5 Of The Coolest SUVs From The '80s

Like any decade, the '80s had its fair share of car fads that now seem very dated — think "Turbo" decals, pop-up headlights, and wedge-shaped designs — but it also produced plenty of timeless classics. In particular, the '80s were a good decade for SUVs, with several now-iconic nameplates either debuting or becoming famous over that time. The Europeans, the Japanese, and, of course, the Americans all made plenty of cool SUVs, and so condensing the list down to a top five inevitably means that lots of great cars don't make the cut.

Nonetheless, we've picked five of our personal favorites from the decade, each of which helped to push the segment forward in some way, as well as being simply cool from a collector's perspective. Some set new standards for durability, others pioneered the luxury SUV segment, and a few proved their worth as rugged military vehicles. All remain in demand among classic car enthusiasts today, although you'll probably have to shell out quite a lot of cash for the cleanest examples.

Fans of the Range Rover will know that the storied luxury off-roader debuted in 1970, but the five-door design that's now standard across the lineup didn't arrive until 1981. The same year, the first special edition Range Rover was unveiled in the luxury resort town of Biarritz, France. It was called the "In Vogue," and was initially designed for a fashion shoot. It proved so popular that Land Rover followed it up with two further special editions, before eventually making the Vogue a permanent trim.

The classic Range Rover's cool factor stems from its unique ability to fit right in almost anywhere. It looked just as much at home in a glitzy French beach resort as it did on a muddy trail in remote Scotland, and it was comfortable enough to make the long highway drive between the city and the country less of a chore, too. Many competitors attempted to replicate its "do-everything" attitude, although few — if any — have ever managed to create such a compelling combination of luxury and all-terrain capability as the Range Rover.

The longest-running generation of the Jeep Cherokee is arguably still the best, having debuted in 1984 and remained in production until 2001. It was a unibody SUV at a time when its competitors still used a body-on-frame architecture, and that helped make it better to drive on the road without losing its all-terrain capability. The XJ Cherokee was also available with a range of powertrains throughout its long production run, from the frugal 2.1-liter turbodiesel engine that arrived in 1985 to the 4.0-liter inline-six engine that was introduced in 1987.

In the years since the model was discontinued, plenty of examples of the XJ have seen second lives as cheap and cheerful off-roaders, and as a result, clean examples aren't as easy to find as they once were. The most pristine surviving examples are sought after by collectors, as more realize that there's unlikely to be another Jeep quite like the XJ Cherokee.

The 70 Series Land Cruiser is a bona fide off-roading legend that's still in production today, more than four decades since its debut in 1984. The Land Cruiser quickly developed a reputation for being extremely reliable and was the vehicle of choice for adventurers, government workers, and aid agencies that needed to reach the remotest corners of the globe. The basic design has remained unchanged since its launch, for better or for worse.

The 70 Series originally launched in 1984 and was designed to be a more versatile machine than its predecessors. It was still very tough, but Toyota also made comfort-oriented variants for buyers who wanted a Land Cruiser for leisure rather than for work. It was available in a huge variety of trims and configurations, from bare-bones workhorse to comfortable daily driver.

While the modern 70 Series is not sold in America, there are many examples of new and used Land Cruisers of various generations for U.S. buyers to pick from. However, the 70 Series' rugged looks and famed durability mean that it still holds a special place in the hearts of many off-road enthusiasts, with clean examples of the '80s classic in high demand among collectors.

While it's now become the SUV of choice for many a Hollywood celeb, the G-Class was originally envisioned as an all-conquering military vehicle. It was partly developed following a request from the Shah of Iran, although by the time it was finished, the country's revolution — and the Shah's terminal illness — meant that he was no longer around to complete his order. Mercedes developed the SUV in partnership with Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and the first examples left the latter's factory in Austria in 1979.

Throughout the '80s, Mercedes pivoted away from the G-Class's bare-bones roots and kitted the SUV out with an increasing number of luxuries, in an attempt to make it appeal to civilian customers. In 1981, it was offered with air conditioning and an automatic transmission, and in 1987, it received electric windows. The car also earned some welcome publicity in 1983, when it won the Paris-Dakar Rally with F1 legend Jacky Ickx at the wheel and famed actor Claude Brasseur as his co-pilot.

Despite going through many mechanical changes throughout its 46 years on sale, the designers of the G-Class have done a remarkable job of keeping its styling consistent. New examples are very pricey, and even used G-Wagons aren't cheap, thanks to their storied history and reputation for exceptional longevity. The example pictured above is nicknamed "Otto," and was taken on a 26-year mission by its owner to visit over 200 countries, covering over half a million miles in the process.

Enthusiasts will continue to argue which generation of the Ford Bronco is the best, but even if the third generation isn't quite as iconic as the original, it's still one of the coolest SUVs of its era. It was designed to be more comfortable than its predecessor and cater to as wide a variety of tastes as possible, with a plush Lariat version available for the most well-heeled buyers. Other notable packages from the era included the Eddie Bauer package and the Free Wheeling package, both of which offered unique styling and interior trim.

Compared to most of the other cool SUVs here, the Bronco is also a more affordable classic today, with examples readily available for less than $10,000. However, the cleanest examples — particularly those that feature one of the desirable special edition packages — can sell for far more. The most pristine collectors' grade examples can change hands for more than $40,000.