Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are seen as safe, strong, and large enough to handle just about anything, from shopping trips to crossing the desert. SUVs have been an important part of the American car market since the end of World War II (1939–45), but the boom in SUV ownership really began in the 1980s, when baby boomers (see entry under 1940s—The Way We Lived in volume 3) with growing families chose the sportier look of these large vehicles over traditional family-carting minivans (see entry under 1980s—The Way We Lived in volume 5) and station wagons.

A 1993 Mitsubishi Montero four-door sport utility vehicle (SUV), showing its off-road capability. Hulton/Archive by Getty Images. Reproduced by permission.

The first SUVs were military-surplus Willys-Overland Jeeps (see entry under 1940s—Commerce in volume 3). These crude four-wheel-drive vehicles were bought by farmers and outdoor types to carry everything from supplies...