Who Makes the Smallest SUVs and 4x4s

You might be excused if you'd believe that Mini Countryman is among the smallest SUV on the market since it's trendy. But I wouldn't say that it's that tiny. Not even close! Just read on and see what else we find out.

SUVs were born out of necessity. American automakers tried to create lighter 4x4 vehicles that could still tow a boat and go through snow and two feet of water without any problems. Some argue that the 1981 AMC Eagle was the first production SUV. But it wasn't the first car-based 4x4 vehicle.

Subaru already did that in 1970 with the FF1300G Van 4WD. It even featured a higher ground clearance than its regular FWD sibling. But, at 155 inches long (3.9 meters) and less than 1,500 lbs weight, it could hardly tow anything larger than a frying pan. In 1972 was followed by the Leone 4x4, which was successfully sold worldwide.

Since the U.S. has an excellent road network with wide lanes, we had to look elsewhere to find these smallest SUVs and off-roaders. On the Old Continent, in Italy, Fiat made the 133-in (3.38-meter) long Panda 4x4 in 1983. This box-shaped vehicle was fitted with a 4x4 system so owners could use them on their daily trips to the field and back. It could even tow a small trailer filled with some agricultural tools. But no, it couldn't possibly plow the land. Meanwhile, in the U.S., farmers used pickup trucks that carried their stuff in the bed.

You're wrong if you think an SUV must have a V8 under the hood. In Italy, Fiat's engineers considered that a one-liter gasoline engine that produced a mere 48 hp (49 PS) could work just fine. And it did that flawlessly. So in 2012, the Italian automaker launched the second generation for the Panda 4x4, and the new model featured a 1.2-liter inline-four powerplant. Moreover, it was awarded "SUV of the Year" by Top Gear. And it was larger than its predecessor by 30 cm (12").

Other Europeans tried to get the same results with FWD vehicles but failed. Volkswagen didn't end-up well with its Cross up! (pun intended) model, but enjoyed some success with the Cross Polo. Then, Fiat showed them how to do it.

The Italians allied with Suzuki and built the Sedici and the SX4, respectively, on the same assembly line in Hungary. This 162" (4.1-meter) long vehicle was available with either front- or all-wheel drive. It came on the market in 2006 and became available on the U.S. market in 2008 under the Japanese badge.

Speaking of Japanese automakers. Suzuki is one of the biggest small-car manufacturers in the world. It made the Jimny LJ10 in Japan in 1970 as a hard-core off-roader under the kei-car category. To keep the car in that class, the automaker had to place the spare wheel inside the cabin, behind the front seats. Thus, its overall length was kept under the 3-meter (118.1"). It weighed 1,300 lbs (590 kg) and was powered by a 27 hp (27 PS) engine. By 2012, the Jimny grew up and reached an "astonishing" 3.5-meter (140") in length.

Just take this little monster, for example. Built between October 1995 and May 1997, the Suzuki X-90 is classed as a "small SUV." Unlike the ladder chassis monsters America makes, this had only two doors and two seats and was equipped with a T-section removable roof. It's actually cool enough for use as a Red Bull promotional vehicle. As for the size, the X-90 is 3.7 meters (145.6") long and 1.7 meters (67") wide. Powering its tiny 1.1-ton body is a 1.6-liter engine mated to a five-speed manual.

Weight is the enemy of any 4x4 on the trail. So while other models added luxury equipment, the limitations placed upon it by Japanese kei-car laws meant Jimny could stay light and pure.

Suzuki has built many other 4x4, including ones that are better than the Jimny but also much worse ones. Based on the Wagon R platform, they also developed something called a kei-SUV. Once again, towing boats, packing V8, and carrying lots of stuff were unimportant. It just needed to be cheap and efficient. Not even off-road ability was essential to its target buyers. All they wanted was some ground clearance. They've severely compromised rear legroom to make room for the prop shafts and drivetrain going to the back. The kei-SUV is available with either a 54 hp (55 PS) naturally aspirated 12V with VVT or a 60 hp (61 PS) turbo. It weighs 800 kg (1764 lbs) and measures 3.4 meters (134").

This was supposed to be a journey of the unexpected, but so we need some real jay-droppers. Toyota is (at the time of writing) the world's biggest automaker. However, when GM was still on top of things, the Japanese made a small, efficient SUV the size of today's MINI.

The model we know today as the RAV4 used to be about a meter shorter in 1994. At just 3.75 meters (147.6") long, the 3-door version looks like a baby chicken compared to today's turkey. But Toyota still makes small-sized SUVs, like the Urban Cruiser, sold as a Scion xD, or the Daihatsu Materia.

Our final two stops on the small SUV train are China and India. Both nations are rich in ridiculously small, ugly 4x4s. We're going to turn our attention to the Great Wall Mini SUV or Hover M1, which, as far as we know, is the smallest SUV in China, featuring a 1.3-liter engine. It was also the car they built with independent suspension, not that anybody would be impressed. It seems to be either based or inspired by the Fiat Panda 4x4, which appears to be true for many cars in India, like the Mahindra Quanto.