We'll Give You the Model of a Utility Vehicle, You Give Us the Make

AUTO

By: Ian Fortey

7 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons by Alexander Migl

About This Quiz

When you can't decide between a simple road-going car and a powerful, off-roading sort of vehicle, where do you turn? To the world of the utility vehicle! It's the best of both worlds, giving you a balance of power and performance, fuel efficiency and style, affordability and convenience, and every other thing car commercials tell you that you want in a car. But it's not a car! It's an SUV! The entire segment has become one of the most popular in the automotive world because it can appeal to drivers from all walks of life. Whether you want luxury or something rugged and efficient, you've got it. Whether you need space for a few or space for everyone, you've got it! And with not just the big guns like Ford, Chevy, Toyota and Honda on board but manufacturers like Kia, Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Maserati offering up SUVs, there's a lot of variety to choose from no matter what your tastes are.

So if you feel yourself drawn to the Kona more than the Cayenne, or the Escalade more than the Escape, now's your chance to show you know your makes and models like a pro. Just cruise on into the quiz and show us your stuff!

You absolutely know who makes the Suburban, right?

The Suburban name has been in use longer than any other nameplate in auto history. Chevy first used it way back in 1934 on the Suburban Carryall station wagon. These days it's a full-size SUV and one of the most popular in the Chevy stable.

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The Cayenne is muy caliente. Who makes it?

The luxury mid-size SUV Cayenne is made by Porsche. It represented a few firsts for the company including its very first four-door vehicle, and it quickly became popular among the Rolex set.

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If you want to escalate into an Escalade, what dealership do you need to go to?

The Cadillac Escalade has been a symbol of the luxury SUV market since 1999. It was the first Caddy in the segment. Platinum editions of the Escalade, with extra luxury options like massaging seats and microsuede, are available for some model years but the price tag can get up near $100,000 for them.

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You could see your friends later in a Navigator, but who manufactures it?

The Lincoln Navigator is a counterpart to the Ford Expedition since Lincoln is a division of Ford, sort of like Chevy and GMC. It holds the distinction of being the only Lincoln you can get that can seat at least 6 people while not also being a limousine.

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The Sportage sounds sporty. Who makes it?

The Kia Sportage has been on the market since 1993, though it has changed a little in that time. Back in the day, it was developed with a Mazda engineering base platform and not just any Mazda but the best-named Mazda on the market — the Bongo.

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Which manufacturer makes the Tahoe?

The Chevy Tahoe is the best-selling full-size SUV in America. Sales every year are around 100,000 units consistently since 1998 with only a few dips in numbers. It's also essentially the same vehicle as the GMC Yukon, since Chevy and GMC release sister models all the time.

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The original Escape model was released jointly with the Mazda Tribute in Japan. But who made the Escape?

The Ford Escape is what's known as a compact crossover utility vehicle or a CUV. What makes it a CUV rather than an SUV? Unibody construction on a car platform with less off-roading capabilities. Outside North America, the Escape is also sold as the Ford Kuga.

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Do you know who produces the Rogue?

The Rogue is Nissan's best-selling vehicle in the United States. In 2010, it won Consumer Digest's Best Buy Award as well as the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's top rating for side-impact safety. In 2017, they actually released a "Star Wars" edition to coincide with the movie "Rogue One."

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What company is behind the G-Class?

The G-Class has been in production in one form or another since 1979 by Mercedes. Word is the King of Iran suggested it as a military vehicle back in the day when he was a major shareholder int he company, and the civilian version hit the market in 1979.

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A Sequoia isn't just a tree, it's an SUV. Who makes it?

The Toyota Sequoia was the first full-sized Japanese SUV available to the North American market. A 2019 study from iSeeCars.com determined that the Sequoia is the top vehicle in the US most likely to last you 200,000 miles.

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If you're in the market for an Encore, do you know who makes it?

Buick has been making the Encore since 2012 and it's been proving itself to be a popular vehicle. It's one of the few that has seen a sales increase every single year since its introduction. About 32,000 were sold in 2012 and 93,000 in 2018.

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You've probably seen a CR-V on the road before, but did you catch the company name on it?

The Honda CR-V is built on the Civic platform and is a remarkably popular vehicle, with sales over 375,000 in the US in 2018. It's popular not for just its looks but its gas mileage, pulling down about 28.5 mpg, which makes it right near the top in its class.

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The X-Series is a wide range of SUVs from which manufacturer?

BMW has a whole range of SUVs called the X-Series that range from the X-1 through the X-7. The X-1 is a compact and the X-7 is a full-size, with the rest falling in the middle. The X-7 was first available in 2019 while the X-1 showed up in 2009.

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The Santa Fe was this manufacturer's best-seller. Who makes it?

Hyundai has been making the Santa Fe since the 2001 model year. Not only is it Hyundai's most popular model, word is that they've had trouble in the past actually keeping up with the demand for them. In 2008 it was Consumer Reports Top Pick, so it does at least have the chops to back up the demand.

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If you can wrangle a Durango, what is the company making it for you?

Dodge has been making the Durango since the 2011 model year, and if you like trim packages you might like this choice. There are actually 12 trim packages including Express, Crew, SXT, SXT Plus, Crew Plus, Limited, GT, GT Plus, R/T, Citadel, SRT and also a special service package for government vehicles.

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With a name like Grand Cherokee it has to be good, right? Who makes it?

Arguably the idea for the Jeep Grand Cherokee goes back all the way to 1983 when the Jeep Cherokee was introduced. The Grand Cherokee itself was introduced in 1992 and was originally just meant as a larger replacement for the regular Cherokee.

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Can you flex your knowledge by telling us who made the Flex?

The Ford Flex was introduced back in 2009, and manufacturing of the model officially ended in 2019. Though it was generally a well-reviewed vehicle, word is that sales figures were too low for Ford to keep it in production

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To what lot do you have to journey to find who makes the Journey?

The Dodge Journey is sometimes sold as the Fiat Freemont in European markets as well as Australia, Brazil and China. The Journey comes in a number of trim packages with a number of unusual options such as an under-the-cushion storage bin and a cooled glove box.

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Who manufacturers the popular Traverse model?

The Chevy Traverse has been manufactured since the 2009 model year and the company has done some extensive work to promote it. It was featured on the NBC show "My Own Worst Enemy" back in 2008 alongside the new Camaro. It's used as part of the Minnie Van Service at Walt Disney World, too.

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Ever heard of an Armada? Who makes it?

The Nissan Armada is a full-size SUV that has a few features to make it stand out from the crowd in terms of luxury and convenience. For instance, the Platinum edition has a 9.3GB hard drive for storing music so you never have to listen to the radio again.

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Do you know what company manufactures the Highlander?

Toyota has been making the Highlander since 2001. The company calls it the Kluger in Japan and Australia because it can't legally use the name in those countries. Sadly, it's not because of the movie "The Highlander" but because Hyundai Terracan has a Highlander trim line in those countries.

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Which company makes the very fancy-sounding Levante?

The Maserati Levante has only been manufactured since the 2017 production year. It was based on a concept car from back in 2011, the Maserati Kubang, which had a pretty excellent name, all things being equal. When it first came out it also had a Ferrari motor, so it's no surprise they have a base price of $88,000.

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The name CX-5 doesn't tell you much about this CUV made by what company?

The Mazda CX-5 was introduced in 2012 and was marketed in the United States to coincide with the release of the movie "The Lorax." Why "The Lorax" of all things? As a cross-promotion for Mazda's fuel-efficient Skyactiv Technology.

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The luxury RDX is made by what company?

Originally built on the same platform as the Honda Civic, the Acura RDX is the company's first compact luxury SUV. The vehicle was meant to be a part of a promotion with "The Avengers," and while other Acuras made it into the movie, the RDX actually got edited out.

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If you like electric vehicles, you can snag a Kona EV. But who makes it?

The Kona and the Kona EV are manufactured by Hyundai. In 2019, both the electric and non-electric versions were named North American utility Vehicle of the Year, the first time a subcompact SUV ever snagged the award. The electric version has the highest range of any electric SUV at 290 miles.

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Which company rolls out the Soul?

The Kia Soul was introduced for the 2009 model year and has one of the more bizarre origin stories of any car. The designer had seen a documentary on the important of boars in Korean culture and drew a sketch of one wearing a backpack. That somehow became the design for the Soul.

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Do you know what company makes the Stelvio?

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is actually the top-selling Alfa Romeo model and also its first production SUV, meaning it seems to have worked out pretty well for the company. In 2017, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio claimed the title of "fastest production SUV."

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Model X sounds intense. Do you know which manufacturer makes it?

Tesla's Model X came out in 2015 and it's decked out with falcon-wing doors. Going forward, Tesla plans to expand its lineup and use the same platform of the Model X to roll out a Tesla Minibus. It currently has a range of about 325 miles.

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The Q3 is a luxury subcompact made by which company?

2012 was the first model year for the Audi Q3. In a weird marketing ploy for the Q3's release in Taiwan, the manufacturer put on something called the Q3 Urban Music Festival and invited 11 indie bands to come and perform.

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How expeditiously could you tell us who makes the Expedition?

The Ford Expedition was rolled out to replace the Ford Bronco back in 1997. For as long as the Expedition has been in production, it's also been offered under the Lincoln marque as the Navigator. And also, for one year only in 2008, you could get a Funkmaster Flex edition as well.

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Can you put a face to the I-Pace?

The Jaguar I-Pace is an electric crossover SUV that's only been in production since 2018. In 2019 it managed to pull in the European Car of the Year Award. Jaguar hadn't pulled off that feat in over 50 years before the I-Pace showed up.

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You don't need to search the world for an Atlas. What dealership should you look at, though?

Volkswagen's Atlas is also marketed in markets like Mexico, Russia and the Middle East as the Teramont. If you're a thirsty driver, you may want to consider the Atlas since, for some reason, it's decked out with a staggering 17 cup holders.

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Do you know the maker of the mid-size Passport?

Originally a partnership between Honda and Isuzu, the Honda Passport was first produced from 1993 until 2002 when it was initially discontinued. It was brought back into production for the 2019 manufacturing year.

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It's not too hard to guess who makes the Range Rover, is it?

It takes a rover to make a rover, and the Range Rover is made by Land Rover. It's been in production since 1970. As one of the most iconic SUVs on the road, it's been used as a poster child for the segment and was even protested by Greenpeace at its manufacturing plant.

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Do you know who makes the Macan?

Macan is the Javanese word for "tiger," so clearly we're dealing with a cool vehicle here. Porsche has been manufacturing this model since 2014 and it was known as the "Cajun" for a while which referred to the "Cayenne Junior." Just as well they went with the Macan name.

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If you want to check out the XC40, what kind of car lot are you going to head to?

The Volvo XC40 has been on the market since 2018. What Car? magazine named it their "Car of the Year" that year and it also managed to get European Car of the Year as well. It was also CarSales Car of the Year in 2018 and the Irish Car of the Year in 2019. So yeah, it's doing well.

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You probably haven't seen too many Palisades, yet but do you know what company makes it?

The Hyundai Palisade debuted at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show and 2020 marks its first model year. It has 21 cubic feet of cargo space and 87 cubic feet if you fold up the back seats, making it the largest vehicle Hyundai has ever produced.

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Do you know who makes the very simply named LX?

The Lexus LX was the first entry into the SUV marketplace from Lexus back in 1996. As Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota, the LX was based pretty heavily on Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, albeit with some upgrades to make it fit the luxury market, like airbags for your knees!

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The QX80 is made by what manufacturer?

The Infiniti QX80 was actually first known as the QX56 from 2004 until 2013. The 56 was part of the way Infiniti named all its vehicles based on engine displacement numbers, in this case, a 5.6-liter engine, but it rebranded in 2013 and dropped that system.

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What dealership should you explore to find an Explorer?

The Ford Explorer has been around since the 1991 model year. It was the first 4-door SUV made by Ford and it's available in both civilian models as well as packages meant for emergency services like the Ford Police Interceptor Utility.

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