2012 & 2011 SUV Reviews & Ratings

The Sports Utility Vehicle or SUV first came about as a derivative of the military scouting vehicle such as the Jeep and the Land Rover. They were primarily used by farmers and people who spent a lot of time off road. The Jeep Cherokee officially held the title as the first sport oriented utility vehicle and technically the first vehicle that could be properly designated as an SUV. It contained the standard features that are found in current SUVs such as an interior designed for comfort, fou... (full review continues below)

The Sports Utility Vehicle or SUV first came about as a derivative of the military scouting vehicle such as the Jeep and the Land Rover. They were primarily used by farmers and people who spent a lot of time off road. The Jeep Cherokee officially held the title as the first sport oriented utility vehicle and technically the first vehicle that could be properly designated as an SUV. It contained the standard features that are found in current SUVs such as an interior designed for comfort, four wheel drive and a wheelbase comparable to a Sedan sized vehicle. With the Cherokee's redesign adding two more doors to its original 2 door version, the term SUV started to become common place as the four door version no longer resembled the original army utility Jeep, nor did it reflect the sedentary qualities of a traditional Sedan. Auto writers were required to coin a new term to describe this new breed of vehicle, creating the birth of the SUV.

As it gained in popularity, SUVs began to move out of it its rural beginnings and become more mainstream as families started to appreciate the value of having a vehicle that was as comfortable as a station wagon while at the same time offering opportunities for more adventurous camping style holidays. It also added safety with its raised wheel base and generally more rugged construction than a standard station wagon. Current SUV buyers are primarily families with many of the original rural buyers having moved back towards trucks, as trucks have developed in line with the added comfort found in SUVs.

The SUV market since its inception has proved both very successful and highly lucrative for auto manufacturers with most of the larger car companies offering several different models to cover the market from budget oriented models all the way up to the super luxury giant SUVs. The super large models were popular when they first came out but given their size, very poor fuel economy in a market of rising gas prices and cost, sales have been dwindling. Some manufacturers are now switching all their focus on the more popular and practical crossover SUV models.

The term SUV has become more and more blurred with time and there is no standard definition. A sub class of crossover SUV has emerged which basically refers to an SUV with a lower wheelbase close to that of a traditional sedan with 2WD, 4WD or AWD included in this crossover SUV class. Basically, nowadays if a vehicle has a slightly raised wheelbase and off road style tires, then it is grouped in the crossover SUV category.

The SUV market is so large now that there are many manufacturers competing in this class including Nissan, GMC, Ford, Jeep, Range Rover and Lexus, all offering varying levels of performance and luxury depending on budget. Many of the sport and luxury manufacturers have also successfully crossed over such as Porsche, Audi and Mercedes Benz.