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30 Obscure SUV Models Drivers Forgot Existed

Cameron Eittreim June 21, 2021

8: Land Rover Freelander

Land Rover sales slipped to all-time lows in the ’90s, and the brand needed an infusion of sales. Thus a small SUV was developed to capitalize on the compact SUV craze that was taking over the market at the time. The Freelander was considered a failure for the brand as sales were far less than expected.

From an off-road standpoint, the Freelander wasn’t very capable and that didn’t do anything to help its reputation. Land Rover would go on to redesign the Freelander but it was too late and the compact SUV just wasn’t selling. Still, if you can find a Freelander with low mileage, it may be a unique trophy item.

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7: Land Rover LR2

The redesign of the Freelander was the LR2 and Land Rover looked to address some of the complaints of the original model. The design was a bit more upscale with a nicer interior and new exterior colors. Sadly the general design of the LR2 was still very much like the Freelander and consumers weren’t going for it.

The LR2 is slightly tougher to come across than the Freelander and the 2009 model is highly desirable. With the beautiful paint jobs, the LR2 wasn’t bad to look at, but from a capability standpoint, it didn’t hold a candle to the competition. Land Rover had many failures and the LR2 is sadly one of the apparent ones.

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6: Daihatsu Rocky

Perhaps one of the rarest models on this list, the Rocky was a compact UTE sold for a couple of years. The design of the Rocky is very similar to the likes of the Sidekick and the Samurai, but the smaller dealership network hurt the Rocky. Very few of these were sold and most drivers have forgotten about the Rocky unless they see one.

Finding a Rocky is even tougher as the places where these were sold are generally those that have the worst weather. If you can get your hands on a Rocky, it’s one of the best compact SUV models. There was a removable top and a high ground clearance, which made it a pleasure to drive and work on.

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5: Suzuki Samurai

The original Suzuki Samurai became iconic in the SUV world for its stellar design and top-notch reliability. While the SUV had a fairly simplistic design enthusiasts enjoyed the ease of reliability and parts availability. You could also put a lift on the Samurai without much fuss and the removable top was cheap to replace.

Rapper Easy-E famously drove a tricked-out Samurai and these were very popular. You’ll still come across the Samurai from time to time, but the price is high. The average driver probably doesn’t remember this capable off-road cruiser yet for the off-road enthusiast, you can’t go wrong.

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4: Mercury Mountaineer

The Mountaineer was released to capitalize on the popularity of the Ford Explorer and it was basically the same. The interesting thing about the Mountaineer is that it offered the capable 5.0L V8 engine. You might say that the Mountaineer was the Navigator before the Navigator was released.

As time went on, Ford put less and less effort into the Mountaineer until the brand was phased out altogether. The Mountaineer is often forgotten by enthusiasts but the SUV was one of the most notable ones of the 1990s. The Ford Explorer underpinnings proved to be quite capable at going off-roading and the luxury-appointed interior was a nice touch.

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3: Mazda Navajo

A more obscure Ford offering than the Mercury Mountaineer was the Mazda Navajo. The dark grill and flush taillights were the only things that differentiated the two apart. The Navajo also didn’t come in a four-door version; only a two-door was available.

Almost no one remembers the Navajo and finding one is quite rare to say the least. Surprisingly, the Navajo won its fair share of awards from the automotive press, even garnering the Motor Trend Truck of the Year title. Mazda also rebadged a Ford model a decade later in the form of the Mazda Tribute.

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2: Mazda Tribute

Speaking of the Tribute, the compact Mazda was based on the Ford Escape and shared a lot of styling with the Mercury Mountaineer. This time around, Mazda did some engineering and the Mazda Tribute had a separate suspension from the Escape.

The Tribute managed to sell quite well until Mazda decided to shift its focus toward crossover SUV models. The Tribute is perhaps one of the best and most forgotten SUV models. The final versions of the SUV toward the end of 2010 were extremely well-made.

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1: Suzuki X-90

We’re not sure what Suzuki was thinking with the release of the X-90. The two-door SUV was more like a car than anything, there was no trunk space, and it wasn’t solid off-road. Coming from the same carmaker that brought us the Samurai, this car was a bit of a shock.

The X-90 was one of the poorest-selling Suzukis on the market but today has become collectible. There are few X-90 models that are still on the road and you’ll seldom find one for sale anymore. The X-90 was a cool concept but a failed attempt at capturing a market segment that didn’t exist.

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