2021 Chevrolet Suburban | SUV Review | Driving.ca

You can plot the entire evolution of the SUV with the life path of the Chevrolet Suburban. The 1938 Suburban was a prehistoric fish, happily living in the Paleozoic waters. A 1938 Suburban functioned about as well on the road as a fish would function in Death Valley. The solid front axle crashed over bumps, the low gearing for pulling trailers wailed at highway speeds, and the interior accommodations were as sparse as the factory in which it was made. From then until the mid 1960s, there was a clear delineation: The Suburban was a covered truck to be used for truck things and then on the other side of the fence there were cars to be used for car things.

But beginning in the 1970s, things began to change. In the same way that the late-Devonian Tiktaalik grew vestigial feet formed from fins to walk on land, the Suburban gained independent front suspension, disc brakes, and air-conditioning so it could be used as a truck and as a car. Today, the evolution is nearly complete. This newest 12th-generation Suburban has shed its solid rear axle for a softer, better handling independent rear suspension like a lizard losing its vestigial dorsal fin across thousands of years.

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