The two-door SUV is an enigma. You might’ve seen them driving around lurking in the shadows of the nearest roadway, in the back of parking lots, driveways, and fields. These aging characters of a much more optimistic time in the US auto industry are falling further into disrepair, and closer to obscurity. Despite their attractive proportions and ample capability, they’ve consistently fallen short of their four-door siblings every time. No matter what automakers do, it feels like the world doesn’t want the two-door SUV, and basically all of them have disappeared right in front of our eyes.
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Question is why.
There are only three two-door models still on sale in the US today – the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, and Land Rover Defender 90 – and all three only exist because they genuinely offer an advantage over their four-door counterparts while off-roading. In practically all other situations, they’re inferior, and the sales resoundingly display this. Here we take a look at the history of the two-door SUV, discuss why the segment fell out of favor, and then see why automakers have consistently tried to revive it. Is it just a tough nut to crack, or have automakers just refused to see the writing on the wall?
How Did Two-Door SUVs Become Popular?
The two-door SUV craze can trace its roots to the vehicles that emerged from times of war. Soldiers spent years driving these rugged, capable vehicles in wars across the world, and once they came home, the automotive offerings just weren’t cutting it like they used to. During World War II, Jeeps were produced by three companies – Willy’s, Bantam, and Ford – and all three saw an opportunity for a new market once the war ended. This is what spurred the creation of the civilian CJ-2A, a vehicle that didn’t offer doors at all but could be looked at as the grandfather of the two-door SUV. Versions of this car were licensed for sale around the world and started to change tastes in many markets.
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While the Jeep was rugged, it wasn’t particularly refined enough for consistent on-road use, and this is where Ford jumped in with the introduction of the Bronco in the mid-1960s. Sales were good, thus inspiring GM to create the two-door Blazer, and soon many other companies like International and Dodge followed suit.
One of the main characteristics of these early models was their versatility. Two-door vehicles from the 50s moving forward started to be looked at as a type of status symbol, and this extended to SUVs. Young buyers gravitated to SUVs due to their adventurous image, and many loved that seats could be added to the back to increase passenger space or room opened up for increased hauling. As the 70s became the 80s became the 90s, what was once a niche model for surfers and forest rangers crept more into the mainstream, and automakers saw the potential to capture everyday consumers.
Why Did The Segment Die?
The death of the two-door SUV can be pinpointed to one thing: money. While the designs of two-door SUVs often surpassed those of their four-door counterparts, buyers started to gravitate to the practicality of a four-door SUV. Buyers and their families no longer had to deal with the annoyance of climbing over and past seats when they could just jump in all the same, and often the four-door models came with an increased wheelbase that meant you had a little more room on the inside too.
SUVs started to morph closer to the cars of the day and eschewed their boxy looks in favor of more aerodynamic designs. Automakers soon realized that the four-door versions of their SUVs were selling two, three, or four times better than the two-door versions, and cost-cutting meant they could no longer justify making a niche model when their resources would be better utilized elsewhere. So slowly but surely, the models started to be discontinued with no successor in sight, until we looked around one day and realized that the three-door SUV was all but a thing of the past.
The Two-Door SUV Segment Today
As we’ve mentioned, there are three two-door SUV models on sale today. The Jeep Wrangler is the most iconic, with the Ford Bronco nipping at its heels, and the Land Rover Defender 90 occupying a more upscale space than the other two. All three sell decently, but none of them hold a candle to the sales of their larger siblings despite all offering seating for five. It doesn’t matter how many seats you offer, people hate having to climb over seats to get into a car.
And this is the main issue facing two-door SUVs today: consumers no longer want to deal with compromises. Compromises make life difficult, and no one wants to be inconvenienced when they can afford not to. Everyone wants a vehicle that can do it all. They want something that can seat five comfortably, get 30 miles per gallon on the highway, and have enough ground clearance to tackle a trail or ford through a stream at a moment’s notice.
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Not all two-door SUVs were created equally.
You want this because some marketing geniuses had the great idea of showing a happy couple and their dog camping somewhere picturesque in the countryside, and we all just ate it up. Now every company has a “wilderness” or “off-road” sub-brand that sells like hotcakes without offering too much more capability, and it doesn’t matter, because the most “off-roading” many buyers will ever see is a dirt path to a perfectly manicured campground.
There’s nothing wrong with any of this either. The correct lifted, four-door crossover can be pretty cool, and the personality they offer is a nice reprieve from the soul-less blobs we see on a daily basis. It’s just a shame they had to come at the cost of one of the most interesting segments ever sold, even if a few dedicated nameplates are still carrying the torch.
The good news to all of this two-door SUV doom and gloom is the fact that thanks to all the efforts of multiple automakers over the years, there are a ton of two-door SUVS on the used market. Some, like the XJ Cherokee, are a lot more desirable than others, but given the myriad of mid-size and full-size two-doors out there, you’re bound to find something you like.
An (Almost) Comprehensive List Of Past Two-Door SUVs
Below is a list of nearly every two-door SUV ever sold in the US market. We know we may have missed a couple of obscure ones, so if you can think of one that isn’t listed, feel free to let us know below.
- Chevrolet Blazer K5
- Chevrolet Blazer S-10/GMC Jimmy
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- Chevrolet Tracker
- Daihatsu Rocky
- Dodge Ramcharger/Plymouth Trail Duster
- Ford Explorer/Mazda Navajo
- GMC Yukon GT
- International Harvester Scout II
- Isuzu Amigo/Rodeo Sport
- Isuzu Trooper
- Isuzu VehiCROSS
- Jeep Cherokee
- Kia Sportage
- Land Rover Freelander
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- MINI Paceman
- Mitsubishi Montero/Dodge Raider
- Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Range Rover
- Range Rover Evoque
- Suzuki Samurai
- Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara
- Suzuki X-90
- Toyota 4Runner
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota RAV4
