Image via Complex Original
The SUV has solidified as the official car of moms who think they need a humongous car and also think they're too cool for a minivan. Once upon a time, however, they were strictly the domain of people who did cool things. Real SUVs, and there are still a few, could go anywhere, do anything, and serve their owners no matter how crazy the circumstances were. These are the kind we think are the shit.
That's why we've rounded up The 25 Coolest SUVs Ever Made.
RELATED: 10 Extremely Rare Luxury SUVs
Isuzu VehiCROSS
Year: 1997-2001
The VehiCROSS' funky styling isn't for everyone, but it's actually getting better with age. They're also great to drive, and taking one to the Baja 1000 is still a fantasy.
Lada Niva
Year: 1977-Present
What's this little POS doing on a list populated by some of the most awesome trucks ever made? Being cheap, reliable, and tough as nails. It might be tiny and janky, but it's affordable, and it always does what it's supposed to. That's much more than can be said for some of the more glamourous entries on this list. Long live Lada!
Bowler EXR
Year: 2012-Present
The Bowler EXR is a Land Rover-based off-road racer designed for grueling events like the Dakar Rally, complete with features like a 101-gallon gas tank. Better still is the EXR S which is the same vehicle, but with the air restrictor removed and a few things like turn signals added on to make it road-legal.
GMC Typhoon
Year: 1992-1993
Even though it's worthless when the road turns to a trail, this vehicle is legendary. The Typhoon was just a wonderfully crazy car. It was basically a hot rod truck, and who doesn't love a hot rod?
Citroën Méhari
Year: 1968-1988
What car was well loved by both topless sunbathers and the French Foreign Legion? The Citroën Méhari, of course. The Méhari was a small, rugged, and simple utility vehicle based on the 2CV. A few of them were even sold in the US in 1970.
Lamborghini LM002
Year: 1983-1993
The "Rambo Lambo" was designed, oddly, to cater to militaries, because nothing says rugged like a finicky Italian V12 from a notoriously crazy sports car manufacturer. The company never managed to sell any LM002s to militaries, but a few did make their way into civilian hands. This is what the world has to make due with until the Urus hits the streets.
Toyota 4Runner
Year: 1984-Present
Toyota gets props for being one of the last automakers that is still making real, body-on-frame SUVs. These are enclosed trucks, not tall wagons. That's why the 4Runner is more badass than the competition.
Dartz Prombron
Year: 2010-Present
When somebody says "Dartz Prombron" the words that pop into everybody's minds are "whale penis leather interior." While that option did eventually get scrapped on account of public backlash, the Prombron stands out because it's clear that even Dartz doesn't take it seriously. "World most expensive, most luxury, most notorious, most tasteless SUV ever in the history of the universe times infinity."
Mercedes-Benz Unimog
Year: 1946-Present
If you think the G-Wagen is a cool Mil-Spec Benz, you must be wildly in love with the Unimog. A few private owners have these amazingly tough and capable vehicles (ahem, Arnold), and there are even some companies that specialize in making them into the ultimate go-anywhere RVs.
Ford Explorer
Year: 1990-Present
Many of Ford's best cars seem to have been made by playing with whatever parts were sitting around the R&D building like Legos. The Explorer managed to ignite an SUV craze that turned a niche segment into a hot-selling segment with tons of profit potential. SUVs carried the American auto industry for a while, and who knows what would have happened if it had not been for the Explorer.
Chevrolet Blazer
Year: 1969-1994
Once upon a time, SUVs weren't bloated minivans for parents who think they're too cool for minivans. They were driven by guys who pretty much just wanted a shorter, more maneuverable enclosed truck.
Cadillac Escalade
Year: 1998-Present
The Escalade will go down in history as the embodiment of both the best and the worst of the auto industry's trends of the late '90s. It's all about bling, and showing the world that you have money from your new promotion in the most ostentatious way you can afford.
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Year: 2006-2014
The Land Cruiser may have diverged from its more utilitarian roots over the years, but at least the FJ Cruiser showed up to fill the void it left. This thing is extremely capable and looks like a Tonka truck. Act fast if you want one though, because this is the FJ's last year in production.
Hummer H1
Year: 1992-1996
Make fun of the lame, and cynical attempt to cash in on a recognized brand name that the H2 and H3 were all you want. We encourage you to do so, but leave a little spot open in your heart for the H1. The OG Hummer was crazy, impractical, difficult to drive, and wildly inefficient, but it was a fulfillment of fantasy, and that's the best feature a car can have.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Year: 1979-Present
You know you did it right when you can keep more or less the same design for 34 years and demand only seems to be increasing. This is more than just the luxury and refinement one expects from Mercedes, it's that same luxury and refinement in a platform that was designed for the German military.
Mitsubishi PX33
Year: 1934-1937
The PX33 was the first Japanese vehicle to have full-time 4WD, and was powered by a massive 6.7L diesel V8, and it might be the most stylish military vehicle ever made.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8
Year: 2011-Present
The previous generation Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was great, but the current iteration is just brilliant. It's amazing that a vehicle this big can be this fast and hande this well. You can currently buy an SRT-8 that has an eight-speed transmission and a 6.4L Hemi that gives you drag strip speed.
Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia
Year: 2009
Everybody hated the Cayenne at first, but this is the car that convinced us that the Porsche SUV is indeed a real Porsche. The Cayenne Transsyberia is a race car, and that makes it more of a real Porsche than your Boxster has ever been. Absolutely awesome.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged
Year: 2005-Present
Despite having far too many words in it's title, the LRRRSS is quite simply a fantastic vehicle for almost all circumstances. It kicks ass off-road, it's fast and surprisingly nimble on road, it's practical, and it's exceedingly luxurious.
Jeep Wagoneer
Year: 1963-1991
Before luxurious SUVs became a thing, and even before the term "SUV" was a thing, Jeep was making the Wagoneer, a luxurious wagon on a truck platform with 4WD. Well done being decades ahead of your time, Jeep. Your glory was relived with the Wagoneer's reappearance in Breaking Bad.
Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6
Year: 2014
Mercedes is known for making refined vehicles with designs that stand the test of time. This means that the company is usually fairly conservative, but every now and then a bunch of pent-up crazy gets out and something like the G63 AMG 6x6 happens. The best part is that it's actually being sold in the open market for the absurd price of $514,000, or $1,350,000 if you think it needs to be bulletproof.
Ford Bronco
Year: 1966-1996
Yes, we know that the Bronco will forever be associated with OJ, but it's important to hold on to the image of Broncos as being primarily occupied by four cool guys and a dog who all like camping. It's just better than way.
Toyota Land Cruiser
Year: 1951-Present
Old school Land Cruisers were no-frills off-roaders that are beloved by outdoorsmen to this day, whereas modern Land Cruisers are hulking luxury machines that have miraculously stayed true to their off-road roots. Honestly, they're all great.
Land Rover Defender
Year: 1983-2013
This is THE SUV. The Defender is one of those designs that was so perfect that there wasn't much reason to change it. It's road legal, and it draws design, heritage, and tech from the British army's favorite small off-roader. Perfection.
Willys MA
Year: 1941-1945
We almost went with the newer, more refined, road-legal Jeep Wrangler here, but then we realized that the Wranger never defeated Hitler. The spot on our list clearly has to go to Grandpa Willys here, "M" standing for Military and "A" just being model A. About 1,500 were originally produced in '41, and less than 50 of that model year exist today. Point being: If you see one, appreciate it.