Off-road vehicle

SUVs are cars for driving on difficult terrain away from paved roads. In the early years of the automobile, paved roads were so that all vehicles had the exception, a high ground clearance have. The first special SUVs were the half-track vehicles from the 1920s by André Citroën.

Today SUVs are predominantly of the armed forces, hunters, needed in the agriculture and forestry and in off-road racing, and in landscapes, its transport infrastructure is poorly developed. Since the 1990s, used SUVs and SUVs increasingly as a lifestyle companion and be used instead of cars on paved roads. This fad is for environmental reasons and because of the increased risk of accidents in the criticism.

Constructive criteria for SUVs

SUVs are meant for use on very bad roads and in unpaved terrain. Therefore, they must be very robust and terrain especially. The off-road capability is favored by a high ground clearance and short, often tapered body overhangs, which contribute to strong gradients to avoid a touch down. Panels on the underbody protect sensitive components such as the tank. A safe driving characteristics serve as all-wheel drive, often in conjunction with a selectable short -range gearbox and differential lock (s ), a twist- capable chassis (often with rigid axles ) and coarse profiled terrain tires. Similar trucks have SUVs still mostly a robust ladder or box frame with separately attached car body on.

Related to the SUVs are sports utility vehicles (SUVs ) that have some structural and design features of SUVs, but fail terrain and less robust in general. They usually have a self-supporting body, as in the passenger car segment common, and there is often no differential lock and a low range gearing. In addition, many SUVs are also available without all-wheel drive.

Another related type of vehicle, the buoyant amphibious vehicles.

Metrics

For the off-road, there are characteristic metrics:

• Wading depth is the water depth, which can be traversed at low speed.
• Gradeability
• Ground clearance between the axles and
• Slope angle, front and rear
• Ramp angle
• Tilt angle
• Entanglement capability ( max. axle articulation )

Gradeability

Ground clearance of an axis

Ground clearance between the axles

Angle of repose

Ramp angle

Tilt angle

Models

• See Category: SUVs

Terms of Use

In the European legal terrain vehicles in Directive 2007/46/EC, Annex II are defined as a motor vehicle of international class N ( with a gross vehicle weight up to 2 tons ) or M and the following equipment:

• Powered front and rear axles at the same time (also selectable)
• Differential lock (at least one )

In addition, other conditions relating to ground clearance and departure angle must be met.

SUVs are allowed to move in accordance with § 42 StVZO an increased towing capacity in Germany, namely 1.5 times ( other vehicles, only the simple ones) the gross vehicle weight of the towing vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes ( restriction: the trailer coupling and overrun brake ). If the vehicle is equipped with a hitch, however, and a continuous braking system, may also in Germany more than 3,5 t be pulled, but the C1E license is necessary for this. In Switzerland, depending on the vehicle type and homologation between 500 and 1000 kg unbraked and up more than 10 tonnes trailer load braked (eg Dodge Ram ) allowed. More than 3.5 tonnes trailer load is only with continuous brake (eg compressed air brake system ) and hitch allowed. The approved maximum trailer weight is entered in the vehicle license after technical screening. The train may be driven with the category BE, however, falls to the HVF.

Rarely come with SUVs chains ( also tracked vehicle ) are used, which achieve a tremendous off-road capability at the expense of speed.

Criticism

Again and again in the criticism get larger SUVs because of their increased danger for pedestrians in the event of collisions.

Children are particularly vulnerable to partially assembled front guard, even at low speed accidents can end up fatal.

During the collision between SUVs and passenger cars increases the risk of injury for car drivers: According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the risk of death is 35 times higher if a car is hit by an SUV instead of another car.

The VCÖ and ADAC have therefore appealed to have take off the front guard or not to be fit. The VCÖ draws attention to the opposite cars increased by 50 % CO2 emissions from road vehicles.

After 1 October 2005 approved vehicles of category M1 may not be equipped with front guard, according to an EU directive, by 31 December 2012, such vehicles may no longer be first placed on the market. Vehicles that already have a front guard due to single or approval shall retain that.

However, even the newer models have loud Euro NCAP not all have adequate pedestrian protection.

According to the Swiss Materials Testing EMPA also occupants of SUVs are at a higher risk of accidents because of the risk of tipping over is higher due to the high center of gravity in critical situations.

In addition to safety considerations, there are also ecological reasons criticism of SUVs. Due to the usually larger vehicle mass and the type of construction higher air resistance of the consumption is increased compared to a conventional design of the same size car on average. This is accompanied by higher CO2 emissions and a greater burden of resources.

Registrations in Germany

For figures on annual new registrations of passenger cars in the segment SUV in Germany according to statistics from the Federal Motor Vehicle Office, see the list of registrations of new passenger cars in Germany by segment and model series # SUV.