

In Australia, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries publishes its own classifications. Some jurisdictions may determine vehicle tax based upon environmental principles, such as the user pays principle. vehicles that require a specific licence or are restricted to certain roads). Government departments often create classification schemes for the purposes of taxation or regulating vehicle usage (e.g. sedan, coupe or hatchback), number of doors or seating capacity. These classifications can be based on body style (e.g. However, in the past, many SUVs used body-on-frame construction. Most SUVs produced today use unibody construction (as per passenger cars). The 1984 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is considered to be the first SUV in the modern style. The predecessors to SUVs date back to military and low-volume models from the late 1930s, and the four-wheel drive station wagons / carryalls that began to be introduced in 1949. In some countries - such as the United States - SUVs have been classified as "light trucks", resulting in more lenient regulations compared to passenger cars. However, a broader definition considers any vehicle with off-road design features as an SUV. Some definitions claim that an SUV must be built on a light-truck chassis. There is no commonly agreed definition of an SUV, and usage varies between countries. Įxamples of B-segment / supermini / subcompact cars:Ĭ-segment / Small family / Compact Ī sports utility vehicle (SUV) combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. In the United States, the first locally-built subcompact cars were the 1970 AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega, and Ford Pinto. In Europe and Great Britain, the B-segment and supermini categories do not have any formal definitions based on size.Įarly supermini cars in Great Britain include the 1977 Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette. Since the EPA's smaller minicompact category is not as commonly used by the general public, A-segment cars are sometimes called subcompacts in the United States. The size of a subcompact car is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as having a combined interior and cargo volume of between 85–99 cubic feet (2,410–2,800 L). The next larger category small cars is called B-segment Europe, supermini in the United Kingdom and subcompact in the United States. Main articles: B-segment, Supermini, and Subcompact car Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover, Chevrolet Suburban, Now read our list of the best family cars to buy.Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus,Īlfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series,Ĭhevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus,īugatti Chiron, LaFerrari, Lamborghini Aventador,Ĭitroën C3 Picasso, Kia Venga, Ford B-Max,Ĭhevrolet Orlando, Ford C-Max, Suzuki Ertiga,Ĭhrysler Pacifica (RU), Kia Carnival, Renault Espace,ĭaihatsu Terios, Ford EcoSport, Jeep Renegade,įord Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Racking up long distances behind the wheel is no chore and there are plenty of handy storage compartments dotted around the cabin. Utilising a car platform means the Multivan is also incredibly comfortable. The chairs can also rotate 180 degrees and are reasonably lightweight so you can turn the Multivan into a proper van pretty easily. There are three sets of floor rails which allow each one to slide back and forth independently and there’s also a practical table that can be folded away or removed altogether. The real bonus to the Multivan are the removable, individual seats. The Multivan PHEV even comes with a somewhat useful 30 miles of electric-only range. This means there’s the option of a 215bhp, 1.4-litre plug-in hybrid petrol - which would be our recommendation alongside the diesel models. Volkswagen still tops our list except where there was once a T6.1 Transporter in Shuttle/ Caravelle form, there’s now the new Multivan that arrived as the replacement.ĭon’t let the name fool you, it might look like a van but unlike its predecessor, the Multivan uses a car-based platform - VW’s MQB architecture to be exact.
