Other Names
In Australia and New Zealand, the term SUV is not widely used, except by motoring organisations the press, and industry bodies. Passenger class vehicles designed for off-road use are known as 'four-wheel drives', '4WDs', or '4×4s'. Some manufacturers do refer to their products as SUVs, but others invented names such as XUV, (HSV Avalanche XUV or GMC Envoy XUV) or action utility vehicles (AUVs). The term 'AWD', or all-wheel drive, is used for any vehicle which drives on all four wheels, but may not be designed for off-road use. 'Crossover' is a marketing term for a vehicle which is both four-wheel-drive and primarily a road car.
The pejorative term "Toorak Tractor" is used in Australia to describe vehicles such as Range Rovers used in wealthy urban areas with fine roads, fine dining, and exclusive designer shopping precincts where off-road ability is not required. The term alludes to the affluent Melbourne suburb of Toorak and was used at least as early as the late 1980s. The equivalent term "Chelsea Tractor" became prominent in the United Kingdom around 2004 to describe vehicles such luxury SUVs used in urban areas such as Chelsea, London, where their four-wheel-drive capabilities are not required and the car is believed to be a status symbol rather than a necessity. The term "4×4" (four-by-four) is also common even for vehicles not used in urban areas. "AWD" is not commonly used in the UK.
In Norway the term "Børstraktor" (Stock Exchange Tractor) serves a similar purpose.
In Finland the term "katumaasturi" is commonly used to designate SUVs. It roughly translates to street-off-roader, or street-4×4. This marks the difference with what is called "maasturi" which is a vehicle with off-road capability.
Read more about this topic: Sport Utility Vehicle
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