Avondale Nissan Official Blog
A Brief Overview of Nissan’s Crossover SUVs
By Product Expert | Posted in Nissan Juke, Nissan Murano, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Rogue on Friday, November 21st, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Nissan Crossover SUV Lineup Phoenix AZ
A common theme has been running throughout the auto industry for the last decade or so, and it’s one that certainly won’t go unnoticed by any visitor to Avondale Nissan: the advent of crossover SUVs. We obviously have our own excellent examples of these, in the Juke, Rogue, Murano and Pathfinder. But what is it about them that makes them each “crossover SUVs”?
Crossover SUVs…
…have a unibody construction. The assumption about crossovers has generally been that they are some sort of “half-car/half-truck” thing, which really isn’t that far off. Basically, it’s assembled like a car would be–with unibody platform construction–rather than the body-on-frame design used by trucks and traditional SUVs. This greatly reduces the weight of the vehicle, which we will find out is a very good thing.
…are generally regarded as on-road or light-duty vehicles. Crossover SUVs put a higher premium on passenger comfort and on-road performance than on power numbers or feats of strength. That’s not to say that they can’t pull a boat or a trailer; quite the contrary, actually. However, they aren’t intended for the rough-and-tumble lifestyle that a body-on-frame design has in mind.
…achieve much greater fuel economy numbers. As we said before, crossover SUVs generally are much lighter than their traditional SUV counterparts. This means they require less power to get themselves going, meaning that they can trim bulk off of the powertrain platform as well. This is the unintended result of the early-2000s recession, where drivers began to pay more attention to fuel economy and gas prices, and vehicles like the Rogue–achieving an excellent 33 highway mpg–became much more reasonable.
At Avondale Nissan, we of course are able to boast the industry’s finest roster of crossover SUVs, so we’re pretty pleased with the shift toward crossover SUVs. And naturally, we’d like to pass this sense of joy on to you! Visit Avondale Nissan today to see our terrific assortment of crossover SUVs!
