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Today here at Shortfall we are taking a look into some of the vehicles that have helped to increase the overall popularity and success of the SUV sector of the car industry over the most recent number of years. SUV vehicles are more popular now than ever before and continue to rise in sales figures for various manufacturers as the months go by. There are many vehicles available on the market right now which have proven to be some of the biggest sellers for the SUV sector and today we have constructed a list of five of these SUV models which have helped bring SUV's back into some of the top selling spots all around the world.

 

SUV models have been most popular during the 1990's and mid 2000's but the success for the vehicle sector is at an all time high right now. SUV models are well known for offering a lot of space features and an all round great driving experience. They are ideal for those visits into town and ideal for long journeys with the whole family coming along. It was from 2007 onwards that SUV sales seen a rise around the world with the main peak time coming in 2010. We have many manufacturers represented in our countdown of the top five here today also including the Land Rover brand who are known for having one of the very first SUV models ever which came in the form of a military vehicle during world war two. So which vehicles are responsible for bringing a rise to the SUV market and which models are helping the SUV market grow around the world ?.

 

The top five on the rise to the top of the SUV sector

 

 

  1. The Audi Q3

So our first addition to the list here today is a vehicle which has helped maintain the success that the SUV sector is currently enjoying and it comes to us directly from the minds over at the Audi firm. The vehicle in question here today was first produced back in 2011 and has achieved much in terms of sales rates for Audi. There are a total of four different versions of the car on sale right now which include the SE,the S Line,the S Line Plus and finally the RS Q3. Across the range we see that both diesel engines and petrol units find their way into the Q3. Only manual transmission systems are made available across the line up and the engine ranges consist of 1.4 litre units,2.0 litre engines and finally a 2.5 litre petrol engine is also put on offer with the RS Q3 model. All 2.0 litre models come with Audi's quattro four wheel drive system as an option and the standard transmission systems to come along with the Q3 consist of a standard six speed manual transmission and a twin clutch S tronic transmission too.

 

The top of the range Q3 model comes in the manner of the RS Q3 which sees power deliverance of 306 brake horse power which is helped to be produced by its 2.5 litre engine. In regards to some of the pieces of equipment that come along with this SUV, you can also expect to receive 18 inch alloy wheels,Bluetooth connectivity,climate control,automatic wipers,automatic lights,parking sensors and a cruise control system also comes along with the Audi Q3 across the line up.

 

  1. The Range Rover Evoque

Our next addition to the line up is from a manufacturer as stated earlier on that was one of the very first manufacturers to offer an SUV model on the market...Land Rover. The vehicle making it in to our fourth position place today was first introduced to the world back in 2011 and has since then been one of the constant big sellers in the SUV sector. The vehicle we are of course referring to is the Range Rover Evoque. Success has come naturally for this vehicle as in the cars first year alone, we saw the Evoque sell a total of 88,000 units around the world. Both three door and five door versions of the car have been made available from the start and the Evoque has received three different variants since 2012. These different versions of the car include the Autobiography Dynamic model which seen a release last year,the Pearl Noir addition from this year and a convertible concept which was displayed in 2012. The platform used within the Evoque is shared with Land Rovers Freelander 2 model and plenty of equipment has also proven to be a key factor when it comes to sales on the car around the world.

 

One of the biggest selling versions of the car over the years has proven to be the 2.2 litre diesel unit. This is the entry level version of the car and also benefits from some good fuel efficiency. Interior space is a good selling point for the car also as we see the boot of the model come along with 575 litres which increases vastly when the rear seats are folded down. There are a total of three trim levels made available with the Evoque which sees added pieces of kit multiply. As standard though the car comes well kitted out with 18 inch alloy wheels,climate control,a built in touch screen,Bluetooth connectivity and heated leather seating. A meridian sound system,dual zone climate control and ambient LED lights are just some of the features that can be found inside the car. As far as the price range for the car goes, we see that the popular entry level version of the car can be purchases for a price tag of £29,205 with the range topping version of the car selling for £49,805.

 

  1. The Skoda Yeti

We think that the vehicle coming into the third place position today is well deserving of its place. This vehicle is not just an SUV that has put the sector of the car industry on notice, it has also been one of the vehicles responsible for reviving the Skoda brand over the years. The Skoda Yeti was first produced in 2009 and during its first year on the market it was named as the best family car of the year by Top Gear magazine. We see that over the years,t the Yeti has been offered with a total of ten different engines with one of the biggest sellers being the 2.0 litre diesel unit which delivers on a total of 138 brake horse power. One of the latest versions of the car to go on sale was the face lifted model which received a grand launch earlier on this year and received the option of a four wheel drive system. The Yeti is one of the best value for money vehicles to be made available in our opinion with a lot of this thanks going to a lot of equipment to come along with the car.

 

Additional pieces of kit which come along with the car as standard also include air conditioning,Bluetooth connectivity,alloy wheels, front and rear electric windows and a sat nav system which does cost an extra £635 but comes as standard with the brands new Laurin&Klement version of the SUV. Price ranges see a vast increase for the Laurin&Klement model with a lot more standard equipment costing you an extra £10,000 on top of the original purchase price for a standard Yeti which comes in at £16,715 for the entry level version of the car.

 

  1. The Range Rover Sport

In our runner up position today, the Land Rover brand have returned with their addition of the Range Rover Sport. This vehicle has been making a lot of headlines recently in the car industry as the manufacturer have been developing their brand new Sport model which has been confirmed to be the quickest version of the car to ever be released. Just a number of months back the new Sport model broke the Nurburgring speed record as the quickest SUV to ever do the lap. It was first shown at the Goodwood festival of speed earlier on this year and will without a doubt prove to be one of the finest sellers that the market has ever seen. The very first Sport model was produced in 2005 and is currently in the midst of its second life cycle. The new Range Rover Sport will mark the vehicles third generation and if it is anything like the two variations that have come before it will no doubt leave a massive impression on the SUV sector on a global scale.

 

Since 2009 the vehicle has sold more and more units as the years have gone by. This has been demonstrated by world wide sales of 33,497 sales in the year of 2009 with just last year coming in at a total figure of 58,234. For the latest generation Range Rover Sport we have seen a line up of both petrol and diesel engines go on sale which include two separate 3. litre,V6 diesel engines,a 4.4 litre V8 diesel,two 5.0 litre supercharged V8 engines and your final option is the welcomed addition of the 3.0 litre,V6 diesel which also comes in the manner of a hybrid. There are different trim levels available to choose from which are the HSE,HSE Premium and the SVR. All models receive some fairly decent kit though of a leather seat trim,a built in sat nav system and climate control also. The price range for the latest Range Rover Sport comes in at a cost of £61,250 for the entry level model whereas the range topping SVR comes with a price tag of £93,450.

 

  1. The Nissan Qashqai

Today we have selected a huge seller for the Nissan brand as our number one vehicle that has helped increase the awareness and sales statistics of the SUV sector and it has certainly proven to be one of the most purchased cars over the course of the past few years. The vehicle finding its place at the very top of our countdown today is the Nissan Qashqai. The Qashqai is now in it's second life cycle with the latest version of the vehicle launched earlier on this year. The first generation of the car was brought onto the market from 2007 and was produced in the brands factory in Sunderland. For the newer Qashqai,demand was that high that the company included production of this version of the car over in Japan also. With a look into this years version of the car, we see that it is made available with four different engine units to choose from at the time of purchase. These engine ranges include both petrol and diesel units which include both a 1.2 and a 1.6 litre,turbo petrol selection and a 1.5 and 1.6 litre diesel line up. There are also three trim levels available for the car which are the Acenta,Acenta Premium and the range topping Tekna model. As far as the transmission systems go, both manual and Xtronic automatic gearboxes find their way as an option across all variants.

 

The car is also fitted with some of the most up to date technological advancements made available in the vehicle industry which see the fitting of LED daytime running lights,17 inch alloy wheels, 19 inch wheels with the range topping version and an all new centre console is also included. As far as the price range is concerned we see that the latest version of the car comes with an entry level price tag of £17,995 where as the range topping Tekna version of the car is concerned a price tag of £28,280 finds it's way into the line up.

 

How have these SUV models made an impact on the SUV market ?

 

So since these SUV vehicles were first launched into the world, we have seen the success for their respective brands sky rocket and the five vehicles listed above have certainly proven to be some of the biggest sellers in the SUV market in this day and age. So with many other manufacturers from around the world introducing new SUV models right now and in the future, how long will the success of these SUVvehicles be maintained for ?.