To escape the fast pace of urban life, more and more people are taking to quiet rides outside the city. This is one of the reasons for the growing popularity of sports utility vehicles (SUVs), thanks to their off-road performance.

Affordability is another consideration. Pure SUVs such as the Grand Cherokee and Hummer are not affordable to ordinary consumers. But the compact SUVs, or urban SUVs, such as Kia's Sportage, Honda's CR-V, and Toyota's RAV4, offer new options for customers.

Kia Motors, based in South Korea, was the first to invent the concept of "urban SUV."