Mid-size crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of

crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...

, a type of

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

, between

compact crossover SUV Compact crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between subcompact crossover SUV and mid-size crossover SUV. By late 2010s, the segment h ...

and full-size crossover SUV. A mid-size crossover SUV is a class of crossover SUVs that is larger than compact crossover SUVs, but smaller than full-size crossover SUVs. Mid-size crossover SUVs are usually based on the platform of a

mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

(also known as a large family car or a

D-segment The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category use ...

) passenger car. The first mid-size crossover was the 1999

BMW X5 The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by BMW. The X5 made its debut in 1999 as the E53 model. It was BMW's first SUV. At launch, it featured all-wheel drive and was available with either a manual or automatic gearbox. The second generatio ...

. Some mid-size crossovers have three rows of seats, while others have two rows, which led to several brands offering multiple models to cater to both sub-segments. It typically has a length dimension between and . In Australia, American mid-sized crossovers are classified as large SUVs. The segment is most popular in North America and China, where larger vehicles are preferred. It makes up 15.8 percent of the total United States car market. In Europe, the segment covers 2.1 percent of the total market in 2019 with luxury crossover SUVs dominating most of the share. The Toyota Highlander/Kluger was the best-selling vehicle in the category in 2018, with 387,869 sold worldwide.

History

The

BMW X5 (E53) The BMW E53 is the first generation BMW X5 mid-size luxury crossover SUV. The vehicle was the first SUV ever produced by BMW. It was produced between 1999 and 2006 and was replaced by the E70 X5. The E53 X5 was developed just after the acqui ...

was considered to be the first mid-size crossover SUV, also being considered a

luxury Luxury may refer to: * Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...

crossover too.

Terminology

The term "mid-size crossover SUV" is most commonly used in the North America, where the "

mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

" and "crossover" terms originated from. The naming of the segment also differ depending on the market. In several regions outside North America, the category may be known as "full-size crossover" or "mid-size/medium SUV", which differs with the more common mid-size crossover SUV definition, which is a class above.

Characteristics

Mid-size crossovers are usually based on the platform of a

(

), while some models may be based on a

full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. ...

(

E-segment The E-segment is the 5th category of the European segments for passenger cars, synonymous with the term executive car. E-Segment is a niche in Europe (2-3% penetration in 2010s). As of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, E-segment sales account for 2.7 ...

) or an enlarged C-segment platform. The majority of models in the mid-size crossover category have two-row seating, while some of others offer three-row seating. Due to its popularity and to cater customer needs, many manufacturers offer more than one mid-size crossover, usually offering them in slightly different sizes at different price points.

Markets

United States

The origination of mid-size crossovers comes from North America, combining

and

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

to make a type of

. The

Jeep Grand Cherokee The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody chassis from the ...

is the most popular in the United States, selling 264,444 units (2021). File: Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland Automesse Ludwigsburg 2022 1X7A5918.jpg,

(264,444 sold) File: Toyota Highlander XU70 Hybrid Shishi 01 2022-03-12.jpg,

Toyota Highlander The Toyota Highlander, also known as the , is a mid-size crossover SUV with three-row seating produced by Toyota since 2000. Announced in April 2000 at the New York International Auto Show and arriving in late 2000 in Japan and January 2001 in ...

(264,128 sold) File: 2020 Ford Explorer ST, front 8.24.19.jpg,

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...

(219,871 sold)

Europe

In the European market, luxury vehicles such as the

, the

Mercedes-Benz GLE The Mercedes-Benz GLE, formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class (designated with the "ML" nomenclature), is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller GLC ...

and the

Volvo XC90 The Volvo XC90 is a mid-size luxury SUV manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2002 and now in its second generation. The first generation was introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show and used the Volvo P2 platform ...

have dominated in the European market, taking over 2.1 percent of the mid-size crossovers on the European market. File:BMW X5 M (G05) IMG 3370.jpg,

(11,360 sold) File:2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Line Premium+ 4MATIC 3.0 Front.jpg,

(11,243 sold) File:2018 Volvo XC90 T6 R-Design wagon (2018-10-29) 01.jpg,

(7,166 sold)

Australia

The segment is commonly known as "large SUV" in Australia, while

full-size SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...

s being called 'extra large'. By carsales, the 2015

Subaru Outback The Subaru Outback is an automotive nameplate used by the Japanese automaker Subaru for two different vehicles: a crossover station wagon, the Outback (1994–present, also sold as in some markets), and an Impreza-derived hatchback, the Outback ...

is the best recommended mid-size crossover in Australia for 2015, as it won 'Best Used Cars for 2022' in Australia.

Luxury vehicles

Numerous

luxury car A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars. The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...

brands marketed compact crossover SUVs, usually as an entry-level SUV offering of the respective brands. It is known by many terms such as compact luxury crossover SUV, luxury compact SUV, premium small SUV, premium compact crossover, luxury small SUV, among others. Compact luxury crossover SUVs are usually based on the platform of a

(

), while some models may be based on a

(

) or a

C-segment The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...

platform. Vehicles in this segment are commonly built on a D-segment car platform or above. While being significantly more expensive, vehicles from this segment offer similar driving and convenience advantages as mainstream compact crossover SUVs, with larger exterior dimensions, more refined interiors, more advanced technologies, higher engine power and added prestige. File:Lamborghini Urus IMG 0003.jpg,

Lamborghini Urus The Lamborghini Urus is a high performance luxury SUV manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was unveiled on 4 December 2017 and was put on the market for the 2018 model year. The name comes from the urus, the ancestor ...

, a high-performance mid-size luxury crossover File:2017 Tesla Model X 100D Front.jpg, The

Tesla Model X The Tesla Model X is a Battery electric vehicle, battery electric Mid-size crossover SUV#Luxury, mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by Tesla, Inc. since 2015. Developed from the full-size car, full-sized sedan platform of the Tesla Model S, ...

, a battery electric mid-size luxury crossover File:Genesis GV80 IAA 2021 1X7A0230.jpg, The

Genesis GV80 The Genesis GV80 ( ko, 제네시스 GV80) is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Genesis, Hyundai's luxury division. Overview Internally codenamed ''JX1'', the vehicle was leaked in 3D in October 2019 and officially ...

shared a longitudinal engine with the G80

References

{{Reflist Crossover sport utility vehicles Automotive design