SUV: The World's Greatest Sport Utility Vehicles

This book is the first to offer a worldwide perspective of SUV design and its evolution. It traces the vehicles' associations with US outdoorsmen, British farming, European beach life, and innovation-driven Japanese lifestyles, and shows how each one has shaped the SUVs we know so well today. Fifty of the most significant SUV designs are analyzed in individual profiles, form the earliest Jeeps and Toyota Land Cruisers to the latest "crossover" cars such as the Chrysler Pacifica, Porsche Cayenne, and Volvo XC90. Each profile unravels the background and genesis of the car, and charts its design life, which, in the case of Land Rover has stretched over half a century, while in other cases, such as the Matra Rancho, lasted only a few years. This book is illustrated with stunning and sometimes rare photographs, drawings, and design proposals that have never before been brought together in one concise guide. It is indispensable reading for SUV owners and car enthusiasts everywhere.