by Borden Black
Your afternoon looks like a METRA bus schedule: Pick up groceries, meet the kids and their friends at school and deliver them to softball practice and dance class, take the dog to the groomer and then pick up the kids and take them home. You need enough room in your vehicle for groceries, four kids and a dog, but you’dlike better gas mileage than your oldmini vangets. Add three letters to your vocabulary…CUV, also known as XUV, which stands for crossover utility vehicle.
Crossover vehicles are blurring the traditional lines between cars, minivans and
sport utility vehicles. A crossover typically has a relatively high seating position and a
reasonable amount of cargo space. The marketing manager for the Ford Edge has
said that there are four types of crossovers:
1) Those modeled after traditional SUVs
2) Those that look like small SUVs
3) Those that look like wagons, and
4) The modern crossover vehicle.
There’s also an emerging fifth type,
those that look like minivans.
Ron Pitts at Rob Doll Nissan points out that the real CUVis built on a car chassis but has many of the attributes of the sport utility vehicle (SUV), like more cargo space. David Sasser of the Jay Automotive Group adds that a CUV fits the family’s need to trade out of the big SUV and get into a more fuel efficient vehicle while maintaining third row seating and room for gear.
With the high price of gas, crossovers are poised to be the biggest sellers in North
America, and automakers are predicting that sales numbers will double by 2010.
Consumers need to be cautious, however, if they want a true CUV. On the outside,
crossovers tend to be styled to look like SUVs, soit’s not always easy to tell what
you’re looking at.
Top Selling CUVs
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) lists the top-five-selling
CUVs in 2008 as:
1) The Honda CR-V
2) Ford Escape
3) Toyota RAV 4
4) Ford Edge
5) Toyota Highlander
Carl Gregory Honda’s online manager David McMonagle has noticed customers “shifting down” from mini vans to sedans and from SUVs to CUVs. The Honda CR-V, which tops SEMA’s list of best-selling CUVs features a car-based design, four-cylinder engine, sedan-like ride and handling and a car-like fuel rating of 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway rating.
McMonagle said the new Honda Pilot is also really selling well. Edmunds car buying guide calls it one of the most family friendly sport-utility vehicles inits price range. It seats eight, and the standard V6 provides above-average fuel economy.
Rivertown Ford general manager Wayne Harbert drives the second-ranked Escape and reports getting up to 33 mpg without sacrificing interior space. The Hybrid version builds on the Escape architecture by adding the green magic of a regenerative braking system that creates and stores electricity used to help the 2.3L four-cylinder engine.
The fourth-ranked Ford Edge is applauded for its safety ratings,nifty styling, comfortable cabin and solid performance. Harbert added that the new ‘09 Flex is also getting a lot of publicity. It seats seven and gets up to 27mpg. Edmunds calls it a cool looking alternative to mini vans and seven passenger CUVs. TheToyota RAV-4 comes in as the third highest selling CUV. It features a usable,kid size third row seat and up to 27 mpg hwy.
Also important to the family are plenty of cubbies, cup holders and family friendly features like an available rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The fifth-ranked 2008 Toyota Highlander is newly redesigned and now features a 270 hp V-6 motor. It is offered in two and four-wheel drive with an estimated fuel economy of 18/24 mpg.
More Family Friendly Vehicles
In addition to the two Toyotas, Sasser said that the eight Jay Auto Mall franchises
offer more than 50 model lines, and among the mid-sized crossovers on the lots are: The Saturn Outlook, Mazda CX-9, Suzuki XL-7, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. The Suzuki Grand Vitara also offers families the safety and confidence they are used
to with larger SUVs. It is also an excellent choice for a family who does not want to
sacrifice rugged off-road capability since it has rear-wheel drive and available 4wd.
Another vehicle known for its off-road ability is among the top-selling CUVs. The Jeep
Patriot functions as both a daily driver and competent off-road SUV. It is also Jeep’s most
fuel-efficient vehicle: The 23/28 mpg rating places it near the top of the small SUV class.
With a Kia manufacturing plant soon to open just up the road, it’s no wonder the
local dealer is seeing increased interest. Ed Braun of Columbus Kia AutoSport said the
Sorento will be made in the new West Point plant. The mid-size, six-cylinder SUV has a
five-star safety rating and still gets good gas mileage. The Sportage is even smaller.
The Dodge Journey, which is more reminiscent of the mini van, is another popular
crossover. Carl Gregory’s Paxton Nash points out that it seats seven and averages
about 28 mpg. It has several minivan features, like in-floor coolers and a rear-seat
DVD entertainment system. Safety is one of the family friendly attributes of two Nissan crossovers. Rogue is Nissan’s new entry level crossover with a sporty wagon design. Rob Doll Nissan’s Pitts said that the Rouge is being purchased by those who don’t want a big SUV, but want some of the benefits. “Primarily young families with a car seat and all the stuff you need for a family are looking at this vehicle,” he reports. The Murano is also big on safety with standard options like latches for car seats. It has more luxury options than the Rogue.
The Outlander is another crossover that shares many of its par ts with a car.
Gateway’s Randy Lavoi points out that it offers a nice ride, low step-in height and
decent cornering, but Mitsubishi has added bits, like an electronically controlled AWD
system, that make the Outlander adept at rough-road travel. So far this year SEMA reports sales of more than 1,765,000 crossover vehicles, down only five percent from the same time
a year ago. Considering how bad the current new-car market is, the small downturn
is a good indication that the crossbreed is appealing to families wanting space and
fuel efficiency.
Send us your comments and feedback: contactus@valleyparent.com.
