Today, more and more often you can hear the same question from most car drivers: “Is there any benefit from SUVs?”. For reference, an SUV is a car with increased off-road patency, due to high ground clearance (clearance), as well as leading front and rear wheels.
If you are going to buy or lease an SUV, you should define its advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, you shouldn't confuse the concepts of "Off-road vehicle" and "Crossover", because the former is designed for full-fledged off-road (as a rule, they have a frame structure and permanent all-wheel drive), and the second for city streets (as a rule, they have a plug-in all-wheel drive and car body).
SUV advantages
Trunk volume
Only in an SUV can you carry a large number of things, as well as large loads that will not fit into the trunk of a sedan. Therefore, it is quite logical that an SUV is often used when moving.
Capacity
If somewhere you can completely abstract yourself from the hustle and bustle of the outside world on the road, then only while driving an SUV. This moment can be appreciated by those who often go on long trips, especially with children. Both the driver and passengers will feel at comfort since there is a lot of space in the car.
Resistant to adverse weather conditions
They don’t care about snow, hail, strong winds, or slush. In a word, the SUV endures stoically any whim of nature, except, perhaps, ice, which allows you to go on a trip on it in almost any weather.
Patency
Sludge has already been mentioned. In general, in terms of its ability to overcome off-road, an SUV can be compared with a tank. In addition, as experience shows, every second avid fisherman prefers to ride an off-road vehicle. You never know what jungle you have to go to in search of fishing spots.
Versatility
The good cross-country ability of an SUV has already been mentioned. But this is a great option for a business trip - the SUV looks quite representative.
SUV disadvantages
Dimensions
If you don’t take into account the spaciousness, the dimensions of the SUV can cause some inconvenience. One of them is the lack of maneuverability. In the old areas of the city, not to mention the private sector, it is difficult for an SUV to turn around. In this case, the SUV can be compared not with a tank, but rather with an elephant in a china shop. And no designer has yet been able to provide it with a smooth movement through the narrow streets.
Cost
Both the fuel that an SUV needs and the purchase of spare parts are expenses, and considerable ones. And car wash services for the owner of an SUV will cost a lot - after all, the larger the car, the more time, as well as the amount of detergent and cleaning agent it takes. In addition, this expensive car needs high-quality protection against thieves - alarms, dashboard camera, etc.
The bottom line
If you are the happy owner of our country house, then buying an SUV is certainly preferable to a crossover. As for a city dweller who rarely travels by car outside the city, it would be much better to choose a front-wheel-drive crossover with increased ground clearance. For fans of frequent fishing and off-road travel, it is better to buy an SUV with permanent all-wheel drive. However, it is worth considering the fact that systematically moving around in a full-fledged SUV is more tiring than in a compact crossover.