From outlandish hood vents to sleek modern styling, Chevy’s Suburban has gone through many changes. Check out the seven best-looking gens and which one is the best of them all.
Who made the first SUV? You’d be right if you answered, Jeep. But Jeep is not the SUV that has been the most impactful on the automotive industry. The superstar there would be the Chevy Suburban. Starting in 1935 (yes, you read that right), the Chevy Suburban was more formally known as the Chevy Carryall-suburban.
The name “suburban” was used across many manufacturers to designate a windowed, station-wagon-type body with a commercial frame. With few remaining automakers dropping any attached “suburban” names, GM was awarded an exclusive trademark to the “Suburban” in 1988.
Over its 86 years (and counting) of production, the Chevy Suburban has undergone many distinct changes.
In this article, in honor of the vehicle’s latest promotional campaign, er we mean Hollywood award, we will break down which seven generations are the best-looking that you can buy right now and why the Suburban is so impactful on the automotive industry.
Chevy Suburban’s Latest Award
At the time of this writing, the Chevy Suburban is the first vehicle to earn an Award of Excellence star from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for its iconic roles in film and television. The scene-stealing SUV has appeared in blockbusters like The Transformers and Captain America and even appeared in episodes of The Sopranos and The Simpsons.
Although the award—-a sidewalk star similar to those on Hollywood’s famous Walk of Fame–was issued in 2019 in L.A., it was recently brought home to where the Suburbans are currently assembled in Arlington, Texas.
On June 21, 2021, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President Rana Ghadban and General Motors Arlington Assembly Plant Director Bill Kulhanek unveiled the award in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District, which is now its permanent home. Chevrolet says it chose the location to celebrate the Suburban’s footprint in the city and its enduring popularity with Texas customers.
The Chevy Suburban is the longest-standing nameplate in automotive history, continuing to be an American icon on the road and onscreen. But which ones are the best looking?
5th-gen. Chevy Suburban (1960-1966)
The fifth-generation Chevy Suburban is one of the most distinct designs in its nearly 90-year span. Specifically, the first two years featured a hood with large, oval ports above the grille area. Dual headlamps nestle themselves in a busy but beautiful all-chrome front grille, as seen in the sporty 1965 model above.
Centered in the grille is “Chevrolet” spaced apart, with the iconic bowtie in between the large oval vents on the hood. Adding more curvaceous styling, a wrap-around windshield was fitted, although dropped for a flatter style in later model years.
Following the rounded bodyline from the hood down the side of the SUV, you’ll see chromed door handles, chrome window trims, and, surprisingly, only two doors for passengers.
At the rear, you find the classic double-door style tailgate with exposed hinges. Small red taillights are rested in the corners of the inverted body line. So, this thing could not only haul a huge camper, but it also looked awesome doing it.
Capping off the rear is a large steel bumper, commonly chromed to match the front fascia but can be painted for more practical use.
Available in a wide range of colors, many Suburbans were optioned in a two-tone paint scheme. Pairing with a lovely white, you’ll find Cardinal Red, Vermillion Poly, Tangier Gold Poly, and Seamist Jade Poly. The latter color looks particularly good on the 1967 Chevrolet Suburban above. If there’s one thing we miss about older vehicles, it is the exciting color options.
6th-gen. Chevy Suburban (1967-1972)
In the Swinging Sixties, the Chevy Suburban got an all-new look and better towing capacity beginning with the 1967 model that kicked off the sixth-gen. This generation lasted through 1972.
The new generation also brought along new safety upgrades and a unique three-door design featuring a driver’s side door and two doors on the passenger side. The three-door design actually looked cooler than it sounds on paper, and it made it through the entire sixth generation.
7th-gen. Chevy Suburban (1973-1991)
The 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s didn’t just serve up some of the greatest pop culture, from music to movies, but the unforgettable decades also provided some of the best years for Chevrolet Suburban in regard to really coming into its own style-wise.
During the seventh generation of the Chevrolet Suburban, you could be blasting anything from Madonna to Nine Inch Nails to Mozart while rolling down the street in one of this gen’s models and you’d be the coolest kid on the block.
Plus, the wood side-paneling on the 1973 edition, pictured above, was way more groovy than bell-bottoms and lava lamps.
And considering that the newly-updated Suburban now offered four doors, it was easier to fit all of you friends in this rolling piece of automotive art.
1992 Chevrolet Suburban
Truly the most iconic Chevy Suburban, the ninth generation set itself apart from the older generations by finally taking a softer approach to its styling.
For years the Suburban needed to get itself into the new era of styling, and GM hit the nail on the head with the 2000 model year. Ditching the box-style front fascia, the Suburban now carried rounded horizontal headlights, which wrapped slightly onto the fenders instead of cutting short via the grille trim.
Most noticeably, in 2005, the iconic barn door tailgate was discontinued in favor of a traditional overhead lifting unit. Still holding to the horizontal lighting that flows with the split grille, the front end was given a swooping bodyline to follow the plumped-up door shape.
Trading accentuated fender arches for a more deep-cut belt-line gave the exterior a softer feel. Continuing to the back of the massive SUV, the taillights were still stacked vertically but now had a separated amber turn signal lens.
The ninth-generation Chevy Suburban could be optioned in four outlandish colors outside of the regular black and silver. Sport Red Metallic, Wheatland Yellow, Woodland Green, and Tangier Orange were available colors for the 2006 model year. Other minor updates such as puddle lights, fog lamps, and side steps helped set this generation apart.
10th-gen. Chevy Suburban (2007-2014)
An end to an era, the tenth-generation Chevy Suburban dropped its horizontal headlight design. Instead, Chevy stepped out of the box with the tenth-gen. Suburban by giving it a one-piece, square headlight that also housed the amber turn signal.
Dropped along with the two-piece horizontal lights were the iconic chromed bumpers. These two seemingly minor changes made the Suburban look much more modern.
Finally, on the hunt for a more aerodynamic shape, giving the full-size SUV the best chance possible, the Suburban was given a steeply raked windshield.
Drastic aerodynamic changes, unfortunately, end there as the Suburban could still house nine-passenger seating and didn’t trim any length or width.
Following the now smooth belt-line to the rear, you’ll notice the Suburban has a nearly full red lens taillight. Sparing only the white reverse light, the one-piece unit gives a much cleaner look to the rear end.
Optional colors for the tenth-generation Suburban included Champagne Silver Metallic, Crystal Red Tintcoat, Mocha Steel Metallic, and Concord Blue Metallic. Although not as outlandish as some generations, the colors provided a classier look to the full-size SUV.
11th-gen. Chevy Suburban (2015-2020)
Coming into its 80th year of production, the Chevy Suburban was given its deserved adult styling treatment. Led by GM’s exterior design manager Chip Thole, the Suburban went under one of the most drastic redesigns to date.
“We wanted to take what was good about today’s vehicles, bring that forward, and make them new and different with that spark of freshness that people recognize, without making them gimmicky or overdone,” Thole told Truck Trend when asked about the new design.
The approach is shown throughout the exterior, as the iconic split headlight returned. Although still one piece, the headlight is internally split, matching up with the recognizable split grille and giving the Suburban a more sleek look.
Overall, the eleventh-gen. Chevy Suburban received a more smooth feel. Most of this elegant, smoother look is due to the door design. Compared to previous generations, the doors now sit tucked into the sills instead of over them. The design gives the SUV a more seamless look, better fuel economy, and less interior noise as noted by some owners in Vehicle History‘s real owner reviews.
Following the high-set bodyline to the back of the Suburban, you’ll find a very clean-looking rear fascia. Like the tenth gen., the taillights are one piece but now have a smaller section dedicated to the reverse light.
Jutting out from the top is a larger spoiler which now houses the rear wiper. As for colors, the eleventh-gen. Suburban didn’t have many options to stand out. Aside from the typical blacks and silvers, the only intriguing colors are Siren Red Tintcoat and Deepwood Green Metallic.
12th-gen. Chevy Suburban (2021-Present)
Due for an update, General Motors took to the Chevy Suburban with their newfound design language and brought it to the current age of the automotive industry.
Beginning with a strikingly new front fascia, featuring single row horizontal LED headlights and LED turn signals that zig-zag into vents at the bottom of the bumper. The Suburban is given an all-new split grille with horizontal, chrome-trimmed slats. Side profile of the Suburban is still distinct, with a raked windshield and low profile roof rails.
Walking the smoothed sides of the SUV brings you to a familiar rear fascia. Continuing from the previous generation, you’ll find a lengthy rear spoiler and short bumper to allow easy loading. New taillights are fitted with clear lenses and red inlays.
Just below the classic bowtie, which is now surrounded by a chrome trim, you can find “Suburban” sprawled across the tailgate in chrome lettering. Also located at the rear are new quad exhaust tips, giving the suburban a more sporty look but only found on the Premier and High Country models.
Thankfully, some color has returned to the Suburban lineup. You can now option your Chevy Suburban with Cherry Red Tintcoat, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, and Midnight Blue Metallic.
Also, straying from the traditional five-spoke chrome wheel style of previous generations, the new Suburban takes on a six-spoke black with chrome inserts. Being the latest Chevy Suburban, it will be interesting to see how they improve upon the striking design.
Best-looking Suburban You Can Buy Right Now?
All in all, we love the classics. With the fifth-generation Chevy Suburban being one of the best-looking, it is hard to find one worth buying without shelling out crazy money.
The ninth-generation Suburban is a close second. Given its outstanding sales and instantly-recognizable presence from movie scenes or secret service vessels, it makes an excellent case for being the best-looking one to buy.
In the end, we’d be lying if we didn’t say the eleventh generation is the best-looking. With the release of the twelfth generation, it knocks down the price, but you aren’t getting outdated style.
A classy, streamlined look without being too futuristic is perfect for anyone looking to buy a Chevy Suburban.
Photos: Chevrolet
