5 classic trucks and their polarizing modern revivals

EVs are solving Detroit's gas-guzzling problem, ushering in a new era of hulking American metal. But they don't all look quite as sleek.

Business Mar 3, 2024 0 43 Add to Reading List

5 classic trucks and their polarizing modern revivals

A Hummer H2 and the 2023 Hummer EV pickup truck
Getty Images, General Motors

EVs are helping eliminate Detroit's gas-guzzling problem.
Some revivals of gas-powered classics are getting the EV treatment.
But not every revived model looks exactly like its original counterpart.

We're in a new era of hulking Detroit metal, and you can thank EVs.

Americans can't get enough of their big, beefy trucks and SUVs. But for many years, some of the biggest gas guzzlers fell out of fashion as gas prices rose and emissions regulations tightened.

But in the past few years, some of the most iconic American truck nameplates have been brought back to life with electric motors, like the GMC Hummer. In other cases, as with the Ford Bronco, improvements in engine technology and more interest in rugged adventure vehicles made a gas-powered revival possible.

Even some revivals that started as gas-powered, like the Chevy Blazer and the Jeep Wagoneer, are now getting electrified spinoffs. (Even if they don't always look quite as sleek as their original inspiration.)

Here are side-by-sides of five classic American trucks and their modern counterparts.

The Jeep Wagoneer

1975 Jeep Wagoneer and 2024 Electric Jeep Wagoneer S
Stellantis

After a long wait, Jeep released its revival of the classic Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2020. Starting later this year, an electric version of the luxury Jeep SUV will join the Wagoneer lineup.

The Chevrolet Blazer

A 1973 Chevrolet Blazer and a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Getty Images, General Motors

The Chevrolet Blazer was first rebooted in 2019 as a sporty family SUV. The modern Blazer shares zero resemblance to its boxy, off-roading older sibling, but it has still managed to become one of Chevy's more popular SUVs in recent years.

The Blazer EV came later, and was one of the first models GM built on its new Ultium battery platform.

The Hummer

Once the poster child for Detroit's big, bad gas guzzlers, the Hummer got new life as an electric pickup truck in 2021.

The Ford Bronco

A 1971 Ford Bronco and a 2022 Ford Bronco
Ford Motor Co.

After a rouge group of engineers and designers inside Ford spent years trying to breathe life back into the Blue Oval's boxy off-roader, the Ford Bronco was finally resurrected in 2020 amid a rise in popularity for rugged adventure vehicles.

The Ford Ranger

1985 Ford Ranger and a 2024 Ford Ranger
Ford Motor Co.

Ford jumped back into the midsize pickup truck game in the US in 2019, when the company brought a version of the Ranger it had been selling overseas back to its home market.

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