CLIMATE CHANGE

摘要

This is the 20th time we've awarded the Golden Calipers to a Sport Utility Vehicle. And perhaps no vehicle type has changed more radically in this period than SUVs. The shift from trucklike body-on-frame to car-based unibody architecture was the revolution that in 1999 broke SUVs out from Truck of the Year, where they originally competed. Since then, we've seen locking differentials evolve into multimode selectable terrain-response systems and shapes transform from two-box silhouettes to "coupes" and high-riding wagons. The revolution has been so complete that there isn't a single ladder frame underpinning any of this year's contestants.