All these are different terms used by various car vendors all around the world to denote the car type based on its appearance and basic built purpose. The key difference between all of these is that they are bigger and tougher than the sedan cars. Also, the design of all of them is very different from each other.
SUV: stands for Sports Utility Vehicle
These types of vehicles are kind of Station Wagon and having the features of off-road vehicles that are capable of driving on a gravel surface with the ride height (the space between the tires and axle). The SUV is a four-wheel-drive vehicle designed to be used on rougher surfaces. Many countries replaced the term SUV to ‘Jeep’ and ‘Land Rover’.
SUV is used to denote any vehicle that looks like a station wagon. It means that is has a mini truck kind of platform. Few vehicles from this segment are Mahindra Scorpio, Toyota Fortuner, Maruti Grand Vitara, Tata Safari, Ford Endeavour, and Honda CRV. They are known for performing some off-road duties. These vehicles are apt for driving rough-textured roads. The mid-size and full-size SUVs have generally three rows of seats and the cargo area is placed behind the last row of seats. It is preferred for people looking out for features like a spacious vehicle with a bit off-road capability. SUV’s can be easily spotted by their appearances and looks, resembling a big station wagon.
TUV: stands for Tough Utility Vehicle
The TUV vehicles are compact sport utility vehicles or mini sport utility vehicles (Mini SUV). These types of vehicles are designed by Mahindra and Mahindra. TUV is real SUV like a battle tank, in this range, TUV is value for money product, TUV means tough utility vehicle, good engine performance, good space, high seat position, beautiful interior design, comfortable seating.
KUV: stands for Kool Utility Vehicle
Also called KUV one double “O” vehicles are compact sport utility vehicles or mini sport utility vehicles (Mini SUV). KUV standard features include dual front airbags for the safety of driver and co-driver, anti-locking braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and front seat belt pretensions which ensure safety.
MUV: stands for Multi Utility Vehicle
This type of vehicle is designed to be used on a plain surface to carry heavy material and peoples. It is basically the more urban kind of version of sporty and rugged SUV. Usually, MUVs possess a city van-like the shape and are cheaper as compare to regular SUVs. MUVs are the family cars with large passenger capacity as compare to normal 5-seater cars. Passenger sitting positions in MUVs are similar to SUV but they are specifically built to run on properly developed metal roads.
MUVs are best for large families. They are quite economical as compare to SUVs. They are not only low on the budget as per their prices but are quite economical in terms of fuel average and consumption. They are not sporty and possess less powerful and more fuel-efficient engines. MUVs are getting quite popular in urban areas. Unlike SUVs, the MUVs usually posses FWD (Front Wheel Drive).
XUV: stands for Crossover Utility Vehicle
A short-lived SUV with a retractable top in the rear area. It is basically a kind of hybrid car, containing a variety of features from MUVs and SUVs both. XUV is the term used by few companies like TATA and Mahindra in India for their cars. These cars possess different architecture and are a mixture of both sporty and urban touch. XUVs can possess off-roading capabilities along with being fuel-efficient and good for urban use too. An XUV could be AWD, 4WD, RWD and even FWD in some rare cases.