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Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle

A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing description for a vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on or off-road ability, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan....
s with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV
Mini SUV

Mini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length under . This class should not be confused with compact SUV, which refers to slightly larger vehicles, from ....
, which refers to smaller vehicles.

The first introductions to the market were in the 1980s when American manufacturers Ford and General Motors introduced the two-door Ford Bronco
Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco was a sport-utility vehicle produced from 1966 through 1996, with five distinct generations.It was initially introduced as a competitor for the Jeep CJ#CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout....
 II and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
Chevrolet S-10 Blazer

The Chevrolet Blazer and the similar GMC S-15 Jimmy were mid-size SUVs from General Motors. Production began alongside the larger Chevrolet K5 Blazer in 1983 and lasted through 2005....
 that were based on their small trucks (Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger

Ford Ranger is a name used on two distinct compact pickup truck lines by the Ford Motor Company and by a marketing arrangement with Mazda.* A Ford-designed compact pickup truck, which is sold and manufactured in North America as well as Brazil, Chile and Argentina....
 and Chevrolet S-10
Chevrolet S-10

The Chevrolet S-10 was a compact car pickup truck from the Chevrolet marque of General Motors. When it was first introduced in 1982, the GMC version was known as the S-15 and later renamed the GMC Sonoma....
, respectively).






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Suzuki Grand Vitara 2006
Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle

A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing description for a vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on or off-road ability, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan....
s with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV
Mini SUV

Mini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length under . This class should not be confused with compact SUV, which refers to slightly larger vehicles, from ....
, which refers to smaller vehicles.

The first introductions to the market were in the 1980s when American manufacturers Ford and General Motors introduced the two-door Ford Bronco
Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco was a sport-utility vehicle produced from 1966 through 1996, with five distinct generations.It was initially introduced as a competitor for the Jeep CJ#CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout....
 II and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
Chevrolet S-10 Blazer

The Chevrolet Blazer and the similar GMC S-15 Jimmy were mid-size SUVs from General Motors. Production began alongside the larger Chevrolet K5 Blazer in 1983 and lasted through 2005....
 that were based on their small trucks (Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger

Ford Ranger is a name used on two distinct compact pickup truck lines by the Ford Motor Company and by a marketing arrangement with Mazda.* A Ford-designed compact pickup truck, which is sold and manufactured in North America as well as Brazil, Chile and Argentina....
 and Chevrolet S-10
Chevrolet S-10

The Chevrolet S-10 was a compact car pickup truck from the Chevrolet marque of General Motors. When it was first introduced in 1982, the GMC version was known as the S-15 and later renamed the GMC Sonoma....
, respectively). These vehicles included full-size passenger seating for four, unlike the trucks which normally would fit two.

The first purpose-designed monocoque
Monocoque

Monocoque, from Greek language for single and French for shell , is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin....
 (unibody) compact SUV was the Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

The Jeep Cherokee was a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size Jeep Cherokee model, but having no true pickup truck heritage, it actually set the stage for the modern SUV....
. Introduced by American Motors
American Motors

American Motors Corporation was an United States automobile company formed on January 14, 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and the Hudson Motor Car Company....
 (AMC) in 1984 and produced almost unchanged through 2001 in the U.S. and 2005 in China, it is considered a masterpiece of automotive design with room for five passengers and their cargo. Although it shared its name from the full-size SJ
Jeep Cherokee (SJ)

The Jeep SJ series Jeep Cherokee was a full-size Sport utility vehicle produced from 1974 through 1983 by the Jeep division of the American Motors Corporation....
 model, it had no true pickup truck heritage, but came in both four and two-door versions that were extremely capable off-road
Off-roading

Off-roading is a term for driving a specialized vehicle on unpaved roads, such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain....
. The compact Cherokee's design, appearance, and sales popularity spawned imitators as other automakers noticed that this model began replacing regular cars.

Most of current compact SUVs are crossover SUV
Crossover SUV

A crossover — variously called CUV or crossover utility vehicle — is a marketing term for a vehicle that derives from a car automobile platform while borrowing features from an Sport utility vehicle or Minivan....
s, as they have monocoque construction and limited off-road capabilities. In this case, the models may be derived from a compact car
Compact car

A compact , small family or c-segment car is a car classification of automobile which are larger than a supermini car and smaller than a large family car....
 / small family car. As with crossover SUV
Crossover SUV

A crossover — variously called CUV or crossover utility vehicle — is a marketing term for a vehicle that derives from a car automobile platform while borrowing features from an Sport utility vehicle or Minivan....
s, third-row seating became optional on most models, such as the 2006 Toyota RAV4
Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV crossover SUV built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The car was introduced in Japan and Europe in 1994 and sales began in North America in 1996 to cater to consumers wanting a vehicle that had most of the benefits of SUVs, such as increased cargo room, higher visibility, and the option of full-t...
 and the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Santa Fe

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a Compact SUV/mid-size crossover SUV based on the Hyundai Sonata platform. It was introduced for the 2001 model year as Hyundai's first SUV, released at the same time as the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute and Pontiac Aztek....
 and Mitsubishi Outlander
Mitsubishi Outlander

The Mitsubishi Outlander is a compact SUV crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors. It was originally known as the Mitsubishi Airtrek when it was introduced in Japan in 2001, and was based on the Mitsubishi ASX concept vehicle exhibited at the 2001 North American International Auto Show....
.

Some modern compact SUVs have some features which resemble compact MPV
Compact MPV

A Compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments....
s and regular hatchback
Hatchback

Hatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window....
s besides those of sport utility vehicles; examples of this are the Honda CR-V
Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V is a compact SUV crossover SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda since 1996. It was loosely derived from the Honda Civic to satisfy a public demand for a sport-utility vehicle from Honda....
, SEAT Altea
SEAT Altea

The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look....
, Nissan Qashqai
Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai is a compact SUV crossover SUV produced by Japanese automaker Nissan since 2007. The P32L automobile platform will be also used by other oncoming Nissan crossover SUVs....
 and Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Tucson

File:'06-'08 Hyundai Tucson FCEV .JPGThe Hyundai Tucson is a compact SUV crossover SUV launched in 2005 by the Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company....
. Most automakers create new market niches by mixing segments with the goal of attracting new customers.

On the other hand, some compact SUVs appear SUV-like and are regarded as smaller-size alternatives to medium-size SUVs in a manufacturer's line. The Ford Escape
Ford Escape

The Ford Escape is a compact SUV sold by the automaker Ford Motor Company introduced in 2000 as a 2001 model year and priced below the Ford Explorer....
, introduced in 2001, is an example of this.

Footnotes