The best SUVs of the past 50 years

From niche market to world domination. The rise of the ubiquitous sports utility vehicle arguably began 50 years ago when an advertising copywriter coined the term in a sales brochure for the original Jeep Cherokee.

The SJ Series was a brick-shaped, off-road workhorse offering raised ground clearance and a “sporty” edge, along with an estate-style area at the back. In an era when hatchbacks were rare and most people drove some form of traditional saloon, automotive acronyms were in their infancy. Yet “sport(s) utility vehicle” was signed off in 1974 as an ideal slogan for a vehicle that offered go-almost-anywhere capability along with the practicality of an estate.

All-wheel-drive passenger cars were available for decades before that, of course, with 4x4 experts Jeep and Land Rover among them. However, the ever-expanding SUV moniker is what we’re talking about here, with a bias towards road use rather than specialist off-road prowess. 

Today, whether it’s a sub-compact, compact, midsize, crossover or super SUV, the sports utility vehicle is available in every shape, size and form – and, of course, price. Such is the SUV’s inexorable rise that 60 per cent of all new car purchases in the UK last year were of this type, the 50 per cent threshold having been breached in 2021.

Love or hate them, here’s our pick of the most memorable of the past five decades, including the Cherokee that played a part in the term becoming commonplace. Have your say on your favourites in the comments section below.

Lamborghini LM002

Long before the civilised and svelte Urus of 2018, Lamborghini went typically over the top by creating the brick-shaped LM002. Nicknamed the “Rambo Lambo”, this outrageous off-roader could be specified with a 7.2-litre V12 borrowed from one of the company’s wedge-shaped supercars (and which also saw service in Class 1 powerboat racing). A byword for sky-high emissions – enough to make Sadiq Khan self-combust – the lunatic LM002 was fitted with a generous 290-litre petrol tank to cope with its unquenchable fuel habit. During the 1980s, some 300 were sold to shy, retiring types such as Mike Tyson, Pablo Escobar, Colonel Gaddafi and, of course, Mr Rambo himself, Sylvester Stallone.

Porsche Cayenne

Imagine the fuss when the sports car meisters of Stuttgart pulled the covers off the Cayenne in 2002. Perplexed Porsche fans were apoplectic with rage over the brand’s first fully off-road vehicle. However, despite some jelly-mould styling that resembled the Hyundai Santa Fe – in those days a lesser vehicle in every respect – Porsche had ingeniously made an early jump on the SUV bandwagon. Steadily increasing sales vindicated the company’s oft-derided decision and, to that point, no sales-conscious luxury brand is today without an SUV in the showroom. Ferrari denies it, but even its new, four-door, four-seat Purosangue ticks the SUV box.

Mercedes G-Class

The retro-styled G-Class (aka G-Wagen) is one of the most recognisable SUVs on and off the road. The boxy styling hasn’t been softened like that of the new Land Rover Defender (aka Waitrose-Wagen) and the latest twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine will almost keep pace with a supercar – on a straight stretch of road, at least. And it will leave them for dead off the beaten track, with genuine off-road ability akin to that of a Land Rover. Often more bling than Jay-Z’s jewellery box, the current model’s natural habitat is the most well-to-do areas of the capital, such as Knightsbridge and Kensington. A zero-emission, BEV alternative to the rugged G is expected this year, but the rumble of the side-mounted exhaust pipes on a V8 is one of motoring’s “must experience” moments.

Fiat Panda 4x4

Originally designed as a modern-day “peasant car”, the 1983 Panda was little more than a small box on wheels. Cheap and cheerful – until rust wiped the smile off your face – the city runabout could have been instantly forgettable, except that the Panda quickly gained a loyal following. The first small, transversely engined car to offer four-wheel drive, the endearing Fiat was astonishing off-road, thanks to low front and rear overhangs. The Sisley special edition had a bonnet scoop – Pandatastic. You still see original Panda 4x4s plying their trade in the Apennine and Dolomite mountains of their homeland, seemingly impervious to the passage of time.

Jeep Cherokee

The original SUV? The SJ of 1974 was based on the long-serving Wagoneer and was itself replaced in the United States in 1984 by the Cherokee XJ – perhaps the most recognisable and desirable Jeep of the lot. So much so that when the XJ finally arrived in Britain nine years later, buyers were willing to pay a premium above list price. The XJ ended production in 2001 and surviving examples are considered an appreciating classic. Subsequent Cherokee models carried on the marque’s off-roading prowess. 

Volvo XC90

It’s hard to believe that the XC90 was launched more than 20 years ago and it remains one of the best family SUVs, despite subsequent versions growing ever larger, heavier and more luxurious. A genuine gamechanger at its launch in 2002, the seven-seat Swede will continue for a while longer yet, before an all-electric EX90 model arrives later this year and ups the price point to a hefty £96,000 and well beyond. The XC90 is neither a sports car nor a utility vehicle but, infused with class-leading safety features and a Scandi-cool interior, it remains a benchmark choice.

Toyota RAV4

The Japanese giant’s long-serving, compact crossover SUV arrived here 30 years ago, with an oddball, side-hinged rear door. Since then, the RAV4 has become a global sensation – at one point the best-selling SUV of any kind. A comfortable family car, the current, fifth-generation model isn’t as charismatic as previous versions but is offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Well-proportioned and comfortable, sensible and practical, the RAV4 remains a top seller for good reason.

Audi AI: Trail Quattro

Car manufacturers sometimes let their designers, who are often frustrated by “standard” SUV styling cues, go crazy with madcap concept vehicles. Take your pick, from the Jeep Treo to the Renault Racoon (Google them). The Audi AI: Trail Quattro could have been a blueprint for the next lunar rover – a glass bubble with raised ground clearance to terrorise anything extraterrestrial. When it was revealed in 2019, Audi claimed something similar could arrive by 2030. Don’t hold your breath…

Suzuki Jimny

Like the Fiat Panda 4x4, at first the tiny dimensions of a Jimny caused hilarity among off-road enthusiasts – until the lightweight Suzuki splashed past and left them stranded in the mud. During the UK launch in Scotland in 1998, I remember motoring journalists bamboozled by the Jimny’s astonishing off-road abilities. More incredible is how values of the most recent version, now fast approaching cult status, soared after the latest version of the Jimny had been killed off by CO2 emission regulations in 2021. A light commercial version is still available.

Range Rover

Massively capable on road or dirt, the Range Rover is no longer a shoo-in for well-heeled country folk. In fact, a Rangey with mud-splattered paintwork scores maximum points in the i-Spy book of cars. Nowadays, personalised number plates, outsized alloy wheels and privacy glass adorn an SUV largely favoured by urbanites – people who drive to a farm shop just to buy muddy vegetables but need their Sanguinello orange paintwork polished to perfection the rest of the time.