| The price of fuel today has many looking at | | | | the overhead roof racks. Nissan officials said they |
| downsizing their vehicle's size. Although one may | | | | added this step after watching Xterra owners at |
| downsize, they still may not want to give up the | | | | ski facilities slip their feet into the tops of the rear |
| ability to drive off road and through adverse | | | | tires in order to reach their ski equipment atop |
| weather conditions. This is where the compact | | | | the Xterra. |
| SUV becomes attractive. | | | | Compact sport utilities may bring memories of |
| When compared to larger SUVs the smaller SUV | | | | early, small, rollover-prone, four-wheel-drive |
| typically uses less fuel. Buying a vehicle with a | | | | vehicles, but in recent years the vehicles have |
| 4-cylinder engine will generally provide higher | | | | increased their track, meaning the distance |
| gasoline mileage per gallon than do bigger SUVs | | | | between the two front or two rear wheels, which |
| with larger engines. Some smaller SUV's, typically | | | | contributes to better stability. |
| hybrids, have a rating of 36 miles per gallon in city | | | | Further, electronic stability control is available on |
| driving and 31 mpg on the highway for a | | | | several models. It's standard, for example, on |
| two-wheel-drive model. Yes, the supplemental | | | | Toyota's RAV4. |
| electric power helps boost city mileage more than | | | | Small SUVs are also adding more standard safety |
| highway mileage. | | | | features. The Kia Sportage ranks as the |
| The second benefit of having a smaller SUV is | | | | lowest-priced SUVs that comes with standard |
| that these vehicles are priced affordably | | | | anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control |
| compared to larger SUVs. | | | | and six standard airbags, including front |
| Smaller SUVs often have more nimble handling | | | | seat-mounted side airbags and curtain airbags for |
| than do bigger SUVs. For instance, the turning | | | | both front and rear seats. |
| circle of a Jeep Wrangler is 34.9 feet, which is less | | | | So what are the disadvantages of the smaller |
| than that for a Toyota Camry sedan. Compare | | | | SUV? There is only a couple. Towing is one. |
| that to the 43-foot turning circle for a full-size | | | | Generally consumers can't expect to tow as |
| Chevrolet Suburban SUV, which can make U-turns | | | | much behind small SUVs as they might with larger |
| and some parking maneuvers a bit problematic. | | | | sport utilities that have larger engines. For |
| Another benefit of the smaller SUV's are the | | | | instance, the towing limit for a V8-powered |
| extra features. For open-air driving, the Jeep | | | | Chevrolet Tahoe is 8,200 pounds-enough for a |
| Wrangler has a foldable soft-top, The Saturn Vue | | | | sizable trailer-while the much smaller Honda CR-V, |
| wears dent-resistant plastic body panels, and the | | | | which comes only with a four-cylinder engine, has |
| Honda Element can be easy to load because it | | | | a towing capacity of just 1,500 pounds. |
| has side cargo doors with no fixed pillar. The | | | | Smaller SUVs also can't carry as much cargo. |
| tailgate on the Element is a clamshell design for | | | | Generally, room behind the front seats for cargo |
| easy loading, too, while the RAV4 and Mitsubishi | | | | ranges up to 72 cubic feet or so in compact |
| Outlander are now offered with three rows of | | | | SUVs, while large sport utilities offer more |
| seats, if needed. | | | | storage space. Maximum payload also is greater in |
| The Nissan Xterra debuted with stylish, | | | | the bigger SUVs. |
| tubular-looking roof rails that can accommodate a | | | | So if you are thinking of downsizing in regards to |
| range of storage baskets and kits now also | | | | size, rest assured, you won't have to downsize in |
| includes a step integrated into the side of the rear | | | | quality and safety, there are many choices out |
| bumper. The step gives owners a leg up, if you | | | | there to choose from, depending on the 'size' of |
| will, so they can more easily reach items stored in | | | | your time to do the research. |