The SUVs That Shaped the Family Car Market

There have been a few incarnations of this SUV, starting in 1974 and lasting to the present. The first generation, 1974-1983, sported full-sized vehicles. This was followed by the compacts, then the compact crossovers. After a break of three years, the Jeep Cherokee mid-sized crossover version is scheduled to arrive in 2026. It will have four-wheel drive and a unibody chassis.

Since making its debut in 1990, this SUV has become the number one best-selling sport utility vehicle in the U.S. It sold 207,673 vehicles in its peak year of 2022. There are six generations of Explorers, including those vehicles fitted out to be police vehicles. In 2020, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Explorer its Top Safety Pick Award. 

The RAV4 is the SUV that started the trend toward compact crossovers, which are a hybrid between a compact car and your standard SUV. In 2020, the RAV4 sold close to 1 million units, which made it the best-selling SUV for that year. It comes in front-wheel and four-wheel drive layouts, and there’s an all-electric version.

Another compact crossover, this SUV first started production in 1995. Despite its compact crossover description, it’s roomy enough inside to accommodate a picnic table if the rear seats are folded down. Honda introduced the current incarnation of this spiffy SUV in 2022.

Believe it or not, the iconic Chevy Suburban has been around for 90 years. Of course, it didn’t look then like it looks now and indeed was one of the first station wagons made mostly of metal. Before, station wagons were mostly wood and canvas. Weighing in at nearly three tons, the Suburban can have a rear-wheel or four-wheel drive and a GMT T1XX platform, which General Motors uses for its trucks and larger SUVs.

Introduced in 1989, this British SUV can come with five or seven seats and is just the thing for an average sized family. A cousin of the Range Rover favored by the Royal Family during their Balmoral sojourns, this luxury SUV is considered a mid-sized vehicle. The fifth and latest generation debuted in 2017 and is still going strong.

Another compact crossover, this sporty SUV can put you in mind of a more glamorous station wagon and has been available since 2001. The Santa Fe sits six or seven people, and its head and tail lights are cleverly arranged to form an H. The pairs of headlights are separated by a light bar, and the pairs of tail lights are separated by the back bumper.

There are two versions of the Subaru Outback. The Legacy Outback is actually a five-door station wagon with a curvier and more aesthetically pleasing look than the old-fashioned kind. It can also come as a four-door sedan. The other is a hatchback called the Sport. It stopped production in 2011, but you might still see it on the road.

This luxury SUV went into production in 2002 and is still being produced. It’s classed as a mid-sized luxury SUV crossover with front-wheel or four-wheel drive. Both generations of this classy SUV have been named SUV of the Year by Motor Trend.

This robust SUV has been around since 1985 and is now in its fifth generation. The Pathfinder was developed as an answer to American cars such as the Jeep Cherokee and the Chevy Blazer. This SUV is mounted on a ladder frame chassis, which is two rails with crossbeams. This sturdy type of frame is just the thing for trucks and a hardworking SUV like the Pathfinder.

Beginning life as a compact SUV, this vehicle graduated to a mid-sized crossover in 2009. With five doors, this SUV comes in front or all-wheel drive and has a unibody chassis. It can take seven passengers, but if there are captain’s chairs in the back, it’ll seat six.

This powerful mid-sized luxury crossover was the first SUV that BMW produced, and was called the E53. This five-door vehicle appeared in 1999 and is on its fourth generation. If you’re in the market for a high-performance ride, check out the X5M variant.

Another powerful compact crossover SUV, this vehicle started production in 2012 and has taken pride of place as Mazda’s best seller. By March 2022, about three and a half million CX-5s had been sold around the world. This five-door SUV is now on its second generation and comes in front- or four-wheel drive.

This luxury SUV is an all-electric model and has been around since 2015. What separates it from the other SUVs on this list are the rear doors that lift up rather than opening out. This gives it a sort of DeLorean Back-to-the-Future vibe.

The name of this compact crossover is a mashup of the German words for “tiger” and “iguana.” Volkswagen began production in 2007, and the five-door vehicle debuted its third generation in 2024. It has a sturdy unibody chassis and can be had in front or all-wheel drive.