Crossover vs SUV - What are the Differences?

Both crossover and SUV cars have risen in popularity in recent years as drivers turn to higher-riding, confidence-inspiring models to get around in. You’ll find both car types available to buy through our website, coming from a variety of manufacturers. At Carsa, we offer a wide variety of used cars on finance. Visit one of our showrooms located across the country or contact us today for a personalised customer service.

How is a crossover different to an SUV and what does each type offer to you? We’ll be finding out soon enough.

What is an SUV?

SUV stands for Sports Utility Vehicle. Originally, this type of vehicle was designed to offer all the versatility of a rugged four-wheel-drive but with a more on-road focus that would make it a little more comfortable and easier to live with day-to-day. It brings together a high riding position with all of those creature comforts that you’d expect to find on a ‘normal’ saloon or estate vehicle.

There are all sizes and shapes of SUV cars, too, like the high-riding Mercedes GLE and Jaguar F-Pace, to the more compact Audi Q3. You’ll find all of these vehicles - and more - on our website, too.

But What is a Crossover?

The crossover car is a more recent invention. There are some shared attributes between crossover and SUV cars, of course, but what you’ll find more prominent about the former is a more road-going focus than a usual SUV. Most won’t get all- or four-wheel-drive - so they can’t really travel off-road - and they may not get specific features or settings for travelling on difficult terrain, either.

However, crossover cars are great for drivers who like to sit up high but don’t want the additional running costs that often accompany full SUVs. Examples include Skoda Karoq, Nissan Juke and Renault Captur.

But which one is right for me?

Whether you get an SUV or a crossover car depends entirely on the type of driving you’re most frequently doing and how much space you require while you’re doing it. If you live in the countryside, for instance, you might want the extra off-road ability that a full SUV car brings, enabling you to drive down slippery roads or in colder weather with extra confidence. Larger SUV cars bring more interior space, too, and there are some seven-seater options currently available through our website which could prove ideal for larger families.

However, if you don’t need that off-road capability then a crossover could be a better choice. Since most crossover cars don’t have four-wheel-drive they’re often cheaper to run while their smaller-capacity engines make these models more affordable in terms of tax and insurance. However, they’ve still got that raised-up driving position which gives a more commanding view of the road ahead - it’s something that many drivers find quite confidence-inspiring.

SUV Cars Currently Available

We’ve got all manner of SUV cars currently available on our website, providing a variety of options if you’re in the market for one of these rugged models. Let’s take a look at some of the latest ones to arrive.

Jaguar F-Pace

The F-Pace is Jaguar’s largest SUV and it’s one which gets all of those high-quality features that you’d expect from this brand. With luxurious leather upholstery and plenty of on-board technology, this is one SUV which does feel a cut above the rest.

The F-Pace is available with a variety of engines, too, including a punchy turbocharged V6 diesel engine which provides great performance with a decent level of efficiency.

Range Rover Sport

The Range Rover Sport showcased a whole new direction for the brand when it first arrived, showing that a high-riding model could be dynamic in the way it drives, too. These days, the Sport remains a core part of the Range Rover line-up and you’ll find some fine examples of this high-quality SUV on our website too.

While the Sport might be good to drive on the road, its clever Terrain Response system - which allows you to program the car to suit a variety of settings and driving conditions - means that it can live up to Range Rover name off-road too.

BMW X3

The BMW X3 is BMW’s mid-size SUV, which is ideal if you’re looking for a car with loads of presence but without the uber-large exterior dimensions of others on this list. It’s good to drive, too, with typically ‘BMW’ levels of grip and body control that help to make this car quite a lot of fun through the bends.

Finished with some top-notch materials, the main screen in the centre of the BMW’s cabin incorporates loads of great functions to help take the strain out of every journey. Standard features such as cruise control and LED headlights help to make this SUV even more appealing.

Crossover Cars Currently Available

If the world of the SUV doesn’t sound appealing, then we’ve got plenty of great crossover cars to check out as an alternative. Remember, all cars come with a standard three-month warranty and get a comprehensive check-over prior to going on sale.

Ford Puma

The Ford Puma combines loads of great features into one very popular crossover. Since it’s based on the same platform that you’ll find underneath the now-discontinued Fiesta it’s relatively compact on the outside, yet its interior is spacious and there’s a decent amount of headroom for taller passengers too.

A large boot is helped by an additional 90 litres of underfloor storage, while the Puma’s nippy handling makes it a lot of fun to drive either around town or further afield.

BMW X1

If you want some of the flavour of the aforementioned BMW X3 but in a smaller crossover package then you should check out the BMW X1. Like its bigger brother, it’s made with some great materials and it feels wonderfully solid thanks to an excellent level of build quality.

Despite being reasonably compact the X1 drives like a much larger car, while its prominent front grille and upright bonnet give it quite a bit of presence out on the road.

Toyota C-HR

The quirky-looking Toyota C-HR gets the futuristic look that we’ve come to expect from Toyota vehicles. However, this design is backed up by some really good materials inside and an efficient hybrid setup that can help reduce fuel bills easily. It’s good to drive and, because it can run on electric power at low speeds, quiet to use around town.

Standard-fit Bluetooth connectivity means that it’s simple to play music from your smartphone through the car’s system, while a reversing camera makes this compact crossover even easier to park.

Contact us Today- Your Trusted Car Store

Both SUV and crossover cars offer that raised-up driving position that drivers love and the good news is that you’ll find both types of vehicles available through our website today. If you’d like to find out more, then head on over today or contact us today and we will assist you at every step of the way. You can also organise a test drive, check out individual vehicle specifications and even speak to a member of the team if you’ve got any more questions.