If you’re looking for a new car or enjoy reading about automobiles, chances are that you’ve heard of crossover vehicles. This article will help you understand what a crossover car is and whether it’s the right fit for you or not.
What Is a Crossover?
Many people know that crossovers are somewhere between regular road cars and SUVs. You can easily tell them apart by the vehicle’s frame. Typically, a crossover car is based on a unibody frame, and a traditional SUV features a body-on-frame build.
Body-on frame refers to the construction in which the body of the car and the frame are separate. The body is mounted on top of the frame. Cars with a body-on-frame construction are called SUVs, and any other SUV-style vehicle with a unibody build is known as a crossover.
Advantages
Initially, crossover cars bridged the gap in the market where people wanted the benefits of an SUV (extra size, off-road capability, etc.) without reduced comfort, high fuel consumption, and other disadvantages.
Thanks to their unibody construction, like regular road cars, crossovers usually offer a more comfortable, smooth ride, are easier to maneuver and park, handle better, and tend to stop quicker than SUVs.
Since crossovers are lighter and smaller than SUVs, they boast lower fuel consumption. This makes crossovers a better choice for those who need a car for commuting, making long journeys, or city driving.
While they are smaller than traditional SUVs, crossovers still provide plenty of seating space. Some models also have a third row of seats, so these vehicles can comfortably seat larger families.
Crossovers are built with a higher seating position and greater visibility than traditional road cars, giving them the accessibility of an SUV.
Are There Any Disadvantages?
It is difficult to point out any clear-cut disadvantages of crossover cars because there are so many variations within this category, and some will be better than others. Some crossovers, despite their appearance, are only equipped with front-wheel drive, and their off-road performance is limited. However, you have the option of choosing four-wheel drive too. In addition, crossovers tend to look bulkier than regular hatchbacks or other road cars — but this is usually not such a big issue since these vehicles don’t take up more space on the road.
