SUV vs. Crossover: Here's the Difference

4WD Toyota 4Runner and AWD Toyota Highlander — Photo credits: Toyota

If you’re shopping for a large vehicle, you might choose between a crossover and an SUV, even if you don’t know the difference. To add to the confusion, some automakers and salespeople frequently use the terms interchangeably.

The key difference is that a crossover is built on a car-based platform, and initially, an SUV was built on a truck-based platform. Since that’s a difference you probably can’t see for yourself, we’ll go into more detail.

See the Best Crossover SUVs

Traditional SUVs

2020 Chevrolet Tahoe / Photo Credit: Chevrolet

Traditional sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, were designed to provide pickup-like performance with a larger body with enclosed passenger and cargo space instead of a truck bed.

Fewer traditional SUVs are available as automakers build fewer vehicles with body-on-frame (or truck-based) construction. However, plenty of people are still loyal to traditional SUVs and have legitimate reasons to prefer one over a crossover.

And remember, many people call any raised vehicle with room for at least five people an SUV, regardless of the platform the car sits on.

Crossovers

2020 Chevrolet Traverse / Photo Credit: Chevrolet

The crossover is sometimes called a crossover utility vehicle or CUV. The first crossover vehicle sold in the United States was the Toyota RAV4, introduced in 1996 and followed closely by the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V, which are still on the market.

However, the vehicle’s origin can be traced back to lifted station wagons of the 1970s, often featuring four- or all-wheel drive. It’s hard to determine precisely when the term “crossover” came into play. However, it eventually became a common way to describe a vehicle with car-like rides and SUV-like features.

Crossover or SUV: Which Is Right for You?

If you can’t decide between a crossover or an SUV, it helps to consider how you typically use your vehicle. If passenger comfort is your main priority, a crossover will probably suit your needs, but if you have heavy-duty towing and hauling needs, an SUV might be a better fit. Keep reading for more about the pros and cons of each.

Pros of Traditional SUVs

Many consumers think size is the main distinction between a crossover and a proper SUV. There’s usually a correlation, but there’s a little more to it than that. With brands that offer a mix of both, the SUVs tend to be larger than the crossovers.

For example, take a look at Chevrolet. The Suburban and Tahoe SUVs are much larger than the Equinox, Traverse, and Trax crossovers. Size is a big part of the appeal for Suburban and Tahoe buyers, but so is the truck platform that comes with them because it enables off-road capability and higher towing and hauling ratings. With the earliest SUVs, the size was just a given because it resulted from putting a three-row vehicle body on top of a truck.

Cons of Traditional SUVs

The main drawbacks of an SUV lead to the benefits of crossovers: SUVs tend to be considerably more expensive to buy and cost more to own because it takes more fuel to feed bigger engines and haul around extra weight. Furthermore, as crossovers grow in popularity, the selection of true SUVs on the market has stagnated.

Pros of Crossovers

Crossovers offer some of an SUV’s looks and functionality without some drawbacks. They’re based on car platforms, so they’re lighter in weight and inherently more fuel-efficient than SUVs. They use smaller, more efficient engines, though some sacrifice fuel economy for speed.

Crossovers offer SUV-like styling, passenger space, and cargo capacity, along with the higher driving position of an SUV, which is a key reason why they became popular among buyers.

Cons of Crossovers

As for drawbacks, a crossover can’t work as hard as an SUV can because of the limitations of its unibody platform.

While many crossovers offer modest towing capability and optional all-wheel drive, and some have decent off-road capabilities, a crossover is essentially a larger, lifted car. Overall performance can’t compete with a dressed-up pickup truck vehicle.

Examples of Crossovers and True SUVs

Chevrolet is an excellent example of a brand offering crossovers and SUVs. Remember that many brands offer only crossovers rather than true SUVs, such as Buick, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, and Volkswagen. We can’t list every crossover and SUV on the market, but below are some more examples from three brands that have both crossovers and true body-on-frame SUVs.