(By Tom Lohnes) – The Toyota TNGA-N platform that underpins its SUV is a versatile one. Sitting under everything from the tiny CH-R to the 3-row Highlander, this chassis is very flexible in very good ways. Other companies have been taking advantage of this too, such as Suzuki with its Across, and now Japanese-exclusive brand Mitsuoka, and its Buddy.
By retro, I mean retro American. With the front end seemingly out of a GM truck and the rear a jeep wagoner, this is a weird-but-cool CUV. Powertrain get an upgrade too, with Mitsuoka’s own straight 6 mounted transversely in the front. Horsepower output is 255 and 0-60 happens in a claimed 6.9 seconds. Inside, the Buddy is mostly shared RAV-4 parts, but that’s to be expected because it is a RAV-4 underneath. Because of the Toyota underpinnings, though, 2 things will likely happen. One being that the Buddy has some off road chops, 2 being that the chassis is way less likely to break than the straight-six Mitsuoka supplied it with. AWD is standard, as well as an 8-speed automatic.
In all, the Mitsuoka Buddy is a relatively cool crossover that we’ll never see here. Like the Bissan Fígaro of the late 90’s (look it up) we’ll likely forget about the buddy for a couple years, and then prices will skyrocket, like every other JDM car people want to import!
damn thats UGLY… Leave it in Japan…
Behold the Canyonaro .. .
Shawn: Damn, it’s a good thing I’d already finished my coffee before reading this, otherwise I’d have a big cleanup to do on my monitor & keyboard!! lol
Hopefully the Buddy fares better in the markets than the Canyonaro !
For those who don’t remember……The Canyonero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZeFDe44Ddo
Do you drive it to Wally World?
Well it’s different anyway.