One silver lining that the dark clouds of WW2 brought us was the creation of the very first sport utility vehicle, or SUV, in the world. It was an American company called Willys Overland that produced hundreds of thousands of the first SUVs for the U.S. Army, and when the war was won these vehicles were commercialized. The Willys MB morphed into a Willys CJ, fast forward 74 years, and history has given us quite a number of these SUVs.
But there are some that are so memorable that car companies are bringing them back, like the Chevy Blazer, Land Rover Defender, and Ford Bronco. This is a list of 10 other retired SUVs we hope stage a comeback as well.
10 Jeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer practically blazed the trail for what the purpose of SUVs is, to shelter families during trips on the road. Before the Wagoneer was made in 1963, the SUVs present were used mainly for work and business. So when the Wagoneer was being conceptualized it targeted owners with big families that still liked to have a vehicle that has class and power.
The iconic Jeep Wagoneer that most of us remember was produced from 1987 until 1991. It had that wooden trim on the sides of the vehicle and an overall warm homey feel to it, that's why a lot of people miss it so much. Most of us only hope that the comeback news by Fox is true.
9 Isuzu Trooper
This Japanese company started in the 1930s and specialized in trucks known as Isuzu Elf. By the 1970s, Isuzu made its first car, Gemini. Isuzu Motors America was established in 1975 and Isuzu dove into the US auto market. One of the most memorable vehicles Isuzu made was the Isuzu Trooper. It was released in 1981 and was the company's first SUV. Twenty years later the Isuzu Trooper was discontinued, with good reason. Consumer Reports stated the SUV had a tendency to roll over on quick, sharp, and accelerated turns. The LA Times reports the jury's decision in this article. Rollover controversy aside, the Trooper is a nice SUV and we'd love for it to be reinvented with a special anti-rollover feature.
8 Buick Rendezvous
When the Rendezvous came out, Buick packaged it as a car that has all the best qualities of an SUV, minivan, and a luxury car. The company even employed the services of Tiger Woods as its endorser, although some think the pairing didn't work well. This was in 2003, at the peak of Tiger's career, and he helped deliver results because the new Buick Rendezvous got very good sales in its first year. The Rendezvous was in fact new territory for Buick, a car company that's been around for more than a century. The car did well, but they discontinued it in 2007. And just like Tiger, we think the Rendezvous is due for a comeback.
7 Hummer
History does have a tendency to repeat itself. It is when the Pentagon contracted AM General Corporation to manufacture High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvee, back in the eighties. In the next decade, the commercial version of it, Hummer, was produced for the public. It was literally a beast, basically a sledgehammer on wheels. Hummer 1 was also a monster in fuel intake, as the car weighed over 7,000 lbs. and had a 10 mpg average. The H2 and H3 were a little better with H3 running on a much better 16 mpg according to the U.S. Dept of Energy's Fuel Economy website. Hummer is such a showstopper on the road that it deserves to be back.
6 Toyota FJ Cruiser
The weird thing about this particular "retired" SUV is that it is still produced and sold in some parts of the Middle East and Asia. In the United States, though, it's been discontinued since 2014. The design of this SUV has made such a big impact with consumers that it rushed to production after getting raves and demands in an international car show held in 2003.
By 2005, the Toyota FJ Cruiser was in the market and was, as expected, a huge hit. That attractive retro-style which is largely due to the old-school headlights was just irresistible. Here's what the 2020 Toyota FJ Cruiser looks like from Toyota Middle East's website. America wants it back.
5 Dodge Nitro
The Dodge Brothers share a similar story with the Wright Brothers. They, too, started their business in bicycles. The difference is that the Dodge Brothers made their own engines. Their ingenuity produced Dodge's first car - the Model 30, it's far-reaching to wish this model be revived today, but we will settle for the Dodge Nitro. The Nitro was released in 2007 and had a decent run until 2012 when it was discontinued due to deteriorating sales numbers. But this SUV is one of a kind, almost looks like a muscle car with its intimidatingly wide bumper. We respectfully disagree with CBS News' article and would love to find out how the Dodge Nitro would look revamped and invigorated.
4 Pontiac Vibe
The Pontiac Vibe was a joint effort between Pontiac and Toyota, this is why the Vibe closely resembles the Toyota Matrix. This SUV is powered by a 1.8 L 16-valve 118 HP engine and the style is still very relevant today. One can look at a 2003 Pontiac Vibe fresh out of the car wash and think it's a brand new car. The Vibe was discontinued in 2009 but it didn't stop fanatics from making sure the story and spirit of the cult-classic SUV continued to live on. They have a dedicated community for the Vibe and the Toyota Matrix called GenVibe. We'd want this car to stage a comeback and we believe Toyota can make it happen.
3 Chrysler Aspen
Chrysler's luxury SUV called Aspen had a short run in the automobile market, but that didn't make us forget about this impressive Chrysler piece of machinery. It has power under the hood, a 5.7 L V-8 385 HP engine and a hybrid model as well. It was made to last, or at least make a comeback. The shutdown of the company's plant in Delaware led to the demise of the Aspen, but a comeback might be brewing, as reported by Jeep Trend. Now that more car companies and their classic SUVs are staging their own comebacks, it's high time for a luxury, full-sized SUV in the form of the Chrysler Aspen to steal some of that thunder.
2 GMC Envoy
GMC has always been known as the car company that manufactures big cars and trucks, their smallest vehicle currently is the Terrain, a midsize crossover SUV. The GMC Envoy is another midsize SUV that was introduced to the market in 1997. The most successful year for the Envoy SUV was in 2004, but it went downhill from there. By 2008 the announcement was made that the SUV would no longer be produced, together with news of a plant shutting down in Ohio. The GMC Envoy is a reliable SUV that's just screaming from the inside for a revival, and we're screaming along with it.
1 Ford Excursion
The last SUV that we want to stage a comeback was hailed as the largest SUV to ever come out on the market. The full-size Ford SUV has a total of six doors, four regular and two rear doors. An SUV with real towing capabilities and a large cargo space, the Ford Excursion was so unique that it was even used as an Emergency Communications Response Vehicle by the American Red Cross. The huge SUV was produced in 1999 and was manufactured until 2005. We'd like this supersized SUV to come back! We're not the only ones who want it back so bad, just ask Steve Simon from this Detroit Free Press news article.