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Whatever happened to tailgates with windows that roll down on SUV's? I'm hanging onto my '95 4-Runner with over 210,000 miles because I can't find a SUV that doesn't have what I call the "minivan hatch."
How come manufacturers stopped making tailgates on 4-wheel drive vehicles? What happened to a rear window you can roll down?
Any thoughts?  

My guess is that it's probably cheaper to manufacture a one piece "hatch gate". I don't get it, seems to hinder the UTILITY of an SUV.  

I'm not sure if there is an SUV that don't have that. I think all of them have that for safety.  

My thoughts exactly! It does take UTILITY out of SUV.  It's most disappointing to see this on real SUVs like 4Runners and Jeeps. For all the models of SUVs, and now crossovers, everything seems very cookie-cutter in design features. We've lost both the SPORT and the UTILITY in SUV.  

Those kind of windows were very common in old American station wagons of the past.

But I agree with cpr74.the main reason is probably how expensive all the mechanical parts were for that kind of tailgate.  

Spoken like someone who never owned a Chevy k5 (full size) Blazer.  The electric rear window was (and continues to be, for some) an absolute nightmare.  Forget rear exit exhaust with that setup, too, because you'll kill yourself from the CO fumes.  I drove one with a broken window motor (in the winter) from New York City to Phoenix.  I think my brain was permanently damaged, but I know this: I wouldn't ever buy another truck with one!