![]() ![]() It looks like a crossover, but it’s built on the same platform as the Giulia, so it’s quick, sharp, and engaging to drive - it’s like a sport sedan with a taller center of gravity. Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio illustrates this point well. If you’re more interested in carving canyons, the structural rigidity of a crossover will better suit your purpose. For example, the members of Toyota’s TRD Pro line of trucks (which includes the 4Runner shown above) are designed to absorb ruts and rocks with ease. If you want to sprint through the desert or race through a forest, you’ll need the durability of a true body-on-frame SUV to make sure you don’t end up bending something that will be really expensive to replace. The distinction between crossovers and SUVs continues when performance enters the equation. Many aren’t even offered with all-wheel drive, like the Nissan Kicks. At the other end of the spectrum, some of the smallest and most affordable crossovers on the market blur another line: The one that separates them from hatchbacks. These features push the limits of the unibody architecture by creating car-based models that can effortlessly take you and yours into the wilderness. Meanwhile, crossovers are gaining freakishly advanced all-wheel drive systems, locking differentials, and adjustable ride heights that help them conquer rough terrain. The use of lightweight materials (like aluminum) helps engineers keep fuel economy in check by building lighter body-on-frame trucks. Not every SUV uses body-on-frame construction the hotly-anticipated second-generation Land Rover Defender is built on a unibody platform, yet it remains exceptionally capable off-road. Mercedes is finally bringing an electric van to the U.S.īlurring the line Fiat Chrysler AutomobilesĪs technology improves, these two different breeds of all-terrain vehicles increasingly overlap.
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