{"id":226,"date":"2017-03-21T23:12:21","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T23:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/?p=226"},"modified":"2017-05-18T12:54:12","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T12:54:12","slug":"suvs-evolution-driving-favorite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/21\/suvs-evolution-driving-favorite\/","title":{"rendered":"SUVs:  The Evolution of A Driving Favorite"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The SUV family tree<\/strong> includes station wagons, estate cars, light pickup trucks, minivans, large sedans, and even some standout forebears like the WWII-era Willys MB (or Jeep). SUVs began their more modern, widespread, popular presence in the 1990s, peaked in appeal because of high oil prices, then got hot again, especially when gas started getting cheaper and prices more stable. According to <em>Wikipedia<\/em>, \u201cAt the end of 2016, sales of SUVs and light duty trucks had surpassed traditional car sales for the year by over 3 million units.\u201d Buyers like the bigger passenger and cargo space, safety features, towing possibilities and off-road capability.<br \/>\n<!--more--><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-413 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bmw-1216469__340-300x300.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bmw-1216469__340-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bmw-1216469__340-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>What Is It?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although there\u2019s no single, inclusive definition, an SUV is definitely <em>not<\/em> a sedan. <em>Edmunds<\/em>, the everything-about-cars resource, uses the term to describe a vehicle with \u201ca tall body, a hatchback and an elevated ride height,\u201d and built on either a car platform (in which case, marketers are usually talking about a \u201ccrossover\u201d) or a truck platform. A \u201ccar-based\u201d design may give you better handling, better fuel economy, and a smoother, roomier ride. \u201cTruck-based\u201d SUVs are heavier, can tow more, and generally score better off-road.<\/p>\n<p>Within those fairly broad descriptors is a nearly infinite choice of manufacturers, models, trim levels, and bells and whistles. \u00a0Subcompact to full-size, with subsets depending on seat layout (\u201c3<sup>rd<\/sup> row, seats 8!\u201d). And, of course, a very wide price range (from $20,000-ish to more than a hundred grand for very upscale, luxury examples).<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nWhat To Look For<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Consider good crash scores (from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) among your buying checklist items (which should also include points like \u201ccost to own\u201d and insurance premiums).<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-414 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/pexels-photo-104401-300x300.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/pexels-photo-104401-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wheelsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/pexels-photo-104401-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>ABS, front-side airbags and stability control are pretty standard, and more high-tech features like rearview cameras, keyless starters, power liftgates, and blind-spot warning alerts are becoming increasingly standard (as they are on more and more vehicles generally). And look for driver- and passenger-friendly features like foldable\/removable&#8211;or reclinable&#8211;rear seats, electronic and entertainment options, plus extra storage bins and cup holders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Four-to-eight cylinders, 2WD\/4WD\/AWD are all options. \u00a0Even if \u201cvery good\u201d gas mileage isn\u2019t generally associated with SUVs, the most efficient and economical can get you in the mid-high 20 mpg range, with hybrids doing considerably better.<\/p>\n<p>Check out <u>U.S. News &amp; World Report<\/u>\u2019s Rankings and Reviews of the best 2017 SUVs (based on performance, exterior, interior, safety, and reliability). \u00a0They range from the #1 Compact Category Honda CR-V to the tied-for #2 Luxury SUV With 3 Rows&#8211;the Audi Q7 and the BMW X5 (the 2016 Tesla Model X won number one in this category).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The SUV family tree includes station wagons, estate cars, light pickup trucks, minivans, large sedans, and even some standout forebears like the WWII-era Willys MB (or Jeep). SUVs began their more modern, widespread, popular presence in the 1990s, peaked in appeal because of high oil prices, then got hot again, especially when gas started getting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>SUVs: The Evolution of A Driving Favorite | WheelsNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SUVs began their more modern, widespread, popular presence in the 1990s, peaked in appeal because of high oil prices, then got hot again\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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