A lot of people nowadays don’t really know what SUV stands for. SUV stand for sport utility vehicle but that doesn’t really explain a great deal about the car. The first examples were big, rugged machines that were sturdy and fitted with four-wheel drive, which meant that they could travel off-road. They also had a spacious interior, a large boot and were built for a tough life. Their high driving position became popular, the number of buyers who never took SUVs off tarmac increased and manufacturers increasingly made them more stylish, and more car-like to drive – often at the expense of their off-road ability.
And in 2018, the term SUV can still be applied to big and rugged cars capable of scaling different terrains, such as the Toyota Land Cruiser or Range Rover. But the name can also apply to smaller and far less capable vehicles (often without four-wheel drive), such as the Vauxhall Mokka X and Honda HR-V. However, these are really crossovers. Think of them as more like a tall hatchback than an SUV.
An SUV is also tall. The original purpose wasn’t to give the driver a better view of the road ahead, but to enable to vehicle to pass over jagged rocks, and through ruts, without scraping the bottom.
It’s got lots of interior space too. Whether you’re an extreme sports enthusiast or a farmer that needs to transport bales of hay, a traditional SUV should have enough room.