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A Look At The Evolution Of The Long-Running Chevrolet Suburban

The Chevrolet Suburban was first introduced way back in 1935 and is now the longest-running nameplate in the automotive industry. The vehicle has changed a ton in that time, morphing from a no-nonsense utility aimed mainly at fleets into a high-end family hauler packed with entertainment and safety features.

It would be pretty hard to catalog all the ways the Chevrolet Suburban has changed over the years, but FleetLogging recently put together a pair of helpful infographics that clearly display just how this American icon has evolved in its 85-year lifespan.

The first-ever Chevrolet Suburban, introduced in 1935 as the ‘Carryall Suburban’, could seat up to eight people and had a massive 115.1 cubic-foot cargo area with the third-row seats removed. The inline-six engine only made a modest 60 horsepower, but this was plenty for the fleet buyers that it was marketed toward. The Carryall Suburban, which was really a heavy-duty station wagon rather than a true SUV, was also offered with either side-hinged rear-panel doors or a rear tailgate.

The Chevrolet Suburban remained popular with commercial buyers in the years following its introduction before experiencing a large amount of growth among private customers in the post-World War II years. The vehicle began to slowly morph into more of a balanced family offering before going mainstream in the 1990s with the SUV boom – a craze that the Suburban is still riding high off of. GM says that while “many customers were new to the Suburban,” at this time, it still had “a legion of longtime owners over the years who appreciated the added utility and off-road capability that it offered over a station wagon.

“From hauling Little League teams and their equipment, to towing a horse trailer on the ranch, or transporting a work crew to a job site, the Suburban had become a great part of the culture,” Chevrolet says.

2021 Chevrolet Suburban

The twelfth-generation Chevrolet Suburban, introduced for the 2021 model year, is perhaps the biggest evolution the Suburban has made to date. This latest iteration of the iconic family hauler rides on an all-new T1 platform with independent rear suspension and is available with a GM 3.0L LM2 inline-six diesel engine – both firsts for the nameplate. The standard engine is a GM 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 engine, which is paired with a GM 10-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel-drive.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. You could get the 6.2 and 6.5 Diesel in the Suburban as far back as the’80’s. I owned a K2500 with the 6.5 diesel in ’98. It was a great truck!

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  2. Such an iconic and historic automotive nameplate.

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  3. For clarification, GM didn’t produce the 1973 generation of the Suburban until 1992 right? Was there a pause in production?

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    1. No, the ’73 Suburban came out in fall of ’72. I was working part time at a Chevrolet Dealer in ’73 when they came out-I was a High School Senior. One of the guys in the Service Dept. bought the first one off the truck.

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  4. Same truck 73 to 91 just different front grill and headlights

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  5. I thought u would have mentioned the chevy. Hhr maybe u could do a follow up include n the customs that look like original 1949 surburans

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  6. What a good story about the Chevrolet Suburban trucks. Thank you for your pictures. Suburbans are the perfect family car. Safe, handles well, durable and oh so comfortable,

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  7. It’s funny how no one mentions the change in the 1967 model. It became the long wheel base Suburban we all know and love. Before 1967 it had the length and cargo area of a Tahoe.

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  8. The next generation Suburban should be an electric vehicle, based on the new Hummer platform.

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    1. No way. We’re done with the EV scam. No libs allowed in Suburban world.

      Reply
  9. Good story. Like the pics. I own a mint 79 tons of room

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  10. Slope of the windshield, sure has changed.

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  11. I’ve had Burbs from 49 to 16. Next is an LS-powered 66 Carryall. . And I’ve owned the panel trucks from 71 back to 1937.

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  12. My suburban story always like the 67 3door first one I rode in as a kid was the 73 , in the 3rd row ,first one I drove was a 1984 felt like I was driving my moms station wagon , owned a 1988 3/4 ton 4×4 great desert camping rig had the barn doors I like the tail gates better , rented a 1997 liked it haven’t driven the new 2021 but the price keeps me away , no custom utility models for us who have no need for a 7-9 passenger family car happy bd suburban !

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  13. Man I didn’t like the truck at first till my wife got a 99 chevy suburban an gave it to me out of all the minor problems they are the chevy soliders..mine still running 225,000 an counting same motor

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  14. I must be the only pearson here with the GMC Suburban. I had a Chevrolet Suburban with the suicide doors but my neighbor had it towed while it was broken down. I have a 1989 GMC Suburban with an 8 inch lift and 38 Mickey Thompson Baja tires.

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  15. Absolutely love them. We are a large family and there’s always enough room. But first and foremost is safety. The famous highway 61 in Mississippi engaged us with the biggest bear in Mississippi’s history. Suburban was totaled but everyone was ok.
    Beautiful, spacious, loaded. PERFECT!!!
    By the way, this is our sixth!

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  16. Had many Suburbans from 1976 thru 2019. Great vehicle !

    Reply

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