"Pros" and "cons" of body type.
Any technical products, the main advantage of which is versatility, are woven from compromises. But these compromises do not always mean the success of the implementation of the principle of universality. This fully applies to crossovers.
The emphasis is not on that
Crossovers are one of the fastest growing segments automotive market for many years now. It would seem that this type of car should best meet the operating conditions in Russia. With our not always smooth roads - in a big suit ground clearance, and with our slippery winter - that's it four-wheel drive. But in fact, it turns out that we use all these opportunities only a few times a year. And the opportunities themselves turn out to be completely different from what the intrusive advertising focuses on and what we fell for. Let's figure it out.
Tires
When I have seditious thoughts about buying a crossover, the first thing I think about is … tires. More precisely, about the overpayment that will have to be made in the fall. After all, it is in the fall that we think about buying winter tires. Simple monitoring shows that 205/55R16 tires typical for an average family car are at least one and a half times cheaper than 225/65R17 typical for a crossover. This is first.
Secondly, the coveted all-wheel drive is tempting to buy “quiet” and “comfortable” non-studded tires. Say, the same “magic” all-wheel drive will allow you not to slip on slippery surfaces and on the so-called “friction” tires. Partly it is. But when braking, all this all-wheel drive is not involved in any way. And the nature of braking practically does not depend on the type of drive. So - spikes, as usual, are preferable.
Fuel consumption
Here again, nowhere is more eloquent. The crossover "eats" much more than the family "passenger car". First of all, because it is corny heavier. In addition, as we wrote earlier, the drive shafts in most crossovers always remain connected to the wheels. And even in 2WD mode, they continue to spin and require additional power from the engine for their promotion. Which can be taken only by spending extra fuel.
But that's not all. The crossover is more voracious on the track. After all, the area of its frontal projection is a priori larger than that of a “passenger car”. And the drag coefficient is usually higher. Accordingly, you need to push a much larger mass of air ahead of you. Which at speeds over a "hundred" takes away the lion's share of the engine power.
Resource of units and assemblies
The vast majority of modern crossovers are made on the basis of any purely passenger models (with exceptions such as Land Rover Freelander is vanishingly small). And the crossovers use the same engines and transmissions as the "donors". Obviously, these motors and gearboxes will work in a more loaded mode. As a result, a smaller resource and a higher probability of not only a breakdown, but also a “simple” overheating. Which also leads to breakdowns, only larger and more expensive. And let's not forget about the temptation to use all-wheel drive on "off-road", where the load on components and assemblies increases many times over.
Dreams of all-wheel drive
Almost all modern crossovers are equipped with all-wheel drive purely nominally. Yes, in the same conditions, for example, a deep puddle on a muddy country road, even a crossover “incomplete” drive will be preferable. But ask yourself a question - how often do you drive through deep puddles on dirt roads after rains? I bet that the average resident of a large city does this once every ten years. Personally, in my 22 years of “passenger” driving life, I have NEVER been stuck in such situations. In winter, with the wrong tactics for overcoming snow-covered sections of secondary roads, yes, I had to call for help a couple of times. But with the same "success" I planted real jeeps. Only they had to be pulled out at much more serious costs.
As for the crossover “all-wheel drive”, then on any more or less frivolous off-road (and we won’t even talk about serious ones), the drive clutch to the second axle will overheat in a few minutes. And the car won't go any further. You can wait until the clutch cools down and restores performance. But even a novice jeeper knows that starting off (or driving “pulled in”) on difficult sections is not at all the same as skipping them.
Any advertisement, where the “merits” of the all-wheel drive of the next crossover are signed, necessarily contains the word “intelligent”. Say, our "intelligent" mega-fancy all-wheel drive super-system is so perfect that it determines what kind of coverage under each wheel and distributes traction accordingly. Firstly, in 98% of cases this is cunning, which in especially neglected cases turns into a blatant lie. If only because it is very difficult and expensive to adequately control traction on each wheel. For "intelligence" is usually responsible for a single electronically controlled clutch, which is "helped" by regular brake mechanisms, slowing down the slipping wheels and redistributing traction through the differential to the other wheel of the axle.
But all this "intelligence" works with lags and inevitable delays. And with these delays, it can be dangerous, especially for an experienced driver who has just completed a crash course. An experienced driver “on the subcortex” will react with gas and steering wheel to a sudden skid on a slippery surface, and it is sewn into the “intelligent” all-wheel drive algorithm that the car is driven by an outright “teapot”. These actions of the driver and the algorithm inevitably collide, ending either in a ditch or in the oncoming lane.
Yes, and in normal modes, the balance of "handling / smoothness" for crossovers is a priori worse than for "passenger cars". Not only a higher center of gravity and a non-optimally located roll center affect, but also a large unsprung mass.
The crossover segment in Russia has been growing for years. And what is in demand, the price goes up. So maybe we're overpaying for a crossover? Isn't it more profitable to buy a car with a different body type? Buyers of crossovers cite the high seating position, high ground clearance and the stylish appearance of the SUV as the main reasons for buying. And very often they call these cars "jeeps". But the off-road qualities of most crossovers are mediocre.
Four-wheel drive
But in the period from 2007 to 2013, according to the same agency, sales of mono-drivers, on the contrary, grew. And quite significantly - from 7.1% to 22.4%. There is an explanation for this. Then they actively came to Russia Chinese brands, but they did and continue to rely on front-wheel drive SUVs - at least remember. In the segment compact crossovers this is common practice. Let's say 85% of buyers Nissan Juke chose the front-wheel drive option. Yes, and the lion's share of sales of such a popular crossover as Opel Mokka, also accounted for monodrive versions.
The growth in the share of all-wheel drive in subsequent years can be explained, firstly, by a sharp devaluation of the ruble, when the population in a hurry began to spend money on buying real estate and more expensive cars. And secondly, the launch of several popular mid-size crossovers on the market at once: they prefer to buy them in an all-wheel drive version. Say, in 2015, a new generation appeared Hyundai Tucson and co-platform Kia Sportage. Updated and Toyota RAV4. However, the Russian representative office of Toyota stated that from front wheel drive do not plan to give up.
Indeed, some of the buyers who have tried the monodrive are no longer chasing the 4x4 wheel arrangement.
And if the buyer does not intend to conquer off-road and moves only around the city, he simply does not need all-wheel drive. In addition, a car with all the leading ones will spend more fuel in comparison with a similar mono-drive modification, all other things being equal.
Manufacturers also understand this, and therefore, in most cases, they offer an affordable alternative to all-wheel drive SUVs. As a result, a whole layer of under-crossovers appeared on the market, which do not have an all-wheel drive modification at all. They joined and.
Ground clearance
Apart from the body kit made of black matte plastic, which is less noticeable chips and scratches received when driving over rough terrain, such cars are completely devoid of off-road qualities. But they are cheap Sandero price Stepway starts from 599,900 rubles), have an impressive ground clearance, which allows them to confidently drive on the dirt road, and at the same time they are not inferior in comfort to ordinary cars. Even AVTOVAZ is trying to keep up with the trend by offering the XRAY pseudo-crossover (from 549,900 rubles) and lifted station wagons - Lada Kalina Cross(465,800 rubles) and Lada Largus Cross(from 664,900 rubles). Cross-versions of Togliatti station wagons may well become an alternative to an all-wheel drive SUV if you drive around the city and to the country. And the payload will be transported much more. In addition, an even more spacious one is on the way.
The sedans from Tolyatti have a lot of ground clearance too. According to this indicator, they can compete with most crossovers.
So before you buy a crossover, you can consider an alternative in the form of cheaper lifted hatchbacks and sedans.
capacity
If you drive mainly around the city and to the country, you can consider such a body type as a liftback.
Do you want a big trunk, good ground clearance and all-wheel drive? For example, Skoda offers station wagons and. Of course, they are more expensive than most crossovers, so they are more suitable as an alternative to representatives of the premium SUV segment.
So what's the bottom line? For comparison, we have collected in one table data on the most popular models on the market. Knowing what qualities your Personal car, that is, what ground clearance, trunk volume and drive type are really needed, you can choose for yourself best option. Now take a look at the right column - can you imagine how much you can save?
| Model name | Market positioning | Drive unit | Ground clearance, mm (ZR measurements in brackets) | Trunk volume, l(measurements in parentheses) | Price from, rub. |
|
| crossover | Front | 2 l (146 hp), M6 | ||||
| crossover | 2 l (149 hp), M6 | |||||
| crossover | 1.6 (123 hp), М6 | |||||
| crossover | Front | 1.6 (123 hp), М6 | ||||
| B-class sedan | Front | 1.6 (123 hp), М6 | ||||
| crossover | 2 l (143 hp), M6 | |||||
| crossover | Front | 1.6 L (114 HP), M5 | ||||
| B-class sedan | Front | 1.6 (82 hp), M5 | ||||
| Renault Sandero Stepway | Lifted B-class hatchback | Front | 1.6 (82 hp), M5 | |||
| crossover | Front | 1.5 (106 hp), М5 | ||||
| Lada Largus Cross | Lifted station wagon (B+) | Front | 1.6 (102 hp), М5 | |||
| B-class liftback | Front | 1.6 (90 hp), М5 | ||||
| B-class hatchback | Front | 1.6 (87 hp), M5 | ||||
| B-class sedan | Front | 1.6 (90 hp), М5 |
** AVTOVAZ indicates ground clearance at full load;
***
In a five-seat version.
Of course, the choice of a car when buying is influenced by many nuances: for example, do you need automatic transmission gears and what type of machine to prefer. The level of equipment, comfort, etc. is also important. That's right. We wanted to pay attention to the image of crossovers, created mainly by marketers. In comparison with reality, it is, to put it mildly, distorted.
In other words, when choosing a crossover, do not think that you will a priori get a roomy interior and enviable geometric cross-country ability. According to these indicators, there are plenty of alternatives to the crossover. In most cases, they are also cheaper. You can choose sedans, lifted hatchbacks or station wagons. The latter are the least popular among hijackers, which means that you can save money on buying an insurance policy. And in maintenance (for example, washing the body), all of the listed options, as a rule, are cheaper than crossovers.
Many fellow citizens have “nailed in” in their heads that four-wheel drive is better than any other. It is not for nothing that even in the current times of crisis, 35% of the country's car market falls to the share, and in the best of times this percentage jumped to 40. Most owners of such cars explain its presence by the urgent need to constantly break through multi-meter snowdrifts, daily force wet primers gouged by timber trucks, as well as describe their feelings of comfort and confidence in the future when starting and driving on slippery winter roads. Usually these people are very surprised and do not believe when you tell them that you connected the “front end” of your frame “crocodile”, maybe a couple of times a year. And even then - somewhere in the suburban mud in the process of going fishing.
And in the city, it turns out, it is quite possible to ride on rear wheel drive, the main thing is that the tires are good and for the season. The average crossover lover has heard something about some electronic systems living their lives in the bowels of his car. However, he does not realize a simple thing. Exactly the same electronic "brains" would help him start at traffic lights in snowy conditions and in a car with front-wheel drive. And in the same way they would “choke” the motor when slipping in the snow blockage left over from the snowplow. The fact is that all the "differential locks" that allow you to enjoy the benefits of all-wheel drive are not "real".
As a rule, this is just an electronically controlled emulation. It simply slows down the wheel that starts to slip or removes the moment coming from the engine from it, nothing more. This means only one thing: if the obstacle is, in principle, insurmountable for a car with front-wheel drive and normal rubber on wheels, then it is highly not recommended to meddle there. Most likely he will also "sit down" there. Yes, the sane owner of the crossover himself will not climb into such a place. It turns out that the advantages of an all-wheel drive crossover over exactly the same, but front-wheel drive, come down mainly to the inner conviction of its owner. All the same, in 99.99% of cases, the potential advantages of "all-wheel drive" are either not used, or reduced to almost nothing by "smart" electronics.
But the cons are quite material. Firstly, with all-wheel drive, you will have to pay a great extra when buying a car. In different ways, depending on the model and brand of the crossover, but, on average, at least 100,000 rubles “from above”. Then you have to fork out additionally for daily use. An all-wheel drive transmission, by definition, "eats" more power produced by the engine than a two-wheel drive. And this is additional consumption of gasoline. In other words, for a city dweller, complete is pampering, additional expenses and self-deception. In this sense, it is quite possible to take an example from overseas motorists, who quite calmly and en masse use mono-drive versions of all-wheel drive cars.
Still not sure if you really need to buy a crossover? We will give the 5 most common reasons why people buy crossovers, and whether they are objective or not, convincing or mean nothing - of course, it's up to you to decide.
So, 5 reasons why you should buy a crossover:
Reason #5
Crossovers are capable of towing more cargo, coupled with increased space in the cabin for passengers. Many crossovers are capable of towing trailers weighing up to 3 tons, and almost all SUVs can accommodate 5 passengers, and some even have a third row of seats, allowing seven riders to sit in the cabin.
Reason #4
People think that SUV safer than a car, because it is larger and is believed to be stronger. I must say that this is true and confirmed by statistics from American researchers published in 2011: for a million owners of crossovers and SUVs of 2005-2008, only 28 deaths of drivers in accidents occur, while for sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons this figure is 56 deaths (for pickups - 52).
Also, buyers of crossovers appreciate the high seating position of the driver in the car (here you can argue and recall the danger of flipping high cars on the roads, but most manufacturers are seriously working on creating systems that minimize the risk).
Reason #3
A crossover has more cargo capacity and more trunk space than even a station wagon (to be honest, an SUV's trunk can be higher, but in many cases it's not as long as a station wagon).
Reason #2
Drivers appreciate the ability of the car to overcome snowy obstacles, which is very often encountered by motorists in Russia in winter (although such an advantage for a crossover will be noticeable only when compared with rear wheel drive car, and, most likely, the crossover will not have a serious advantage over an all-wheel drive sedan or a front-wheel drive car with proper tires).
Reason #1
It is believed that crossovers have wide off-road capabilities (of course, it is worth noting that, firstly, most modern SUVs will not overcome anything but a low curb in a supermarket parking lot, and secondly, the number of people who actually drive off-road is negligible) .
But really…
Most people buy crossovers and SUVs just because they can afford it. These cars may not meet the needs of the owner at all, but they fulfill his desire - to have a big, roomy and beautiful car, which, moreover, is safer than the rest. And, of course, an all-wheel drive crossover can save the owner a lot of effort when leaving a snowdrift after a night blizzard.
A four-wheel drive car is now taken for granted: all-wheel drive, allegedly, provide great safety on the road and self-confidence. That is why, if there is money, we buy all-wheel drive crossovers for ourselves and for our wives. However, there are quite a few all-wheel drive systems, even in the first approximation, and they are fundamentally different from each other.
When choosing a car and aiming for “all-wheel drive”, you need to have a very good idea of where and why the car will be used. Probably, 90% of buyers are not going to move off the normal road into forests, fields, as well as climb mountains and cross fords. Why do you need a car with all-wheel drive? Firstly, it gives confidence in the rain on a slippery road; secondly, they buy a car with an eye to long winter operation; finally, with all-wheel drive it is easier to get off the asphalt and drive half a kilometer to the dacha on a dirt road and over bumps.
The simplest thing to remember and then close this article: the above three tasks are completely solved by a car with a drive on only one axle. It is desirable, however, that he be with mechanical box gears. Well, more clearance would be nice.
Let's say this solution to the problem does not satisfy you. Then the second consideration: an all-wheel drive crossover is not at all equal to a real SUV. The wheels of these cars are set in motion, let's say, fundamentally different ways. And third: yes, the indicated need for all-wheel drive can be met by buying a crossover. It’s just that you don’t need to travel on real off-road on such a car. And on the road - do not get carried away with speed.
So, how in in general terms arranged all-wheel drive crossover. Almost always you drive such a car in ... mono-drive mode, only one axle works for movement. Most often - the front, because almost all not too expensive crossovers are built on the platforms of conventional hatchbacks. Four-wheel drive appears only in a situation of slipping of the drive wheels - this moment is recognized by the electronics, which connects the second axle to help. Slip in this case does not mean that you stand still and grind the asphalt for a long time - we are talking literally about milliseconds. It is unlikely that the buyer is interested in technology, let's just say that the transfer of torque between the axles - and it is dynamically distributed at every moment of time - is handled by a special clutch. This device itself can have a different design.
Now about off-road abilities: if the scheme is fully consistent with the description above, there are practically none. To overcome the minimum off-road, you have to "hang" additional functionality. For example, the clutch is given the ability to partially or completely block. The methods may be different, but, again, most often this is in charge of electronics. Also, a self-locking differential or a viscous coupling can be used in the design.
Why is blocking necessary? A free clutch (or free differential) will prevent the car from moving if one of the wheels completely loses traction. And blocking will make spinning the wheel that is still able to pull you out. In this case, the clutch overheats very quickly, so you won’t be able to slip with such a system for a long time.
As with any design, there are many nuances. The main one is that the clutch in the advanced automatic all-wheel drive can work according to a preventive algorithm, without waiting for the wheels to slip. Here, a small percentage of torque will always be supplied to the second axle. In other words, you really get permanent four-wheel drive! This is how Audi systems with Torsen differential work, as well as, for example, some BMWs or Mercedes-Benz.
We repeat: almost all crossovers and all-wheel drive have a similar type of all-wheel drive. cars. Pros: indeed, the car gives some confidence on slippery roads. Cons: This same confidence can lead you to choose the wrong speed for driving in difficult conditions. The result may be a curb. Also because the nature of such a car in a turn - will it be inclined at this dangerous moment to drift or skid, or will it be neutral - is quite difficult to predict. As well as to give the car "off-road", controllability is improved with the help of electronics - the main auxiliary system here is ESP.
Now - about off-road all-wheel drive. Here the second axle is connected manually by the driver. On the way, you drive on a monodrive, and if you need to move to some problematic area, you turn on the full one yourself. center differential no, so the locking of one of the cross-axle differentials must be present. And, of course, all-wheel drive with such a scheme must be immediately turned off on the road - it is not designed to work at high speeds.
Finally, a classic of the genre - an honest four-wheel drive. Ideally, these are not just three differentials - an interaxle and two interwheels, but also a downshift and all locks. And, of course, auxiliary electronics. With such a set of properties, the car, indeed, can both stand on the road and overcome impassability.
We will separately mention extremely advanced systems: for example, Super Select Mitsubishi allows you to choose from many modes of operation of the all-wheel drive such that it is suitable for both the track and off-road. Some Jeep models can be ordered with significantly different types of all-wheel drive. Finally, systems in Subaru Impreza WRX STi or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution are each worthy of a separate large article.