posted by RiveraNotario
Stephanie and I saw one of these recently near Port Orford, and it hit me then: this would have been a perfect car for my recent EXBRO off-road trip instead of my Tracker, which is of course a Suziki too, and closely related to the X-90. Well, there wouldn’t have been room to sleep inside, but its goofy looks more than makes up for that. Isn’t that why we buy cars, for their looks? The goofier, the better, for me anyway.
It’s perfect: a cross between a Miata and a…4Runner. Suzuki was just ahead of its time; nobody wants low cars anymore, and something like this might do much better now than flopping, which is what the x-90 did.
The X-90 was built from 1996-1998, although some were still on the dealer lots for a year or two past that. Some 7,205 were sold in the US in MY 1996, then only 2,087 in ’97 and 477 in ’98, and that’s after a 25% price drop.
I didn’t realize the numbers were that small. This is undoubtedly a future collectible. If I see one for sale, I’m buying it. Oh wait; there’s no room in the back for the dog.
I thought these were kinda stupid when they got out, and still think the same.
A twoseater makes sense as a drop top or as a pickup. But this?
I am all in favor of buying cars for their looks but this is not a good looking car either.
The X-90 is another one of those vehicles created to cover two disparate markets at the same time and failing miserably at both, sort of like a latter-day Amphicar.
The real puzzler is the hardtop. How anyone could think this would work as a tiny, closed-coupe, AWD two-seater is beyond me. At least it looks like it has T-tops, which is something (I guess).
I don’t see much Highlander in the X-90. It’s a sport utility vehicle, except without the utility, and not all that much sport either.
This has always reminded me of the Austin A35 pick-up (the world’s least useful but possibly most cute pick-up ever?). Not many of them made either.
I remember occasionally seeing a yellow one Northbound on the 1100 freeway in central Los Angeles and wondering what the heck it was, came here and was explained .
This looks like another niche car I should have tried .
-Nate
There’s no 1100 freeway in the world, let alone L.A. There’s a 101, and a 110. Pick one.
Oops ~
The grammar nazis have found me .
Don’t I get a pass for having fat fingers ? .
-Nate
The Kei class Suzuki Mighty Boy (1983-1988) at least briefly had a cult-following in Australia.
Now that’s a cute little car!
I have only seen one of these and I never could figure out the rational for these things. A tiny two-seater with four wheel drive? It might be useful in the middle of a snow storm to run to the local convenience store for a couple of six-packs but that’s about it.
Surprisingly, the underpinnings of the X-90 was not the diminutive Suzuki Samurai, but the larger 2-door Suzuki Vitara, aka Sidekick or Chevrolet/Geo Tracker.
So, it was Suzuki’s effort to make a quasi-sports car from an existing CUV. It might have worked, too, if it had been styled better. But a low-slung, two-seat CUV is still a CUV, and not a Miata.
The main problem is the hardtop, which I’m going to guess was required for structural rigidity.
Someone at my workplace owns one of these, in that same color no less. I see it now and again in the parking lot. Kinda cool in a quirky way, especially with the T-tops off. Owner must really love it, it only comes out in good weather, and he/she has been driving it for years…
I had no idea these were (1) Suzuki, (2) that old, (3) such slow sellers in their time. I see one or two here in SE WI often enough to be surprised at their rarity.
As I write, eBay has a well-looked-after one for $8500: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265981335599
I had no idea these were (1) Suzuki, (2) that old, (3) such slow sellers in their time. I see one or two here in SE WI often enough to be surprised at their rarity.
As I write, eBay has a well-looked-after one for $8500: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265981335599?hash=item3dedb9182f:g:tZ8AAOSwOf1jQ4ke&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoJF9lEPUexJbzj8DCkV%2FdcIq8kV5OGvgLak%2Fh8DRh9UL8Xx9Swxb%2F0kC6NtCSF%2FfoforxLb9hrFH2tYuENhwCgeCIbdLbd0nsgaZRHrv7TzZ7HJd%2FAwdJ3dHwKPNaHFAm73OQ8kvMsrLv1i%2B21HS20AiK2mI2BIfjxk9jsJ9uB7%2BcfFKHzU3PFqhLAxOWQSV2DLq8OoPvUVE1P5aiykp9r0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7623M6NYQ
A sport-utility with neither utility nor sport. Hard to see why there was no market. (sarcasm back off) But I think it’s kind of cool now – for its out-front uselessness, if for no other reason.
I’d forgotten about these, its a very long time since Ive seen one, though Suzuki 4x4s are still extremely common, numerous ex JDM badges on them here including some Mazdas.
You can have mine.
I saw a nicely built-up, but not overbuilt, Samurai (I think Jimny in other past of the world) a few days ago in Death Valley. Solid axles and potentially tippy, hence this X90 being based on the IFS Vitara/Tracker/Sidekick. I recall one of the four wheel drive magazines including one in a “ Four Wheeler of the Year” comparison test that included a lot of off-pavement. They struggled to find something nice to say about its functionality, but I think they still had fun.
I’m pretty sure Red Bull bought about half of them sold in the US.
Looks like them Duke boys got their hands on an X-90!
Let’s try the photo one more time…
Hmm…
This about right .5 – came into Jacksonville Fl late at night and they had only two rentals left. A 4dr tracker and a 2dr tracker. There were four sailors behind me in line so I let them have the 4dr. What I got was a red x-90 automatic. It would barely do 60. When I got to the navy base the Marines were laughing, and the gunny said he might not let it on the base. Tiny trunk.
11/17 22 I wanted one for so long just cant find them anywhere . Can anyone help me ? Will pay tops dollar to get one. ……fortierwill@gmail.com
I lived in So Florida at the beach. I bought one new in 1996. It was a head turner and I had a blast in it! I just bought a 1997 last week to try to recapture my youth! Lol!