1986 Suzuki Samurai | Retro Review

you know every now and again a car company introduces a vehicle to only a small part of the country sort of as a test we first drove the little suzuki 4x4 last year on a trip to california where there seems to be a market for just about everything well then the samurai showed up here in florida and how the little buggers are taking over the east coast and they're headed for middle america next so we thought it was about time for a thorough investigation of this miniature 4x4 invader the first thing we discovered is that the samurai is not a new vehicle earlier versions of the car have been sold throughout the world for nearly 16 years so you might have seen the samurai at vacation spots in hawaii and in the caribbean but most americans were only introduced to it last year suzuki says the samurai didn't have quite enough power or flash for mainland america until now the samurai is a purposeful looking little vehicle our staff descriptions range from cute all the way to handsome the body is well finished with excellent fit all round the paint job with its sporty trim also gets high marks we tested both an 86 hard top and 87 open top samurai this year's model gets larger mirrors but they still could be even larger the new locking gas cap is large and easy to grip even if you've got 10 thumbs the hard top samurai can go convertible for summer but it will take some effort our open top test model came equipped with a thin canvas top that was literally a snap to put up and down using more velcro than metal fasteners it comes in an amazing variety of colors the samurai is powered by a 1.3 liter four-cylinder engine fed by a simple two-barrel carburetor this lightweight aluminum block unit puts out 64 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque the small engine makes for a very roomy engine compartment everything is in easy reach and normal maintenance takes almost no time at all this will make a lot of shade tree mechanics very happy the engine bolts to a five-speed manual transmission the only transmission available suzuki has no plans for an automatic on paper the samurai has a good power to weight ratio unfortunately that doesn't translate into acceleration our samurais went from 0 to 60 in a very slow 17.2 seconds and loitered through the quarter mile and 21.2 seconds at 62 miles per hour that's slower than most diesel-powered cars and on the highway it means you have to pay constant attention to the throttle to keep a steady speed in our handling test the samurai acts about like any other 4x4 the nose swings naturally into a turn but the high center of gravity makes for a lot of body roll thankfully the tame power plant makes it hard to push the samurai to a dangerous point and it never feels top heavy to an extreme the steering is non-power slow and heavy despite the samurai's light weight front disc rear drum brakes pulled our samurai down fairly well but not without pulling to the left each time for the record distances averaged 120 feet and six stops from 55 adequate and comparable to most small sedans the interior is very well finished but with a spartan purposeful flavor 87s do have new seats and more leg room than before accessibility is excellent but the seats are hard and lack lumbar support the dash is simple and well laid out the minimal instrumentation is large and generally easy to read but the flat glass faces are too reflective with the top down the shifter is a bit notchy but has short throws and the four wheel drive control lever is easy to reach but the samurai's hood release is in the glove box this could be a problem if you like to carry a lot of maps there is also a new vanity mirror so you can look good even on the roughest trails the rear seat offers sufficient legroom for the average person but watch out for that roll bar when you get in for luggage space simply fold the rear seat out of the way this gives plenty of room for even big loads but the samurai is a four-wheel drive vehicle and that means off-road over the worst terrain the ride is stiff and bouncy gas shocks would help a lot but the samurai short 35-foot turning circle makes for easy maneuvering even in tight places to change between two and four wheel drive you have to stop and engage the manual locking hubs the transfer case offers both a high and low gear range if you want to customize your samurai the dealer has what's called a personalization center it offers over 60 optional accessories most of which bolt right on but the best feature of this fun-filled little vehicle is its price you can drive one away for only 6895 this plus fuel consumption estimates of 28 city and 29 highway make the samurai the most economical off-road 4x4 available anywhere so we've come to like this little 4x4 the low price makes it instantly appealing the sporty looks and roomy interior are also big pluses access to the compact engine couldn't be better and the large selection of bolt-on accessories allows owners to customize their samurais to their own taste unfortunately the ride is pretty rough and there is a lot of wind noise with both heart and soft tops worst of all the samurai is very slow off the mark but it might be just the ticket for those who want minimal four-wheel drive complexity and the ability to get where you need to go regardless of the roads or weather plus it's a combination of fun and low price that simply can't be beat so if the suzuki samurai hasn't already invaded the roads where you live chances are it will soon

Channel: MotorWeek

Views: 462,517

Keywords: Consumer, Review, PHEV, Fuel, Suzuki Jimny (Automobile Model), Pickup Trucks, suzuki samurai, SUVs, Track, Diesel, Suzuki Motor Corporation (Automobile Company), Gasoline, CUVs, SUV, Utilities, Hybrid, Car, CUV, EV, Exotic, Clean, Pickups, Automotive, Speed, MotorWeek (Award-Winning Work), 4x4, Road Test, Trucks, Fuel Economy, Cars, PBS, MPG, Offroad, Fast, MotorWeek, Mud, Electric Vehicle

Id: IN0Kzeg3zLY

Length: 6min 5sec (365 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 10 2014

Reddit Comments

[u/slim_jimmy7]

All those maps in my glovebox get in the way of my hood release!