Crossover cars are nothing new, but when they come in the sports-SUV variety they have generally been unified by just one common characteristic: their jarring appearance.
Porsche started the ball rolling in 2002 with its uber-SUV, the Cayenne, which was criticised by many for its slab-sided styling - looking something akin to a 911 grafted onto the body of a tank.
In 2005, Land Rover unveiled its Range Rover Sport, whose steroidal enhancements appealed principally to soccer stars. But perhaps the most unholy union between an SUV and a sports car was BMW's X6. Launched last year, the BMW took Porsche's concept one step further by attempting to stretch the body of a two-door coupe over the marque's chunky X5 SUV. The design was met with near-universal derision.
Yet, that hasn't stopped the punters from buying these half-breeds in droves, and they have proved so lucrative that a niche market for the family-sized sports car has been well and truly carved out.
Now Nissan has entered the fray with its take on the sports SUV - the Skyline Crossover. Conceived as a fusion of performance and practicality, it's Nissan's attempt to meld the sporting heritage of its respected Skyline range with the practicality of its urban SUVs. Based on the marque's FM platform (shared with the 370Z sports coupe), the Skyline SUV is a radical departure from German carmakers' concepts - and miles away from Land Rover's overdose of bling.
Smaller, lighter and more curvaceous, Nissan's sport crossover blends familiar Lexus/Infiniti curves with the slick contemporary lines of the 370Z. With its flowing silhouette and mid-sized footprint, the sleek Crossover is more restrained than the outsized sports SUVs of the past decade and - refreshingly - more frugal, too.
