History of the SUV

Many would claim that the original sport utility vehicle was the war-going Willys Jeep that first saw duty in World War II. Whether you agree with that or not, many of the most revered SUVs boosted their careers in the military. Examples include the Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Bronco, Land Rover Defender and the Hummer H1. However, the concept behind a multipurpose vehicle that could be a work horse plus offer its owners recreational activities developed alongside the automobile. As early as the 1880s and 1890s, some vehicle owners tried unsuccessfully to retrofit their light, topless "horseless carriages" or "depot hacks" with wagon-type beds.

The 1935 Chevrolet Carryall- Suburban had a steel wagon body on a commercial truck chassis. + enlarge image  |  view slideshow >

At the time, railways were the major source of transportation, and some of the early automotive carryalls were crafted to collect people and their bulky luggage at train stations — hence the term depot hack. Manufacturers took notice and designs gave rise to the panel, the canopy express, and the station wagon. The Chevrolet Carryall-Suburban and other SUVs developed from the canopy express.

The terms "carryall" and "suburban," alone or in combination, were freely used by numerous automakers – from Dodge and Plymouth, to Star and Studebaker. These terms applied to various wood-bodied models, from the early 1920s through the ‘40s, and some makers plopped these early SUV-like bodies atop their existing truck frames.

General Motors officially only claims "use in commerce" since 1934. A steel wagon on a commercial chassis, dubbed the "Carryall-Suburban,” was listed in the Chevrolet catalog for '35. Other automakers finally moved away from the name, so that 70 years later — by the 1990s when the sport utility craze hit — the Chevy/GMC Carryall-Suburban was the sole vehicle using the "Suburban" name, having been registered as a trademark, in 1988.

Although the first SUVs in the early part of the 20^th century were two-wheel drive, their capabilities made them just right for families, a trend still evident in the volume of sport utes on the road today. Attention to the advantages of four-wheel drive grew in the 1940s and during WWII, with the Willys Jeep and the steel-bodied early Dodge Power Wagon (believed to have a military legacy dating back to 1916, when Gen. "Black Jack" Pershing used Dodge touring cars in the campaign against Poncho Villa).

The 1945 Willys Jeep saw active duty in WWII. + enlarge image  |  view slideshow >

The manuverable 1941 Willys-Overland Quad was the first Army Jeep and is considered by many car buffs to be the first vehicle to capture the essence of the off-road-ready SUV. Well over a half-million of these so-called "general purpose vehicles" were made during WWII: 360,000 by Willys-Overland and 227,000 built by Ford under license to Willys during the war.

Willys-Overland added four-wheel-drive capabilities to the all-steel Jeep wagon in 1949. When this model was replaced by the ’62 Jeep Wagoneer, predecessor of today's Jeep Grand Cherokee, it became the first premium American SUV, introducing car-like comfort, power steering and improved brakes.

While the Walter P. Chrysler Museum proclaims that the SUV craze started with the Jeep Wagoneer, which was built from the ground-up with four-wheel-drive in mind, other manufacturers claim legacy or leadership with SUVs. Land Rover enthusiasts cite the 4WD Series I designed in the late '40s as perhaps the most iconic SUV whose design lives on in the Land Rover Defender (not currently sold in the U.S.). Not coincidentally, the first Land Rover was based on the Willys Jeep, many examples of which littered Britain after WWII. Others would claim Ford’s early Bronco, Chevrolet's Blazer, or tractor-maker International Harvester’s Scout models led the way for SUVs becoming so popular. All of these models were a hit from the late ‘50s through the ‘70s and have became increasingly popular with hipsters and tastemakers in recent years.

The Ford Explorer is notable for popularizing four-door midsize SUVs in the early '90s, though Chevy and GMC fans will argue that four-door versions of the Blazer and Jimmy played a part. The last two decades have seen a steady stream of new SUVs from every manufacturer, with increasing levels of sophistication and comfort.

One distinct up-stream swimmer is the militaristic Hummer H1, which AM General first offered to consumers in 1992. Unrivaled as the most serious, brutish four-wheel-drive vehicle around, its evolution from the U.S. Army's turret-gun toting HUMVEE reads like a Hollywood movie script starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Actor-turned-governor of California Schwarzenegger was so enamored by the HUMVEE’s capabilities during the filming of the 1991 feature film "Terminator II: Judgment Day," that he approached AM General to build a civilian version for the streets. Not only was the Hummer H1 born, but it has since been followed by the H2 and the recently introduced smaller H3. An even smaller H4 is reportedly in the works. The Hummer’s Herculean appearance, war-tested durability and get-out-of-my-way stance quickly made it the darling of attention-hungry celebrities and wealthy, conspicuous consumers, not to mention commercial users, despite the fact that environmentalists vehemently bash its size and abysmal fuel consumption.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hummer have a long association. + enlarge image  |  view slideshow >

While the now-discontinued H1 went a long way to concretizing the idea of a premium SUV in the minds of consumers, most didn't want something so extreme. As a result, luxury car manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad accommodated with increasingly posh SUVs. In fall of 1998, Cadillac marched into new territory with its gigantic Escalade.

The Escalade was designed to attract upscale buyers with top-end amenities this clientele was accustomed to — comfortable leather seats, high-end electronics and all manner of safety features, from integrated chassis control systems to intelligent brakes and airbags. To assuage the interest and open the pocketbooks of its status-conscious buyers, BMW and Mercedes-Benz introduced SUVs in the 1990s (the X5 and M-Class, respectively). Porsche followed with its awesome, but odd Cayenne.

As the craze blazed higher, the SUV market split into defined segments: small, medium and humongous, with varying price points in each. Now even hybrid SUVs are an option. The Ford Escape Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h started the trend, followed by the Mercury Mariner Hybrid and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Other manufactures are following suit.