Aren't 2WD SUV's really just over-sized stationwagons?

Asked by prescottman2008 (780

) June 1st, 2010

I first noticed this phenomenon when I was working as a mechanic back in the mid-90’s. I had a vehicle up on the lift and noticed that is was missing the front transaxle even though on the outside it appeared to be a 4WD. I remember we all joked that they should change the name from “4runner” to 2runner. Marketing departments began using the SUV tag about that time I think, since before that they were commonly called “four wheeled drives” , “off-road vehicles” , or “recreational vehicles”

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Glad you brought this to our attention. wife and i had this same discussion on the interstate, just yesterday. vehicle of discussion was the Rav4. its nothing more than a four-door sedan with a higher top.

Same goes for most of the SUV’s on the road. most are crossovers, makeovers, or just have facelifts from other vehicles. a good example are motor homes. most have standard truck frames, the only difference is whats added on top. really true SUV’s and motor homes are built from the ground up to be that one specific vehicle. some people may never understand this. most of todays vehicles are the same of two to three years ago. the only difference is cosmetic made on the vehicles body for show.

john65pennington (29258

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I forgot about that other marketing term, “cross-over”. Crossed over from what? I think it means it’s a mini-van that doesn’t make you feel like a “soccer mom”, not that there’s anything wrong with being a “soccer-mom”, unless, of course, you’re a “soccer dad”.

prescottman2008 (780

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That was confusing. crossover means it didn’t make it as a Pontiac, so now with a little help of cosmetic surgery, it will crossover to be made into a Malibu.

john65pennington (29258

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