The World's First Crossovers Were Absolutely Incredible

We know what you're thinking. Soviet cars were often so terrible they were actually great. Everybody knows that, right? Of course. So it should come as no surprise that the GAZ-M72 was ugly as hell yet ahead of its time. Based on the GAZ-M20, the M72 launched in 1955. It was a four-door passenger car that was also the first mass-produced monocoque all-wheel drive vehicle. Its body was further reinforced from the more traditional M20 car, but those clever Soviets borrowed the chassis and transmission from the off-road GAZ-69 military light truck. It only had a grand total of 55 hp, but it did the job well enough. A total of 4,677 examples were built until production ended in 1958.

It's good to be back in America. No gulags here. America's WWII victory created an economic boom, and automakers left and right were finally mass-producing cars again. Following its wartime success with the original Willys Jeep, Willys-Overland figured it was the ideal time to expand on that winning formula. While the civilian version of the Army Jeep, the CJ, was aimed at farmers, the automaker noticed a gap in the market for something a bit more user-friendly. Although it rode on the same platform as the CJ and was built alongside it in Toledo, Ohio, the Jeepster had a simpler and more suburban design. Some thought it was ugly solely because it was different. We say it was decades ahead of its time. Known internally as the VJ, the Jeepster lasted until 1950 with a total of nearly 20,000 were made.

The Soviets are back with something equally terrible, wonderful and awesome. The Lada 4x4, originally called the Niva, was designed and built by AvtoVAZ, a now defunct Soviet automaker. But the Lada 4x4 was quite progressive for its time because it was the first production off-road vehicle to have a unibody architecture and an independent front suspension. It also didn't stay in the Soviet Union, as it was exported to Iceland, Austria, Uruguay, and even the UK. It's still in production today, though it debuted back in 1977.

It was and remains basic and affordable transportation that can handle itself in many off-road situations when called upon. Consider the Lada 4x4 as an ancestor to all of today's compact AWD crossovers.

We're just bouncing back and forth between America and the Soviet Union, aren't we? The Jeep Wagoneer arrived in 1963 and is considered to be the first luxury 4x4. Although it later morphed into a fully-fledged SUV, the early Wagoneers really had more of a crossover-ish look. Both two- and four-door versions were available and despite its body-on-frame truck architecture, the Wagoneer had a wagon-like body style. Most Americans viewed it as a station wagon with the guts of a truck.

However, Kaiser, which owned Jeep at the time, rightly understood American suburbanites didn't want a truck's rough ride, so the Wagoneer received an independent front suspension for a more car-like ride. One year after its launch air conditioning became an option. Originally, only an inline-six engine was offered but a V8 came in '65. The Wagoneer was regularly updated to fit the times until it was discontinued in 1991. Atriumphant return is heralded for the near future.

好吧,或许AMC鹰了of weird, but it was a truly brilliant idea back in 1987. While Subaru likes to proclaim its Outback as the 'World's First Sport Utility Wagon,' that title actually belongs to the Eagle. Launched in 1979, the Eagle was based on the Concord compact car but received a four-wheel drive system. Ironically, the Eagle came to be following the oil crisis. AMC was Jeep's latest owner and SUVs like the Wagoneer were thirsty for gas. The car-based Eagle, however, was more economical and it also drove like a conventional car thanks to its independent front suspension.

While not built for serious off-roading, the Eagle was more than capable of fighting its way through mud, sand, snow and other obstacles that would normally cause problems for sedans. The AMC Eagle remained in production until the 1988 model year.

The first-generation RAV4 appeared in 1994 and, in many ways, was afar cry from today's RAV4. For starters, the original was offered as a three-door, five-door, or a three-door convertible soft-top. The latter variant didn't make it past the original generation. But Toyota knew it was clearly on to something a few years before the Lexus RX debuted. Although this RAV4 had a unique platform, it borrowed some elements from the Corolla's architecture which not only helped cut costs, but made it somewhat more car-like. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were offered as well as a five-speed manual or four-speed slushbox.

Think of the first RAV4 as a far more user-friendly competitor to the Jeep Wrangler. It also wasn't the near death trap the Suzuki Jimny was sometimes known to be. Unfortunately, the RAV4 has become far more conventional over the years, but we still dig the revolutionary and quirky original.