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Ya'll! I found a boxy SUV - Toyota 4Runner. AND it's super tall - I tower over all the other vehicles on the road! So fun!
Your vehicle is 1.5 inches taller than my Explorer, but the Explorer wheels are wider apart, giving the Explorer a little more stable handling. The exterior is longer for the Explorer. Interior measurements the Explorer beats the 4Runner. And the fuel mileage is some better for the Explorer due to the more modern air flow design.
These are the reasons, for the change in shape of the two vehicles, and the boxy look and design is old fashioned.
The safety on the road due to handling ability especially at high speed, and the interior capacity to carry all their equipment, and rear seat passengers, is the reason that in the biggest 50 police departments have already been converted to where over half of their vehicles are already Explorers, and other police vehicles are switching all over the country.
I have been driving SUVs and Pickups since mid 70s, starting with a Chevrolet Suburban and Silverado Pickup. I can tell you from experience that the new type SUV is a change for the better for average drivers. My wife and I are both near 90 and have a new style Explorer and a F-150 pickup, and feel those will be the last vehicles we will ever need to own. We are both in very good health according to our doctors, and are estimated by them to be good for another 10 years at least, and those two vehicles will still be in good condition when we are gone.
Committees and CAD ruin styling. SUVs should look brawny and strong, not swoopy.
Women buy SUVs in huge numbers or at the least influence the husband to buy an SUV. Much of modern SUV styling is aimed at the female market. Women have far different tastes than men. In fact, women don't think much about exterior styling by and large. They like safety, low price, good mileage, and a lot of interior features and creature comforts.
But mostly, committees just ruin styling across the board.
Majority of SUVs today are misclassified. They are technically MPV not SUV since most of them are not properly designed for any offroading. When you have SUVs that are FWD and doesn't have any underbody protection against mud or dirt then it is just a car raised up with a cabin.
They used to be nice and boxy but now they make all so "sleek" looking that they look like hatchbacks on stilts.
Because a segment of the driving public doesn't want to buy SUV's, so manufacturers are disguising them, and selling them as "not-quite-SUV's, i.e. "crossover" vehicles.
And, what's wrong with "sleek"? What's preferable about "boxy"? The auto industry has always been subject to fashion industry trends.
Majority of SUVs today are misclassified. They are technically MPV not SUV since most of them are not properly designed for any offroading. When you have SUVs that are FWD and doesn't have any underbody protection against mud or dirt then it is just a car raised up with a cabin.
I don't know what the EPA considers MPVs for CAFE standards. More than marketing, I would think that would be the critical part of the decision.
Are these terms officially defined somewhere? You regularly see these guys complaining that "SUVs" these days arent real "SUVs" because they dont have a "body on frame" construction as if anyone but a small % of the population care. Is there an "official" definition somewhere to jusitfy this position?
Are these terms officially defined somewhere? You regularly see these guys complaining that "SUVs" these days arent real "SUVs" because they dont have a "body on frame" construction as if anyone but a small % of the population care. Is there an "official" definition somewhere to jusitfy this position?
Since it is the government we are talking about, and it has financial repercussions there clearly had to be official definitions. However, in typical government fashion the EPA official statement is completely obtuse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EPA
Many SUVs and minivans are considered light duty trucks. Since vehicle manufacturers, and not EPA, determines the GVWR for vehicles and their other characteristics that determine the car/truck classification, EPA has not compiled a list of make/models by model year that classify vehicles.EPA
Toyota makes it very clear that Corolla is a Car, but the C-HR and RAV4 are part of their Truck division. But clearly there are only modest increases in weight. Technically both SUVs are shorter in length than the Corolla.
COROLLA Curb weight 2,910 to 3,150 lbs Dimensions: 182-183″ L x 70″ W x 56-57″ H
C-HR - Curb weight 3,300 lbs Dimensions: 173″ L x 71″ W x 62″ H
RAV4 Curb weight 3,370 to 3,655 lbs Dimensions 181-182″ L x 73″ W x 67-69″ H
Yaris sales were discontinued in the US, so it is now only sold in Japan, Europe, and Australasia.
Corolla is now the lightest and least expensive vehicle that Toyota sells in the US. The C-HR is only a little heavier and starts at $1620 more than the Corolla. The RAV4 starts at $6,275 more than a Corolla.
Last edited by PacoMartin; 10-28-2021 at 12:28 PM..
Are these terms officially defined somewhere? You regularly see these guys complaining that "SUVs" these days arent real "SUVs" because they dont have a "body on frame" construction as if anyone but a small % of the population care. Is there an "official" definition somewhere to jusitfy this position?
No, there isn't an official designation anywhere on that. SUVs started getting called that with the original Explorer (where the term was coined) and S10 Blazer, which , since they were based off of the small pickups, were body on frame. Before that, they were only called wagons or station wagons (yes, even the suburban and Grand Wagoneer. Hell, it's right in the name of the Jeep version!).
But about the same time as the Explorer and S10 Blazer were starting to be called SUVs, Jeep came out with it's own competitor, the Grand Cherokee. Which was unit construction, not BOF. It was indeed an SUV nonetheless. So no, SUVs do not have to be BOF and they don't even need to be 4WD or AWD, as the big guns, the Suburban/Tahoe and the earlier International TravelAll sold primarily as 2WD vehicles.
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