Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfhound
Where did the name SUV or Sports Utility Vehicle come from to describe a slightly raised hatch back or estate car?
To me an SUV, if I had never seen one could be a Holden or Ford ute so popular in Australia with a V8 under the hood and tyres bigger that found on F1 car, or a VW caddy with the under pinnings of a Golf GTi or a slightly detuned Transit Supervan. In other words a utility vehicle that was quicker than your average van or pick up that could still be used to carry goods or used for services.
Instead we get a raised hatch back to carry passengers.
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I guess originally it seemed to refer to utility vehicles (so LandRovers or similar in the UK) that were being used in a non-utility role.
So when the interior of 4x4s become more designed for family use they became SUVs.
Over time, the market has led to more and more car based platforms rather than truck based - and the need for the 'utility' side of the name has disappeared almost entirely. It has also led to compact (or crossover) SUVs, which by the nature of car manufacturer will use the platform of a smaller car.
A look through the history of Mercedes' M>GL development tracks quite well the SUV market move from body-on-frame trucks into unibody, upsized cars.