Definition of SUV
The sport utility vehicle, or SUV, is a truck-based passenger vehicle that can seat five to nine passengers. The SUV's roots can be traced to the pre-World War II-era Chevrolet Suburban but has since evolved into a family wagon.
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Architecture
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The SUV essentially shares the same architecture as the pickup tuck a body-on-frame construction, four-wheel-drive capability and heavy-duty towing capacity.
Origins
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The first factory-built SUV was General Motors' 1936 Chevrolet Suburban built on truck chassis, followed by the military Jeep and later the civilian Jeep CJ, the International Scout and Ford Bronco.
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Original SUVs
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Early utilitarian SUVs such as the Ford Bronco and International Scout, featured a short wheelbase, four-wheel-drive and high ground.
Pioneering Explorer
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Ford departed from conventional standards of SUV construction by offering a rugged truck-based vehicle that could seat up to eight with passenger-car amenities.
Crossover
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The crossover SUV deviated further from the original SUV concept with unibody passenger-car construction, but keeping most SUV exterior features.
Types
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SUVs are categorized as the mini, such as the Suzuki Samurai, the compact, such as the Nissan Rogue, midsize, such as the BMW X5, the crossover, such as the Ford Edge, and luxury models such as the Cadillac Escalade.
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References
Resources
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