Curbside Classic Outtake: Suzuki X-90


All the recent photo-shops and today’s shortened Vista-Coupe made me think of the car that most looks like it can’t have been designed to be the way it actually came out. The longer you stare at the Suzuki X-90, the more bizarre and surreal it becomes. It looks like what Micky and Minny Mouse would drive now days. Well, I’m mighty thankful for the little Suzuki’s existence, because it certainly breaks the monotonous waves of hand-me-down Camrys and Accords parked near the campus. Anyway, I have a thing for eccentric and short cars.

Let’s just say the smaller Japanese manufacturers were trying to find some tiny niches in the SUV market. Isuzu’s Vehicross comes to mind. From the rarity of both of them, it was an exercise in futility. And didn’t Jeep show several two-passenger concepts over the decades? Perhaps they did their market research a little more thoroughly.


Go ahead and laugh; I love this little puppy, and would be happy to give it a home.
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- Art Vandelay Dodge should bring this back. They could sell it as the classic classic classic model
- Surferjoe Still have a 2013 RDX, naturally aspirated V6, just can't get behind a 4 banger turbo.Also gloriously absent, ESS, lane departure warnings, etc.
- ToolGuy Is it a genuine Top Hand? Oh, I forgot, I don't care. 🙂
- ToolGuy I did truck things with my truck this past week, twenty-odd miles from home (farther than usual). Recall that the interior bed space of my (modified) truck is 98" x 74". On the ride home yesterday the bed carried a 20 foot extension ladder (10 feet long, flagged 14 inches past the rear bumper), two other ladders, a smallish air compressor, a largish shop vac, three large bins, some materials, some scrap, and a slew of tool cases/bags. It was pretty full, is what I'm saying.The range of the Cybertruck would have been just fine. Nothing I carried had any substantial weight to it, in truck terms. The frunk would have been extremely useful (lock the tool cases there, out of the way of the Bed Stuff, away from prying eyes and grasping fingers -- you say I can charge my cordless tools there? bonus). Stainless steel plus no paint is a plus.Apparently the Cybertruck bed will be 78" long (but over 96" with the tailgate folded down) and 60-65" wide. And then Tesla promises "100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including the under-bed, frunk and sail pillars." Underbed storage requires the bed to be clear of other stuff, but bottom line everything would have fit, especially when we consider the second row of seats (tools and some materials out of the weather).Some days I was hauling mostly air on one leg of the trip. There were several store runs involved, some for 8-foot stock. One day I bummed a ride in a Roush Mustang. Three separate times other drivers tried to run into my truck (stainless steel panels, yes please). The fuel savings would be large enough for me to notice and to care.TL;DR: This truck would work for me, as a truck. Sample size = 1.
- Ed That has to be a joke.
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In 1998, I traded my gas pig mini van for a 1996 Silver Pearl X90. I had never seen a car like it before and I couldn't believe all the attention it was getting just on a test drive near the dealership. It was auto transmission w/the 4 wheel drive option and had 46,000 miles on it. LOVED that the t-tops came off and the trunk is roomy (could fit two bodies in there :-) I drove the car until May 18, 2006 when an a-hole in a big Suburban zoomed through a stop sign and totaled my car. Didn't quite total me. It took me 18 months to find another X90 worth buying. It was also a '96, red, with just 29,000 on it and in very good shape. I put a few thousand into it, changing all the window trim, added body side molding to help prevent door dings, had the A/C fixed, got new t-top shades, and a bunch of other things done. A couple of weeks ago I had body work done and a complete paint job. It looks brand new! It's great on gas, it handles really well in the snow here in upstate NY and it's fun to drive!!
Glad I cleaned out some of the candy wrappers before you took all those pictures! Yes, this is my car, and although I'm not thrilled to see my license plate all over the place, I appreciate (some) of the comments. Did you take these in Eugene? The tires are larger than the originals and the paint used to be black (I didn't paint it.) that's why the interior is red.