Technology & Crossovers
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 653
Likes: 55
From: Lubbock, TX
Technology & Crossovers
Ok, let me start off by saying I drive a 2005 Lariat and absolutely love it. My lady is looking to purchase a crossover SUV and we have spent the last few weeks looking at and test driving these crossovers. She is totally against a full size SUV and is set on a crossover that has to have third row seating. So we have looked at all, if not all crossovers with the third seat. We have driven the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Ford Explorer, the Volvo, the Mazda, the Nissan, the Toyota, the Mercedes, etc. I believe we have seen them all. I have a statement and a question. First, IMO Ford is head over heels ahead of ALL competition as far as technology and bells and whistles while maintaining a very competitive price with the Explorer. I was amazed at what the Explorer had to offer. The meat & bones was also on par with all others. It was definitely my favorite and my lady's second choice.. My lady's favorite is the Buick Enclave which is my second choice. My question is: what are your experiences, thoughts and/or suggestions as far as the Crossovers with third row seating are concerned? Thanks in advice for your input!
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Oxford, AL
First I'm thinking that the Expler s not a true "Crossover", the Ford crossover is the Edge and I don't think it has third row seating. The Exploer is a misdsize SUV. As far as third row seating us concerned, I think it is overrated. I had an Expedition with third row seating and we almost never used it. In fact I took it out and we used he truck without it most of the time, but if it is something you want go for it. I'm not a government motors fan, therefore I'd go with the Explorer.
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 653
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From: Lubbock, TX
We asked Autoweek senior road test editor Natalie Neff how Autoweek differentiates the two.
"The rule of thumb of unibody (built on a car platform) versus body on frame (built on a truck platform) is still what loosely guides the differentiation between a crossover and an SUV," Neff said.
Simply put, a crossover is more carlike and built on a unibody platform. That means the vehicle's structure is made of lots of welded-together sheetmetal parts. Unibody vehicles are very rigid and are lighter than a traditional body-on-frame truck since they don't need a heavy steel frame for support. At the same time, without a sturdy separate frame, unibody vehicles generally can't tow as much as heavier-duty vehicles.
That's where SUVs come in. They tend to be larger, more trucklike and built with body-on-frame construction--the way most pickup and work trucks are put together. However, it's increasingly common for larger SUVs, like the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, to take on unibody design, blurring the distinction.
"The notion of a crossover is a marketing tool more than anything," Neff said. "We (Autoweek and shopautoweek.com) tend to call anything trucklike--higher ground clearance, flat-loading cargo area, availability of all- or four-wheel drive--an SUV by generic definition, but if the vehicle is more car-based, more carlike, crossover is totally interchangeable."
Why would the term "crossover" be used as a marketing tool? As consumers began to sour on the original gas- and road-hogging sport-utility vehicles, the term SUV became synonymous with arrogance and excess. To help market a new crop of more-efficient large people movers, manufacturers turned to the term crossover to avoid the stigma of SUVs.
We took to the Web to see how a few of the largest automobile manufacturers display their crossover/SUV offerings. Ford's Web site has one tab labeled "Crossovers and SUVs" to cover the gamut of their vehicles that are neither cars nor trucks. Toyota uses the same single-tab strategy on its Web site.
General Motors uses an advanced search system where users can check a box to filter for either crossover or SUV options. Interestingly enough, all crossover models are also featured in the SUV-specific list.
To determine whether crossovers or SUVs are more popular today, we contacted Daniel Sherman, associate editor for ALG, a provider of residual-value information, analytical data, software and consulting for the automotive industry. Sherman agreed that the differentiation between the two categories is shrinking.
"We currently only differentiate between SUV and crossover in the midsize and premium-midsize categories," Sherman said. "It is likely that over the next few months we will eliminate any differentiation between the two, instead creating 'utility vehicle' segments."
Could this be the trend: One generic term to describe all things neither sedan nor pickup truck? As always, we'll keep you posted.
"The rule of thumb of unibody (built on a car platform) versus body on frame (built on a truck platform) is still what loosely guides the differentiation between a crossover and an SUV," Neff said.
Simply put, a crossover is more carlike and built on a unibody platform. That means the vehicle's structure is made of lots of welded-together sheetmetal parts. Unibody vehicles are very rigid and are lighter than a traditional body-on-frame truck since they don't need a heavy steel frame for support. At the same time, without a sturdy separate frame, unibody vehicles generally can't tow as much as heavier-duty vehicles.
That's where SUVs come in. They tend to be larger, more trucklike and built with body-on-frame construction--the way most pickup and work trucks are put together. However, it's increasingly common for larger SUVs, like the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, to take on unibody design, blurring the distinction.
"The notion of a crossover is a marketing tool more than anything," Neff said. "We (Autoweek and shopautoweek.com) tend to call anything trucklike--higher ground clearance, flat-loading cargo area, availability of all- or four-wheel drive--an SUV by generic definition, but if the vehicle is more car-based, more carlike, crossover is totally interchangeable."
Why would the term "crossover" be used as a marketing tool? As consumers began to sour on the original gas- and road-hogging sport-utility vehicles, the term SUV became synonymous with arrogance and excess. To help market a new crop of more-efficient large people movers, manufacturers turned to the term crossover to avoid the stigma of SUVs.
We took to the Web to see how a few of the largest automobile manufacturers display their crossover/SUV offerings. Ford's Web site has one tab labeled "Crossovers and SUVs" to cover the gamut of their vehicles that are neither cars nor trucks. Toyota uses the same single-tab strategy on its Web site.
General Motors uses an advanced search system where users can check a box to filter for either crossover or SUV options. Interestingly enough, all crossover models are also featured in the SUV-specific list.
To determine whether crossovers or SUVs are more popular today, we contacted Daniel Sherman, associate editor for ALG, a provider of residual-value information, analytical data, software and consulting for the automotive industry. Sherman agreed that the differentiation between the two categories is shrinking.
"We currently only differentiate between SUV and crossover in the midsize and premium-midsize categories," Sherman said. "It is likely that over the next few months we will eliminate any differentiation between the two, instead creating 'utility vehicle' segments."
Could this be the trend: One generic term to describe all things neither sedan nor pickup truck? As always, we'll keep you posted.
Ford Tech
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 235
Likes: 22
From: Strongsville, OH
We asked Autoweek senior road test editor Natalie Neff how Autoweek differentiates the two.
"The rule of thumb of unibody (built on a car platform) versus body on frame (built on a truck platform) is still what loosely guides the differentiation between a crossover and an SUV," Neff said.
Simply put, a crossover is more carlike and built on a unibody platform. That means the vehicle's structure is made of lots of welded-together sheetmetal parts. Unibody vehicles are very rigid and are lighter than a traditional body-on-frame truck since they don't need a heavy steel frame for support. At the same time, without a sturdy separate frame, unibody vehicles generally can't tow as much as heavier-duty vehicles.
That's where SUVs come in. They tend to be larger, more trucklike and built with body-on-frame construction--the way most pickup and work trucks are put together. However, it's increasingly common for larger SUVs, like the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, to take on unibody design, blurring the distinction.
"The notion of a crossover is a marketing tool more than anything," Neff said. "We (Autoweek and shopautoweek.com) tend to call anything trucklike--higher ground clearance, flat-loading cargo area, availability of all- or four-wheel drive--an SUV by generic definition, but if the vehicle is more car-based, more carlike, crossover is totally interchangeable."
Why would the term "crossover" be used as a marketing tool? As consumers began to sour on the original gas- and road-hogging sport-utility vehicles, the term SUV became synonymous with arrogance and excess. To help market a new crop of more-efficient large people movers, manufacturers turned to the term crossover to avoid the stigma of SUVs.
We took to the Web to see how a few of the largest automobile manufacturers display their crossover/SUV offerings. Ford's Web site has one tab labeled "Crossovers and SUVs" to cover the gamut of their vehicles that are neither cars nor trucks. Toyota uses the same single-tab strategy on its Web site.
General Motors uses an advanced search system where users can check a box to filter for either crossover or SUV options. Interestingly enough, all crossover models are also featured in the SUV-specific list.
To determine whether crossovers or SUVs are more popular today, we contacted Daniel Sherman, associate editor for ALG, a provider of residual-value information, analytical data, software and consulting for the automotive industry. Sherman agreed that the differentiation between the two categories is shrinking.
"We currently only differentiate between SUV and crossover in the midsize and premium-midsize categories," Sherman said. "It is likely that over the next few months we will eliminate any differentiation between the two, instead creating 'utility vehicle' segments."
Could this be the trend: One generic term to describe all things neither sedan nor pickup truck? As always, we'll keep you posted.
"The rule of thumb of unibody (built on a car platform) versus body on frame (built on a truck platform) is still what loosely guides the differentiation between a crossover and an SUV," Neff said.
Simply put, a crossover is more carlike and built on a unibody platform. That means the vehicle's structure is made of lots of welded-together sheetmetal parts. Unibody vehicles are very rigid and are lighter than a traditional body-on-frame truck since they don't need a heavy steel frame for support. At the same time, without a sturdy separate frame, unibody vehicles generally can't tow as much as heavier-duty vehicles.
That's where SUVs come in. They tend to be larger, more trucklike and built with body-on-frame construction--the way most pickup and work trucks are put together. However, it's increasingly common for larger SUVs, like the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, to take on unibody design, blurring the distinction.
"The notion of a crossover is a marketing tool more than anything," Neff said. "We (Autoweek and shopautoweek.com) tend to call anything trucklike--higher ground clearance, flat-loading cargo area, availability of all- or four-wheel drive--an SUV by generic definition, but if the vehicle is more car-based, more carlike, crossover is totally interchangeable."
Why would the term "crossover" be used as a marketing tool? As consumers began to sour on the original gas- and road-hogging sport-utility vehicles, the term SUV became synonymous with arrogance and excess. To help market a new crop of more-efficient large people movers, manufacturers turned to the term crossover to avoid the stigma of SUVs.
We took to the Web to see how a few of the largest automobile manufacturers display their crossover/SUV offerings. Ford's Web site has one tab labeled "Crossovers and SUVs" to cover the gamut of their vehicles that are neither cars nor trucks. Toyota uses the same single-tab strategy on its Web site.
General Motors uses an advanced search system where users can check a box to filter for either crossover or SUV options. Interestingly enough, all crossover models are also featured in the SUV-specific list.
To determine whether crossovers or SUVs are more popular today, we contacted Daniel Sherman, associate editor for ALG, a provider of residual-value information, analytical data, software and consulting for the automotive industry. Sherman agreed that the differentiation between the two categories is shrinking.
"We currently only differentiate between SUV and crossover in the midsize and premium-midsize categories," Sherman said. "It is likely that over the next few months we will eliminate any differentiation between the two, instead creating 'utility vehicle' segments."
Could this be the trend: One generic term to describe all things neither sedan nor pickup truck? As always, we'll keep you posted.
Maybe have your wife check out a flex with the third row.