These Are the Crossovers You Secretly Don't Hate

The Mach-E. But, Ford, listen, please stop calling it a Mustang.

Submitted by: bootska

I’m so tired of this old trope that enthusiasts should hate CUV’s. They are the new “car” and people need to deal with that. Some are more “car” than fun and that’s okay. A Camry isn’t a fun car, but it is a good car. I would take a RAV4 over a Camry any day of the week because it is more of an enthusiasts car than the Camry for my particular set of needs and wants.

Some quick facts:

1. The RAV4 is physically smaller on the road, but has nearly identical to the Camry for passenger volume. It’s footprint to interior volume ratio is better than the camry.

2. The RAV4 AWD 2.5 get 29 MPG combined compared to the Camry AWD 2.5's 28 mpg combined.

3. The weight difference is negligible. (about 70 lbs for similar configurations)

4. The RAV4 has more than double the cargo volume with all seats up and 4 times more with the seats down.

5. The rav4 can tow 3500 lbs - which is a useful amount for utility and play.

For me, a car enthusiast, cargo versatility and utility are more important than an extra .04g on the skidpad.

The comparison here doesn’t apply to all cars obviously, and I’m certainly not trying to make a case for the RAV4, PER SE. I just think we need to realize that “crossovers” are far more car than they ever have been, and bring a lot of hatch and wagon traits with them.Instead of shunning them, we should be celebrating “the wagoning” of the of the SUV. Now, they are wagons and hatches, but they are getting pretty darn close while bringing with them tangible benefits.

Submitted by: HammerheadFistPunch

I rented a Porsche Macan on TURO last year and it was fantastic. If was going to go down to one car instead I can’t think of a better contender.

Submitted by: FloridaMan

AND...

If we’re not talking crazy money like a Purosangue or Urus, I’m picking the Macan, and it’s not a secret since my wife owns one. It’s way more fun to drive than it has any right to be, the performance exhaust sounds great even with the 4-cyl, it can tow better than most compact crossovers, and it’s got enough room to be practical without being a “bring everything the baby owns on an overnight trip just in case” minivan kind of practical.

Submitted by: savethemanualsbmw335ix

Current Generation Aviator.

It’s luxurious, comfortable and knows exactly what it is - a stylish and handsome grand cruiser that can soak up endless miles of interstate with a silky smooth power delivery.

It’s not masquerading as a corner-carving ‘ring beater and it’s not trying to fool anyone into thinking this will tackle technical trails in Moab.

Pure, unabashed American luxury and comfort. Is it perfect? No, but to me, it’s perfect for what it tries to be.

Submitted by: Sector 7G-Wagen

The only answer is the Hyundai Casper

Submitted by: edu-petrolhead

I have a CX-5, and I don’t hate it. But, if there had been a comparably-priced wagon around I never would have given the CX-5 a second look.

Submitted by: Fjord

You’re almost there with the cover image, but I’m about it’s big brother. New Pilot is very handsome.

To be honest though, I don’t “hate” any crossovers unless there is something offensively terrible about them (the Ecosport can get in the dirt, good riddance). They are the cars the normals drive. Whatever.

Submitted by: Mosko

Does the Ioniq 5 count? If so, that’s my choice.

Submitted by: KlingonKinja

It looks pretty beefy without people think you’re trying too hard.

Submitted by: FijiST

Genesis GV70

Submitted by: cdoggyd

Toyota Rav4 & Honda CR-V

Yes, they’re appliance cars, but have you actually been in one? They have materials and quality that easily outdoes any American car from the early 2000s; they’re nice places to be, and they make it possible for so many small volume, lower-profit stuff to happen (GT86, Supra, Civic Type R, Integra). We should be thankful that so many people like them so much, so much, in fact, that in 2022 the Rav4 alone outsold all of Volkswagen by nearly 100,000 units and the CR-V alone outsold all of Audi by 50,000.

Submitted by: OnceInAMillenia

I think it’s down to two of them: Range Rover Evoque and Ferrari Purosangue on looks alone. Everything else is mostly a bloated regular car with a raised center of gravity and increased headroom most people don’t really need (Tesla Model Y, for instance).

Submitted by: GTO62

Ferrari may call it an SUV, but it think we all know a hot hatch when we see one…

Submitted by: featherlite

I love the quirky body lines of the Toyota C-HR

Submitted by: StalePhish

Alfa Romeo Stelvio QF. Widely regarded as the fastest, best handling SUV on sale. It is basically a tall Giulia with AWD, a sunroof and hatchback - all of which are great additions I wish the Giulia QF had.

Submitted by: caddyak

Crosstrek. But that shouldn’t be a surprise given how often I rave about ours. It really is as good as advertised. Decent room, good power from the 2.5 litre, Dual Mode X-drive is quite frankly magic (and I have a lifetime of driving 4x4s in all kinds of sketchy conditions).

The CVT is fine, folks. Really. It’s kind of a non-issue in this car. I was going to tow something heavier than a rafting trailer (around 400 lbs), I’d want proper gears. But, honestly, we’ve crawled our way up some seriously snowy and muddy inclines with no issues from the CVT.

I love this little adventure mobile.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolboy

I secretly love the Bronco Sport.

It’s a unibody, small-engined, automatic-only AWD crossover, which normally I’d turn my nose up at, but look at it.

Submitted by: BrianMadigan

All of them. Let’s face it, CUV’s are the new sedan/wagon of the car world. Pretending they are somehow contra to enthusiast culture, or that we as enthusiast should be deriding them for existing is a ridiculous concept at best.

Without the Cayenne, there is no 911. Without the CRV, there is no Civic Type-R. Without the Rogue, there is no Z. Without the Explorer, there is no Mustang. Et cetera ad infinitum.

Get it yet?

Submitted by: burnmedown42069

AND...

I don’t hate any CUVs. In fact I quite like them as both vehicles and products. They allow people to scratch the ‘SUV itch’ without having to accept a lot of the compromises of full-on SUVs (size, weight, handling, cost, economy, efficiency, etc.). In other words, far from ‘secretly not hating’ a particular CUV, I actually, openly, like many of them and appreciate what they bring to the market.

Submitted by: TheWalrus

AND...AND...

I’m glad to see the crossover hate finally start to wane. I never really understood how people could love wagons, but hate crossovers.

• The added suspension travel is great for shitty roads.
• Their tires usually get more sidewall too. Ex., the CX-5 base wears 225-65-R17s, or 225-55R19s for the turbo while the Mazda6 gets 225-55R17s base and 225-45R19s on the GT. Giving the lowest profile CX-5 tires the same sidewall as the highest profile Mazda6 tire.
  
• The taller roofline is really useful when you need to pack people and cargo at the same time. Maximizing vertical space is a great thing, IMHO. Most crossovers have enough headroom that a tall guy could wear a top hate. You’re not getting that in a Camry.
• There are so many sporty options that exist. There are silly fast muscle-overs (crossfits?) like the Durango SRT, or handling-focused ones like the Macan.
  
• Even minivans are being crossover-fied. The Sienna doesn’t even have removable seats anymore and basically feels like a Toyota crossover with second row captains chairs.

Submitted by: put-some-turbo-on-meeeee

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