Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between 4.25 to 4.60 metres (167 to 181 in).

According to Bob Lutz, an executive at several car companies, American Motors (AMC) invented an all-new automotive segment—the compact sport utility vehicle with the original compact Jeep Cherokee two- and four-door models.

The modern compact SUV models were introduced in 1983. General Motors released the two-door Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, a four-wheel drive wagon with a four-cylinder engine as standard. Mid-year, Ford brought out the Ford Bronco II. Both models were body-on-frame designs based on each automaker's small pickup trucks, the Chevrolet S-10 and Ford Ranger respectively. Chevrolet's S-10 pickup based baby Blazer came with an all-steel, permanent roof and a top-hinged rear hatch. The Bronco II's general dimensions, drive train, and cab details were identical to those of the compact truck with differences in the interior only aft of the doors. Both were station wagon-like vehicles with seating for four adults and an enclosed cargo area, while their similar compact truck versions that would normally fit two and have an open load bed.

The first purpose-designed monocoque (unibody) compact SUV, and the first with four-doors, was the Jeep Cherokee (XJ). It was introduced by American Motors Corporation in 1983 for the 1984 model year and was produced almost unchanged through 2001 in the U.S., and 2005 in China. Automobile magazine called it a masterpiece of automotive design with room for five passengers and their cargo.