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2009 2008 SUV and CUV Models SUV's That Get 20+MPG

2009 4x2 Mercury Mariner Hybrid and 2009 4x2 Ford Escape Hybrid; 32 MPG Leads The Pack

CLICK HERE to see and compare specs and prices of all 2009 and 2008 SUV and CUV Models sold in North America that get over 20 Miles Per Gallon Combined City/Hwy Mileage.

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV)

No class of vehicles has changed more in the past 15 years than SUVs. Up to 1990, they were utility vehicles, made from a thinly-disguised pickup chassis with a full-length body, more suited to carrying people than cargo. Utility vehicles were a niche market, used by people who needed rugged, often 4-wheel drive, transportation in areas where roads were merely a suggestion. Comfort and amenities were secondary to the ability to merely get through.

Fast-forward to today, and it's "sport-utility'' and more likely to be bought by a suburban soccer mom than an oil wildcatter. SUVs started to get fashionable in the early 1990s, with the Ford Explorer paving the way by being far more comfortable and civilized than anything before it. Offering more space than the last of the full-sized wagons by virtue of a higher stance, and with a rugged, outdoorsy look that said "I can go anywhere'' even though most never saw rougher duty than a stadium parking lot tailgate party, SUVs quickly dispatched wagons and then took on minivans as the family hauler of choice. Compared to a minivan, an SUV has better towing and cargo-hauling abilities.

SUVs come in small, medium, and large size, and vary from inexpensive and basic in specification to being as expensive and fully-equipped as any premium luxury sedan. Originally of body-on-frame construction and closely-related to pickups, an increasing number offer fully-independent suspension and unibody or semi-unibody construction. The Ford Explorer maintains its popularity, but there are plenty of other choices, from the small and inexpensive like the Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, and Honda CR-V through the large and expensive Range Rover line.

With over 50 SUV models to choose from it is important for potential buyers to “know before they try and buy”

If you want to know more (and we suggest that you do), The New Car Buyers Guide’s exclusive Rank By Specs tool allows consumers to become experts and rank and then compare every vehicle sold in North America by every spec, dimension, capacity and performance criteria. CLICK HERE

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