Crossover cars are an odd breed of car. They transcend boundaries, bridging the gap between the exclusivity of an SUV and the homeliness of the best family car. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle to bring home and want to learn a little more about the specificities of a crossover, then you’ve come to the right place.
From the body to the car tyres, you can learn about the variations of the crossover style and how you can find the right kind of crossover for you.
Defining a crossover car
When someone says that they’re interested in a crossover car, they’re typically looking for a vehicle that is versatile enough to meet all of their various standards. Crossovers can provide this specificity not because they’re custom cars. Rather, they “cross over” between car designs in order to combine the best elements available on the market.
To put it more simply, crossover cars are chimera cars. They pair the size and aesthetic of an SUV with the straightforward design and mobility of a hatchback. As such, if you’re looking for a car with impressive height that is also lightweight and achieves great fuel efficiency, then you’re in the market for a crossover.
SUVs vs. crossover car
That said, SUVs and crossover cars are frequently confused with one another. Is an SUV a crossover car? It’s difficult to say. In short: the intersections between SUVs and crossover cars are many. SUV is considered an umbrella term that can apply to both standard, non-varied SUVs as well as crossovers.
The affiliation has been a little mixed though as the reputation of the SUV has been somewhat lacking. Previously, SUVs have been known to use gratuitous amounts of fuel and require expensive upkeep.
The term “crossover” arose in an attempt to amend that poor reputation. Crossovers, as has been mentioned, take the best parts of the cars that are available on the market and make the most of them. Ergo, the crossover brand began to combine the size and style of an SUV with the practicality of a standard, smaller car.
At that to say: if you’re trying to figure out the difference between an SUV and a crossover car, look to the chassis. An SUV puts its strength into its chassis, while a crossover car roots its build in its platform. A singular body form identifies a crossover car, whereas an SUV has its body set onto its separate frame.
The benefits of a crossover car
Even so, whether or not a crossover car is better designed for your needs depends on what you’re looking for. The improvements of the crossover design on the original SUV remain pretty impressive, though. If you’re in the market and wondering whether or not it would be worth your time to test drive a crossover, consider the following features.
Smooth sailing
Crossovers are notoriously easy cars to drive. Why? There are a couple of built-in features that make navigating traffic much simpler. For one, crossover cars have large frames and, as such, significant height. This height makes it much easier to see the road in front of you and navigate traffic accordingly.
While the size of the crossover may be intimidating to work with while on the road, these cars aren’t too different in overall girth than the other cars on the road. As such, you won’t be taking up more space while driving, even if it may feel that way. You’ll be able to change lanes and take turns with the same elegance you would in a smaller vehicle.
Driving power options
You also have the option of pursuing a crossover car with the style of drive you like best. The standard style of drive for crossover cars has them relying on front-wheel drive.
However, because these cars are designed to be versatile, you can also find models that offer four-wheel drive. While front-wheel drive is perfectly acceptable if you’re primarily driving on motorways, four-wheel drive has its advantages.
If you’re in a more rural environment, a four-wheel drive crossover may be the perfect type of car for you. The power of 4x4 cars will prevent you from sliding off the road in bad weather and offer you more control, in general.
Improved fuel economy
Naturally, crossover cars also boast efficient fuel consumption. If you’re frequently going on long road trips and want to save a bit of money, then investing in a crossover car will do you good. Despite the larger frame and 4x4 tyres, these cars operate on engines that are smaller than those in SUVs.
As such, they can use fuel more conservatively than their SUV cousins. Crossover cars can also operate on either diesel or petrol. This versatility adds another element of personalization to these cars that, in the long run, could also save you money.
Crossover cars, then, represent a kind of individualization within the auto industry that is frequently only seen in more expensive breeds of car. They take that personalization and use it to make some of the best family cars available.
If you’re wondering whether or not you should consider a crossover in the future, think about what you want most out of a car. More likely than not, a crossover exists with those exact options available.