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Why do people constantly call SUVs and Crossovers "Trucks"?

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bradly1101 said:
Yeah, and sometimes sedans are called something else too, and the object that used to be known as 'bumper' (my old van had a real one that worked well) is gone altogether in favor of style up front.

I was checkin' out the new 4Runners when I got my van. Very nice, and I'd have confidence off road knowing the mechanicals and reputation except for one thing; it's apparently impossible to get a nice one without a moon-roof. They are aggressive off road vehicles more likely to roll than most given what they're capable of. If it's onto a big rock or tree stump..... I don't want glass up there.

But for really serious off-roading, the's an AWD version of this:

View attachment 3249
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The glass surrounding all four sides is fine, but the sunroof is a problem?
 
Because it is easier to say. Truck flows better than saying SUV or crossover.

"Hey kids go get in the truck."
"Hey kids go get in the crossover..."

I call my wife's FX35 an SUV...but I called my old Buick Rainier a truck. It was an SUV.
I own a full sized truck too...like a real truck.

Honestly don't see what the big deal is. Doesn't matter to me what someone calls their vehicle.
 
I really don't see this with anyone that I associate with. Pretty much everything is called a car unless it's a body on frame pickup truck.
 
All the Original "SUVs" were Truck based....... and weren't even called sport utility vehicles. The "SUV" name didn't catch on until the Explorer and S10 blazers got popular in the early 90's, which are also truck based. If its not a body on frame construction, its not an SUV, its a tall STATION WAGON. But since people don't want to be caught dead in a station wagon............
 
Fenixgoon said:
i think this is the most likely answer. weren't a lot of the SUVs based on truck frames, at least to start with?
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Pretty much this. It doesnt really annoy me to hear a crossover called a truck. I just consider it like a generic term like saying "have a coke" for any cola drink or using "kleenex" for any kind of facial tissue. Actually they are more like tall, raised station wagons, but the automakers have managed to migrate people to them because they have a higher margin than comparable sedans/wagons.
 
truck definition

pickup truck definition

'non passenger automobile' definition, which is a "light truck" this is what most people are shortening to 'truck,' legally speaking

"Light truck means a non-passenger automobile meeting the criteria in § 523.5. " from here

full size pickup truck definition

additional definitions

I need a damn Venn diagram...

Pickup trucks are encompassed in the definition of a light truck, but the light truck definition does not include the requirement of having an open bed, which is part of @ibex333's sticking point. However, legally speaking, anything meeting ss523.5 is a light truck and could be called a 'truck' with reasonable accuracy.
 
rancherlee said:
If its not a body on frame construction, its not an SUV, its a tall STATION WAGON. But since people don't want to be caught dead in a station wagon............
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I used to feel this way and still do to some extent, but it's as false as it is true. Most station wagons didn't even have a 4WD or AWD option, and had limited payload or towing capacity. Most modern frameless SUVs don't give up much to their older framed counterparts, are unibody but much more durable than any station wagon or car.

Many can tow in excess of 5000 lbs or 1000+ lbs cargo, so it's not just people not wanting to be caught dead in a station wagon. I own both a framed and unibody SUV and use them both to haul things and get around when it snows here, let alone years of using the older one off-road.

The older has more ground clearance but either have more than a station wagon, not just taller. The newer does handle a lot more like a car/station wagon due to having coil-over strut independent suspension, which is not a bad thing at all.

I just don't expect the newer one to last as long because around here, unibody vehicles tend to get structural integrity problems from undercarriage rust by the time they're 15-20 y/o.
 
As long as it is a primarily utilitarian vehicle designed to haul cargo, I don't have a problem with the construction. Once you start getting into the luxury segments where its clearly just a stylistic choice the word 'truck' becomes less appropriate.
 
mindless1 said:
I used to feel this way and still do to some extent, but it's as false as it is true. Most station wagons didn't even have a 4WD or AWD option, and had limited payload or towing capacity. Most modern frameless SUVs don't give up much to their older framed counterparts, are unibody but much more durable than any station wagon or car.

Many can tow in excess of 5000 lbs or 1000+ lbs cargo, so it's not just people not wanting to be caught dead in a station wagon. I own both a framed and unibody SUV and use them both to haul things and get around when it snows here, let alone years of using the older one off-road.

The older has more ground clearance but either have more than a station wagon, not just taller. The newer does handle a lot more like a car/station wagon due to having coil-over strut independent suspension, which is not a bad thing at all.

I just don't expect the newer one to last as long because around here, unibody vehicles tend to get structural integrity problems from undercarriage rust by the time they're 15-20 y/o.
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I'd concede your point about towing/cargo capacity in the case of larger SUVs like the Toyota Highlander, but most of the SUV/CUV "trucks" on the road are more like the EcoSport or HRV (which doesn't even have a rated towing capacity.)

Then again I don't know many people who would call their HRV a "truck" except maybe ironically. But it is in the SUV/Light Truck segment as far as marketing goes.
 
This also annoys me. Btw I drive a Mazda Miata but I'm straight.

WhiteNoise said:
Because it is easier to say. Truck flows better than saying SUV or crossover.

"Hey kids go get in the truck."
"Hey kids go get in the crossover..."
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If only there was a single syllable word in English, that had three letters starting with "C" and ending with "R", that could be used to describe such a machine 🤔
 
I've owned one SUV, a 2005 Ford Expedition. It was built on an F150 chassis. Had about the same towing capacity as a comparable F150.
 
^ Of course with kids today, but there was a time (for the majority of the past) when a UTE was only a bastardized compact chassis with a little bed added, not a full sized pickup truck. Is a 6-1/2ft bed less than full sized? Perhaps, but drop the tailgate and it can still haul ~3000lbs worth of 8' long lumber, etc.
 
jmagg said:
In that case, I've carried over a cubic yard of wet sand in my SUV.
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We all get to pick the hill we're going to die on, this one is mine.
Trucks lost a lot of utility when they became SUV's. Shorter beds, softer suspension, car tires for a nicer ride. I never needed or wanted any of that, and ended up having to go through all sorts of gyrations to get a proper truck.
Vinyl seats, rubber floors, hand crank windows, large side mirrors, maximum load capacity, 6 ply tires, a tow package and 8' bed are what I always needed, and that became almost impossible to get.
I once walked into a Ram dealer to buy that and a diesel engine, had a check in hand, they couldn't make it happen. They couldn't even figure out how to order it. The Ford dealer couldn't make it happen either. Everyone suggested I buy a sexy pickup off the lot and a trailer to carry the stuff I need. I guess the little bed is where I was supposed to carry my purse and lipstick.
You may note a certain amount of hostility from me about the event. I'll likely never get over it as it caused me all sorts of headaches until I got my hands on an actual work truck, and I had to pay full MSRP for it because it was the only one available in the state.

I still have that truck, and I still love that truck. It carries pretty much anything I need without complaint. 20' lumber? Piece of cake, and the lumber yard can set it on with a forklift. Sheets of plywood? Fill her up then close the tailgate. 9000 pound trailer tows like a dream, and I can tow it with that afore mentioned plywood in the bed. So yeah, I'm a truck snob.
 
Greenman said:
I still have that truck, and I still love that truck.
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I hear you.
I couldn't find an 8 ft bed in my area, so 6 ft was it. The old used truck i settled on has a extra factory leaf so there's that, I'm sure the ole 98 Chevy would be flattered with the SUV moniker.
 

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The trucks now are ridiculous with how big they make the cab and how small they make the bed. It seems the manufacturers forget what trucks are for, or the fact that mini vans are a thing. If people want a family hauler then get the mini van, keep trucks for hauling things. 8' bed single cab should be standard.

It's too bad they don't make trucks like those mini Japanese trucks here. Those are pretty cool. Lot of people import them but it involves a lot of leg work.
 
That too, even mine is pretty tall and it makes it harder to load/unload heavy things.

The Japanese more or less perfected the truck, with the kei trucks. Too bad there is no equivalent domestic version.
 
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