K5 Blazer & Suburban
“General Motors took a half-ton pickup, cut a bit off the back and made the roof optional, and the Bronco and Scout never quite recovered. Then it did the opposite with the Suburban, giving it nine seats and four doors. Neither one is subtle, and both are easy to keep running.”
Chevrolet came late to the off-road wagon fight. Ford had the Bronco and International had the Scout, so for 1969 Chevrolet shortened its K10 half-ton pickup from a 115-inch to a 104-inch wheelbase and called the result the K5 Blazer. It was bigger than both rivals, with a removable top, an optional passenger seat and the same engines and parts as the pickup. By 1970 it was outselling them. That year GMC also started selling it as the GMC Jimmy.
The first trucks, the 1969–72 K5 Blazer, had a full-length lift-off top. For 1973 GM moved to the 'Rounded Line' platform that enthusiasts call the square body. The 1973–91 K5 Blazer got a half-cab body in 1976, small-block V8s, a 6.2-liter diesel from 1982 and a military version, the M1009. Its rear roof still came off right up to 1991.
The 1973–91 Suburban was built on the same chassis as a truck-based station wagon with four doors and up to nine seats. Chevrolet and GMC both sold it under the Suburban name. For 1992 the whole family moved to the GMT400 platform. The Jimmy became the GMC Yukon, and the full-size Blazer later became the Tahoe.