Sometimes disruption comes not as a single supernova explosion of change but instead as a series of tangentially related smaller disturbances, all succumbing to the same inexorable pull. What seemed to be disparate societal, regulatory, and product trends floating about were, in fact, all being sucked simultaneously toward a single point: the SUV Black Hole. You can't argue with it; it's science!
The Products
1987 Land Rover Range Rover
Rover officially brings stateside its luxury ride for the country gentleman.
1991 Ford Explorer
The Explorer defines and dominates the market for the modern family SUV.
1992 GMC Typhoon
SUVs can be performance vehicles? They could after the Typhoon.
Subaru
Legacy Outback popularizes the idea of a 4x4 wagon starting in 1995.
1998 Mercedes-Benz ML-class
The Germans dip a toe into America's SUV waters.
The Regulatory and Societal Trends
Station Wagons as Family Transport
Wagons had three rows of seats long before SUVs did.
Unintended Regulatory Consequences
- CAFE fuel-economy standards are lower for light-duty trucks than for cars.
- 2011 standards encourage larger vehicles by setting target fuel economy based on vehicle footprint.
- Light trucks are exempt from gas-guzzler taxes.
The Rise of Patagonia
Persistent active-lifestyle marketing sells the concept of family vehicles free of the languor typically associated with the breed.
SUV Event Horizon
Non-crossover and non-SUV options dwindle, accelerating the shift to non-cars.
Daniel Pund was named Road & Track's editor-in-chief in 2024 after helping to re-invent the venerable magazine brand as executive editor. For around 30 years, Pund has toiled away as a feature writer, car reviewer, editor, and columnist for every car magazine that matters (including Car and Driver and Autoweek) and a few that didn’t. He’s also contributed to Esquire and GQ and other general-interest publications.
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