{"id":1795907,"date":"2026-02-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795907"},"modified":"2026-02-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:00:00","slug":"here-are-nine-crossovers-wed-actually-want-to-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795907","title":{"rendered":"Here are nine crossovers we’d actually want to own"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduced in the US in the late 1970s, the original crossover was initially offered in coupe, saloon and estate forms with lifted suspension and AWD. A rare convertible version called the Eagle Sundancer was even offered in 1981 and 1982. And yes, it was rare because nobody bought one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Of course we love the original Panda 4×4 from the 1980s, but to live with every day? We\u2019ll take the third gen Panda Cross, thanks. This was based on the 4×4 of the time but got more underbody protection, new bumpers, a \u2018Terrain Control\u2019 system and 9mm of extra ground clearance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We don\u2019t need to explain to you the wonders of the homologation special. Yet every time we see a Pajero Evo it makes us dream of the Dakar Rally. This bewinged brick used a 3.5 V6 and kept the aero and protection of the racecar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ferrari doesn\u2019t want us to refer to the Purosangue as an SUV, so let\u2019s call it what it really is. There\u2019s not much ground clearance and the only off road action it\u2019ll ever see is a wet field at the polo, so yep, it\u2019s a crossover. Still, it\u2019s one with a mighty 6.5-litre V12.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We\u2019re talking about the first gen 3dr soft-top here, because that\u2019s the one we\u2019re weirdly desperate to own. The \u2018Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD\u2019 was actually previewed by the even weirder looking RAV-FOUR concept car at the 1989 Tokyo motor show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Another lifted AWD hatchback, the Country Syncro was a MkII Golf that was shipped off to the experts at Steyr-Daimler-Puch. A whole new tubular lower subframe helped lift it by almost five inches, while bumper bars and spotlights ensured it looked rad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The ride is rock hard, the 2.0-litre turbo four pot drinks like it has double the cylinders, and it torque steers like a 2000s Astra VXR. The Kona N essentially uses all the bits from the brilliant i30N hot hatch to create a joyously silly crossover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Name a production car that looks more like a concept. Go on, we\u2019ll wait. The wacky two door VehiCross reached roads in 1997 with a 3.5-litre V6 and two titanium \u2018fangs\u2019 in its grille. Oh, and it may have Cross in the name, but it\u2019s actually a proper body on frame SUV underneath.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yes, you could have a Jimny or a Vitara. But the small 1990s Suzuki SUV you really want is the X-90. Why? Just look at it. It\u2019s essentially what would happen if a little two seater, T-top sports car made babies with a dinky all wheel drive SUV.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduced in the US in the late 1970s, the original crossover was initially offered in coupe, saloon and estate forms with lifted suspension and AWD. A rare convertible version called the Eagle Sundancer was even offered in 1981 and 1982. And yes, it was rare because nobody bought one. Of course we love the original […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1795907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1795907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795907\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1795907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1795907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1795907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}