Off-road grades: SUV trims muddle the line between off-road intenders and soft-road pretenders

What separates a crossover from an SUV? In the old days, a body-on-frame design along with a 2-speed transfer case for low gearing used to be the litmus test. Now, except for truck-based full-size SUVs, most vehicles in this most popular segment are based on unibody construction. Yet automakers continue to hark back to those days with trim lines…