Best SUV 2008

SUV.ReviewItOnline.net - A team of car fanatics who have ranked the best economy and luxury Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) for 2008 making it quick and easy for you to begin your search for the perfect SUV. The table details the key features of the best SUVs in the business. Find the best 2008 suv today!

Why an SUV?

An SUV is the optimum passenger vehicle which combines the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan or station wagon together with on and off road ability. Most mid-size and full-size SUVs have three rows of seats with a cargo area directly behind the last row of seats. Vehicle buyers are drawn to the large cabins, being higher on the road, and the perceived safety.

From being used to tow boats and trailers to being the car choice of celebrities, the SUV is used for many different purposes. Size, safety and style make the SUV one of the most versatile and useful vehicles on the road today in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Features to Look for in an SUV:

The SUV market is large and saturated with the big brand SUVs all offering a wide range of features with all of the main SUV manufacturers providing optimum levels of power, transmission, fuel efficiency and brake features. In order to stay ahead of the pack, some manufacturers are adding some really unique features such as a lazy suzan (Honda Odyssey), a retractable dry cleaning hook (Nissan Quest) and retractable cupholder covers (Range Rover). Whilst these features are fun and interesting, the more basic requirements should not be ignored:

Seating and Storage is a critical concern for families. Depending on the size of your family, you should consider whether an SUV has second and third row seats and whether these can fold completely flat into the floor – a useful function to maximize storage space. Also, you should look as to whether there is storage space below the seat when folded upright.

The 2007 Cadillac SRX full-size SUV allows a rear cargo management system to be chosen in place of the third-row seat, providing three distinct storage areas and a removable bin. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV has an illuminated and carpeted storage area.

Many SUV manufacturers have now added cargo organizers to not only make loading and unloading easier, but to prevent mess and make it easier to clean.

The Land Rover LR3 luxury SUV has a tailgate which allows easy loading when both closed and open. The short half on the passenger side lets users load cargo easily when closed, and the long driver-side half provides a luggage/gear storage shelf when down.

The Honda Element compact SUV comes with a black urethane-coated utility floor which is helpful to protect against really messy and wet cargo whilst Toyota's FJ Cruiser crossover SUV includes a rubberized floor and water-resistant seats with sealed seams which allows rinsing of the seats without destroying them.

Safety is a key concern with initial studies of SUVs showing that the size of an SUV, along with higher ground clearance and heavier weight, often makes them less maneuverable than passenger vehicles. The SUV manufacturers have now included minimum safety features to combat these concerns and a person should make sure that the following items are included as a minimum: Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.

Other things to consider are seat consoles that accommodate for iPods and other MP3 use, slots for organizing the routing of power cords, various types of glove boxes and airplace style overhead consoles etc.