The DeSoto Suburban is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

produced by DeSoto from 1946 through the 1954 model year. The Suburban was a continuation of DeSoto's long-wheelbase models, first introduced in 1946. While in production, the Suburban was available under the

DeSoto Deluxe The DeSoto Series S-10 is an automobile produced by DeSoto from 1942 through to the 1952 model year. While in production, the Series S-10, which was sold with the trim package DeLuxe, was DeSoto's entry-level car, and was offered primarily as ...

Custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a r ...

and Powermaster model designations. The Suburban differed from other DeSotos in that the four-door sedan rode a wheelbase, creating a car that was capable of carrying eight passengers as shipped from the factory. The car accomplished this eight-passenger capacity through the use of factory-installed

jump seat In aviation, a jump seat or jumpseat is an auxiliary seat for individuals—other than normal passengers—who are not operating the aircraft. In general, the term 'jump seat' can also refer to a seat in any type of vehicle which can fold up out ...

s. Suburbans were powered by Chrysler's inline six-cylinder engine, which delivered sufficient power to move the factory-complete car; at nearly two tons, the vehicle mated to this engine was capable of cruising speeds, but not jack-rabbit starts. Most Suburbans were shipped with an optional rooftop luggage rack. With no station wagon in its line-up, the Suburban was at once a car for consumers who needed a large-capacity automobile, and a car almost ready-built for the

taxi cab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

industry. The Suburban also formed the base car for DeSoto's Custom Limousine model, an automobile seldom built on speculation, but more realistically upon customer orders. DeSoto dropped its limo build-outs at the end of the 1949 model year, finding it cheaper to sell and ship the cars to third-party vendors for customization. Despite its popularity with taxi firms, DeSoto being the second most popular manufacturer to the industry leader Checker, Chrysler's planned 1955 restyle and the spin-off of Chrysler's Imperial into its own distinct series spelled the end of the long-wheelbase Suburban at the end of the 1954 model year.

References

* {{DeSoto (automobile) Suburban Cars introduced in 1946 1950s cars

See also

References