Settle The Debate: Suburban Vs. Mustang Vs. Camaro

In last week’s edition of “Settle The Debate,” we asked which car would be better for a bootleg run from Laredo, Texas to Jacksonville, Florida. This week, I rediscovered the fact that there is only one vehicle that currently has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — the Chevrolet Suburban. As someone who has owned a 1997 Chevrolet Suburban, I used to tout this fact often but since I sold it for a more fuel-efficient Ford Fusion, it has fallen off my radar. That said, did Hollywood get it wrong? Should the Suburban have been given the nod over the Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro?

Chevrolet Suburban: As of 2019, the Chevrolet Suburban has appeared in 1,750 movies according to Car and Driver. It’s also been in at least one TV show every year since 1956 and one movie since 1960, a streak that continues to this day according to the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCD). In fact, IMCD records 20 pages worth of Suburban credits!. However, the thing that hurts the Suburban is that it’s almost always a background character instead one with a starring role, which is something more expected for a Mustang or Camaro.

Ford Mustang: Three of the most recognizable Mustangs are the 1968 GT driven by Steve McQueen in “Bullitt” (authenticated by Kevin Marti), Eleanor in “Gone in 60 Seconds,” and the 1969 Ford Mustang in the John Wick franchise. In addition, IMCD has 54 pages of credits for the Mustang across movies and television shows. What hurts the Mustang in this debate — at least compared to the Suburban — is longevity. When the Mustang debuted in 1964, it was a smash hit, but the 1935 Carryall Suburban had a head start of almost 30 years, with its first movie appearance occurring in 1941 according to IMCD.

Chevrolet Camaro: Last but certainly not least is the Chevrolet Camaro. On IMCD it has 25 pages of movie and television show credits. A few famous Camaros are Paul Walker’s 1969 Yenko Camaro in “2 Fast 2 Furious” with the eject-o-seat, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS/RS from “Better Off Dead,” the 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and Bumblebee from the recent “Transformers” franchise. Yes, the Camaro has plenty of credits but, outside of Bumblebee, there are more iconic movie Mustangs than there are Camaros.

I’ll ask again: Did Hollywood get it wrong by giving the Chevrolet Suburban a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Do you think a certain DeLorean or Pontiac Firebird Trans Am are more worthy? Tell us in the Comments section below.