Most SUVs were little more than high riding estate cars


Back in 1970 it may have been highly innovative to take an estate car body and put it up on a truck chassis and drive in with four wheel drive transmission. In the 80s Japanese imports made the SUV more affordable and by the 90s they were the #1 lifestyle vehicle.


Manufacturers stuck with this cheap manufacturing method whilst other styles of car improved. By 2007 a SUV became almost unsaleable because it was comparatively heavy, not as spacious as its bulk promised, juicy and less than safe in every aspect - perception, prevention, protection.


Since 2007 most new model SUVs have been built as crossover cars. In other words they are built with the SUV body style but in the same ways as cars. A VW Tiguan is built on a Golf platform and the Nissan Qashqai is on a Renault Megane platform.


There's also a differences in the way crossovers are positioned in the market. The Qashqai replaced the Almera hatchback and might be seen as a very interesting alternative to a Focus, Astra or Golf. The Tiguan is placed more in the 4x4 SUV sector although it avoids the tonka toy truck styling. Now we have the Peugeot 3008 Crossover which appears more an MPV.


The latest compact crossovers from Mitsubishi, Kia and Hyundai are priced at the entry level as viable alternatives to family hatchbacks which challenges the idea of charging a significant amount more for a vehicle because it has a SUV body style.

The crossover car looks an attractive consideration because it gives car buyers a body style they liked, that's far more economical and when with a 5-star EuroNCAP rating and ESC a much safer car, at popular car prices. The amazing success of the Nissan Qashqai in the UK supports this.

The latest development is the small SUV styled car - Nissan Juke, Audi Q3. It will be interesting to see how the Ford Fusion and Renault Modus are styled when replaced.

Regards
Ralph