LAP4: Sports Utility Vehicle

Sports Utility Vehicle /  (SUV)

The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) globally is the most popular car choice for buyers and a hotly contested battleground for manufacturers. So much so that drive.com recently named the Ford Ranger its car of the year. No mean feat considering the haste in which we are moving toward electric cars. Look at the list of top-selling cars globally and 7 out of the 10 come from the SUV category.

Originally a term used to describe a 4X4 that combined robust off-road features with on-road dynamics and the practicalities beyond the everyday car. Now an SUV encompasses AWD, 2WD and 4X4 wagons and to a lesser extent, hatches. With a plethora of options, variations, and design aesthetics, I did consider setting some selection criteria but after some consideration decided on another method, a more esoteric, open, and somewhat nebulous or perhaps subjective approach. I decided to pick SUVs that I thought were interesting, and perhaps offered something new, original, groundbreaking or performance orientated to the segment. This isn’t a scientific, well-rounded study of the SUV, but rather an honour roll of cool shit to be fair.

As a side note, what was interesting to find in researching for this piece, is that if you type “best SUVs of all time” most search results return the most ‘reliable’ SUVs of all time. When did reliability become more important than cool?

Ford Bronco, Third Generation 1980-86

This generation of Bronco was assembled at Ford’s Broadmeadows base in Victoria using locally derived engines in the form of a 4.1 litre straight six and 5.8 litre V8. There is something familiar and indestructible about the heavy, slab-like shape of the Bronco. A friend had one of these, a V8 that ran on 6 cylinders for years hauling his wife’s horse float around rural Victoria. I’m not sure if this is a qualifying statement for the Bronco’s robust nature or my friend's lack of application to maintenance. The third generation was the first to receive an independent front axle, and a diet, shedding almost 230kg in response to the 1970s fuel crisis. With some big wheels and a lift kit, Moses could have used a Bronco to part the red sea and made the trip up Mt Senai a lot more comfortable. Whilst not many are left in Australia, they remain affordable, going for under $50, 000.

Range Rover Classic 1970

Following the boxy trend, we have Range Rover to blame for the SUV becoming a statement of wealth. Starting life as a utilitarian piece of farming equipment, the Range Rover Classic quickly became a luxury vehicle. Whilst English cars of the time suffered from issues with reliability, build quality and consistency, the Range Rover was able to revolutionise 4x4 suspension and combine on-road comfort with superior off-road articulation. Also, the first car to come with full-time four-wheel drive. In the 80s a primary school friend's dad had one of these. As a Range Rover mechanic and keen off-roader, he believed the Range Rover suspension was the best for off-road. Although he did replace the engine in his with a diesel V8 Mercedes powerplant.

Volkswagen Tiguan R 2022

OK, I’m a VW fan-boy so I always going to sneak this in here. But consider this, approximately $80,000 on-road (top of the range model), 235kW and 400Nm, and a 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds all in a practical wagon! The price is starting to encroach into Audi, BMW and Mercedes SUV territory, but none can deliver this performance. It won’t beat Range Rover off-road or out-maneuver most hot hatches on twisty tarmac. The combination of SUV body, limited off-road cred, with sports car power and handling wasn’t something the market cried out for, but when we got it, well it is kind of awesome isn’t it? A fast, practical family wagon with an angry streak and able to traverse one's gravel (albeit compressed stone) driveway in Brighton.

Suzuki Sierra 1984

Lightweight mechanicals, robust ladder frame and solid rear and front axles made this little 1.3-litre car a highly capable off-roader. Tarmac manners were poor, space limited and overtaking unlikely, but this detracted little from an engaging SUV, that was reliable, cheap to run, easily modified and would go anywhere you’d take it. They also looked great and came with low-range gearing for even greater off-road versatility. My brother had one of these. It creaked and groaned, wallowed around more than a boat, and had enough plastics to start a toy factory. Hit the mud, and it would go on for days.

Toyota Hilux

Pretty hard to choose a Hilux model as the best, given its impact on the SUV market over the years. Its reliability, versatility and wide-ranging appeal are well known. Families, camping enthusiasts, tradies and farmers across the globe have embraced the Hilux. Driving my uncle's 1998 diesel 4X4 single cab ute on dirt roads near Dookie Victoria, I felt invincible, aiming for ditches, branches, potholes and water as often as I could. With over 300,000 km on the clock, it didn’t feel particularly spritely, nor completely worn out. Such is the appeal of the Hilux. So I copped out here and didn’t choose a specific model. The Hilux rather than producing anything revolutionary in off-road travel, just did everything very well. Presently it is the only car variant that I can think of without a maligned model in its heritage. Therefore, insert the reader's choice.

80 Series Toyota Landcruiser 1990

I mentioned earlier a friend's dad, a keen off-road enthusiast, and his devotion to the Range Rover suspension. He kept the classic long past its used-by date and eventually moved to a second-gen Range Rover. It wasn’t until the 80 series Landcruiser came out that he would change allegiance. Prior to the 80 series, the Landcruiser was always a rugged and dependable off-road, however, they were largely agricultural on the inside and with non-existent road manners. The 80 series was the first to embrace comfort and sophistication with toughness. Indeed the top-spec Sahara went for just over $75,000 as a fully loaded luxury off-roader in 1990.

GQ Nissan Patrol 1994

Long living in the shadow of its countryman, the Landcruiser, the GQ Patrol was able to grab the attention of enthusiasts as a capable and dependable off-roader. Even today it has a loyal following, commanding prices in the mid 20’s, with well over 200,000 km on the clock and the fuel efficiency of a small nation. The GQ followed Range Rover and moved to coil-sprung live axles. So popular and self-assured was the Patrol as an off-roader it outsold the Landcruiser for the first time, forcing Toyota to rush the release of the 80 series.

Land Rover Defender 1993

Indestructible and dependable is the apt description for the Defender. Solid axles, coil springs, and a supremely rigid chassis housing wheels on each corner to improve articulation and approach angles. The Defender was a pure workhorse, tough and agricultural, with no comfort items or luxury embellishments like its fancy cousin, the Range Rover. A 35-degree departure angle, 50 on approach and 215mm ground clearance mated to a locking central differential are impressive statistics. Humorously and in spite of the changes over the years, things seemed pretty homogenous amongst Defender models for some 30yrs. That is to say, the untrained eye needs to look under to skin to see the difference between an 83 and 93 model