2003 SUV/Pickup Crossovers

Last year, Cadillac created a new niche for itself by borrowing a concept from Chevrolet and giving it the full luxury treatment. Chevrolet had launched its Avalanche sport utility truck in mid-2001, and Cadillac followed with the Escalade EXT, which reached dealerships early in 2002. One of many crossover models to hit the market that year, the Escalade EXT blends the luxury cab of the Escalade sport utility vehicle with the cargo bed of a pickup truck. Ford actually introduced the idea earlier with its Explorer Sport Trac.

Is it a four-door pickup truck, or is it a sport utility vehicle that happens to have an open cargo bed? The Avalanche is both, and more. Chevrolet calls it “the ultimate utility vehicle,” but Ford was first with the basic idea by launching its Explorer Sport Trac in 2000. Cadillac joined the fray in January 2002 with the Escalade EXT. Each of these vehicles is considered a crossover model, which means they combine the benefits of flexible passenger and cargo configurations in a truck-based vehicle that's designed for heavy-duty tasks.

Two-for-one vehicles have caught the fancy of quite a few shoppers lately. Ford's sport utility vehicle/pickup truck crossover debuted as an early 2001 model and soon proved to be surprisingly popular.

Production began in the summer of 2002 on the brand-new Subaru Baja sport utility vehicle, which resembles a car with a pickup-truck cargo bed. Several full-size SUV/pickup-truck crossovers have been launched lately, and Subaru is using the idea for this smaller model.