In
the auto industry, there are many nameplates who have illustrated various ways
of rising to the absolute top. The Suburban
is one of the longest standing nameplates under Chevy's badge, and in an era
where not every model has a solid and definite presence, the Suburban has been
able to accomplish a very strong foothold. Through various economic ups and
downs as well as gas crunches, this full-size SUV has become an absolute staple
of the GM brand. It's even been morphed into a GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade
for those who want an extra dose of flair with a large-size SUV.
All
of us on staff here at the Powerhouse
definitely love the videos such as this one provided by Donut
Media who do a fantastic job of telling the story of Suburban,
an offering that goes along perfectly with the Silverado, Camaro, and Corvette.
The video starts out showing a Suburban peeling out in a circle, while
hilariously admitting that “Bad guys and cartels love 'em”, and “Biggee got
shot in one”, before providing us what we need to know to get up to speed.
While
shedding light and enjoying a bit of humor that the “biggest authority figures
of all” such as moms favor this vehicle for its practicality and hauling
capability as well. The Suburban is the longest-lasting moniker in the
automotive industry, “As if Ford still had the Model T”. The story begins in
the early 30's, during the dust bowl. From 1930 until 1934, Chevy was putting
full-size station wagon bodies onto their full-size truck frames for private
military use. This was where they were deemed so useful, that a factory line
worker finally realized that they would work great for public use as well.
The
“Suburban Carryall” featured the body and plenty of windows and seating that
came with the station wagon vibe, and in 1937, GMC and Chevy shared the same model.
During WWII, Suburbans were used as military transfer vehicles, and soldiers
appreciated how perfect they were for the role. After the war when they got
home, a lot of them had the desire to load their new families into the
Suburbans that they enjoyed driving during wartime, and so Chevy offered up
what they wanted with the third-gen Suburban in 1947.
This
all-time classic was actually the inspiration for the 2011 HHR, and through the
1950s and 60s, the car got beefier and more capable while Jeep and the Ford
Bronco began to lure a few loyal customers away with their own brand of
off-road capability and prowess. Instead of slimming the Suburban down like
many expected they would, they responded by making it even larger, and it grew
longer by a foot in 1967. By 1972, 27,000
sales were on record for the Suburban.
The
seventh-generation Suburban debuted in 1973, and would last for almost twenty
years. This was in all essence the “Suburban that then defined Suburbans” for
most of America. You could get it with the big and boisterous 454 under the
hood, and the Donut Media video does a great job of conveying how this was the
vehicle that really stood up straight and claimed: “I know what I'm doing, get
out of my way!”
The
mid-1980s was when the term “SUV” was first coined, and Chevy had found a way
to be ahead of the game. By 1984, Chevy and GMC were producing around 65,000
Suburbans per year, and the world couldn’t get enough of this over-sized people
hauler. One of the reasons why the Suburban was so widely-accepted was its
ability to blend in, not stand out in terms of military use, but be so easy to
work on worldwide due to the extension of the “Genuine Parts” Department,
making availability across the globe that much easier.
The
end of the video pays apt homage to the 11th-version Suburban, introduced in
2013. The “Texas Edition” was a thank you and nod of appreciation to the
Lone-Star State, where more Suburbans are sold than anywhere else. It featured
All-wheel-drive, trailering package, bigger wheels, and the exclusive Texas
Edition Badge. Many decades of buyers right here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse
learned firsthand that the Suburban is truly unrivaled in a class that it
created, and we invite you to come down and check out this year's model to see
how a little extra-large-sized and staunch setup can bring your family or
business sheer confidence!
