Help me settle this debate with H about size?

[trackingsep]

Sorry, nothing like the title might suggest

He is adamant a Peugeot 3008 (2024 plate) is an SUV. I said it's definitely not an SUV. It's tiny!

He works with cars and says it definitely is.

I wondered if anyone who knew anything about them could confirm? If it is an 'SUV', it's a tiny one surely?

Saw it mentioned on here, looked it up and it is smaller than my Seat Arona.

Peugeot describe it as an SUV. He's right.

@duvetstealer seems they're trying to sell it that way then

It's tiny. Seems really unfair marketing to say it's an SUV

Must be the most compact one I've ever seen

The manufacturers call it an SUV and I would assume they know. 😁

I have one, he’s right. It is in no way tiny.

I will say that on paper, in photos, it looked smaller than it actually is in the flesh.

It's bigger than you think, it's a foot longer than the ford puma and a meter longer than a Suzuki jimny

Most SUVs aren't actually sports utility vehicles any more though, they're just a bit higher than your typical saloon. I certainly wouldn't be taking my Kia Sportage off road.

The main defining characteristic of an SUV is height, not overall size.

Sorry, you'll have to admit you're wrong here.

A Suzuki Jimmy is definitely an SUV and it really is small. A car doesn't have to be big to be an SUV.

Lovely car (Kia Sportage), but it's much smaller than that

I get that but it's certainly a 'compact' SUV

I had to look up a Sear Arona to see what it is, and Seat themselves call it a small SUV. The 3008 is from the class above, so you ABU to call it tiny. But none of these types of cars are anything other than taller hatchbacks really. And, ironically, they are less sporty than a hatchback. The ‘S’ should really stand for ‘School’ not ‘sport’

Have you mistaken it with a 308?

The 3008 is definitely an SUV. It's about the same size as a qasqai which is also an SUV

I wouldn't go as far as calling a Sportage lovely, although it fills our needs perfectly well.

As everyone has said, size is nothing to do with defining an SUV.

I had a friend in the US with one of those little open top Jeep things, I'm not even sure if it had back seats. Tiny, but definitely an SUV. And definitely better off-road than a Sportage or the likes.

I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept that you didn't know what an SUV is.

Why the multiple threads about the Peugeot 3008 this morning? Weird!
We used to have the 5008. Loved it. The 3008 is smaller but still an SUV.

The ‘S’ should really stand for ‘School’ not ‘sport’

Lol, so true. At one stage we were one of four grey Hyundai Tucsons doing pickup at our small nursery. They're just standard family cars now.

DH read an interesting article about this the other day but I'm afraid I'm too lazy to try and find it. I thought we'd all naturally moved towards the SUV style because of the higher driving position, but apparently it was a result of some tax law in the US. For whatever reason, SUVs suddenly became cheaper than other car types so manufacturers started focusing on that market. Or something.

Is it not classed as a "crossover?"

It’s a compact SUV isn’t it? But still an SUV. Although I know the definitions of compact, full size etc are also open to interpretation depending on where you live. I drove a Tiguan when I lived in America and apparently that was a compact there whereas most Brits would probably consider it a fairly sizeable car! Easy to park though as I was the only one who could fit in the ‘compact only’ space at work.

The rise of the pick up truck is tax driven and, in the US, much lower safety standards so lower cost to develop / produce. That hideous Tesla truck can’t be sold anywhere in Europe has it doesn’t pass the most basic of safety tests as an example.

The rise of the cross over and SUV is marketing convincing people they’re safer, pushed by the manufacturers as the profit on them is higher than the equivalent hatchback. The Tiguan as an example costs no more than a Golf to make, is no safer (in fact,,probably less safe due to higher CoG) and has no more space inside. But costs at least £5k more. All of which is profit for VW :)

Isn't 'SUV' just the modern terminology for what we used to simply refer to as a 'four-wheel drive'?

Just because SUVs tend to be big, it doesn't follow that they MUST be big.

30 years ago, a friend had a tiny little 4WD Fiat Panda - would that have been called an SUV these days?!

After a bit more digging, it seems to be sold as a family SUV, not a compact SUV. How can that be the case when it's so compact and cramped inside?

I drive a seat arona which is bigger with a bigger boot - and that's still a small SUV

Lots of SUVs aren't 4 wheel drive though.

I drive a seat ateca (love it). It replaced a qashqai (hated it).
On dimensions it's slightly smaller than the QQ. Internally it is so much more roomy. Both adult children in the back with plenty of space. Boot is much larger. The uni runs are so much easier than it was in the QQ.

According to the Seat and Peugeot websites, it's longer, taller and with more boot space than the current Arona!

The 3008 is bigger than the Arona.