From the March 2018 issue
Chevrolet didn?t trademark the name ?Suburban? when it introduced the industry?s first steel-bodied, eight-passenger truck-based wagon back in 1935. Other marques subsequently used the term, and it didn?t officially become General Motors? until 10 years after Plymouth discontinued its Suburban station wagon in 1978. Now, 83 years on, the Suburban is the longest-running nameplate in automotive history and is attached to the go-to hauler for people with big families and big needs. With a new Chevy Silverado just unveiled, a 12th-generation Suburban is imminent.
Chevrolet first applied the name to a $675 (about $12,000 in 2017 dollars) depot hack, a basic truck used to ferry passengers and luggage to and from train stations and ship terminals. A heater and rear bumper were notable options, but the innovation came in using steel rather than wood for the body, which now boasted an enclosed cabin. As amenities increased, mainstream buyers followed. The Suburban now starts above $50,000, and Americans bought nearly 60,000 last year. The Suburban?s entrenchment is a product of many factors. It has long been one of GM?s best-executed vehicles, delivering on its promise to cart many people and their possessions reliably wherever they might need to go in above-average comfort. It adapts to a rutted two-track as easily as it does an eight-lane expressway, uniting the oft-conflicting desires of rural and city denizens into one quintessentially American vehicle...