" or "four-wheel drive", often abbreviated to "4WD" or "4x4", pronounced "four-by-four". However, not all SUVs have four-wheel drive capabilities (see Mazda Tribute, for example). Conversely, not all 4WD passenger vehicles are SUVs (see, for example, Subaru Impreza).

More recently, manufacturers have responded to buyers' complaints that SUVs "drive like trucks" and demands for "carlike ride" with a new type of SUV. A new category, the crossover SUV uses car design and components for lighter weight and better fuel efficiency, but is no longer designed or recommended by the manufacturer for off-road usage or towing.

Etymology

Other names

Outside of North America and India, these vehicles are known simply as four-wheel-drives, often abbreviated to "4WD" or "4x4". They are classified as cars in countries such as the UK where the U.S. distinction between cars and 'light trucks' is not used. In Australia, the automotive industry and press have recently adopted the term SUV in place of four-wheel drive in the description of vehicles and market segments however the term four-wheel-drive is still used for vehicles possessing 4x4 capability and other characteristics which make labelling it an SUV misleading. In Australia the term SUV is generally associated with vehicles not actually intended to be used in harsh off-road conditions whilst the term 4x4/4wd/four-wheel-drive applies to heavier, more rugged vehicles. (The term "Utility" or "ute" in Australia refers to an automobile with a flatbed rear or pick-up, typically seating two passengers and which is often used by tradesmen. It is typically not a 4WD vehicle.)

For decades, SUVs were often referred to generically as "jeeps." This practice was actively discouraged by every owner of the Jeep trademark, and this terminology is now almost entirely out of use.

Slang

In southern England, SUVs are often referred to in derogatory terms as "soft roaders" or "Chelsea tractors,"[1] due to their popularity among affluent people living in central London areas such as Chelsea. In the UK they are occasionally known as jeeps or Land Rovers no matter what make they actually are, although the increasing prevalence of these vehicles in recent years has decreased this colloquial usage. In New Zealand they are occasionally called "Fendalton tractors" or "Remuera tractors" after the higher priced suburbs in Christchurch and Auckland respectively. In Australia, Victoria, they are sometimes referred to as "Toorak Tractors," though this is rare. In Norway, they are known as 'bourse tractors' due to yuppie stereotypes. In Russia they are sometimes called "parquet off-road vehicles" due to their limited cross-country abilities. In the Netherlands, they are often called "PC Hooft-tractors" after Amsterdam's most exclusive shopping street. SUVs are also criticized in the Netherlands for similar reasons, and some environmentalists are pushing local governments to deny SUV users parking spaces. In Greece, owners of SUVs are sometimes called 'Kolonaki Farmers'(Αγρότες του Κολωνακίου), referring to Kolonaki, a posh area of Athens (in the same vein as in the term 'Chelsea Tractors')

Design characteristics

Although designs vary, the SUV are stereotypically medium sized non-commercial passenger vehicles constructed using a body-on-frame chassis similar to that found on crew cab or light truck. They can be either gas or diesel, and often the engines especially in American SUV's are the of the same engine line or even the same engine as in the equivalent pickup truck.[2]

A few of the most known design characteristics of SUV's are their high ground clearance and upright, boxy body. However, since this creates a lot of drag, their bodies have been more aerodynamic over the years to improve fuel economy.

History

Origins

Sport utility vehicles were originally descended from commercial and military vehicles such as the Jeep and Land Rover.[3] SUVs have been popular for many years with rural buyers due to their off-road capabilities. The Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Jeep Wagoneer and the Ford Bronco were early SUV examples, followed by the Chevrolet Blazer and the GMC Jimmy. International Harvester also sold SUVs, notably the three-door Scout and the five-door Travelall.

In the last 25 years, and even more in the last decade, SUVs have become popular with urban buyers. Consequently, more modern SUVs often come with luxury features and some crossover SUVs, such as the Nissan FX-45, Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander (2007 onward), and BMW X3, have adopted lower ride heights and utilize unibody construction to better accommodate on-road driving.

Popularity

SUVs became popular in the United States, Canada, and Australia in the 1990s and early 2000s for a variety of reasons. Vehicle buyers were drawn to their large cabins, higher ride height, and perceived safety. Additionally, some full-size SUVs have far greater towing capacities than conventional cars, allowing owners to tow travel trailers (caravans), trailers, and boats with relative ease.All this coincided with very low oil prices of the 1990s which made the running costs of SUVs affordable to the vast majority of North Americans who unlike Europeans pay no or very low fuel taxes.

Some of the SUV's popularity can be attributed to it "utilitarian" image, which could explain the large growth in SUV popularity and among some women. Women constitute more than half of SUV drivers, and SUVs are one of the most popular vehicle choice of women in the United States. Template:Bradsher, 2001 A common relation of this is in the term "Soccer Mom"

In Australia, a unique situation resulted in the growth in popularity of SUVs. There, SUVs have a much lower import duty than cars. This means a typical SUV has a price advantage over a similarly-equipped, imported sedan. However, in recent years, the import duty has been lowered for cars as well, and is currently at 10% (compared with 5% for SUVs).

In the mid 2000s, however, their popularity has waned, due to higher fuel prices, rollover accident fatalities and higher relative pollution.

Current model SUVs (crossovers) take into account that 98% of SUV owners never go offroad. As such, some SUVs now have lower ground clearance and suspension designed primarily for paved road usage.[4] However with the advent and popularization of air suspension, many SUVs such as the Touareg, and Land Rover's Range Rover have the benefits of a low suspension while on road with the ability to raise it to go offroad where a car or other vehicle might not be able to. In addition increased ground clearance is useful in climates with heavy snow.

In addition, full-sized SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition have replaced old-fashioned full-size station wagons and bear similar features such as 3-row seating.

Use in remote areas

SUVs are often used in places such as the Australian Outback, Africa, the Middle East, Alaska, Northern Canada, South America and most of Asia, which have limited paved roads and require the vehicle to have all-terrain handling, increased range, and storage capacity. The low availability of spare parts and the need to carry out repairs quickly allow model vehicles with the bare minimum of electric and hydraulic systems to predominate. Typical examples are the Land Rover and the Toyota Land Cruiser. SUVs intended for use in urbanised areas have traditionally been developed from their more rugged all-terrain counterparts. For example the Hummer H1 is derived from the HMMWV, originally developed for the US Armed Forces.

Use in recreation and motorsport

SUVs are also used to explore off-road places otherwise unreachable by other vehicles. In Australia, China, Europe, South Africa, South America and the United States at least, many 4WD clubs have been formed for this purpose. Modified SUVs also take part in races, most famously in the Paris-Dakar Rally, and the Australian Outback.

With the increasing urbanisation of the world, SUVs are also used by those seeking unmodified landscapes and isolation, especially in nations with large wilderness areas lacking extensive road networks. Since most roads are meant to directly connect locations, many natural features of interest are inaccessible or not visible to most vehicles. The ability to travel without having to use roads is part of the appeal of SUV ownership due to a sense of independence this invokes in many people.

SUVs also allow drivers to connect on an aesthetic level with the physical environment by allowing owners to go off road, SUVs promote a greater value being applied to wilderness areas, an attachment difficult to gain through reading or simply seeing things on television. SUV clubs often promote this ideal and a commercial manifestation of this can be seen in the number of tourism operators dependent on SUVs for their activities, Australia being a strong example.

Luxury SUV

Main article: Luxury SUV

Many more luxurious SUVs and pickup trucks have been introduced lately. Early models include the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. A particularly "hot" model right now is the Land Rover Range Rover, included in many rap songs and popular among celebrities (rap musicians particularly).

A luxury SUV is basically an SUV that is equipped with luxury car interior trims and gadgets.

Criticism

Main article: SUV Criticism
A Ford Excursion SUV next to a Toyota Camry

SUVs have been criticized for many reasons, most notably getting poor gas mileage and therefore contributing more to the global warming phenomenon and emitting more smog-forming pollution, as well as contributing to international political complications regarding dependance on Mid-East oil.

SUVs have been criticised as safety hazards for many reasons. Because they are not legally classified as passenger vehicles in the US, due to their massive size, SUVs are exempt from many of the safety and environmental regulations that affect cars. This loop hole, combined with the fact that many people simply assumed SUVs were safe, allowed auto makers to produce them with little regard for safety throughout the 1990s. In car crashes, risks are divided unevenly if the weight of the vehicles is unequal. This means that, in theory, SUV drivers increase their safety at the expense of the safety of other car drivers. The only remedy for other car owners is to drive a heavier car themselves, which could lead to a spiral of ever heavier cars on the roads. However, in reality, though fatality rates are much higher for people struck by an SUV than by a car, drivers and passengers of SUVs do not have necessarily have lower fatality rates than drivers and passengers of mid-size Sedans.[5] While heavier vehicles generally have lower driver death rates, according to the IIHS, "Pound for pound across vehicle types, cars almost always have lower death rates than pickups or SUVs."[6]. Actual driver death rates vary from vehicle to vehicle, and there is significant overlap between different vehicle classes[7](It should be noted that the driver death rates referenced here are per registered vehicle and do not take into account driver age/experiance, miles driven, or driving conditions such as urban vs rural). Additionally, the higher positioning of bumpers and inflexible bull bars has led to concerns that cyclists, pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles are more likely to suffer serious or life threatening injuries in collision with SUVs than with average profile automobiles[8]. SUVs are also likely to roll over when crashes occur.[9] The awkward bodies and poor handling of SUVs makes SUV drivers much more likely to lose control of their vehicle than car drivers. However, the introduction of electronic stability control in the mid 2000s has somewhat diminished this risk.[5]

In urban areas, larger SUVs are criticized for the problems they cause due to their length and width, such as impeding traffic flow and the inability to fit into marked stalls. SUVs can also cause difficulties at multi-lane intersections, as their size can obscure the field of view of smaller vehicles and notably cyclists and pedestrians, who can normally see over the roofs of passenger cars. In addition, SUVs have large blind spots in the rear and to the side. To deal with abnormally large blind spots some SUV makers have actually installed rear view cameras.[10]

SUV owners have also been criticised for rarely, if ever, using their vehicles for their intended offroad purpose. SUV owners are viewed by some critics as pretentious, selfish, irresponsible, ignorant, and/or insecure[11].

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sport utility vehicle.

References

  1. ^ "Skidproof your SUV". The Economist. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  2. ^ Consumer Search [1] SUV-Review
  3. ^ Keith Bradsher. High and Mighty: SUVs--The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way. Published by PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-203-3
  4. ^ "The Unstoppable SUV," Keith Naughton. Newsweek, July 2, 2001
  5. ^ a b Peter Valdes-Dapena, "Crash death rates show progress in auto safety", CNN.com, April 20, 2007.
  6. ^ [2]
  7. ^ [3]
  8. ^ [4]
  9. ^ Smashing, great, super!, Fifth Gear
  10. ^ Greg Hunter, "SUV backover deaths: What can be done?", CNN.com, November 7, 2005.
  11. ^ [5]
  • Gladwell, M. (2004, January 12). Big and bad. The New Yorker, LXXIX, 28-30. [6]
  • Motor Trend. (Complete information on the Motor Trend reference is unavailable. However, the article was Motor Trend's announcement of the Lexus RX 300 as the 1999 SUV of the Year.)

Additional reading

  • Keith Bradsher. High and Mighty: SUVs--The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way. Published by PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-203-3
  • Adam Penenberg. Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle with the Auto Industry over the Dangers of SUVs. Published by HarperBusiness. ISBN 0-06-009058-8
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