The Sport-Utility Vehicle – SUV – segment is the most hotly contested in today’s car sales market. Both consumers and automakers use the terms SUV and crossover interchangeably, there are technically some key differences. A crossover is lighter and built on a car platform, whereas a traditional SUV is heavier, using a truck chassis.
Sport-Utility Vehicles use a body-on-frame design, meaning that the frame and body are built separately and joined together in the subsequent manufacturing process. The truck-based SUV is generally more rugged and can haul larger payloads. SUVs re built for rougher terrain and tend to be larger in size - most models are categorised as mid-sized or full-sized.