A unibody vehicle that features the raised ride height and styling of an SUV but lacks heavy-duty off-road equipment like a low-range transfer case or locking differentials. These vehicles handle dirt roads and snow well but will struggle or suffer damage on technical rock-crawling trails.
It looks rugged, but it's just a softroader that will get stuck if you take it past the fire trails.
Also heard as
- mall crawler
Related terms
CUV
The abbreviation CUV stands for crossover utility vehicle, a passenger car built with SUV styling.
Pavement princess
A heavily modified pickup truck or SUV built for off-road aesthetics but only driven on paved roads.
Unibody
A unibody is a vehicle construction method where the floor pan and body shell are welded into a single load-bearing structure.
Ground clearance
The vertical distance between a flat driving surface and the lowest point of a vehicle chassis.