A History of America’s Longest Running Vehicle – The Suburban

Bad guys love ’em, cartels gots ta have ’em, and you can’t forget that they’re loved by the biggest, baddest authority figures of them all, moms.

This is everything you need to know to get up to speed on the Chevy Suburban.

Suburban is the longest-lasting moniker in American automotive history. It’s like if Ford still had a Model T. I’ll do my best to breeze by the early, low horsepower bits that happened before your grand-pappy was just a glimmer in your granma’s eyes, but I’m not going to skip it.

It was the early 30s, and the middle of the US had a big bowl of dust on its hands. From 1930 to 1934, Chevy quietly put station wagon bodies on their full-size truck frames for private use. Private, meaning outfits like the National Guard, and the US Military, you ever heard about ’em?

Support the Troops.

As these big, long, covered trucks are coming off the line, some dude at Chevy was like, these things are pretty useful; maybe we could make one for the public. Some sort of backwoods, family, and possession transport vehicle. Why not call it the Suburban Carryall?

The Suburban Carryall had its Chevy Truck papa’s rugged full-size frame, and from its station wagon mama, it got a sleek body, windows, and plenty of seats, and it came out in 1935. You may know that GM was in the habit of sharing designs between their companies back in the day, and the boys over at GMC were like, “Hey, can we borrow your backwoods, family, and possession transport vehicle?”

And Chevy was like, “Sure.”

So in 1937, both GMC and Chevrolet had the same car with the same name.

During WWII, Suburbans were used as military transport vehicles, and soldiers got to likin’ ’em. So after all that warin’ overseas, GIs came home, buying houses and making babies. But, of course, many of them wanted to load those families into the big Suburbans they got used to in the war, so Chevy gave ’em what they wanted with the third-gen Suburban in 1947.

Look at those curve fenders and sweeping lines. This gen Suburban was the inspiration for the 2011 HHR. The greatest-looking car of all time. Ok, no it was probably the worst ever but you didn’t hear that from me.

Through the 50s and 60s, the Suburban got beefier and more capable, just like my grandpa, but it also had some intense competition. Jeep and the Ford Bronco started to siphon some business from the Suburban, so GM responded by making it more off-road capable. But they were faced with a decision.

Would they slim down the Suburban so it can compete with the new brood of off-road fun machines?

No, let’s make it bigger!

So they did. The ‘Burban got over a foot longer in 1967. Sticking to their guns worked. Just 6200 Suburbans were produced in 1967, and by 72, that number had grown to over 27,000. As is the custom with such great sales, Chevy and GMC decided it was time for a new generation of the ‘Burban, and it would be the best yet.

The seventh-gen Suburban debuted in 1973 and would last for almost 20 years. This is the Suburban that would define Suburbans for most Americans. You could get it with the legendary Chevy small blocks or the beefy 454 under the hood when it came out. It was tall and aggressive and screamed, “I know what the heck I’m doin’, now get the frick out of my way, you fence!”

By the mid-80s, the Jeep Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner were changing the game, and the term SUV first entered the automotive lexicon. But, lucky for Chevy, the hardy, capable Suburban was ahead of the game. By 1984, Chevy and GMC were cranking out almost 65,000 Suburbans a year.

Remember, aside from minor changes, this model had already been out for over a decade. The world could not get enough of this oversized, outdoorsy, sports vehicle people hauler. So finally, after 20 years, it was time for a new look. And GM handed the task to their established designer Chuck Jordan.

Chuck was known to design cars that embodied the era they were designed. The ’59 Caddy, the Buick Reatta, this Oldsmobile 98. He’d later do the Chevy Cavalier. All of them are competent designs, but none of them are very exciting. Why choose someone so vanilla?

Military and special forces loved the Suburban for many reasons, but one of those reasons is that it’s not flashy. It blends in as much as something can, as massive as it is. But when you need to stand out, Caravan four more black ‘Burbans, and nobody is gettin’ in your way.

If you see a hoard of black Suburbans, you know something is going down. These vehicles are also reliable and easy to work on all over the globe, thanks, in part, to GM’s worldwide parts supplier network. They’re everywhere, and they’re durable.

There are stories of dudes driving through hostile territories and taking fire in these things but making it safely out in a Suburban riddled with bullet holes. Do you know who else likes being awesome and traveling in an entourage?

Celebrities.

The beefy Suburbans came with luxury options and had plenty of room inside for friends and business partners. Biggie Smalls was in one when he got shot.

Rest in Peace big poppa.

He used to love it when I called him that.

In 2000, GMC figured it was time to rebrand their Suburban as the much fancier Yukon XL, and the Chevy Suburban soldiered on as though nothing had happened. It did start to get a little more comfortable to drive when it was loaded up with high tech, load-leveling auto ride and rear leveling suspension. Chevy leaned into the rugged off-road image and unveiled the legendary Z71 package in 2001, which featured a front skid plate, off roadin’ tires, a unique grill, runnin’ boards, and Z71 stamped everywhere! They also had available Quadrasteer, which means all four wheels steer, which helps when your vehicle is over 18 feet long.

And families love Suburbans.

They’re not for everyone, but we all had a friend whose mom or dad hauled them around in a Suburban. 2007’s 10th generation Suburban took inspiration from the Tahoe and was redesigned with more modern, less boxy styling. It had a fantastic, aerodynamic shape and a steeply raked windshield angle. It also got even bigger, growing almost half a foot in length.

In February 2010, for the Suburban’s 75th birthday, Chevy unveiled the 75th anniversary trim level, the Diamond Edition.

Chevy embraced the luxury SUV market and decided they would kill it with this one. This immense, beefy beauty had white diamond exterior paint. It had standard 20-inch chrome-clad wheels, remote starting, adjustable pedals, and leather upholstery with heated/cooled front seats.

Yes, Hip Hop moguls and special ops would still drive their blacked-out Suburbans, but now Mariah Carey could have one too.

That brings us to the 11th generation Chevrolet Suburban, introduced to the public in September 2013. Chevy introduced a plethora of special editions, including but not limited to the Texas Edition. A little thank you to the lone star state ’cause more Suburbans are sold in Texas than anywhere else; it is also where they are made. The Texas Edition featured a trailer package, advanced suspension, all-wheel drive, big old wheels, and an exclusive Texas Edition badge.

What could be cooler than Texas Edition?

Only the most best special ops-inspired vehicle of ’em all, the 2017 Chevy Suburban Midnight Edition.

I want you guys to do an exercise with me right now. Close your eyes, imagine the blackest black you can think of; you got it? Wait, you can’t read while having your eyes closed? Nevermind. The point is the Midnight Edition is blacker than that!

Windows, grills, wheels, and even the bow tie is black.

The secret service and spies must love this thing! The summer of 2019 brought us the fastest and most furious street-themed Suburban, the RST. RST stands for Rally Sport Truck; think about that. A Rally Sport Suburban? The Suburban is already unreal for its size. Now listen to what’s in the RST. 6.2L V8 makin’, 420 buff horses, it’s got magnetic ride control with variable performance settings, and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Finally, we are caught up. The 12th generation Suburban was released in 2021. Based on the same GMT T1XX platform as the Silverado 1500, the Suburban got a major overhaul. With an interior that makes most luxury brands jealous and an exterior that got even more rugged-looking, the newest Suburban only expanded its lead over its competition. With GM bringing a Diesel option in the form of a 3L, 277 hp, and 460 lb-ft of torque, the newest Suburban can pretty much do anything your truck can. 2021 also reintroduced us to the Z71 trim level with an updated bumper, skid plate, and beefy off-road tires. Personally, it is my favorite Suburban offered.

Over ten decades and 12 generations of vehicles, four generations of humans have learned the Suburban is unrivaled in a class it created. And I wouldn’t be surprised if it keeps kickin’ for another century!

Tags: 12 generation, chevrolet, suburban
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