Searching for the Source – What Was the First Chevy SUV?

Chevrolet has a long history of building highly capable SUVs and has produced a plethora of famous models such as the Equinox, Blazer, Tahoe, and Suburban. With the introduction of the all-new Chevy Trailblazer, there are no fewer than seven different Chevy SUV models available. But where did this distinguished history begin? What was the first SUV produced by Chevrolet? The easy answer to this question is the Chevy Suburban. This iconic SUV is actually the oldest vehicle in continuous production and unquestionably holds the title of Chevrolet’s first SUV. However, if you are interested in an exact model year, then this seemingly simple question actually becomes quite difficult to answer. The original Chevy Suburban does not perfectly fit the modern definition of an SUV, and determining the precise year in which the Suburban did become an SUV is somewhat subjective. But while there are good arguments for several different Suburban generations, probably the most accurate answer to the question of which vehicle was the first Chevrolet SUV would be the 1960 Chevy Suburban.

What is an SUV?

Before diving into the history of the Chevy Suburban, we must first define what is meant by an SUV. This is no easy feat as the very origin of the term Sport Utility Vehicle is lost to history. It appears to have first come into use in the late 1960s or early 1970s, which means that perhaps somewhat paradoxically, the first Chevrolet SUV likely predates the very term SUV. However, the term SUV itself has morphed over the years as it was originally applied mainly to two-door off-road vehicles such as the modern Jeep Wrangler instead of the four-door general-purpose vehicles that it is now generally taken to mean, so seeking its exact origin gives us little insight into its current use.

While there is no widespread consensus on a clear definition of what makes an SUV, we can quickly craft one for ourselves that we can use to judge when the Chevy Suburban first became an SUV. The first key point is the body style. To be a modern SUV, it must have a wagon-style body with no obstructions between the driver and the cargo area. However, to set it apart from a normal station wagon, an SUV must be off-road capable, usually through higher ride height and a four-wheel drive system. While many definitions of an SUV require it to be built on a truck frame, we can avoid this debate as every generation of the Chevy Suburban has had body on frame construction. Now that we have armed ourselves with an SUV definition, let us venture back in time and see how it applies to the Chevy Suburban in order to determine what was the first Chevrolet SUV.

The Early Suburbans

The oldest contender for the title of the first Chevy SUV was produced all the way back in 1933. This unnamed vehicle was the predecessor to the Chevy Suburban and was not sold commercially as it was specially produced for the National Guard and Civilian Conservation Corps. Built on a Chevy half-ton truck chassis with a station wagon-like rear end constructed from wood that could accommodate up to eight passengers, the 1933 vehicle does seem to fit our SUV definition. However, calling this vehicle the first Chevrolet SUV is not particularly satisfactory. With its improvised wooden construction and limited production run, in modern terms, it would probably be more accurate to call the 1933 vehicle a customer-specific chassis cab truck variant rather than a production design. Still, if you want the very first Chevrolet vehicle that could be considered an SUV, then this is it.

A few years later, Chevrolet introduced an improved version of the 1933 vehicle to the civilian market as the 1935 Carryall Suburban. With its all-steel construction and long production run, this new vehicle was clearly no longer just a modified truck and is a real candidate for the title of Chevrolet’s first SUV. However, the off-road abilities of the 1935 Carryall Suburban were somewhat lacking. Although it was built on a pickup truck chassis, it was fairly low to the ground by modern standards. Further, and perhaps more importantly, it was only manufactured as a rear-wheel drive vehicle, limiting its potential as an off-road vehicle. At the time, this was not particularly noteworthy as four-wheel drive was actually extremely uncommon in vehicles during the first half of the 1900s, and was usually only found in large trucks designed for the military or for heavy-duty commercial use. But from a modern perspective, the lack of a four-wheel drive option means that the 1935 Carryall Suburban was arguably not the first Chevy SUV.

The Middle Years

As time went on and four-wheel drive vehicles became more common, the lack of an available four-wheel drive system for the Chevy Suburban came to be seen as a significant flaw. However, it took Chevrolet a long time to address this, and there were actually a number of popular aftermarket kits that were produced that could turn the rear-wheel drive Suburban into a four-wheel drive vehicle. As it attempted to find a factory solution to the problem, Chevrolet even endorsed these aftermarket modifications and, in 1957, began installing four-wheel drive kits from the Northwestern Auto Parts Company in its vehicles. Since this means that the 1957 Suburban was available from the dealer with a four-wheel drive system, it does make this model year another decent candidate for the title of Chevrolet’s first SUV. However, this capability was still only available with aftermarket parts, even if they were installed by the manufacturer, so the 1957 Suburban is still not quite satisfactory.

The introduction of a factory four-wheel drive option for the Suburban did not take much longer to arrive and was introduced as part of the fifth generation of the vehicle for the 1960 model year. With the addition of a factory four-wheel drive system on top of its existing SUV qualities, the 1960 Suburban is probably the single best candidate for the title of Chevrolet’s first SUV. However, that is not to say that it is a perfect answer. Like all of the preceding Suburban models, the 1960 Suburban only had two doors, which made it less than ideal for transporting large numbers of passengers. And while four-doors are not generally considered a key characteristic of an SUV, there are very few modern two-door SUVs. If you do believe that an SUV should have four doors, then the seventh generation 1973 Suburban would be the first Chevy SUV.

Which Was the First?

The bottom line to this history is that the next time someone asks you what the first Chevy SUV was, you can confidently answer the Chevy Suburban. However, if you want to be more specific than what model year you choose is up to you. If a truck-based wagon with plenty of space for passengers and cargo is an SUV in your eyes, then name the 1935 Suburban. But if you think an SUV needs to have four-wheel drive, then answering with the 1960 Suburban will be more accurate. And if you believe that a true SUV needs to have more than two doors, then that 1973 Suburban is the model to reply with. However, no matter which of these models you consider to be the first Chevy SUV, you will almost certainly be able to amaze your friends with your newfound knowledge of this iconic vehicle. Contact us at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet to learn more.