What Was the First Crossover Ever? The Evidence is Unclear
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A crossover is a vehicle that combines elements of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a passenger car. A crossover uses the unibody construction from a passenger car (instead of a sturdier body-on-frame truck layout), paired with a four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive system and taller ride height of an SUV.
A compromise by their very nature, these vehicles sacrifice some rugged utility for added comfort, efficiency, and better road manners. That has made them a massive hit in the automotive industry. However, despite being ubiquitous today, they are a relatively modern body style. The Toyota RAV4 is one of the most popular vehicles on the road today and is often credited with popularizing the segment, but some deeper digging proves that the origin of the crossover isn’t that straightforward.
Early 4x4s
To get to this point, several important milestones in automotive development had to be reached. The first four-wheel-drive (4WD or 4x4) car, the Spyker 60 HP, made its debut in 1903, but the biggest strides for all-terrain vehicles came around during the Second World War. Notably, the Willys Jeep showcased the off-road capability and utility of 4WD.
Right after the war, the army Jeep was sold in the civilian market as a CJ (Civilian Jeep). Other brands popped up around this time, notably Land Rover and Toyota, which would make their own versions of the army Jeep. These simple, rugged vehicles became popular for people who sought a vehicle that was capable of traversing any terrain, and as a result, off-roaders gained popularity in rural communities.
GAZ M72
The first example of a unibody all-terrain vehicle came from the Soviet Union. In 1955, the GAZ M72 was created by using the body from a GAZ-M20 sedan and adding the 4x4 running gear from a light military truck. The result is one weird-looking Mad Max-esque sedan that was factory-produced. Fewer than 5,000 examples of this were made, and by definition alone, it is the first-ever crossover to combine SUV running gear with a sedan body.
SUVs Gain Popularity
During the 1960s and 1970s, the idea of off-road vehicles for civilian use became more normalized. Vehicles such as the Jeep Wagoneer and Range Rover showed there was consumer demand for more civilized off-road SUVs. This was the transition period where an increasing number of SUVs were designed to be more desirable and user-friendly by incorporating creature comforts like comfortable seats and a dashboard. This move broadened the customer base for SUVs, now extending to lifestyle buyers as well.
These SUVs still had body-on-frame construction, however, so despite the creature comforts, they were still inefficient and had poor road manners.
Matra Rancho
Another strong contender for the first crossover is the Matra Rancho, which came from the now-defunct French automaker that was a part of Chrysler’s European division in the late 1970s. The Rancho was based on Simca’s 1100 pickup truck, which itself was based on a regular family sedan.
The Rancho had a raised ride height and spacious body, and was marketed as a lifestyle activity vehicle that families could go camping with. It even had three rows of seating, an amazing feat for a car the length of a modern-day Mini. Oddly, unlike most off-roaders, the Rancho was front-wheel drive, which makes this vehicle less of a crossover and more of the first multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).
VAZ 2121 (Lada Niva)
One of the true first crossovers as we know them today originated in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s. The VAZ 2121 — more commonly known by its Western name, Lada Niva — made its debut in 1977. The Niva was a project commissioned by the Communist Party with the intent of providing civilian transport for more rural areas of the U.S.S.R.
The Niva was truly a crossover, using most of the basic underpinnings from the Lada Riva sedan, including a unibody construction, but paired with a robust full-time 4x4 system with three differentials. The Niva was very popular in its domestic market and in European export markets. Inside, it was just as luxurious as any Soviet car of the time, which is not saying much, but does put it on par with other regular cars of the time.
AMC Eagle
Many consider the 1981 AMC Eagle to be the first crossover, which has a certain degree of truth to it. The Eagle was based on the AMC Hornet platform and was modified for a taller ride height. The Eagle came in every body style imaginable, from coupe, sedan, wagon, and even convertible. By definition, it was a crossover and managed to fill a gap in the market between all-wheel-drive Subarus and larger SUVs like the body-on-frame Jeep Wagoneer.
In North America, the AMC Eagle was arguably the first crossover, as vehicles like the Lada Niva or Matra Rancho were never sold here. The XJ Jeep Cherokee, however, was sold here, and to great success.
Jeep Cherokee
The XJ Cherokee was introduced in 1983 when Jeep was still under AMC ownership, and the aforementioned AMC Eagle was still in production. The XJ fits the definition of a crossover far better than the AMC Eagle. Despite being a vehicle with a unibody construction, it was still very off-road capable yet far more refined than a Wrangler. This made it compelling for those seeking a practical, weather-capable SUV that was still comfortable. The addition of a four-door model later in the XJ’s production further cemented its role as a practical vehicle rather than a dedicated off-roader. Over two million XJ Cherokees were sold between 1983 and 2001, far more than the AMC Eagle, which makes the XJ the first mass-market and most successful off-roader to be sold domestically at this point.
Toyota RAV4
Another compelling entry arrived in 1994 with a very familiar name, the Toyota RAV4. Today, the RAV4 is the most popular-selling vehicle in Canada that’s not a pickup truck. The first-generation RAV4 was very different from the family hauler we know today. The original RAV4 was marketed as a lifestyle vehicle with funky seats, a spare tire, and body cladding that made it look like it was a capable little off-roader, and in truth, it was. The RAV4 was based, as it is now, on the Toyota Corolla, a direct tie-in to an existing sedan. This is the formula that most crossovers utilize today. Today’s crossovers all share platforms with existing sedans, and while the RAV4 isn’t the first vehicle to use this formula, it was the first to do so in a way that is most widely used today. The RAV4 isn’t simply a lifted Corolla; it uses a different body to differentiate it as a totally separate model.
The Verdict
Based on the vehicles presented, they can all be considered contenders as the first crossover, each presenting a different interpretation of what a crossover is.
By technical definition, the GAZ M72 is the first crossover, but by modern standards, it just looks like a lifted sedan. The same criticism can be applied to the AMC Eagle, which also looks more like a homemade off-road build as opposed to a suburban cruiser. The Lada Niva could be more befitting of the title of the true first crossover because its format is the closest to what a modern crossover is, but it was never sold in large numbers or in North America. Meanwhile, the Jeep Cherokee and Toyota RAV4 were the first examples to see mass success in the North American market, championing the rise of mainstream crossovers.
Whatever the case, the evolution of crossovers from their humble roots into a segment that domininates the automotive market today proves that nothing is as straightforward as it might seem.
