Are Crossover Vehicles Here to Stay?
Discussion
As far as convenience goes, there is no denying crossover vehicles have earned their place in the consumer car market. We are talking versatility and practicality for a generation that is happy with the comfort of an SUV but with the fuel and operational cost-effectiveness of a Sedan. The comfort and style must be big factors for crossover fans and you can help but notice a good idea when you see it. Just a bit curious on whether this is the kind of trend you think will continue growing as it has been, or is just a big experiment that is still early to call?
Crossovers combine the space and versatility of boring mumsy people-carriers, and let you sit up high in a reassuring way that makes people feel powerful/safe (delete as appropriate), and avoid the thirst of real 4x4s, all whilst still looking like you’re an interesting active outdoorsy person who might be off to Wales at the weekend with a couple of kayaks on the roof.
Basically they’re good at doing what average people need cars to do, dressed up in a package that happily manages to cover for all the areas with which that usability would compromise an ordinary saloon/estate car design.
Here to stay, until someone comes up with something even better at making people feel good whilst also ticking their practicality boxes. Maybe when electric saloons go mainstream and you have a ton more storage space but can still look sleek AND brag you’re saving the environment? But even then, people do like sitting high & it makes it easier to carry babies in car seats and Granny with the bad hip...
Basically they’re good at doing what average people need cars to do, dressed up in a package that happily manages to cover for all the areas with which that usability would compromise an ordinary saloon/estate car design.
Here to stay, until someone comes up with something even better at making people feel good whilst also ticking their practicality boxes. Maybe when electric saloons go mainstream and you have a ton more storage space but can still look sleek AND brag you’re saving the environment? But even then, people do like sitting high & it makes it easier to carry babies in car seats and Granny with the bad hip...
Venturist said:
Crossovers combine the space and versatility of boring mumsy people-carriers, and let you sit up high in a reassuring way that makes people feel powerful/safe (delete as appropriate), and avoid the thirst of real 4x4s, all whilst still looking like you’re an interesting active outdoorsy person who might be off to Wales at the weekend with a couple of kayaks on the roof.
Basically they’re good at doing what average people need cars to do, dressed up in a package that happily manages to cover for all the areas with which that usability would compromise an ordinary saloon/estate car design.
Here to stay, until someone comes up with something even better at making people feel good whilst also ticking their practicality boxes. Maybe when electric saloons go mainstream and you have a ton more storage space but can still look sleek AND brag you’re saving the environment? But even then, people do like sitting high & it makes it easier to carry babies in car seats and Granny with the bad hip...
So basically they are the best at nothing, just a sad compromise! Basically they’re good at doing what average people need cars to do, dressed up in a package that happily manages to cover for all the areas with which that usability would compromise an ordinary saloon/estate car design.
Here to stay, until someone comes up with something even better at making people feel good whilst also ticking their practicality boxes. Maybe when electric saloons go mainstream and you have a ton more storage space but can still look sleek AND brag you’re saving the environment? But even then, people do like sitting high & it makes it easier to carry babies in car seats and Granny with the bad hip...
My mother is 96 and 5'2" on a good day, and has had 2 knee replacements - she can't climb into cars like that! Surely they are designed with kiddy-seats in mind!
But my BMW E91 Touring works well - she can get in and out and there is room for walkers, Zimmers, wheelchairs, etc.
I wonder when the Estate (or "Touring" in BMW speak) went out of fashion!
After all we have an ageing population.
Mr Tidy said:
So basically they are the best at nothing, just a sad compromise!
My mother is 96 and 5'2" on a good day, and has had 2 knee replacements - she can't climb into cars like that! Surely they are designed with kiddy-seats in mind!
But my BMW E91 Touring works well - she can get in and out and there is room for walkers, Zimmers, wheelchairs, etc.
I wonder when the Estate (or "Touring" in BMW speak) went out of fashion!
After all we have an ageing population.
To add to that, my nan is only 75 but after a hip replacement she lost confidence and has very poor mobility and struggles in most cars. My aunt has a Ford Ecosport and my nan struggles the most with the height - she found their old CMAX easier to get in and out of. Nan also finds my dad's Evoque difficult for being too high and my Fabia is awkward because of the deep sports seats. My mother is 96 and 5'2" on a good day, and has had 2 knee replacements - she can't climb into cars like that! Surely they are designed with kiddy-seats in mind!
But my BMW E91 Touring works well - she can get in and out and there is room for walkers, Zimmers, wheelchairs, etc.
I wonder when the Estate (or "Touring" in BMW speak) went out of fashion!
After all we have an ageing population.
However, she actually finds our Swift the easiest to get in and out of - the not too low but not too high seat suits perfectly and the high roofline/wide doors gives more space to manoeuvre. Flat seats also make it easier to shuffle in.
Crossovers are perfect for child seats and for being high up in terms of visibility, but for mobility problems roomy superminis or small to mid size MPVs are probably the best shout. There must be a reason why most of the elderly population round where I live drive Hyundai i10s or C4 Picasso's after all....
Mr Tidy said:
So basically they are the best at nothing, just a sad compromise!
My mother is 96 and 5'2" on a good day, and has had 2 knee replacements - she can't climb into cars like that! Surely they are designed with kiddy-seats in mind!
But my BMW E91 Touring works well - she can get in and out and there is room for walkers, Zimmers, wheelchairs, etc.
I wonder when the Estate (or "Touring" in BMW speak) went out of fashion!
After all we have an ageing population.
Not so sure about best at nothing. We have one of the Hyundai thingies and it's ideal as a family car. Reliable, economical, comfy on long journeys, bags of space inside yet small enough around town or in a supermarket car park, big flat and wide load space great for luggage, bikes, scooters, prams etc and also comes with a smart roof rail system should you need to transport everything you own at the same time. It's the automotive equivalent of a strong, healthy, clydesdale. Also worth saying that my 71 year old 5'11" dad has just had a hip replacement and this is the only car he can be transported in at the moment as the high entry/seating position doesn't bend the joint beyond 90º.My mother is 96 and 5'2" on a good day, and has had 2 knee replacements - she can't climb into cars like that! Surely they are designed with kiddy-seats in mind!
But my BMW E91 Touring works well - she can get in and out and there is room for walkers, Zimmers, wheelchairs, etc.
I wonder when the Estate (or "Touring" in BMW speak) went out of fashion!
After all we have an ageing population.
Before purchase I did float the idea of an estate as I selfishly wanted something for transporting bikes etc. Simple fact is the proportion of boot to rear seat is just better in most crossovers as you're more likely to be transporting humans than "stuff" yet you still get a big boot.
(I'm not sure any manufacturer makes a car for 5'2" 96 year olds with dodgy knees. A possible oversight by them?)
Ditto much of the above. My grandparents traded their Focus for a Kuga last year, gran is having hip problems and finds it much easier to get out of. Grandad loves it too. Basically the same interior size as a focus but with a slightly bigger boot (bit bigger than the hatch, bit less than the wagon).
Personally I quite like them, I grew up in rural Scotland, we have been running around in RAVs, CRVs and Jimnys since the beginning of time, when bad weather hits, whether it flooding or snow the road bias soft roaders just blow everything else away in capability. Without the running costs of a full fat 4x4, the hassle of a 'proper' locking t-case, the weight or less than ideal driving dynamics. But with noted advantages over ordinary hatchbacks in the form of extra clearance (a godsend when digging a car out of snow or driving through flooded roads), and ordinarily a fwd bias VC diff AWD system optimal for the road.
Personally I'd take a 'proper' 4x4. Currently daily a Jimny. But I can totally see how a crossover is more suitable for the most people.
Personally I quite like them, I grew up in rural Scotland, we have been running around in RAVs, CRVs and Jimnys since the beginning of time, when bad weather hits, whether it flooding or snow the road bias soft roaders just blow everything else away in capability. Without the running costs of a full fat 4x4, the hassle of a 'proper' locking t-case, the weight or less than ideal driving dynamics. But with noted advantages over ordinary hatchbacks in the form of extra clearance (a godsend when digging a car out of snow or driving through flooded roads), and ordinarily a fwd bias VC diff AWD system optimal for the road.
Personally I'd take a 'proper' 4x4. Currently daily a Jimny. But I can totally see how a crossover is more suitable for the most people.
Edited by caelite on Thursday 23 August 12:58
- wrong pic sorry
I wanna say the top one is a Dacia Sandero Stepway (Just a Sandero with plastic bumpers) The bottom one is a Vauxhall Mokka (A Corsa with a lift kit) as I'm surrounded by them in my street. So they were never going to have a big boot. But yes we need to divide by supermini crossovers etc...
nunpuncher said:
(I'm not sure any manufacturer makes a car for 5'2" 96 year olds with dodgy knees. A possible oversight by them?)
Honda Jazz?nunpuncher said:
I'm not sure many people think of a Juke when they hear the term "crossover".
That's exactly the car I think of when someone says crossover...ugly and pointless 
That poor Chocolate Lab (?) doesn't look too pleased with the car choice.
The important thing is that we have choice. Some like estate cars, some like coupes and others like 4x4s. And yes some like crossovers(no not me). You could also argue that a 2 seater was more pointless and uses up more space on the road as it cant carry as many people as a crossover. But that would be daft. What we should be doing is celebrating choice. The more types of cars the better in my opinion.
Tomthespesh said:
I wanna say the top one is a Dacia Sandero Stepway (Just a Sandero with plastic bumpers) The bottom one is a Vauxhall Mokka (A Corsa with a lift kit) as I'm surrounded by them in my street. So they were never going to have a big boot. But yes we need to divide by supermini crossovers etc...
It is a Captur, which is built on a Clio platform; the boot for its size is a very good size and shape.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff