Home » The 1990s Were The Era Of Peak SUV: COTD

The 1990s Were The Era Of Peak SUV: COTD

First Gen Rav4 Cotd
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SUVs, trucks, and crossovers dominate the sales charts nowadays, but today is not the era of peak SUV. No, SUVs were the coolest when they just started getting popular. That’s right, we’re going back to the 1990s!

This morning, Jason pointed out that tiny trucks and SUVs were so much smaller and cooler back then. If you were a buyer in the 1990s, your SUV test-drive list could include an Isuzu Amigo, Geo Tracker, Kia Sportage, and Toyota RAV4 in the cool three-door version. These little rigs were wonderful. They were smaller, they often had open tops, they were good off-road, and just a ton of fun. All of these trucklets reflected the optimism and playful nature of the 1990s and I agree with Taargus Taargus here:

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

This vehicle, along with its name (Amigo), simply comes from a more optimistic time.

It’d be neat if we could have such things again.

Here’s a supercut of those little guys, staring with a first-generation Toyota RAV4 (there’s one in the topshot, too).

3 Door Rav4
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Kia Sportage 1998 Images 1

Above, the awesome first-generation Kia Sportage. I’ve seen these things rock so hard off-road.

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Here’s a sweet Geo Tracker:

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And the Amigo! What a great name.

Jason also found himself fascinated with an agricultural sprayer truck. I love this idea from SonOfLP500:

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I’ve said it before in a previous thread: the Autopian needs to visit the big agricultural and construction machinery shows. My recommendation for agricultural machinery is EIMA, held in even-number years in Bologna. It’s a reasonable size and in Bologna, one of my favourite places in the world (unlike Agritechnica in Hannover, odd-number years, which is ridiculously vast and in… Hannover????).
For construction machinery, BAUMA in Munich or Shanghai or Conexpo in Las Vegas.
Any of these will bring out the easily gobsmacked eight-year-old in you.

Speaking of Jason, again, today he wrote about his confusion about why Jeep inverted its iconic taillight. StillNotATony gives the obvious answer:

They probably just hired an Australian taillight designer.

This must be true. I’m pretty sure we have to flip all of Lewin’s docs so the text is not upside down. That aside, do you want to see more stuff on agriculture and construction vehicles?

Have a great evening, everyone!

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Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
5 hours ago

90s era was decent, but not the best.
Some products were better than others. For example, a 4R was more expensive than an equivalent Blazer 4×4 but was built better…

I remember reading stories about Blazers coming off the line with squeaks and rattles…then again GIVEN their price, I am not surprised.
Both the Blazer and the 4R were prone to rust issues….so there is that.

Not sure about the Izuzu Trooper, but that had its own issues such as rust and I believe some issues with the V6 on some years….

But the good thing about both these trucks was the simplicity compared to ones today….

Last edited 5 hours ago by Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
SonOfLP500
SonOfLP500
18 hours ago

Thanks for picking up my comment, and nice to see it getting some backing.
What I forgot to mention is that design is a massive selling point for both vehicle sectors and the level of design and perceived quality is sky-high.
Re fun utility-ish vehicles, as proof that Jim Farley and the Scion management didn’t have a clue, why did they never bring the Bb (xB) Open Deck to the US?

At least Jason was a fan:
https://jalopnik.com/the-toyota-bb-open-deck-is-usefully-bonkers-509368021

MST3Karr
MST3Karr
19 hours ago

I guess you’ve already kinda got a Suzuki in there but how ’bout that X-90? Not a hit but at least a swing.

Vee
Vee
22 hours ago

The Ford Explorer and the Geo Tracker were the two forms SUVs should’ve ultimately stayed in. One an actual capable four door truck based SUV that did not overstep into other categories. The other a small traditional two door SUV that embraced simplicity and nimbleness.

Instead because of perverse incentives we got giants with compromised everything selling for the most money out of any segment.

Just because carcinisation is a thing in nature does not mean that the same should apply to human made devices. Differentiation is a major factor in appeal, otherwise if all competitors in a market are the same you have to make your appeal on price. And nothing can survive a race to be the cheapest to produce highest margin product.

Zeppelopod
Zeppelopod
5 hours ago
Reply to  Vee

Pff, carcinization isn’t real in consumer veh-

(mass market pickup does this)

…god damn it

OrigamiSensei
OrigamiSensei
23 hours ago

I mean, we do trains and airplanes so why wouldn’t we be interested in agricultural, construction, and industrial vehicles as well?

I will also note that a number of key “right to repair” wars are being fought on that front which may have a very direct effect on the automotive industry.

Last edited 23 hours ago by OrigamiSensei
Ben
Ben
1 day ago

That aside, do you want to see more stuff on agriculture and construction vehicles?

Yes.

For the past couple of years I’ve taken a trip to Chisholm, MN where the Minnesota Museum of Mining is located. I first went because they have a big mountain bike trail system there, but one of the trails takes you past their mining equipment display and now I always stop and take a tour of the giant dump trucks and diggers they have out. I’ve actually thought it would be fun to take a guided tour and get more details on how some of this stuff worked.

Clear_prop
Clear_prop
1 day ago

| That aside, do you want to see more stuff on agriculture and construction vehicles?

I’m all for any sort of unusual vehicle being covered. I want to know the NVH values on a Cat 797. Will it baby?

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
1 day ago

Yes! Give me all of these happy little SUVs that scream fun. Would especially love a first gen RAV4.

And I have a lot of fond memories of the Geo Tracker, I spent a lot of time in one as a kid.

Jatkat
Jatkat
1 day ago

Get that Rav-4 out of here, them and the CRV’s were the harbingers of doom for the small 4×4.

Pupmeow
Pupmeow
1 day ago
Reply to  Jatkat

Hey. It’s not that little Rav-4’s fault that it was bastardized and enlarged into the behemoth it is today.

Jatkat
Jatkat
1 day ago
Reply to  Pupmeow

Started out as a bastard, they’ve always been useless. Cute and fun? Sure! But still useless.

Jatkat
Jatkat
1 day ago
Reply to  Pupmeow

Okay I’m being a little mean, my sister in law had a 1st gen that made it to 350,000 miles.

Ash78
Ash78
23 hours ago
Reply to  Jatkat

Fair enough, but it sure took a long time to catch on. They were called “Cute Utes” for basically a decade, if not longer. My mom had a Gen 1 and 2 RAV and we loved it (as adults; no nostalgia here). I miss unpretentious, affordable, reliable cars. Perfect for first-timers and retirees, especially.

Deflected
Deflected
1 day ago

I would love to read about ag and construction vehicles! Maybe Mercedes will get a forklift?

Musicman27
Musicman27
1 day ago
Reply to  Deflected

An impromptu car-lift for their smart cars.

Reasonable Pushrod
Reasonable Pushrod
1 day ago

Don’t forget the 2 door Tahoe!

Bob the Hobo
Bob the Hobo
1 day ago

I know very little about modern farm equipment so an Autopian visit to one of the shows would be interesting to see.

Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
1 day ago

I sooo miss my ’95 Tracker. 5spd, 4wd, convertible top, fun in basic off-roading and so useful as a small truck. You should have seen me cruising down the highway with a 50gal water heater standing up in the back end, strapped to the roll bar to keep it upright as I bounced down the interstate on overinflated tires. What fun!

Fuzzyweis
Fuzzyweis
1 day ago

Please stop posting about 90s fun SUVs as now I’m considering leaf swapping a Sunrunner, which also is one of the best names for these, and they only sold them in Canadia, where there is literally no sun and everyone’s covered in ice.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
1 day ago
Reply to  Fuzzyweis

I always assumed the idea of the Asuna Sunrunner was that Canadians would use it to run TO the sun, i.e. south, for a vacation or something. You know, back when that was a desirable thing for Canadians to do.

Last edited 1 day ago by TriangleRAD
Naterator
Naterator
1 day ago

The 90’s Geo Trackers and Suzuki Samurais are now highly sought after, and are basically a cheap, street-legal UTV with 4wd, heat, AC, and decent fuel mileage.

Last edited 1 day ago by Naterator
Rad Barchetta
Rad Barchetta
1 day ago
Reply to  Naterator

I know, right? Back in 2001 or so I bought a good condition Sammy for $500. Today that same little runabout would cost me five figures probably.

Max Headbolts
Max Headbolts
1 day ago
Reply to  Naterator

AC in a Samurai? As a previous owner, I shudder to think how much slower that would make the already incredibly slow thing. Seriously, I lost in a drag race to a Chevette once…

Red865
Red865
1 day ago
Reply to  Max Headbolts

But I passed a Camaro going uphill in an 89 Suzuki Sidekick…granted the road was a sheet of ice and I had it in 4Low and the Camaro had slid into the guardrail.

AC was a dealer add on in the early days.

My wife had bought it new and had it on 3 wheels on offroad trails in 1st month w/ guidance of her Pawpaw. All those trails are now closed/gated.

Red865
Red865
1 day ago
Reply to  Red865

Later modified the Sidekick with dual Mikuni sidedraft carbs, hotter cam, split long tube header, 2″ exhaust, upgraded clutch (all from Calmini Products). Ran great. The original throttle body fuel injection had a fixed fuel map, so couldnt do much mods. They also sold a supercharger for these. A lot of the performance stuff was offshoot of stuff for the Suzuki Swifts.

Max Headbolts
Max Headbolts
1 day ago
Reply to  Red865

I desperately wanted to modify the Sammi, sadly I was a broke college kid who could barely afford to keep it on the road.

Max Headbolts
Max Headbolts
1 day ago
Reply to  Red865

I once got passed by an Escort after I had spun out across a divided highway because I didn’t bother to put it into 4WD. So I’ve lived both sides of this coin 🙂

Cars? I've owned a few
Cars? I've owned a few
1 day ago

I love these COTD posts. I am sorry, that after a long day doing all you do and going down internet rabbit holes to flesh out the background of all the interesting things you write about, you have to also comb through the comments to choose and compose COTD. I seriously don’t know how you do it.

And… I have questions about the last picture of the Amigo above. How did it get there and how did the driver get out of it without ANY signs of disturbing the sands upon which it rests? Is it a gunite or stucco surface? I think Amigos pre-date the development of Photoshop.

Anyway, thank you and be well.

Fuzzyweis
Fuzzyweis
1 day ago

The Amigo is skilled at covering it’s tracks to avoid being hunted down by the cunning Ford Lobos.

Maymar
Maymar
1 day ago

It was the 90’s, so hang glider.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
1 day ago
Reply to  Maymar

Or bungie jumping.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
1 day ago

You just reminded me of an old Jeep commercial where a bunch of suits from an automaker are meeting with a marketing guy atop a cliff overlooking a canyon. The marketing guy is describing all the sexy shots of the company’s new vehicle that they’re going to get in this rugged terrain, in order to make a commercial.

One of the suits turns to the marketing guy and asks, “How are we going to get our vehicle up here?”
The marketing guy replies, “Helicopter. We’ll lift it.”
The executive nods, smiles and then they all turn around and get into a Jeep Cherokee and drive off.
It was a great ad.

Eggsalad
Eggsalad
1 day ago

Been thinking about this since the original post this morning. By appearance alone, the RAV4 fits in with the rest of the group, but underneath, it doesn’t fit the mold at all. I believe it was based on an AWD Camry of the era, with a transverse engine, FWD bias, and most importantly, it was not BOF. The others were more competent off-road (out of the box) and could easily be modified for more prowess off road. The RAV4 could not.

GokieKS
GokieKS
1 day ago
Reply to  Eggsalad

Huh, I didn’t realize the first generation Kia Sportage was a body-on-frame vehicle. Probably because until this moment I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about the first-gen Kia Sportage at all…

Then again, looking at the Wikipedia entry which lists it as having two recalls for rear wheels falling off and also having the vehicle structure collapse in a crash test, it probably was for the best.

Idle Sentiment
Idle Sentiment
1 day ago

(muttering hoards approach)

Hold on now!
Stop!
Back with you!

Everyone take a step back and
Calm down.

There are plenty of these 90’s truncated-truck type vehicles to go around.
You’ve just gotta get in line and wait your turn like the rest of us.

Hey you!
Kid with the manual Accord wagon… get outa here!
Come back when it’s your aunt who’s dying, leaving an immaculate 96’ RAV4 two door rusting in the driveway.

(shotgun blast)

Get!

(shotgun blast)

Get!

That’s my rusty trucklette.

Last edited 1 day ago by Idle Sentiment
Diego
Diego
1 day ago

The 1st-gen Kia Sportage has always been my favorite of this era and a pretty underrated off-roader in my opinion, that’s why I’m glad that you pointed its off-road prowess out, and those Mazda Bongo underpinnings can really take some beating as well

Sasquatch
Sasquatch
1 day ago

It’s not just small SUVs. This was also the era that gave us the FZJ80 Land Cruiser

Jatkat
Jatkat
1 day ago
Reply to  Sasquatch

I sold my 80 series and kept my Tracker. Too big, too thirsty. Good rig though.

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