SUV-Sport Utility Vehicle.
Sport ( a source of diversion: Recreation),
Utility ( fitness for some purpose or worth to some end), Vehicle ( a means of carrying or transporting something).
Nope, don't see nutin' about no stinkin' 4 wheel drive in that definition.
Had me a '68 Dodge Carryall once, with 2 wheel drive. Had some really aggressive mud tires on the rear. Nice ground clearance. Drove it on muddy logging roads in East Texas. Never stuck it. I'd say it qualified as a SUV.
Also, had myself a couple of Ford Explorers, '91 and '95. I think most folks consider them SUVs. Had 4 wheel drive, but with 160 horsepower, HARDLY "high performance".
Have to agree with suzq, SUV is a vehicle type. I'm 62 and until the late 80s/ early 90s I never heard the term SUV.
With respect to "Jeep", it's defined as a SMALL general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase, 1/4 ton capacity, and 4-wheel drive.
Note the 1/4 ton capacity. So, the Jeep of WWII and or Korea, does not fit the the generally accepted modern definition of a SUV. Also, the purpose of the early Jeeps was not for sport.
I think the bottom line is that Suburban and/or SUV is a type of vehicle. And according to patrick66, Suburban was not the "NAME" of a GM vehicle until 1988. Prior to that Suburban was a vehicle type.
