![]() ![]() Is it easy to spot one today? Your town either has one or it has zero, let's put it that way Price now: We're not seeing any topping $4,000 in the classifieds Official SUV of: High school hockey practice 1994 was the last year for the Navajo, just before the Ford Explorer was redesigned for the 1995 model year with the Mazda version falling victim to slow sales.ĬD stuck in the in-dash player: Savage Garden ![]() It wasn't lost on many buyers that there was also a three-door Ford Explorer offered at the time, with a wider range of options. The result was less visually alluring than the three-door Ford Explorer. The Navajo needed to be different on the outside, so it was given an anonymous and cheap-looking black plastic grille to make it look like one of the Mazda trucks and some Mazda badges glued on to the interior and exterior. Thankfully, Ford was well on its way to achieving the goal of creating the ultimate suburban status symbol. The Navajo was only available for a short period of time, for those who didn’t want an explorer.< p Wikimedia CommonsĮasily the rarest SUV to come from the Ford Explorer family, the Navajo's raison d'etre was the lack of a midsize 4x4 in Mazda's lineup at the time. Where did these all go? A lot have been turned into backwoods 4x4s with rattlecan paintjobs and mismatched tires Is it easy to spot one today? Just barely. And you can't import one to the U.S., assuming you wanted to Price now: Most appear to be less than $4,000 CAN. Official SUV of: The very brief Saskatchewan summer Ironically, aall North American market versions, including Suzuki, were produced in Ontario, so in a way all the different versions of the Tracker were Canadian cars to begin with. And it wasn't really modified for the harsher Canadian climate either unless you got a dealer-installed engine warmer. No extra amount of excitement was offered in the Pontiac version up north, though it's not clear if excitement was even promised. Massive, massive power was provided courtesy of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, with GM's three-speed automatic putting all of that down on the pavement on those days when the pavement wasn't covered with snow and ice. The Canadian version went through an impressive number of names before settling on Pontiac the go-to brand for vehicles that GM Canada didn't want to sell or couldn't sell under the Chevrolet badge. received the mini-SUV as the Geo Tracker (remember Geo?) and as the Suzuki Sidekick. But the vehicle that became known as the Pontiac Sunrunner in Canada was first sold as the Chevrolet Tracker and the GMC Tracker up north, while the U.S. Haven't heard of this one? The Pontiac Sunrunner is what resulted when GM Canada gave up on the Asuna brand in 1993 (which was just a few months after it came up with the Asuna brand in the first place). Most Sunrunners didn’t have that scary push bar.< p Dave Saunders These were here one day and gone the next Where did these all go? Beats us, but there weren't that many to begin with. Have you seen one? Tweet us a photo if you have Price now: Less than $2,000 if you can find one. Official SUV of: Independent import repair shops in SoCal In 1990 the Rocky was priced at $10,897, which translates to about $20,000 today, making it a slightly pricey and contrarian beach-town runabout compared to a Jeep Wrangler.ĬD stuck in the in-dash player: The Presidents of the United States of America Ultimately, the Rocky represented an offbeat choice among a bumper crop of cheap 4x4s that included the Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Sidekick, Geo Tracker and the Lada Niva in Canada. The promise of a "smooth ride" was perhaps relative given the extremely short wheelbase, bouncy suspension and high ride height. "Hard-top or soft-top, Rocky comes complete with the widest wheel track in its class and a double wishbone independent front suspension for a smooth ride," the brochure for the Rocky boasted. We imagine the Rocky buyer as being a person who looked at a Suzuki Samurai decided "No, that's just too decadent." Despite its modest size, ad copy of the time played up the Rocky's key attribute a wide track. ![]() The Rocky was the suv (minor case intended) half of a winning duo that also starred the Daihatsu Charade hatchback. through actual Daihatsu dealerships that had walls, windows, telephones and incredibly slow computers. The Rocky was sold alongside the Charade hatch and sedan (oh yes) in hardtop and soft top form.Īs hard as it is to believe now, the Daihatsu Rocky was once officially sold in the U.S. ![]()
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