Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
My own image of a cross is that the suspension should be beefier. Not sure if that's true in this case.
The SUV/crossover form factor divorced itself from its original function a long time ago. In most cases, if the suspension is any beefier, that's only to support the greater mass and CoG height.
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Is it all image?
For some people with physiological issues, vehicles like this are a godsend because their higher floor (vs. a sedan/hatchback/wagon) makes them easier to get into and out of.
In extremely packed urban environments -- the likes of which almost no American can even imagine unless they've been to South Asia -- there's an argument for this kind of form factor because it can squeeze a hair more interior volume out of a given footprint.
Otherwise... yeah, basically all image. Or at least, it will be until so many people buy these things that all the decent hatchbacks/wagons/sedans aren't made any more. Which, sadly, has already started to happen in some segments.
A lot of people genuinely think crossovers/CUVs are more practical than the alternatives and have never actually checked to see if that's true for their usage (90% of the time, it isn't). Of those who have checked and still buy the crossover/CUV, most either like the look, are insanely self-conscious about the image of other types of vehicles, and/or like the feeling of a higher seating position -- and they're either unaware of the functional compromises or willing to make them.