History of the SUV
As new model years approach, maybe it's time for us to see just where Sport Utility Vehicles SUVs have
come from, so that we'll have some idea as to where exactly it is we may be going.
From the invention of the combustion engine and Henry Ford's assembly line for the Model T to the high
tech versions of today's Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), the evolution of transportation has been
remarkable.
America has long had a love affair with its automobiles; SUV owners aren't any different when it comes
to their passion. Whether it's the full-size Ford Excursion or the Suzuki Samurai, the owners of these
vehicles make as much a fashion statement as they do a choice in transportation. And, as in clothing
fashion, everything old becomes new again.
The Early Days
Many believe that the birth of the SUV began as the "depot hack." The depot hack was a vehicle that
transported people (similar to today's taxi/hack) and luggage from the train stations (depots). They were
widely known as a carryalls or suburban's. Depot hacks were also believed to be responsible for the
evolution of the modern station wagon and the longest running SUV model, the Suburban.
Another notable "father" to the SUV is the Jeep Wagon. While the Wagoneer was introduced as a model
in 1963, it was the late 1940s that brought us Willy's Jeep Wagon. In fact an advertisement for the Willy's
Wagon once called it a "utility vehicle" for the family.
Rock and Roll Wagons
The 50s brought a change to the suburban's and carryalls. Many models went to a car frame instead of
the truck frames of their earlier predecessors. Dodge listed various wood-bodied station wagons as
"Suburban" or "Suburban Carryall," and "Woody Wagons" were the cool thing to have even for the
California surfers. How else would you carry the surfboards and enough gear for the weekend on the
beach? Big engines and high performance were everywhere and the vehicles had plenty of room for the
baby boomers to haul their large cargo of kids.
The 70's brought us disco, inflation, emissions control, high gas prices and the death of big engines and
high performance. The small fuel-efficient Japanese cars and our nation's emissions policies added up to
the next evolutionary step for the carryall. It came in like a 70s leisure suit; you know the one, the
Chrysler mini-van. It was fuel efficient, front wheel drive and could carry a small family of big hair and
bad 70'ish style clothes. But the mini-van saved Chrysler and helped the SUV begin its comeback to
prominence.
Ronald Reagan's 80's brought us better fuel prices, lower interest rates and the need to feel sexier. Who
wants to drive a mini-van that tells everyone we couldn't get the sports car because all of the kids and
kids seats wouldn't fit in the latest model? With an SUV we could be the sporty, explorer, outdoor
enthusiast…
The 80's and 90's brought back the truck frame to the SUV. Ford still has engines that need at least both
hands and all fingers to count your cylinders (the 10 cylinder Excursion). They're affectionately called
land barges. Some seem larger than small school buses; they're capable of carrying a soccer team in a
single trip! But the government is getting involved and calling SUV's dangerous. The anti-SUV crowd
can't be ignored either. Many claim that the SUV's are dangerous for other drivers who own smaller
vehicles and that the SUV's consume too much fuel making them environmentally unfriendly. Ford
actually has tried to make its SUV's play nice with other vehicles. For example, the 2000 Excursion
comes equipped with a solid-steel bar (called the Blocker Beam) attached to the front of its lower frame.
The device is designed to keep cars from sliding under the Excursion during a collision.
Everything Old Is New Again
It works in fashion. Why not automobiles? As fuel prices begin to rise again and the continued pressure
from governmental agencies about SUV safety take their toll, could we be seeing the beginning of the
next evolution of the SUV? There is more than one manufacturer that has put their version of the SUV on
a car chassis. Could this be the return of the station wagon? Only time will tell. This writer has sold his
plaid pants and leisure suits, so unless it's a Woody Wagon, you won't be seeing hard green dollars from
me at the local dealership. The SUV is dead. Long live the SUV!
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