Boxy Cars: Top 10+ Vehicles That Are Hip To Be Square

Aerodynamics and square shapes generally do not get along. A flat surface does not cut through the air with great efficiency.

In the great quest for improved efficiency, it’s a simple principle that influences the design of nearly every plane, train and automobile. Smooth, wind-sculpted surfaces are the name of the game today, minimizing drag and maximizing performance.

Remember back in the 1980s when nearly every car and SUV sold was a box on wheels? That mostly ended in the 1990s when a new era of curved sheetmetal and aerodynamic understanding came into existence.

But sometimes, a motorized vehicle defies that convention. Something that is proud of its sharp, 90-degree creases and flat panels. IT's actually a trend catching on latelty, with more and more slab-sidded vehicles coming to makret. Here, we’ve gathered ten eleven examples of squared-off vehicles still on sale today

Starting off our list is the boxiest passenger vehicle available in North America, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Tracing its roots back to the 1970s, this SUV is a holdover design that rarely gets updated. The first generation G-Wagen lasted from 1979 until 1992. It was then replaced by an all-new model that looked nearly identical to the old SUV. This second generation G-Class would last in production until 2018. Yup, in nearly 30 years, there were a total of two generations of G-Class.

The newest generation is a wee bit more rounded in the frontend, but still features the trademark slab-side styling. It can be had with a pair of V8 engines, a 416 hp unit or the fire-breathing 577 hp one found in the AMG. There's even an all-electric version of the G-Class.

Like its boxy styling, the G-Class has never lost its off-road capabilities. Although with a six-digit price tag, don’t expect many to be punished through a sketchy stretch of trail.

At the more affordable end of the square off-road SUV spectrum is the Jeep Wrangler. Like the G-Class, the Wrangler has been in production for a long time; much longer actually with roots dating back to World War II. Through its various forms and names, this Jeep has always worn instantly recognizable sheetmetal. Even if the hood does round down to the pronounced fender flares, the SUV is a flat sided box from the windshield rearward.

All-new fin 2024, the Wrangler can be had with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a V6 or even a 470 hp V8 engine. Little on the market can keep up with a Wrangler when it comes to serious off-roading.

Whereas the Wrangler has continued in production for several decades, the Ford Bronco came back after a long hiatus. Originally conceived in the 1960s, the Bronco was a boxy off-road SUV right up until its demise in 1996. But recently the fabled nameplate returned, designed to take Jeep’s iconic off-roader head-on. Available as two-door or a four-door, the Bronco features flat surfaces a plenty, especially when equipped with the removable hardtop.

Complementing this rugged off-road SUV is the smaller Bronco Sport. Taking many styling cues from its bigger brother, the Bronco Sport is slightly more rounded overall. But when compared to the rest of the compact crossover market, it looks positively boxy side-by-side with the Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V or Hyundai Tucson.

Finishing off the historically rich nameplates with off-road pedigree is the Land Rover Defender. Although the actual name Defender merely dates back to the early 1980s, this vehicle’s lineage goes back decades earlier. While North Americans were falling in love with the capabilities of Jeeps, the rest of the world knew the mountain-goat-like prowess of the Land Rover.

The latest Defender is available in three lenghts, with one two-door model and a pair of four-doors, the longest of which is the gloriously stretched 130 model. Land Rover did not tame the SUVs off-road ability and now gives consumers the choice of multiple engines, including a brawny 636 hp V8.

Seeing an all-electric vehicle on a list about boxy cars may seem out of place. But the Rivian R1S proves our point that large SUVs can’t escape the need to be practical over stylish. The R1S is a three-row SUV powered by four electric motors that make a combined 700 hp. This should be good enough to get the big, squared-off SUV from 0 to 60 mph in about three seconds flat.

But the R1S is not a one trick pony. It’s capable of towing upwards of 7,700 lb and performs fairly serious off-roading with standard A/T tires and up to 14.9-inches of ground clearance.

For the 2026 Honda Passport, the manufacturer went all-in with boxy styling. As is clearly the trend in this segment, the more upright panels on the new Passport give it a proper SUV look and feel, even if it's still an unibody structure.

As one of the few mid-size SUVs to still use a naturally aspirated V6 engine, the Passport has that unique advantage to it. For those serious about dirt-road adventures, there is a more rugged TrailSport version available for Honda's new SUV.

One of the oldest vehicles on the market got completely overhauled for the 2025 model year, the Toyota 4Runner. Built on a new platform shared with other boxy vehicles on this list, notably the Lexus GX and Toyota Land Cruiser, the 4Runner is squared off at more corners, but retains a familiar look that's unmistakably 4Runner.

Power comes a choice turbocharged engines, one hybrid and one not. There are some new serious off-road options for the 4Runner like the Trailhunter.

A bonus entry to our list, the lifted wagon from Subaru has undergone a radical exterior transformation. For the 2026 model year the mid-size SUV ditches its car-like looks for a full-on, squared-off SUV body. It adds passenger and cargo space while giving the Outback a more rugged look, especially in Wilderness trim.

Under that new skin though is the same Outback as before more or less, with a choice of turbocharged or naturally aspirated four cylinder engines and standard all-wheel drive.

December 15, 2023 - updated the introduction. Updated Mercedes-Benz G-Class text, updated Jeep Wrangler image and text, Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport text, Land Rover Defender text, Rivian R1S text, Kia soul text, Toyota 4Runner text

December 15, 2023 - removed Jeep Compass, Chrysler 300, Hyundai Venue

December 15, 2023 - added Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus GX

December 15, 2023 - cleaned up overall layout

February 6, 2026: Update images, remove Kia Soul, added Honda Passport, added Subaru Outback, reworded several entries.