The original Suburban Carryall all-steel station wagon arrived as a mid-year model in 1935. Based on the Chevrolet half-ton panel delivery truck, it was little more than a panel with windows cut into the sides, and some utilitarian seats installed to provide its eight-passenger capacity.

Because it was basically a panel truck, the passengers had to climb awkwardly through the right front door to get to the removable middle and rear seats. The vertically hinged truck door at the rear could be replaced by an optional station-wagon-like tailgate for access to the cargo area.

While not a sales sensation in its first few years, the Suburban was sufficiently popular to encourage GM to resume building it after the Second World War with the return to civilian vehicle production. As with cars, the first post-war trucks, including the Suburban, were virtually carbon copies of prewar models.