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Picking the best two-door SUVs of all time is hard work, but we have taken care of it for you. From street machines to serious off-roaders, it’s all here
The Best Two Door SUVs for Your Next Adventure
When considering the best two-door SUVs of all time, the hardest part is winnowing the list. Over the years, there have SO MANY cool two-door SUVs that go as far back as the 1960s and as recently and as recently as 2023. And though the majority of these vehicles are geared for dominating serious off-road trails and coming home covered in mud, we have expanded the criteria to include options that have a need for speed or are just plain fun.
Jeep Wrangler
No rundown of the best two-door SUVs would be complete without the Jeep Wrangler. The nameplate dates to the ‘80s but its spirit goes back to Willys of World War II. Jeep has more or less stayed true to the Wrangler mission of true open-air hardcore off-roader since day one with the present-day Rubicon model one of the more extreme versions of this approach.
The 2023 Wrangler in Rubicon trim comes with an electronic front sway bar disconnect, rock rails, and heavy-duty axles. Add the Xtreme Recon package and enjoy 35-inch tires, nearly 13 inches of clearance, and the ability to traipse through 33 inches of water.
GMC Jimmy Typhoon
At the other end of the SUV scale is the legendary GMC Jimmy Typhoon. Built briefly in the early ‘90s, less than 5,000 of these street machines were produced. A 4.3L V6 huffing on 14 psi of turbocharged boost yielded 280 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.
The Jimmy Typhoon engine was highly customized by GM with unique pistons, intake and exhaust manifolds, and a huge throttle body from the period 5.7L small block V8. It propelled the Typhoon to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds with upgraded brakes, a limited-slip rear differential, and a sport-tuned suspension keeping things tight. The Typhoon earns bonus points for one of the best nameplates ever applied to a vehicle.
Land Rover Range Rover
The Land Rover Defender 90 gets a lot of attention for its off-road chops, exclusivity, and buff looks. But the first-gen Range Rover is a slightly lesser-known 2-door 4×4 that is arguably more interesting due to its under-the-radar status.
The early Range Rovers, produced throughout the ‘70s, were not the luxury-laden shopping mall cruisers that the Range Rover is today. Instead, it featured vinyl seats and a plastic dashboard that was easy to rinse off after a day in the woods. V8 power was a selling point and these early Range Rovers were only sold as two doors until the early ‘80s.
Ford Bronco
Another essential vehicle for a list such as this is the 2-door Bronco, though it is hard to pick a generation. Classic boxy first-gen? Big fourth-gen? Raptorized current gen? All are excellent but we’ll have to go second-gen with 70s-tastic paint stripes and the mean forward-canted front end.
The second-generation Bronco was made for a few short years in the late 1970s, these Broncos were newly full-sized and had a removable half-sized hard top that left the front row covered when taken off. Standard 4WD, a Dana 44 front axle, and your choice of a 5.8L or 6.6L V8 meant these old-school Broncos were indeed built Ford tough.
Suzuki Samurai
Quite a bit smaller than the Bronco, the Suzuki Samurai was equally at home on the trail. Sold as the Jimny (not to be confused with Jimmy) in other markets, this wee 4×4 was a huge hit in the US, selling some 47,000 units in 1986, its first year of production.
Serious off-roaders loved the eight inches of ground clearance, dual-range transfer case 4WD system, and manually locking front hubs. Coming in 900 pounds lighter and 20 inches shorter than a period Jeep CJ-7 enabled supreme maneuverability on the trails. The 1.3L four-pot meant the Samurai took the better part of 20 seconds to see 60 mph, but that didn’t diminish how fun these mini-Jeeps were.
Isuzu VehiCROSS
Love it or hate it, there are few two-door SUVs – or any vehicle for that matter – as distinctive looking as the Isuzu VehiCROSS. Between the front grille fangs, headlight horns, miles of black plastic body cladding, and giant wheels between a short wheelbase, the VehiCROSS is just wild.
The VehiCROSS is also a seriously capable off-roader with an expensive suspension featuring external heat-expansion chambers and a lively 3.5L V6 powertrain. There were only about 4,100 ever made, but the red-and-black leather Recaro front buckets that some models came with make an effort to find one worth your time.
Nissan Patrol
Nissan’s Patrol has been in production since the 1950s and offers a compelling foil to the Toyota Land Cruiser. Though it was never sold in the US, the Patrol has begun trickling onto our shores thanks to the 25-year exemption rule. Typically right-hand drive, there are some left-handed models out there.
The Nissan Patrol blends boxy looks with big fender flares and an available turbodiesel power plant, the fourth-gen Y60 Patrol – built from 1987 to 1997 – is a particularly exciting two-door SUV. Highly capable off-road, the Patrol could be had with a 5-speed manual, dual-range 4WD, a limited-slip rear differential, and a pop-up sunroof to really drive home the ‘90s vibe.
Jeep Cherokee
When the Fratelli family blows the doors off every other ORV racing on the beaches of Oregon in Goonies, they reveal a trait of the XJ Cherokee not commonly associated with its 4×4 mission statement. It’s fast. Granted, the Cherokee in the movie had four doors, but the XJs were also sold with two doors.
Marketed as “Sportwagons”, these precursors to the SUV could be had with a torquey 4.0L straight-6 and 5-speed manual. It delivered startlingly quick speed on the street and ample power off-road where it was most at home. The 4WD system on these early Cherokees was practically unstoppable in low-range and the smooth six-cylinder engine was known for reliability.
Kia Sportage
Before the Kia Sportage became a modern unibody SUV, it was a two-door body-on-frame four-wheeler with an available soft-top convertible configuration. Marketing brochures for the first-gen models show the Sportage going full send in rally gear, which was completely believable given the fully-boxed ladder frame chassis, locking front hubs, and dual-range 4×4 system offered. Far smaller than it is today, these early Sportages had neat features like a rear spare tire carrier, two-tone paint, and a 5-speed manual transmission.
International Harvester Scout II
Produced throughout the ‘70s, International Harvester’s Scout II just oozes cool. Offered in a variety of body styles including the standard two-door setup with a removable soft or hard top, the Scout II came with burly Dana axles, 4-, 6-, or 8-cylinder powertrains, and off-road racing bona fides.
A Scout II piloted by Jerry Boone won the Baja 1000 in 1977, besting the second-place finisher by a whopping two hours. And there were special editions galore like the Spirit of 76 with a blue soft top and the Midas Edition with shag carpeting and swiveling bucket seats. You can find out how these sweet old Scouts compare to the equally classic Ford Bronco here.
