Suzuki X-90 (1996 - to 1998)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
With just two seats, a targa roof and push-me-pull-you styling the Porsche Boxster owes a big debt of gratitude to the Suzuki X-90. Joking aside, Suzukis upstanding coupe has to be one of the oddest cars to be offered for sale in the last ten years. Quite what niche Suzukis product development team thought they were targeting with this tiny car is open to conjecture and the fact that it was on sale for only two years would suggest that they failed to hit this tiny aiming point. As a used proposition it certainly has curiosity value, not to mention an engagingly off the wall personality.
As befitted its relatively hefty new price tag, the X-90 was pretty well equipped. At the time of launch Suzuki were very sensitive to the whole tumble jeep debacle that had surrounded early SJ models and stressed the safety features of the X-90. Safety equipment includes driver and passenger air bags, side impact beams and daytime running lights. Excellent visibility from a high seat position further heightened the drivers sense of safety and comfort and explains why many X-90s were chosen as city scoots.
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The jazzy sports seats and door trims in the cabin did their best to jolly things up, but the fascia design was still rather bland.
Being a regular in the Words Ugliest Car polls is rarely a banker in terms of residual value and sure enough, X-90s are reassuringly inexpensive. That said, something of a minor cult appears to be growing around this unusual car. Prices for the 2wd version start at just over £1,500 on a 1996 N plate rising to £2,000 for the last of the 1998 R plated examples with around 56,000 miles showing on the clock. At prices like these it really is worth shelling out another £200 and getting the additional utility of a four-wheel drive version.
The most expensive model is the automatic which peaks at £2,100 for the last of the 1998 R registered cars. Insurance for all X-90s is Group 6.
The X-90 is a rugged little thing with no major faults to look out for. Much of its construction is quite simple which reduces complexity. The suspension is a rudimentary strut/trailing arms design, it uses rear drum brakes, the chassis is an old-school separate ladder frame design and the steering is a rugged recirculating ball set up. One thing to check for is damage caused by over zealous off-roading.
Ground clearance isnt the greatest, so you should inspect the body panelling and paintwork for dents and scratches, ensure the underbody and suspension are undamaged and give the exhaust system the once over. Otherwise check for a fully stamped up service history.
(approx based on a 1998 X-90 4wd) A clutch assembly kit is £115, whilst a complete exhaust system and replacement catalyst is around £280. Front brake pads work out at less than £50 a pair, whilst at under £40 break shoes arent going to break the bank. A new radiator is around £185, and a new starter motor only slightly dearer at £195. Break one of those teardrop shaped headlights and youll be looking at a bill for over £135.
The X-90 is a vehicle that few will take off road, yet its rugged underpinnings mean that on-road progress means a bouncy ride, vague steering and modest levels of roadholding. Dont be taken in by the coupe moniker, expecting the X-90 to go round corners like a Ford Puma. If you do plump for an X-90, try to stretch to the 4wd version. This at least offers a modicum of off-road capability that can be very enjoyable, especially on the right day, with the roof off and with the right tunes on the stereo.
Its easy to dismiss the X-90 but in the right conditions it can be a heck of a lot of fun.
Based purely on logic, its hard to make a case for buying a used Suzuki X-90 over, say, an equivalent Vitara. Not only do you get less seats and less luggage area, but youll be buying a vehicle thatll be more difficult to sell on and which looks decidedly strange. That said, if youre the sort of person who revels in having something a little different and is probably buying a car as a toy, the Suzuki X-90 is not without its appeal. Get a four-wheel drive version, wheel it out on sunny days and it might just seem a very good buy.
But dont be surprised if some wont agree
