Crossover SUV Comparison

Car-based trucks are the market darlings of our day. The propaganda suggests if you're willing to sacrifice a smidgen of the towing and off-road capability the Marlboro-Manly pickup-based trucks offer, you can enjoy similar space and styling in a vehicle boasting the fuel efficiency and comfort of a large sedan. They're billed as the metrosexual Renaissance men of the motoring scene. Of course, the hype is often hooey. Tall, blocky styling creates truckish aero drag, however slippery the shape, and ladling on the comfort and convenience gear buyers demand bloats the curb weights of midsize crossovers to two tons and up, at which point any hope of carlike fuel economy hinges on exotic hybrid or diesel powertrain technology. Nevertheless, the market is buying the message and flocking in droves from "real" SUVs to these emasculated ones. Traditional sport/utility sales declined 12 percent in 2006, while crossovers climbed nine percent to win the sales race by about a quarter-million units.

By what yardsticks should midsize crossovers be measured? Clearly trailblazing beyond snowy gravel roads and towing anything larger than a pop-up camper are off the list. A high seating position with good visibility seems important, as does having the space and flexibility to carry a family and/or bulky items, otherwise a dynamically superior car would be preferable. Comfort and efficiency (or at least the appearance thereof) must be priorities, or today's worthy crop of redesigned midsize 'utes wouldn't be languishing on dealer lots for 70-plus days on average. Finally, style and cachet have elbowed their way into a high spot on the gotta-have list, or the other criteria would lead any rational buyer to choose a minivan.

Right. Using these rationales as our roadmap, let's examine the creme de la creme of midsize crossovers. The spotlight-grabber is Ford's new Edge, which charges onto the market with the unenviable tasks of (A) lassoing the folks abandoning their off-lease Explorers and (B) U-turning business out of the Crossovers "R" Us import dealerships next door. This Mazda6-based chassis is powered by a lusty 3.5-liter four-cam V-6 teamed with a six-speed transmission and front- or on-demand all-wheel drive. Standard roll-stability control promises to keep the Edge out of the class-action lawsuit headlines, and a full complement of front, front side, and curtain airbags are ready to step in when bad driving exceeds RSC's capabilities. A topline four-wheeler with nearly everything on it, including "look-at-me" orange paint, bears the Ford banner in this contest at a cost of $36,710. On the specifications sheet, it's apparent that Ford benchmarked Nissan's Murano extensively when designing the Edge, and as the segment's leader in terms of style and driving dynamics, the Altima-based 'ute received an invite to play, even though its 2008 replacement arrives later this year. Nissan sent a loaded SL model with lockable AWD, leather, sunroof, Bose audio, and chrome wheels priced at an eye-watering $39,075.

The other major newbie is Hyundai's Santa Fe, which rides on much modified Sonata underpinnings, wearing sleek styling that no longer looks like it's been T-boned. Its smartly dressed interior can be had with three-row seating and the cushioning safety of six airbags. Stability control is standard, too. Scrutinize the spec sheets again, and you can see the Korean engineers were cribbing Toyota's Camry-derived Highlander. Engine displacement, transmission gearing, wheelbase, length, and height of this pair are all within a whisker, while the base price is marked down $3000-$6000, depending on the trim level. Our top-drawer Limited model came with few options (it's the only player without a sunroof), wearing the fire-sale price of just $28,810. Let the record show that a maxed-out seven-seat Santa Fe with DVD entertainment and all the trimmings costs $33,950, which would still undercut the average price of the other three by $3500. Here again, it seemed only fair to bring along Hyundai's target, the perennially strong-selling Highlander, also due for renewal within a year. Like Nissan and Ford, Toyota couldn't resist lending us a leather-lined Limited V-6 model with three-row seating and most of the available options ringing in at $36,663. We excused the similarly priced Suzuki XL7 because it's enough bigger to compete with the Honda Pilot class.