Karen Radley Volkswagen Official Blog
Sport Utility Vehicle VS. Crossover Utility Vehicle
By Product Expert | Posted in Comparisons, Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, Volkswagen Tiguan on Monday, October 31st, 2016 at 10:26 am
What is the difference between a crossover and an SUV?
Crossover-Utility Vehicle, or CUV is a fairly loose term. In its simplest form, a crossover is a vehicle that combines visual aspects from two or more different types of passenger cars to make one unique vehicle.
Original Crossover
The term crossover emerged in 2008 in a Wall Street Journal article. When it was introduced, it specifically referred to a vehicle that looks like an SUV but sits on the frame of a sedan or wagon.
Crossover Evolution
As time goes on, the definition of a crossover continues to broaden. Car manufacturers are getting more creative with their designs, mixing and matching many different visual characteristics into new models. Basically, companies have every right to label any car as a crossover as long as it doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a car, SUV, or truck. Another way to look at it is that a crossover is an SUV but an SUV isn’t necessarily a crossover.
Volkswagen Crossover Models
Volkswagen doesn’t use the term crossover to describe any of its cars, but that doesn’t mean they do not directly compare and compete with them. The Volkswagen Tiguan, for example, is a small SUV that easily fits into the crossover category despite its designation by Volkswagen as a sporty SUV.
It would also be fair to label the Volkswagen Golf  Alltrack as an SUV/wagon crossover, but Volkswagen likes to think of it as an adventurous wagon. If you have any questions about what a crossover-utility vehicle is or how it compares to a sport-utility vehicle, leave a comment below or stop by Karen Radley VW to get behind the wheel!
