What is an SUV?

An SUV is an abbreviation for Sports Utility Vehicle, essentially a road-going car with off-road capabilities. However, many of the manufacturers have adapted their cars and given them a more rugged look or higher ground clearance, but are not that capable off-road.

SUV is actually an American term and was first applied to cars with space for multiple passengers and plenty of storage or boot space. Land Rover in the UK really had one of the most successful SUV’s with the Series I, II and III, eventually the Defender.

SUV is now used across a wide variety of cars from small SUV’s such as the Renault Captur to the large Range Rover. Even some of the prestigious brands such as Porsche, Bentley and Rolls-Royce have produced some amazing cars.

Generally SUV’s offer higher ground clearance, some have off-road capability and functions and a bit more boot space.

Crossovers are slightly smaller variant of a crossover, usually a traditional road car with a higher clearance. A good example of this is that a Mercedes GLA is effectively a Mercedes A Class, but with the higher ground clearance and more rugged looks.

Examples of crossovers in the UK include the Nissan Juke, Audi Q2, Volkswagon T-Roc and the Skoda Kamiq.

Many crossovers are just 2WD and although some manufacturers may offer all-wheel drive as an option on BMW this may be called xDrive, Mercedes is called 4Matic and Audi is classed as Quattro.

The term SUV and Crossover, is effectively the same and some car manufacturers actually use crossover for their SUV products.

Crossovers are generally smaller and lower than their SUV counterparts. SUV’s are also more likely to have 4wd capabilities.

Whilst the SUV types is generally classed on American car standards, we thought we’d list down different classes:

– Crossover – eg. Nissan Juke, VW T-Roc, Skoda Kamiq
– Compact SUV – eg. Nissan Qashqai, Seat Arona, VW T-Cross
– Mid-Size SUV – eg. Land Rover Defender 90, BMW X3, VW Tiguan, Audi Q5
– Full-size SUV – eg. BMW X5, Audi Q7, Mercedes GLE, VW Touareg
– Prestigious SUV – eg. Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, BMW X7
– Commercial SUV – eg. Land Rover Defender Hard Top, Land Rover Discovery Commercial

Yes, it is possible to subscribe to an SUV from one of the many vehicle subscription providers in the UK. There are many comparison websites that can help you choose the right car subscription for you or your business, this includes The Car Expert and Car-Subscriptions.co.uk

Many subscription companies such as Cazoo, Care by Volvo and Cocoon Vehicles all offer SUV’s on their range of vehicles.

Yes, almost all funders and manufacturers have some sort of SUV Lease Deals available and it is a good idea to really shop around and make sure you’re getting the best price. You can utilise comparison companies such as Find a Car Lease and Leasing.com.